Big Brass Ones

Up against the wall, red-wing mother!

I think I may have mentioned once or twice that I am a consummate chaser of bird shadows. And I do not doubt for a moment that I will one day catch one.

I am quite aware, however, that birds are not the only things that cast shadows. Houses and trees and whatnot also cast shadows. Mostly upon the ground.

That makes my job harder. Bird shadows often disappear into house shadows or tree shadows. Particularly when they are hard pressed and feel the hot breath of yours truly down their shadowy little necks.

When I have thus run a bird shadow to ground, it is my fixed habit to stand guard at the exact spot where the bird shadow disappeared, waiting for it to re-emerge. I will stand there until the bird shadow, having caught its shadowy breath, emerges and I can resume the chase, or until the sun goes down, or until I have exhausted my not inconsiderable attention sp...

Hey! Is that a motorcycle going by? I love motorcycles!

But digress. Or perhaps I merely pregress, since I hadn't actually worked myself up to getting started on my real story yet. Be that as it may.

It turns out, you may be surprised to learn, that tree shadows are not always cast upon the ground. In the late afternoon, the shadow of one of our Sycamore trees is cast upon the inner side of the concrete block wall that surrounds the gated family compound here in Beautiful Downtown Spreckels. And yesterday, the red-wing blackbird shadow that I was chasing flew directly into that shadow and lit upon a branch thereof. Whence he taunted me with red-wing-blackbird-shadow song for upwards of a short eternity (conservatively estimated by the biped at two minutes).

And for that entire time, I stood guard over it, my magnificent snout not three inches from the wall. As I believe I have said on any number of occasions, your Gordon setter is a serious sort of dog.