And Yet Another

Warm enough to work outside in shirtsleeves, I decided to tackle the mountain of leaves piled up on the deck yesterday.  It's a job I'd been putting off; one, because it's an exercise in futility to do it while the trees are still shedding, and two, because it's no mean feat to move all the potted plants and rake and sweep the length of the deck.  There isn't room under the railing to just brush stuff off that way, so it's a case of start at one end and push the growing mountain ahead to the other.  Bess and the cats were my "helpers."  I'd get a pile moving down the way, sweeping up behind it, and one of my helpers would come tromping through, scattering the pile and tracking leaves behind them.  A couple of hours and a beer break later, I was done.

I had no more sat down in the house when there was a thunk on the big window.  Fingers crossed, I looked out, hoping that whatever bird had hit the pane had just glanced off.  No.  There was a tiny hummer lying on the bench below.  Frank was already on his feet, coming to inspect the victim, so I hurried out and picked up Bird.  He was alive, but very still in my hand and I was afraid to hope he'd make it.  Then he sat up!  One wing was a little wonky, but I could deal with that later if necessary.

Pulling the cellphone out of my bibbies one-handed, I got a picture, but with his head turned it didn't show his true colors.  There was a bit of ham in this boy, because he turned toward me for his closeup and there was the glowing magenta tipped with gold over his emerald back.

We sat together for maybe five minutes.  The fact that a stunned bird let me hold him wasn't so unusual.  What took my breath away happened after he'd gotten over the shock and regained his senses.  Bird fluttered to test his wings and then flew off my hand...and then came right back to sit on my finger!  He did this three times!  Motionless as well as breathless, I waited while he gained confidence.  Finally, he flew off into the trees, no doubt with stories to tell his brethren.

Yet another close encounter story for me.