I really like to barbecue. It gives me time to be outside and enjoy
the ceremony of preparing a family meal in the great outdoors. It makes
me feel like I am a part of nature. Recently while waiting for the
grill in our backyard to heat up, I watched a bird hurriedly fly from
our back fence with a small twig in her mouth. She was working
frantically to build her nest. I called out to her, "Bird, that is a dumb idea." I suspect she was not listening to me as she hurriedly flew back and forth. She was a bird on a mission. It seemed the other bird helping her in the process was not quite as focused. I figured he was the husband. He helped out, but he just did not seem to narrow his beak and have as much, "zoom" as the mother bird.
I repeated to both of the birds they should really re-think their plan. I am not sure if Theresa or our three boys could hear me talking to the birds, but I would not be surprised. They know I sometimes talk out loud to animals of all types. If the birds could talk back, I suspect the female bird would harshly tweet out, (only after placing another twig in the growing nest), "Hey Mr, butt-out, got babies coming."
I think building a nest is hidden somewhere in a woman's genes. They
want everything ready for their off spring. I noticed this first hand
during our recent move when a friend text me and asked how our family
move was going. He was smart enough to text me instead of showing up at
our home, since Theresa would have probably put him to work. I
responded to his inquiry, "It is Henry, Edward, Lincoln, Lincoln."
Really not that bad, but I am obviously the male bird.
I did
help. I helped every day from long before sunrise to after midnight. I
teased Theresa by saying she wanted our home organized and functional
at, "microwave" speed.
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| "Microwave Moving" |
If I was
a single dad it would be so much easier. I would simply throw out
three sleeping bags in the living room for the boys, with pillows of
course and serve them pop tarts for breakfast, hot dogs for lunch, and
burgers for dinner. To mix it up in the following days, I would just
reverse the order. What's the problem?
My biggest problem on my mind is my barbecue was broken. When I first saw the old Viking grill in the courtyard of our new home I was pretty excited about the move. When Theresa and I lived in Pacific Beach I was a "Weber" man. In PQ, Santa Fe Valley, and 4S Ranch, I upgraded to"Turbo" brand, but I always wanted to cook on a Viking or Lynx.
My biggest problem on my mind is my barbecue was broken. When I first saw the old Viking grill in the courtyard of our new home I was pretty excited about the move. When Theresa and I lived in Pacific Beach I was a "Weber" man. In PQ, Santa Fe Valley, and 4S Ranch, I upgraded to"Turbo" brand, but I always wanted to cook on a Viking or Lynx.
The owner of the home said the Viking was broken, so I brought in the SWAT Team of Barbecue repairs, Jim Gordon of West Coast BBQ Grills.
After four days and nights of moving to have two fully grown men appear in our back yard with a ton of experience to begin
After four days and nights of moving to have two fully grown men appear in our back yard with a ton of experience to begin
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| Jim Gordon |
dismantling,
cleaning, fixing and lubricating the grill put me into a trance. They
thought I was probably a stalker. I kept staring at them from
different windows in our home and would find reasons to stop unpacking
boxes and wander over and talk, "grill stuff" with them.
After working tirelessly for about three hours, Jim announced he saved the patient and I would be grilling again. I would soon be back with a cold Guiness in one hand and barbecue tongs in the other. It warmed my heart. It also reminded me o
f
those two birds at the old house. Before I was done grilling that
afternoon, I made the female bird especially upset when I tossed her
freshly started nest into the canyon.
She was likely a great mother bird, but her plan was bad. Like real estate, birds nests are also about location, location, location. Her and the male bird were building their new nest in the top of our outdoor propane heater. Knowing me, I would have forgotten about their work in progress and a few nights later it would have lit up like an Olympic torch. That would be tough to explain to our children.
After working tirelessly for about three hours, Jim announced he saved the patient and I would be grilling again. I would soon be back with a cold Guiness in one hand and barbecue tongs in the other. It warmed my heart. It also reminded me o
f
those two birds at the old house. Before I was done grilling that
afternoon, I made the female bird especially upset when I tossed her
freshly started nest into the canyon. She was likely a great mother bird, but her plan was bad. Like real estate, birds nests are also about location, location, location. Her and the male bird were building their new nest in the top of our outdoor propane heater. Knowing me, I would have forgotten about their work in progress and a few nights later it would have lit up like an Olympic torch. That would be tough to explain to our children.
As I walked back to my grill, I yelled out to the birds again, "Hey birds sorry about that. Try the fire alarm bell instead."
Have a
great week. And if you are looking for the perfect gift for a barbecue
lover, (man or woman) be sure to call Jim and tell him we sent you!
Ray & Theresa Shay
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