The Blonde vs. Big Bird

Last weekend, a kind neighbor sent me an e-mail--she had spotted the Great Blue Heron near our house that morning!

Even though he'd been perched on somebody else's roof, I swung into action.

We had purchased one of those devices that includes a motion detector--when the offender comes within range, it blasts a spray of water in an adjustable semicircle. The heron is easily startled (trust me--any movement in a window will cause him to flee). However, when the package arrived, we were both suffering from the virus that had blanketed our home town. I had assembled it and parked it in the den. By the time we were feeling better, I believed that the heron's active hunting season was over.

So, upon receipt of the e-mail, I went outside and installed the water deterrent next to the pond. I had skimmed over the directions, but I didn't really know exactly how the thing worked or how you adjusted it. And I was about ready to leave for work, so I only had a few minutes, but, hey--how hard could it be? You attach a hose and stick it into the ground.

I used a pool skimmer to test it, but my efforts didn't set the thing off, so I moved in a little closer. After several tries, I decided to adjust the dial on the back, and as soon as I started to twist it--well, I think you can see where this is going. I am a natural blonde, after all.

It blasted me, not once, but three times! Honestly, it was like being in an episode of The Lucy Show, and the whole experience made me feel pretty stupid. (THAT'S never happened.)

Later that day, DH explained that only warm bodies would trip the detector. Even after the rocky start, I am excited about it. As much as I enjoy seeing the magnificent heron, I hope we have the fishies protected now. We hope so--if we have to escalate the war from here, I don't know what our next step would be!