Backyard Birdcount 08/a New England Anomaly

Today, I decided instead of working my fingers to the bone like I have been doing for months now, I would brave the great outdoors. My neighbor who hooked me on birdwatching asked if I wanted to participate in the Great Backyard Birdcount which means you go out and count the species and numbers that you see. (My mother knew about it because Martha Stewart had mentioned she was doing it this weekend -- my mother watches MS??). We went to the Mansfield Hollow Dam and saw a few birdies. You can see our toll here. We also went to Jillson square and counted 140 ring-billed gulls (that's a lot of seabirds!). It was a lot of fun -- Sunny and not too cold unless the wind blew. There was only one mishap when I fell into the mud. I'm not much of country girl, hopping over fences. Fortunately the ground was very soft and I sat there for moment, marvelling over the fact that I was unharmed (though muddy). My neighbor didn't even see me take the fall, it was so quiet. Yes, slapstick is funny.

To the next part of my story -- the New England Anomaly (a shout-out to Cranky Yankee). Okay, so I'm a transplanted Southerner and am familiar with the weird predilection for strangers to come up and talk to me in these warmer states. Now, hardcore yankees assure me that this is strange. People should mind their own business. Okay, that's fine (although sometimes in the grocery store when someone bumps into and me and doesn't even acknowledge my existence is just plain weird and very annoying -- all right, this is not meant to be a slam on the stoic NE). Anyway, I was in Super Freakin' Big Y, at the deli counter, waiting for my turn when an older man came up to me (I shouldn't be surprised because old people always talk to me. Them and museum guards, I have no idea why). At first he freaked me out because he told me without any introduction "My cat swallowed some yarn" and those of you who have such animals in their life know that yarn + cats = intestinal distress and death.

Then the most marvellous thing happened. He said "I took her to the vet and he said that [pause] she's going to have mittens."

I laughed as he walked away.