tuppence a bag

Whilst walking to the bus stop yesterday, my path took me past what looked to be a staged scene. An elderly gentleman was leaning over, surrounded by completely fearless pigeons that were nestling into his bag, covering his feet, landing on his sweater. On the sidewalk, a younger man was taking photographs of the bird-covered gentleman.



This was all taking place in a tiny park-like spot where pigeons generally congregate. I've seen bags of day-old bagels thrown under the bushes here; I've watched the boy pigeons strut and try frantically to impress the gal-birds lying sunning themselves in the grass. Mornings reveal a plethora of feathers that indicate this is where the flock gathers for the night.

But this sight was unexpected. And completely charming.

After I passed by, the photographer stood, joined his girlfriend, and crossed Fifth Avenue, which indicated to me that this wasn't a planned thing.

I waited for my bus, still staring at the fellow feeding his birds....and then I walked back over to try to get some photos myself. (These were taken with my camera phone - clickity for a still-not-fabulous larger version. *grin*)



This man walked with a cane, back slouched, moving around the park with his bag of popcorn. Brazenly, the pigeons followed him, and gently - incredibly gently - he moved them from his bag, his arm, his shoulder, only when he needed to be free of their bodies. And, really, nothing seemed to exist for him but the birds. He wasn't looking for reactions, he wasn't raising his gaze to invite conversation...he was just feeding 'his' birds.

I have a great respect for pigeons. They are survivors, and they are tough creatures. Not many people I know share any sort of positive feeling about these so-called 'flying rats,' and so to watch this man being so careful around them...I couldn't help but smile, and think of one of my all-time favourite films.

Although you can't see it, you know they are smiling,
each time someone shows that he cares..

But I didn't want to intrude. And so I shot just these two photos, from a fair distance away, and I returned to my bus stop. When I looked back, he had already stepped back to the sidewalk, away from 'his' flock that was already starting to fall into fragmented smaller groups. Within a few more minutes, you would never have known this feeding had happened.


..Magic is everywhere, y'all.

Random thought about trolls

There is more than a bit of humour in the realization that, when you tell someone, 'This conversation is over," and you disengage, a troll's reaction will be to make a grandstand-reply in a forum you are not viewing.

Regardless of the size, gender, or age, the pattern is the same.

And letting that other person have the last word in their corner of the intarwebz? Doesn't bother me at all.

I'll just be over here not playing along. And I'm completely fine with that.