It's For the Birds!

When I was a young child, probably around the age of 7, Alfred Hitchcock came out with a terrifying movie called "The Birds". I wanted to go see it so badly but my Mother forbid me. She said, "This is not a movie for a young girl and you will have nightmares forever!" So I waited patiently, and when it came out on TV, I snuck over to my friend's house next door and we watched the movie against our better judgement. Wouldn't you know it? Not only did I have nightmares - I have truly been scared of birds ever since! That man was one sick individual! I already had somewhat of an aversion to birds since I grew up on a farm and had to go pick up the eggs from the chicken coop and the roosters were not nice. They fly at you and chase you and pretty much damage your fondness for anything with wings.

On our recent trip down through the Florida Keys I was not prepared for the numerous amount of chickens that roam freely everywhere. When I say everywhere, I am not kidding. I got out of the car at the grocery store, and I could hear this rustling in the trees. I could not figure out what it was until I looked up and a ton of chickens were just hanging out in all the trees. They walk all over your car and hang out in the parking lot. Needless to say, getting out of the car was not an option for me after that. Every morning at sunrise the roosters crow for at least a half hour. It might be 4:30 am or 5:30 am and they have no sense of time. Needless to say - you never had to set an alarm clock the entire trip. I couldn't figure out why there were so many chickens but I found out "Gypsy Chickens (that's what they are called) were brought to Key West by early settlers and Cuban immigrants. Key West is a designated bird sanctuary, and they are legally protected and harming them is prohibited. I don't want any harm to come to them - I just don't want them anywhere near me. Also make sure you pay attention to where you walk - if you know what I mean.

One of my favorite bars we visited in Key West was Sloppy Joe's Bar. It is known for it's live entertainment and awesome food in a very open air environment. Because of that, it often welcomes in unwanted birds and pigeons who also want to partake in the fun and snacks. I was definitely in tuck-and-cover mode during our visit there, and was excited to leave when the time came. While exiting through one of the very large open doorways, a pigeon decided he would like to enter the bar at the same time, and we met face to face and it actually gave me a little wing slap to my face! Horrified, and spewing every bad word that I knew, I ran at least a block before stopping to catch my breath and not have a heart attack. Good news - I didn't know I could still run like that!

I am not taking anything away from our adventure through the Florida Keys. Everything else was absolutely great. I invite anyone to take that drive between Miami and Key West and see the sights and meet some of the nicest people. I learned a great deal on this trip but I will always come back to the most important lesson I have learned - Always, and I mean always, listen to your Mother!

Remember to be grateful.....................

Until we talk again.........................