Bluebird in My Chimney

So, Saturday morning had a somewhat 'different' kind of beginning than most days. . . . After the Munchkin woke up and I'd brought him out of his room, I walked back into the living room and heard a strange scratching/scuttling sound in the corner near the woodstove. At first I thought maybe it was something outside because it had stopped by the time I really started to hone in on it.

When it started up again I realized it was actually coming from the stove pipe between the woodstove and the ceiling. My first thought was that it was either a bird or a squirrel or something, then I started wondering how I was going to get it out before it died from ash/soot inhalation or exhaustion (I have NO idea how long it had been in there by that point, though I'm assuming not for long).

I called my mom and asked if she could drive the 22 minutes to my house and help me dissect the stove pipe and rescue whatever poor creature was trapped in there, she said she would head out as soon as she could get ready.

Since I couldn't do anything else at that point I went about the normal morning routine: take Sasha out and feed him (the cats had already been fed), fix the Munchkin some breakfast, wash my face, etc. About 15-20 minutes after I'd called my mom she called me back to ask me what kind of screws were on the stove pipe to make sure we'd have the right tools for the job. =p By that time I hadn't heard the 'whatever-it-is' in about 5 minutes or so. I started wondering if it had made it up and out of the chimney--or down into the actual woodstove area. So, very slowly I started opening the door of the stove and much to my surprise--there perched on one of the bricks against the side wall of the stove close to the front was a female Bluebird!

I closed the door quickly as I was afraid she would escape and then be stuck flying around the house until I could manage to catch her somehow--if the cats didn't get to her first. I tried to think of what I could use to catch her with and the only thing I could come up with that was anything like a net was my lingerie wash bag thingy (ha ha!). I put Penny in the bathroom so she couldn't 'assist' me in catching the poor bird. Boomer was behind the couch, so he wasn't much of a threat (oh wait, I haven't introduced you guys to Boomer yet, have I? I'll try to do that soon. . . .). Then I went to the laundry room and got the make-shift 'net' and after distracting Munchkin with his breakfast and an episode of the Backyardigans, I went back to the woodstove.

At first I just held the net in front of the woodstove (like that was going to work!! Ha ha), then I realized that method wasn't likely to work, and by that time the bird had hopped to the back and was trying to find a way back into the chimney--which I wasn't about to let happen!! I lightly tossed the net over her and was actually surprised when it did indeed land on her. . .though when I went to pick her up she scooted out from under the side. I don't really know what happened next, all I know is that one second I thought she was going to escape for sure and the next second she was in my hand--perfectly cradled so that she couldn't struggle and injure herself, and I didn't have to hold her very tightly to restrain her. Praise God!!

She actually didn't put up much of a fight--which surprised me. Maybe she thought I was a predator that was going to eat her and she was waiting for me to loosen my grip on her so she could make her escape (kind of like 'playing possum', you know?).

Anyhow, I took her outside and gently let her go after taking a couple of quick pictures with my cell phone. She immediately flew away and seemed to be okay. Hopefully she learned her lesson and won't think of checking out chimney pipes as potential nesting sites anymore!!!

 

 *Edited to Add: I just realized this is a male bluebird. . .I think I've been away from the Mainland too long--I never would have made such an obvious mistake identifying the gender of a bluebird back a few years ago. What was I thinking? I guess the layer of soot over his blue feathers that made him look more gray may have been part of it, but STILL!*

Outlaw Platoon Book Review

Writing this review has been more daunting than I initially thought it would be--not because the book was terrible or anything like that--simply because the book affected me in so many ways that I have been worried that my words will not do justice to the incredible story that it holds on it’s pages of the men who served in the platoon that came to be known as the Outlaws.

Outlaw Platoon is an incredible true story of a how a group of men from the Army’s 10^th Mountain Division—some of whom had been previously tested in battle, along with others who were completely green—forged bonds of friendship and love that transcended their vast differences and enabled them to become a united fighting force that the enemy came to recognize and loath. The author, Sean Parnell, was the platoon’s LT (Lieutenant) in 2006 when the events detailed in this book took place. As he states in the Author’s Note, his goal in writing the book is not to bring glory to any of his own actions during their time in Afghanistan, but is to bring recognition to his men—a task that he performed very well in the retelling of their story. To quote the book’s dust jacket, “Over 80 percent were wounded in action, putting their casualty rate among the highest since Gettysburg, and not all of them made it home.” The story of these men needs to be told—we must never forget the sacrifices that our troops make in service to our country—and the debt of gratitude that we owe them.

