although late, sparrow accepts your apology.

you're on your way to a www series called "Northampton House".

omg, i threw out some old tofu this morning. old tofu smells worse than anything i have smelled in my entire life. i had convulsions. don't let it happen to you.

'From A Letter From Lesbia'

... So, praise the gods, Catullus is away!
And let me tend you this advice, my dear:
Take any lover that you will, or may,
Except a poet. All of them are queer.

It's just the same -- a quarrel or a kiss
Is but a tune to play upon his pipe.
He's always hymning that or wailing this;
Myself, I much prefer the business type.

That thing he wrote, the time the sparrow died --
(Oh, most unpleasant -- gloomy, tedious words!)
I called it sweet, and made believe I cried;
The stupid fool! I've always hated birds ...

-- Dorothy Parker

SPARROW

Who will love a little Sparrow?
Who's traveled far and cries for rest?
";Not I,"; said the Oak Tree,
";I won't share my branches with
no sparrow's nest,
And my blanket of leaves won't warm
her cold breast.";

Who will love a little Sparrow
And who will speak a kindly word?
";Not I,"; said the Swan,
";The entire idea is utterly absurd,
I'd be laughed at and scorned if the
other Swans heard.";

Who will take pity in his heart,
And who will feed a starving sparrow?
";Not I,"; said the Golden Wheat,
";I would if I could but I cannot I know,
I need all my grain to prosper and grow.";

Who will love a little Sparrow?
Will no one write her eulogy?
";I will,"; said the Earth,
";For all I've created returns unto me,
From dust were ye made and dust ye shall be.";

??

We wouldn't get upset at the sight of a dead sparrow in the street and yet it seems upsetting in this context. I think this highlights our hypocritical and over sentimental morals as well as our lack of individual control over what is happening in our society.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Matthew 10:29-31

The sparrow represents the murder by technology of the original. Due to human "progress" one day, we will have to create Virtual sparrows in order to remember them, just as we now do with the dinosaurs.

Reporting a Dead Bird

The Maricopa County Environmental Services Department (MCESD) accepts dead birds for West Nile Virus (WNV) testing. The following criteria apply:

The bird has to intact and fresh (dead less than 24 hours). Carcasses that are decomposed are usually of limited diagnostic value. If the carcass has an odor, is soft and mushy, has skin discoloration, feathers or skin that easily rubs off, or there are maggots, ants, or other insects present, it is too decomposed for testing. If the carcass is very light in weight for the size of the bird, then the carcass may be dried out, a sign that the bird has been dead for too long.

The bird cannot be very young. Baby or very young birds have a very remote chance of being infected with WNV. MCESD is not accepting young birds for WNV surveillance at this time.

The bird cannot be a pigeon or a dove. Pigeons have not shown a susceptibility to WNV and therefore MCESD is not accepting submissions of pigeons. Corvid species (e.g. crows, ravens, jays), raptors, and exotic avian species (if housed outside) are the most likely to die suddenly from WNV infection.

You said there was blood coming out of his beak, yet I see none - what gives?

actually, by the time he'd reached the position i sketched him in, he'd already undergone both the writhing and the bleeding. once i moved him to his grave, i saw that he'd moved enough to cover the blood on the deck. i will try to take a picture of the blood stain, if the rain hasn't washed it away...and ted, you got too much free time on your hands, although i like to see the increase in the comments a great deal!!!

no free time here. multitasking. i was on a conference call moderating discussion of an important matter.

"Cause I'm as free as a bird now,
And this bird you can not change.
Lord knows, I can't change."