Embarrassing
as it is to confess, I don’t wash my car as often as I should, especially since
I frequently travel long distances in buggy areas. We recently returned from a week long trek
through insect-filled territory with predictable results. Squashed bugs covered the front of the car.
From my
perspective, this just meant more work.
I needed to get out the scrub rags and the detergent and apply a little
elbow grease. From a couple of little
birds’ perspectives, this was a traveling gourmet delight. When I looked out the window the other day, I
saw two sparrows working diligently at something around the front grill. Upon closer inspection, these little
opportunists were cleaning up on imported bugs. I had delivered a veritable
feast to their doorstep.
Lately the
newspapers are full of articles of other examples of opportunistic
feeders. Several swimmers and surfers
off a Florida
beach recently discovered this the hard way.
As they were splashing and kicking, hungry sharks zeroed in on their
movement and noise. Since bait fish
usually occupy those waters, the sharks apparently thought the splashing
signaled dinner time. I can imagine the
surprise on the parts of both the swimmers and the sharks. Neither expected that encounter. Although a couple of the swimmers required
surgery, no one died in that case of mistaken identity.
Sharks are
not the only creatures showing up for unexpected meal encounters. We recently visited an area in Wyoming that suffered an
early freeze and now is experiencing a drought.
As a result, bears, which usually hang out in berry patches and the like
in the mountains, are showing up at Fido’s back door dog dish.
One lady told me her sister left
her back door open while she did some errands.
As she was carrying boxes from one area to another, her dog started
barking frantically. Curious, she went in the dining area to see what inspired
the noise. A bear cub had wandered into
her kitchen to check out his dining options.
Thank goodness she scared him out with a few wild gestures and screeches
before his mom came looking for him. In
this particular community, officials had to destroy a grizzly and a black bear
that could not resist wandering into town to look for food.
In southern Colorado , a bear wandered into a bottling
plant and discovered the raspberry flavored ice tea vat. The mental pictures going through my mind on
that one lead to some possible ice tea commercials. It reminds me of the old Coca Cola
commercials with the big white polar bear.
I suppose this bear story is a case of life imitating art.
Wild animals aren’t the only
creatures to take advantage of a perfect opportunity. I’ve never seen a dog miss a chance to clean
up under a toddler’s seat at the table.
Any dog worth its keep knows where to find the good stuff. I once saw a lab snatch the ice cream off a
little girl’s ice cream cone when the tyke was waving her cone around and not
paying attention. Scolding a dog for
doing what comes naturally is hard to do sometimes.
On the note of letting a food thief
off easily, it is getting close to the weekend and car wash time. Can I justify another postponement with the
excuse that I would deprive those sparrows of their gourmet goodies?
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