Don't mess with Mother Nature!
There are only a few precious weeks of unscheduled days and late nights left, before school resumes in our neck of the woods.
Keenly aware of this fact, our family has been trying to spend as much time together as we can.
Movie nights have been especially popular.
Last week, it was my turn to choose the film.
I like old movies.
course, old is a relative term, in our household that can mean movies anywhere from the 1930's to the 1990's, depending on who you are asking to define old.
To me old means old...so I chose Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 classic thriller, The Birds.
I loved that movie when I was a kid.
It was one scary flick and a good movie to boot, featuring great dialog and old Hollywood glamour. I'm pretty sure it's where my distaste for birds stems.
I really don't like them.
Of course, my kids were not impressed with my choice. As a matter of fact, they laughed their way through much of the movie, and while they did enjoy it overall, they clearly did not find it scary.
In fact, when their friends came over the next night to watch a "real scary movie", they shared their experience, only to find that the exact same scenario had been played out in other homes ~ parents excited to share a childhood memory with an audience of utterly unfazed and unimpressed kids.
They all agreed that it was "cute and old fashioned."
Apparently, so were we.
I tried to explain to my kids that unlike some of the high tech thrillers of today, this movie's terror was rooted in the fact that, however unlikely, the possibility of nature turning against humanity was always there.
That while none of them may ever see a ghost or super villain or rogue robot, they do in fact see birds every single day....and one of them could turn at any moment.
Yeah, ok, mom, sure, whatever.
They even teased me about it for a few days whenever we saw a flock of birds.
Until the craziest thing happened.
Within the span of a week, two birds slammed into our kitchen windows while the kids were in the room.
The birdies were fine.
They were stunned at first, then got up and flew away, but it was odd.
This had never happened before.
My formerly smug teenagers were totally and completely freaked out after the second incident and while I would never, ever want any living creature to suffer, I have to admit that I was amused by the timing.
I even posted about it on Facebook.
The FB post was pretty popular.
I had a lot of fun interacting with readers and making new friends, but news feeds are fluid and people move on.
Nature had vindicated me,put my kids in their place and I figured that after the last comment was answered that would be the end of my avian tale...
...and then the doorbell rang last night at dusk.
When I answered it, I was greeted by five black crows sitting on my front stoop.
At first, I gasped.
Then I realized that they weren't real.
They were props placed there as a practical joke, by a friend, who had heard the story.
I was hysterical.
My kids came around the corner to find out what was causing the commotion and I thought they were going to drop on the spot.
It was great!!
I have to tell you that those suckers look really, really real.
My girlfriend and her daughter found them at the dollar store and they are black and shiny and completely creepy.
Armed with a superior eye for design (check out her kitchen), she placed those birds on the stoop in such a way, that you would swear they had just landed and were hanging out.
It was awesome. I left them there all night for others to admire and have been laughing about the incident all day.
Life can be so serious and heavy at times.
When moments like this present themselves, I think we have to sit up and pay attention and appreciate the laughter and lightness they provide.
My friend is an amazing person with a great sense of humor and she has given me one of the best laughs I've had all summer and a funny story that I will remember forever.
I'm so grateful for that.
Of course, I still hate birds, although these guys are kind of growing on me.
A bit. I was actually thinking about making them my unofficial blog mascots...maybe just until Halloween?
Or until my kids start to give me lip again.
Then maybe I could go outside and throw them at their bedroom windows.
Just kidding, I wouldn't do that.
Or would I?
If you want to keep laughing, check out my some more of my stories.
I have a Scary Spider Story
And one about My Underwear
Hahaha! What a story Kim, I've never seen that movie, I should soon then. I recently saw VERTIGO which of course was excellent. As for the birds, I did an all birds centerpiece for Halloween before and loved it (http://buhayatbahay.blogspot.com/2012/10/halloween-tablescape-2012.html)! I like birds on print but not the realistic kinds as well, they do go great with Halloween. :-)
ReplyDeleteI love your tablescape, Vel! Thanks so much for sharing! I was going to put mine on a wreath, but the table might be a bit more unsettling! I'll have to see how the kids behave before I decide!! ;) Haha. Just kidding!
DeleteHi Kim, yes thanks for the laugh! It's nice that you still have some time left before your kids go back to school and enjoying it with your kids. My daughter will be starting next Wednesday already! Where did the summer go? I remember us talking at the beginning of summer. I hope you enjoyed your summer and the pool. Have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteJulie
Creepy bird adventures or not, yes, we are enjoying these last bits of school-free summer, Julie! I hope you and your daughter are, too! This summer did go fast.
DeleteI really did think these birds were real! Your post hits home because my teens are the same way. I tried showing them some classic old films, and I got the laughing treatment too --sigh. :)
ReplyDeleteOh Dee, when did we become so uncool? ;)
DeleteWell, that was a very entertaining story to accompany me at breakfast, thank you! I'm glad the black birdies are crowing...ahem, I mean, growing on you, Kim! Gotta say, they look really at home on your front stoop, and I see they've claimed their place on your laptop! You are so right; you laughed and were uplifted by your very creative friend's little gag, which shows, in my opinion, great consideration towards you, for having taken the time and effort to 'scheme' this little shenanigan!
