Sentimental Saturday ~ The Woodpecker of Chestnut Street

Memories.

Precious little “pockets” of time that are imprinted on our minds, that we carry with us through this life.

This morning I rose and walked out on the sunroom to take a look at the morning. It was still and quiet. I love to walk out and say my morning prayers in the solitude of that moment. Beautiful, fleeting hushed silence before the dawn.

This morning my moment of quiet was disrupted. Out of the stillness and ‘not quite daylight” mist was a “Rat a Tat Tat “ . A woodpecker.. Noisily searching for his breakfast before the dawn.

Rat a Tat a Tat Tat Tat! I had to smile. A giggle came up from my midsection.

That woodpecker brought back a moment that made me laugh out loud.

I was back on Chestnut street, in the house where I grew up. It was early morning, misty and not quite light yet. The house was awakened by that same ‘Rat A Tat A Tat ‘ noise.

A woodpecker caused that great noise, apparently a misguided, possibly mentally challenged woodpecker. He had discovered our gutters out on the front of the house. Our metal gutters. He did not seem to mind the brain jarring racket that he was making banging his beak on that metal gutter..

But my Dad sure did not like it.

The whole house emerged, sleepy eyed and confused. Dad went toward the porch, valiantly striding toward the door, to be the champion of the household (ever the Champion, bless you, Daddy). Then he remembered that he did not have on his pants . Jockeys on a Sunday morning porch is not good.

He circled back and when properly attired, he went out to investigate. The sight of my Dad waving a clenched fist up in the air at that mentally challenged wood pecker, is not one that I can forget easily.

Like, never.

He was still half asleep and the scene was straight out of a comedy. We were all rattled out of bed, the noise reverberated through out the house with an astounding cacophony. It would not be the last time. That woodpecker, while mentally challenged, was also a very determined woodpecker.

Ah, those sweet moments where glimpses of your childhood become, once again, front and center.

We also had a situation with the peep hole installed in the front door. When winds reached a certain velocity, outside,  it would stream through that peep hole with a sound you cannot imagine. A resounding fog horn sound. That was memorable for sure. Giggle.

But that is another story for another time....

Thank goodness for memories. I miss you , Dad.