Monday, November 7, 1994...Bird Brains

Friday I went to the bookstore to make one last stab at identifying that beautiful bird that took peanuts from our hand with such a hard jerk at Yellowstone National Park. The library had nothing to shed light on the matter, and I really thought I just had to know what that bird was.

Without much effort at all, I found it: it was a Clark’s nutcracker. Now, perhaps a Clark’s nutcracker is common as a crow in that part of the country, but I had neither seen nor heard of one before, so I was terribly pleased to have solved the mystery.

In the meanwhile, I was wondering why in the world there was such a crush of people in that little bookstore. Finally I noticed the balloons and banner:

WELCOME! BOB DEVANEY AND JERRY TAGGE!

It turns out, our famous former football coach and famous former quarterback (that is, I think that’s who he was) were there autographing their new books. Franks sizzled in a roaster, and reporters with enormous lenses bustled about importantly, looking down their noses at lesser mortals.

That’s when I realized that everybody was looking at me a bit strangely as I knelt on the floor in the corner right beside the door behind which lurked the coach and quarterback, waiting for their cue to exit. There I sat, totally engrossed in birds--while everyone else was on pins and needles, waiting for the celebrities to appear. It wasn’t hard to tell what they were thinking: “Just get a load of that birdbrain in the corner, wouldja!”

I hastily departed. But I’d found the bird! I was just as happy as if I had good sense.

Thursday was Larry’s birthday: he has now advanced to the ripe old age of 34, same as me. I’m not quite one month older. I like to periodically remind him that one must respect one’s elders.

Now I am sewing Hannah’s Christmas suit: dark blue satin with gold dust all over it, and black lace with blue embroidery. It has great puffy sleeves to just below the elbow, then tight cuffs with many buttons to the wrists; and a very full ruffled peplum covered with lace, and lace covers the bodice from the waist up to 6” below the shoulder. The lace has a scalloped edging of blue. The skirt is circular.

Christmas program practice starts the Friday after Thanksgiving. I still have to rewrite one song, change a few words on another, and get all the notebooks in order. Then I shall finish sewing a jumper and blouse for Hannah, a dress for Hester, a purse for Hester to match Lydia’s gold sequined one, a blouse for Lydia, and a shirt for Caleb. Buy more presents; wrap them.

Help! Stop the world! Whoa! Wait for me!