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely Tuesday!
Poppy
Agreed, Poppy, my friend is creative and thoughtful and I adore her. For our fortieth birthdays, my husband and I had a party to celebrate. In lieu of gifts, we requested that guests bring items that we could send to troops serving overseas. Everyone was compliant...except my friend. In addition to their donations, she organized a few couples to give us another "gift" on the morning of the party. We woke up to a lawn littered with giant wooden buzzards, for the entire neighborhood to see, welcoming us into old age! More birds...shudder! It was ridiculous and we laughed for the entire day! :)
DeleteLOL they DO look real! I occasionally join a 'critters' link party on the weekend where people link up nature, critter, bird etc. photos. One of the entries had a huge flock of blackbirds on an electrical line and it reminded me of "The Birds" movie. I recall being terrified when I was young and watched that movie! : )
ReplyDeleteSO GLAD the birds hit the window when the kids were around, ha ha.! :) And your friend...that's a priceless prank.
I am really not a huge fan of birds, so that flock on a wire would've freaked me out a bit! How priceless was that timing? I guess Mother Nature doesn't like smug teens either! Ha! ;)
DeleteLoved the story! LOL I am like you with the birds, so I would of probably screamed a little. LOL I remember as a teen watching the movie with my mom on a cold winter's night and we were both so scared she ended up having to sleep in my bed that night. Since then, I have a thing about birds. :) Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks Maria Elena! I remember being terrified as a kid, too. I probably slept in my mom's bed that night afraid that a crow would come through my window!! I have to admit though, those dollar store birds are growing on me! I bet they would look fabulous on a fall wreath!
DeleteOoh. Tippi Hedren in a phone booth, attacked by masses of birds! Did the kids know what a phone booth was? A cool movie ... at the time anyway!
ReplyDeleteThey did Cheryl! They liked the cars and the fashion of the day, too. They commented on small town life and thought that life seemed simpler back then. They also picked up on the relationship nuances in the plot and said that stuff didn't seem so different from today! SO while they may not have been scared, it was still a cool movie to watch together! I was still scared though! ;)
DeleteThis was so hysterical, Kim! I loved that movie, too, but I was an adult (much older than you) and was scared to death! I thought Tippi Hedren was so gorgeous ( and actually she still is). Too bad Hitchcock ruined her career just because she would not sleep with him -- now that is just gross & creepy! On our summer vacation roadtrip, we drove through Bodega Bay, but most people give you a blank stare when you ask them about that movie!
ReplyDeleteThat's funny, Carol! I would've thought that even now, after all these year, there would be some reference to the movie in town. I mean it really is a classic...no matter what my kids think! ;)
DeleteOh that is awesome!! When I was a kid I thought that movie was terrifying. The last time we watched it I was shocked at how poor the special effects were compared to now. Not so scary to me now. Your friend is a hoot!
ReplyDeleteThat is what the kids were laughing at, Stacey...the really poor special effects! They said that the children being attacked looked like dolls and the birds looked stuffed. I guess it's hard to compete with the computer generated effects of today!
Deleteloved the story and now I am following
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Linda. I'm glad you enjoyed the story! :) I hope you continue to find fun and helpful tidbits here!
DeleteOH THAT'S HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought they were real too, then I realized that I have three of these wonderful props myself! I love that movie and my husband and I are Hitchcock fans and sometimes do a marathon of his classics. This is one of them!
ReplyDeleteThank you Kim for coming to visit my post. The writing process is so demanding, and after I'm done with a poem, I feel as if I've exercised or even given birth in some way! Thank you so much for coming over. Off to school now - I teach and we started this week but the weather is still so summer like. ENJOY! Anita
We are big Hitchcock fans here too, Anita! I would say that it generally includes the kids...this time around, they were just not feeling it! I have to say that between my girlfriend's prank and Mother Nature's timing, they are feeling it now!! ;) Have a super long weekend and I hope you are enjoying being back in the classroom. I always miss it so in September! :)
DeleteWhat a great prank.
ReplyDeleteI know! Don't you love it Lorri? My friend is awesome!! :)
DeleteThis story cracked me up! Those blackbirds from your friend are too funny! This story + those birds = prime material for an epic April Fool's joke on your kids. lol
ReplyDeleteFreaks me out, too, when birds fly into our window.
I'm late chiming in on this but I had to laugh out loud reading it. :) I was terrified by Alfred Hitchcock's movie even though I was a young adult the first(only) time I ever saw it. I cannot watch anything scary & never could. Over the years my son has ridiculed me for all the times I've been hit in the head by birds - I kid you not. I'm not talking about birds chasing me away from their nest, though that has happened as well. They seem to be flying along & just do not see me. I sure wish I'd connected it with this move!
ReplyDeleteI so enjoyed our conversation yesterday I'm catching up with you by reading through your archives - love the funny posts. They sound pretty typical for my house as well. :) - I'm the canned milk girl, the pioneer girl? what do I call myself?, in case you don't remember.
I remember, Jenny! I really enjoyed connecting yesterday. I am laughing out loud at your comment. We seem to have a lot in common. I hate scary movies, my kids make fun of me about it all the time…I have never been hit in the head by a bird though. You win on that one! ;-)
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