Post by Auf Kiltre on Jun 28, 2022 12:23:15 GMT -5
I get along with my neighbor and we're pretty simpatico on a lot of things. Early on he gave me his cell number and we've texted back and forth a number of times over various things (like recommendations for a variety of services, etc.). He's about 10 years younger and still working. Not wanting to be the burdensome old guy next door I try not to be "that guy" who has too much time on his hands and overdo it. I get the feeling I may have done that yesterday.
I was outside mowing and trimming when I came across this little blue guy fearlessly sitting on the fence.
I stopped to check him out and immediately surmised he was an escapee. I tried to coax him onto my finger and he almost did, but then backed off. My further attempts incited some reflexes that looked like he might peck me. So I got my wife and we put out a bowl of water and some shredded romaine lettuce. He drank but did not eat. Then he scooted into the neighbor's yard.
My neighbor has a nice but rambunctious dog (part Jack Russell, maybe part Pit). I know if he comes out we're talking "shredded tweet". So I text the neighbor. He eventually responds he's at work but his wife is at home. I send a followup text of the bird's location in his yard, no reply. So eventually I go over and talk to his wife who clearly has not been filled in by her husband. I soon see her sitting on her back patio with a cardboard box trying to coax the bird out. At the same time my wife posts a pic on the community Facebook page. Neighbor and box soon are gone so we assume (correctly) that the bird has been appropriated.
My wife gets a hit on Facebook from a woman. The bird is "Jolly Roger", her son's escaped pet. He's been heartbroken since its escape last month (?!). There's a pic of the kid with the bird on his shoulder. At this point I notice my neighbors car is gone and turns out she went and bought a bird cage, also knowing we posted it on Facebook. My wife goes over, they talk and she agrees to provide the owner their address for a pick up.
This is where we should have washed our hands of the whole affair.
Later that evening I texted my neighbor and asked if the owner ever came to pick up the bird. No response. Well, ok. My wife then later messaged the owner if the bird was safe and sound. Sadly, Jolly Roger was in a bad state (I can't believe it survived that long outside in the Texas heat) and succumbed about an hour after getting home. She said she and her son were grateful for our communication with her but of course heartbroken. They planned on having a little memorial for him today. 😕
The more I thought about the neighbor's lack of reply the more I started wondering if I had become "that guy". I'm not going to spend too much time overthinking it all but will readjust my "perimeter".
This morning my wife asked me what I was laughing about and I said "Do you think I should text (neighbor) and ask him if he plans on attending Jolly Roger's memorial?".
🤣😐😕
I was outside mowing and trimming when I came across this little blue guy fearlessly sitting on the fence.
I stopped to check him out and immediately surmised he was an escapee. I tried to coax him onto my finger and he almost did, but then backed off. My further attempts incited some reflexes that looked like he might peck me. So I got my wife and we put out a bowl of water and some shredded romaine lettuce. He drank but did not eat. Then he scooted into the neighbor's yard.
My neighbor has a nice but rambunctious dog (part Jack Russell, maybe part Pit). I know if he comes out we're talking "shredded tweet". So I text the neighbor. He eventually responds he's at work but his wife is at home. I send a followup text of the bird's location in his yard, no reply. So eventually I go over and talk to his wife who clearly has not been filled in by her husband. I soon see her sitting on her back patio with a cardboard box trying to coax the bird out. At the same time my wife posts a pic on the community Facebook page. Neighbor and box soon are gone so we assume (correctly) that the bird has been appropriated.
My wife gets a hit on Facebook from a woman. The bird is "Jolly Roger", her son's escaped pet. He's been heartbroken since its escape last month (?!). There's a pic of the kid with the bird on his shoulder. At this point I notice my neighbors car is gone and turns out she went and bought a bird cage, also knowing we posted it on Facebook. My wife goes over, they talk and she agrees to provide the owner their address for a pick up.
This is where we should have washed our hands of the whole affair.
Later that evening I texted my neighbor and asked if the owner ever came to pick up the bird. No response. Well, ok. My wife then later messaged the owner if the bird was safe and sound. Sadly, Jolly Roger was in a bad state (I can't believe it survived that long outside in the Texas heat) and succumbed about an hour after getting home. She said she and her son were grateful for our communication with her but of course heartbroken. They planned on having a little memorial for him today. 😕
The more I thought about the neighbor's lack of reply the more I started wondering if I had become "that guy". I'm not going to spend too much time overthinking it all but will readjust my "perimeter".
This morning my wife asked me what I was laughing about and I said "Do you think I should text (neighbor) and ask him if he plans on attending Jolly Roger's memorial?".
🤣😐😕
