Natural Accident

Yesterday while helping Two practice the piano, I heard something slam into our front window.  I checked outside to see if the kids were playing ball, although I knew they were inside doing jobs.  I guess I was hoping that they had snuck outside because if it wasn't them accidentally hitting the window, then I knew it was a bird:(

Sadly, a woodpecker had flown into our window.  I rushed outside in time to see it take its last breath.  It was awful.  The kids came running out after me.  If you've never seen a woodpecker, they are quite beautiful.  (I did take a pic and will post when I find/get a USB cord)  Just in case the poor thing was just way knocked out, we let it lie there for a couple hours.  I guess I didn't want to tell the kids that it was, in fact, dead.  

Eventually I had to tell them the bad news and they made preparations for its funeral.  After naming it Beatrice (?!), we secured a place in the back yard for its final resting place.  I had to take a phone call and while I was busy, the kids went ahead without me, burying the bird and having a funeral-complete with an opening and closing prayer, two talks, two songs and fond memories (?!  we never even knew the bird, how can we have fond memories?!).  Anyhow, I was quite surprised when I got off the phone that they had been able to get all of that finished, but good for them (I thought we would just dig a hole and call it good, but whatever).  They also made a headstone that reads:

Here lies our beloved bird

Beatrice

Who died from a natural accident

June 20, 2012

Evidently they forgot the word 'tragic' and could only come up with natural.  haha

This morning, I found out why they finished the funeral and burial so quickly.  I had to take One to a class downtown, an hour round trip.  When I got back home and came inside the house was quiet.  

I found the kids all outside and they had dug. up. the. bird.

To show a friend that missed yesterday's service.  The grave was about six inches deep.  Way too shallow.  We're lucky that the cat or one of the local wild animals didn't find it first.  After my initial freak out about germs, and the washing and disinfecting of hands that had held the deceased bird, we talked about how it is disrespectful to unbury anything and that we could have shown the friend pictures instead.  We only visit graves, not dig them up.  Ew.

So this morning I have already been in the car for an hour and dug a (new, much deeper) grave for a bird named Beatrice.