Tidbits About Birds, Readers and the Vaccine

I’m throwing together a hodgepodge of things I’ve had on my mind this week.

I saw the saddest thing I think I’ve ever seen driving down the highway yesterday.

A cardinal — which I presume had flown into a vehicle — was lying dead in the center of the road.

And just a couple of feet above it fluttered another cardinal, oblivious to the traffic going each way.

The wind from cars whipped it back and forth as It attempted to flutter up and down trying to coax the other bird to get up and fly away.

I’ve written about cardinals before. I watch them in the backyard through my home office window.

They mate for life; and I guess that’s why this bothered me so.

I realize this doesn’t make me sound so particularly macho, but seeing anything lose a loved one is sad, even if it’s just a common bird, and that’s okay.

***

I broke down and bought a pair of reading glasses. Okay, okay, I bought two pair.

It was not a happy occasion. I don’t have a big ego, but I was proud of the fact that I had made it so many years without having any assistance seeing.

I haven’t worn them much. I’m not wearing them now. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to wear them in front of people. I almost considered shoplifting them.

I realize you probably don’t care. And I think I’m going public with it just so I’ll not be afraid to wear them out when I need them.

I didn’t realize that 75 percent of Americans use some sort of vision correction.

It’s nice to be in the majority sometimes.

***

I have another confession to make.

At least twice, and sometimes four or five times a day, I pass a store that sells something I was in need of recently.

Being involved with small businesses in several capacities, I always harp on the “shop local” movement.

Well, not always, apparently, because instead of stopping in and buying it there, I jumped online and tossed it in my electronic shopping cart.

This has been a month ago, I’ve been trying to figure out ever since why I did it that way.

I don’t have a real good answer. But I know this much: the next time I need this particular item, I will not make the same mistake again.

Be better than me. Support your local businesses every chance you get.

***

I haven’t mentioned the virus in a few weeks, mainly because I got as tired of talking about it over the past 15 months as I did of hearing about it.

I did my best to try and keep the multiple columns I wrote about it on the lighter side, hopefully to give us all a sense of relief.

But right now, I feel compelled to give you a very short sermon.

Get vaccinated if you have not been already.

I saw the other day where fewer than one-third of Tennesseans are vaccinated. That’s unacceptable.

It doesn’t hurt. You can get one at an unlimited number of places and it’s free.

And most importantly, it might save you or one of your loved ones’ lives.

I can’t afford to lose any readers.

Amen.

I told you it would be short.