Almost immediately upon beginning to read I was swept into the action—and before I had even made it out of the Prologue I had already found myself on the brink of tears. Parnell doesn’t gloss over any of the details of what they experienced during Outlaw Platoon’s time in Afghanistan—this is a very REAL and vivid account of what he and his men experienced during their 16 month tour (though the book does not actually cover the full 16 months). *A brief word of warning—if you have a weak stomach, this may not be a suitable book for you to read as it is pretty graphic in nature. Also as may be expected (due to the nature of the book), strong language is used heavily throughout it.*

For the most part the book is generally non-stop action, and the pace of the book made it hard to put down and easy to lose track of time while reading it.

Parnell’s descriptions of his men and the people they encountered throughout the book really made them come to life for me—and quickly drew me into their lives. So, much so that whenever there was an injury—or worse—I felt as though I myself had borne witness to it as it occurred and experienced overwhelming feelings of concern, grief, and loss.

The story contained within the pages of this book is a powerful one to say the least—and provides valuable insight into how combat affects different men in different ways. Being the wife of a combat veteran I really appreciated this insight. . .it’s just one of those things that isn’t really talked about (except veteran to veteran)—and with good reason. . .as civilians we are not really able to relate to what happens in a combat situation (having never been through anything of a similar nature in MOST cases)—though we may be able to empathize to a certain level it will never be quite the same—and trying to engage a soldier in conversation in this area without it being volunteered is a pretty big no-no. That being said, I am grateful that Parnell dared to share his story and the story of his men so that they would not be forgotten—and so the world would know what the men of Outlaw Platoon did and endured along with the atrocities they witnessed and how it forged the bond between them and made them stronger.

Sadly, the book ended somewhat abruptly and left me wishing it had been longer as I felt unready for my journey with the men as the reader and ‘observer’ to be over. I had grown so attached to them during the time I was reading the book that I literally felt bereft when it ended.

I read Mark Bowden’s Black Hawk Down years ago, and while it was an incredible telling of the events that transpired that deadly Sunday in Somalia, it doesn’t have the same distinction as Outlaw Platoon does in having been written from the perspective and memory of the (then) LT who was there through it all and did himself experienced the events he has written about.

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this book—especially to my fellow military wives. Being able to get a glimpse of what our men who go ‘outside the wire’ go through (though every situation will of course be different) is—in my humble opinion—an invaluable tool to being able to understand them better and help them through whatever residual effects there may be.

Please remember to always treat returning combat vets with the consideration and respect that they have earned. Their time spent becoming a combat vet was not an easy one and will always be a part of who they are. . .somewhere below the surface.

I would like to leave you with a couple of quotes from the end of The Return of the King (both are spoken by Frodo. . .the long one is from the movie version, the short one is from the book). I think that though they come from the mouth of a fictional character these are likely the same thoughts that our combat veterans face upon their return home—as evidenced by Parnell’s honest account in Outlaw Platoon of both his emotions and the emotions he witnessed in his men during their time together in Afghanistan.

“How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart you begin to understand—there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend. . .some hurts that go too deep, that have taken hold.”

“I am wounded. . .wounded; it will never really heal.”

Ten Day YOU Challenge--Day 10

Whew, I made it to the final day!! Woo-hoo!

Day 10--One Picture (of Yourself):

This was me when I was 19 (that seems so long ago now!). . .I'm thinking of growing my hair out to that length again (I miss braiding it!!!), but with side-swept bangs. Not sure if that combination would even look half-way decent, but that's what I'm *currently* thinking of doing, lol.

Ten Day YOU Challenge--Day 9

Wow--almost to the end!!

Day 9--Two Songs:

I have a whole playlist of songs that God has used to encourage me during the 'storms' of my life, but I will stick with two of my favorites for this post. . . .

1. Praise You in This Storm by Casting Crowns

2. No Matter What by Kerrie Roberts

Ten Day YOU Challenge--Day 8

Day 8--Three Films:

 1. The Last of the Mohicans--my all time favorite. 

2. Shooter--another one of my favorites.

3. Heartland--not a movie (it's a Canadian TV show about a girl who is something of a 'horse whisperer'), but definitely a favorite.