It's never easy but never more difficult than you imagine.

 

I was out in the Pigeon coup tending to my flock when I noticed a spot of blood on the ground. I looked up and didn't see anything at first and then one of my black pigeons (ya black - how cool is that!) flew by and landed on a perch near by. I looked at his foot and saw blood and a tangled mess of grass. Hmmm it looks like a foot injury - toe nail maybe? 

 

I did a brilliant catch the pigeon in mid air as he was trying to fly by me. Though it wasn't as impressive as the time Andy caught Avatar (the raven) in mid air.

 

Anyway, I bring the pigeon into the house and get my med kit out. I put a towel over the pigeon's head (keeps em calm), laid him (or her) on his back and then began to unravel the grass from the bird's foot. Hmmm no cut, but wait ... there's blood on his wing. Oh Crap!!! Blood feather.  I hate those!

 

Sigh. The pigeon was really calm and just laid there as I cleaned up his wing and tried to get a better look as to where the broken feather was. If you don't pull out a blood feather when it is broken, the bird will bleed to death. The feather shaft in a blood feather acts like a straw. It's never good when one of those breaks.

 

I'm looking but I can't find the broken shaft and the pigeon is bleeding. Then I begin to perspire and my peripheral vision begins to dim. Oh Crap, now I'm going to pass out!  I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and gulp down a few cool mouthfuls and put my head between my knees. I read somewhere that is suppose to help. It sort of does.  Meanwhile the pigeon is still laying there calmly bleeding to death. Ack! 

 

I try to pull myself together and finish the task at hand. It's only a blood feather, you've done these before Marisa. Just do it. Crap, it's beginning to get black again.

 

Okay, this isn't going to work. Obviously the stress of trying to find the blood feather, hold the pigeon down and yank it out is just too much for my physiology. Okay, plan B.  I'm taking the bird to the vet.

 

I gather the bird up and put him into the carrier and drive over to the vet closest to my house. It's closed. I consider my options ... should I just drive over to Jo's house (it's a block away from the vet's) and see if she'll hold the pigeon. Hmmm I envision the scene of me pounding on her door and when she finally answers it (she's not good with answering doors - thank you door-to-door campaigners!)  I envision her finally opening the door and me rushing in with this pigeon and us both passing out because neither one of us can take the pressure.  Hmmm Plan C. Go to Kachina's vet.

 

So I drive down to the Macleod Trail Animal hospital - they're awesome there, and explain my situation. I go in the back room with the tech (bless her heart) who says she'll give it a try.  I take the pigeon out of the cage, put towel back over it's head and hold it down. I point out where the broken feather shaft is and she grips it with a hemostat (medical plier) and pulls but the shaft breaks and she only gets bits and pieces.  Damn! I assume that she's beginning to stress because she is not getting anywhere. She suggests that I do it but I know my track record (visions of me passing out on vet's floor) and decline. I tell her she's doing a fine job and keep trying. Finally she gets it. Pluck! Problem solved!

 

Phew! Once the blood feather's broken shaft is pulled out, the problem is solved. It's actually rather anti climatic - ah who needs that kind of excitement. 

 

So I have realized that I'd make a lousy adrenaline junkie but a good fainting goat.

 

The pigeon, on the other hand, well I think it's a reincarnation of Gandhi as it maintained a calm demeanor throughout the entire ordeal despite my impersonation of one of the members of the three stooges.  Okay maybe it's not Gandhi but perhaps I'll name it that anyway.

Today was a wonderful sunny day and so I got a hold of Jo and we decided to go for a bike ride.

 

I had recently bought this dog/bike connector so that I could take Chena for a bike ride and attach her safely to the bike and save my shoulders from getting wrenched.  I got it from the U.S. http://walkydogusa.com/ . It's very well made and worth every cent. The only bad thing about getting this piece of machinery from the U.S. was having to pay the extra $35 brokerage because they shipped it UPS. Ouch!

 

I've decided that the dog park is an evil place (LOL) filled with evil spirits - okay, evil spirited people anyway. I don't bother taking Kachina there any more because, well, who needs the b.s., there are other places to take my dog and other ways to exercise her. 

 

Not too much more to say today. I guess I'll go take care of some shipping.

 

M.