Traffic was awful in Dardanelle this morning, but I made it to work. Kim and I chatted for a while, and I never really did find a project. Kids came in sporadically to turn in Chromebooks, which was good. I also learned that about 30% of ninth graders have been suspended this semester, and I’m sure several of those were repeat offenders.
At one point, I had to go to the maintenance office to help Toby ask his vendor for a real attachment instead of an Office 365 share, because Kim couldn’t think of that herself. While I was there, I heard a bird in the building somewhere. Evidently some kid had brought it to Keith, and he didn’t have the heart to tell them they couldn’t do anything about it, so they were just going to keep it in a paper box until after school and then throw it back outside. Stephen was convinced it was a barn swallow, but the color didn’t look right to me, and Merlin identified it as a house sparrow.
A little while later, I headed home at quitting time. Dad had been mowing the lawns at the old house. I showed up to feed the fish, and then he helped me find a worm out back to try and feed the bird. It wouldn’t open its mouth, in spite of how chatty it was.
From there, I headed home and warmed up my leftover Mexican to eat. Summer came home and laid on the couch, but Eaddie was out all night with Eli. I managed to shoot a fly with the Bug-A-Salt, and after trying to hand it over to the bird a few times and it spitting it out, I finally just gave it and walked away. It immediately swallowed the fly. I don’t know why it swallowed the fly that time. Perhaps I can keep it from dying after all.
As the sun went down, I turned out the lights and the bird quieted down. I guess I’m committed to taking it to work tomorrow. It looked like the internet went down at the school earlier in the evening, so with any luck it will be back up by the time I get there. Otherwise, I guess I’m in for a treat.
I would have preferred a swallow.