Bill and I were house sitting for a friend this weekend. She has a beautiful home just outside of the small town of Troy. We enjoyed eating lunch in Troy yesterday, then going back to the house and sitting in front of the fireplace. The windows in her living room provide a panoramic view of the distant mountains and a more close-up view of local wildlife.
We got up this morning, built a fire and sat in front of the windows sipping tea. I was too limp to even pick up a book. I was thinking about this state of tranquility and about how I need to get away more often. Suddenly the heard a crash in the other room. I thought it was the dog, no big deal, until sharp talons grabbed at my toes.
I jerked my foot away and looked down at the parrot that had apparently escaped his cage. He had launched a new attack on Bill's feet. Bill reached down to grab the bird and was attacked again. Blood was dripping from his hands onto the beige carpet. I suggested that Bill go to the kitchen sink to tend to his hands.
In the mean time, I coaxed the bird onto a stick and tried to carry him back to the cage. He quickly scurried up the stick and up my arm to my shoulder. He began to pull at my hair. Bill came running in response to my cries. He grabbed the bird and quickly stuffed it into the cage.
This was only round one. The bird escaped again and had to be wrestled back to the cage. The cage had to be mended, the blood had to be cleaned from the carpet and Bill's wounds had to be tended to. At the end of the ordeal we were bruised, bloody, panting and shaking. Our little retreat had turned into a house of horrors. We couldn't get out of there quick enough.
The moral of the story is this: You never know what life has in store for you. Enjoy the tranquility while you can. Tomorrow, or the next minute, may offer you chaos.
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