Secret Lives
Yesterday afternoon, I was doing a little drive-thru banking when the street in front of my van's snub-nose came alive with screeching tires, honking horns, and profane language.
I retracted my torso up and in. I'm sure you've seen drivers in the ridiculous door ajar, one foot braced on the passenger headrest, entire torso hanging out the mostly unrolled window of a vehicle that sits about two feet too high to reach the buttons of the ATM machine, even if you had pulled up in a manner that put you within 18 inches of the keypad posture. I consider it a form of pilates.
Anyway. I simulatneously strengthened my core muscles while hauling my heaving bosom back over the windowsill, with an assist from my right calf, which was braced against my seat back. Back in my seat, I squinted out the windshield, to see one, two, three turkeys run out of the street and up onto the sidewalk.
What, exactly, three turkeys were doing in the middle of suburbia, playing chicken, er, turkey, with traffic in front of a strip mall, is beyond me. I did what any sensible person would do, and grabbed my cell phone. I frantically tried to capture a photo of the wandering fowl, while the kids emitted giggles and gobbles.
A honk behind me revealed an irritated person waiting to use the ATM. I was honked. Rude. Did they not SEE the turkeys?
So I pulled out of the chute and driving crazily with one hand on the wheel, one hand on the shutter button, I lurched around the parking lot, trying to get the turkeys in a frame.
After nearly causing three accidents, I decided that I should cut my losses and go home. As I pulled out of the lot, I spotted them once more. I slammed on the brakes, unrolled the window and shot off two very blurry frames.
I can't figure out how to get them from my phone to my computer. But still.
Secret Lives of Turkeys. I wonder where they ended up? We drove home speculating on whether these were three of the Five Fat Turkeys. Gobble, gobble!
NaNoBloPo - day 9
Comments
We had roosters on our porch a few years ago eating the straw out of our scarecrow from Michael's. I got them on video. cracked me up.
Do your kids know "Albuquerque the Turkey"? It runs pretty much non-stop in my head this time of year.
http://comsewogue.k12.ny.us/~rstewart/k2001/Themes/turkeys/turkeys.htm
Posted by: steph | November 9, 2006 8:13 AM
I used to work at a chicken plant (where they made, among other things, nuggets) and once in a while one of them would escape the loading dock. You'd see them wandering around the building, or out in the parking lot, and every once in a while somebody would round up the stragglers and put them back in line.
I always hoped one would escape, but apparently chickens don't have much of a survival instinct.
Gobble, gobble!
Posted by: ben | November 9, 2006 11:01 AM
They probably escaped from a Sandra Boynton book.
Posted by: Nancy | November 9, 2006 12:03 PM
What kind of a jackass honks when you are clearly just respecting an impromptu turkey-crossing? What a jerk. I want to see a picture!
Posted by: Meghan | November 9, 2006 1:31 PM
Those turkeys were in the wind, baby. I'd be running too, this close to Thanksgiving.
Posted by: Contrary | November 9, 2006 2:27 PM
we've almost hit several wild turkeys - there are quite a few in our neck of the woods. That might explain all the foxes, too.
I almost got rear ended for stopping for them, too. I wish I had brought my camera! I still need to get a picture of the "geese crossing" sign we pass every day.
Posted by: rachel | November 9, 2006 5:26 PM
I have enacted similiar behavior to get shots of funny items attached to cars, license plate numbers of drivers who have pissed me off and pretty sunsets too.
Posted by: Maria P. | November 9, 2006 5:35 PM
I love you so much right now.
Posted by: M.Kennedy | November 9, 2006 5:52 PM
I was coming down a very steep hill once when I had to stop for a mama turkey and her three babies crossing the road. And one day I had 15 of them in my backyard!!
Posted by: Melissa R. Garrett | November 10, 2006 5:10 AM
I hope you can get the pictures onto your computer, and then I hope you post them. How exciting. I assume no one actually got hurt.
We had 3 turkeys wander across our suburban (Philadelphia) neighborhood not too long ago. I can't even imagine what they were doing there. Maybe they're the same fellows.
Posted by: cassie-b | November 10, 2006 8:06 AM
Because I cannot rest until I see these silly Turkeys, please go to Flickr (I know your comments have disallowed links before, so put it together flickr dot com/tools/) and see if you can figure it out that way.
OR, you may be able to send the photos directly to your own email. If you can send the photos to another phone, you can send them to email. Try it. I BEG YOU.
Posted by: Elaine | November 11, 2006 10:27 PM