Instrument of Grace: You'll Just Have To Take My Word For It

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For the last several days, we've been receiving cool temperatures and constant rain from that tropical-like storm that moved up the East coast. I was happy about the rain, we so badly needed it, but I wasn't so happy about being inside all weekend. I mean, who wants an opportunity to stay in their jammies much of the day and be forced to watch football? OK, Saturday was good, and there were some good games on, but Sunday, too?

I kept walking to the glass doors in our breakfast area and looking out over the back yard/garden. I don't know what I was looking for, but what I was seeing was rain. On one trip to the doors early yesterday afternoon, I looked to see if there was any interest at the bird feeders. The niger sock was deserted, but there were several chickadees at the tube feeder. I looked a little more closely, and noticed they looked agitated. An even closer look revealed a chickadee INSIDE the feeder trying frantically to get out. How did he get IN there in the first place?

Since I was in my jammies (and slippers not suitable for outside), I put in a frantic call for help to Garden Man, ensconced in front of the TV. At first, he didn't believe there was a bird in the feeder, but after I insisted, he got up to look. Yep, still there and trying madly to get out. So Garden Man heads out into the rain for the rescue. I should have grabbed my camera, shed my slippers and headed out too, but all I could do was watch the rescue unfold.

As Garden Man approached the feeder, the chickadees scattered to the trees. As he lifted the feeder off the pole, one chickadee dive-bombed his head. Then, he lifted the cap off the feeder and the trapped bird flew out and away with the entire crew right behind him.

It was hours before any chickadees ventured back to the dangerous feeder that eats chickadees. I just wonder if that poor bird trapped inside will ever come back. And how did it get in there in the first place?