One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Today our Christmas tree finally came down. Pitiful, huh? Well, Friday was a snow day and we couldn’t take it down then, we had to play outside. All the days prior to that? Well, we all walked around trying to ignore the fact there was still a Christmas tree even up. I was waiting to see if the kids acknowledged they hadn’t taken it down. The kids I believe thought since I didn’t say anything I had forgotten it was even up. Whatever.

The kids put the tree up while I was in Las Vegas at the beginning of December. I asked them to take it down last week before they went back to school from Christmas break. Like most things they are asked to do, the request must be submitted in triplicate.

Friday I had come in from riding on the ice behind the four wheeler with Alex. RayRay had secured an old tire with a tow strap and we had been flying up and down the street on it. When I came in from outside I thought I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye, but when I looked around, nothing. Then I noticed the cat making her way across the dining room floor and she had a purpose in mind. Next thing I knew she climbed up on the table, jumped into the Christmas tree and a bird flew out the top. It landed on the hutch and then quickly flew back into the Christmas tree.

I knew it! I knew I had seen something! I grab the tree with one hand and the cat with the other. The dog is dancing around my feet the whole time, thinking the cat is playing some new game and wanting to take her turn to run up the tree. I set the cat down to see if she can flush out the bird and we all see it at the same time.  The cat lunges, the dog barks and the bird flies across the room and lands on the file cabinet in the office.

The cat goes bounding toward the office, the dog is trying to keep up with a game to which she has no idea what the rules are and I’m trying to get to the French doors so that I can give the bird a means of escape. Cat reaches bird, bird totally ignores the open door and flies back across house to tree and lands in the top. Dog?  She comes to a screeching halt at the food bowl making a pit stop.

I then begin a twisted game of keep away with the cat trying to shield the bird from its clutches. All the while the bird is jumping from tree to hutch to bookcase. The cat? She is biding her time waiting for the right moment to pounce. The dog tries to grab the cat’s tail in her mouth as it swishes back and forth like a dropped water hose turned on full force. Every once in awhile the dog grabs a mouth full of hair and the cat reaches back to slap at her while she keeps one eye on the bird.
Our cockatiels are watching all the action from the living room and cheering on the wild bird. Once again, I try to shoo the bird toward the French doors.  All the while I have the cat under one arm and I'm shoving the dog outta the way with my foot as I make my way across the room. It is slow going. Back and forth we go, file cabinet to tree, tree to file cabinet. One time it landed on the mantel. I’m guessing to survey the lay of the land and perhaps locate the other birds that are shouting encouragement.  Perhaps they knew the way out?  Finally the bird does go out the door. The cat walks away in digust and the dog looks around as if to say “Is it my turn yet?”

How did it get in the house? Not too sure, maybe it was cold and wanted to get warm. It probably spotted that great indoor tree and had been plotting for hours to get inside.

The kids were given strict instructions today as I left for work to get the Christmas tree down and put it away before I got home. Did they do it? Yes, after another bird flew in the house and gave them a merry chase. Then and only then did they remember what they were supposed to be doing all along.