Monday, July 25, 2022

Purple Pigeon


I took Olga to the cemetery for a walk yesterday, and saw an unusual pigeon perched on a headstone. At first I thought it was just an odd color. Then I pulled out my zoom lens and saw this, and thought, "Oh no! Is that BLOOD?"

But I think it's actually blackberry juice. This pigeon has apparently been feasting.


Soon it flew to a birdbath and did its best to get cleaned up. By the time it took off -- obviously uninjured and unimpaired in any way -- it had managed to make itself only slightly more presentable. I have a feeling it will be purple for a while.

Olga, meanwhile, found her own brand of excitement:


She discovered an abandoned football. Weirdly, it had no outer covering at all -- it was just a mass of threads surrounding an inflatable rubber core.


She was very proud of herself.


We played with it for a while -- nothing turns this old dog into a puppy again faster than a football. But eventually she got tired and I managed to wrest it away from her and throw it in a rubbish bin. She seemed content to let it go at that point. We didn't need to add that filthy thing to our stash of dog toys.

I just finished Sarah Krasnostein's book "The Trauma Cleaner," which I LOVED. You may remember I read her book "The Believer" a couple of months ago. "The Trauma Cleaner" is non-fiction, about a transgender woman in Australia who has led quite an unconventional life -- first as an abused child, then a young husband and father, eventually a sex worker, funeral director and wife, and, now, the owner of a cleaning service that specializes in heavy-duty jobs like crime scenes and hoards. The book explores the existences of people who are living at the margins -- disconnected from family or any other support, unable for whatever reason to manage their lives, and the potential costs of overcoming societal shaming and oppression in order to move forward. I think Krasnostein might be my new favorite author.

Also, I spoke of my affinity for true crime stories in my post yesterday, when I mentioned "Only Murders in the Building." Dave and I watched another brief documentary series on Netflix called "The Puppet Master," about a British con man who manages to entrap and exploit numerous women, some for more than a decade. It's a mind-blowing story.

26 comments:

  1. I've heard of "The Trauma Cleaner" but haven't got around to finding a copy yet. Probably I'll forget again, I have so many unread books already.
    I love that third photo of Olga lying by the ball with a huge smile.

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  2. Love the photos of Olga with the ball. Alexi found a ball in our garden yesterday.....brand new red and yellow tennis ball! I had never seen it before, must have been left by a fox!

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  3. Olga must have felt inspired by the continuing success of England's women in the Euros. They play Sweden next in the semi-finals right here in Sheffield - tomorrow night. Come On England! Perhaps you can turn the TV on so that Olga can watch the match.

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  4. Krasnostein is on my list, but I really do need to start attacking that list.

    The photos of Olga, all smiles, are just what I needed this morning.

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  5. Lovely photos of the pigeon and Olga.
    Both enjoying themselves!

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  6. Olga really has the best smile. Nice to see her so happy and playful.

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  7. Olga's smiling face is always a joy.

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  8. Olga is just like you, Steve! she loves to find objects! Of course, her objects are a little different, but still. The look on her face is so priceless.

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  9. The Trauma Cleaner sounds like an interesting read. It certainly is not a subject that I am well versed on and because I'm always trying to diversify my non-fiction only reading habit, I may just have to put this on my Amazon wish list.

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  10. I think Olga has discovered a new dog toy. You could have soccer balls made without the covers and sell them as dog toys that way. Big $$$ to be made! She looks so happy with her discovery!

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  11. Olga looks so happy. What a great walk you two had there. Cute purple pigeon too.

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  12. Olga certainly looks happy. I don't usually read non-fiction but maybe I'll try The Trauma Cleaner.

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  13. That pigeon is pretty amazing. It must have been rolling in blackberries. Olga does look proud of herself for finding that skinless ball.

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  14. That book sounds fascinating! And I LOVE that last picture of Olga - she looks SO pleased with herself!

    Regarding the pigeon, I'm pretty sure that really was blood and that you'll find out there was a pigeon murder spree in the neighborhood. I hope you noticed which way it went so you can alert the authorities. Ha!

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  15. Glad to get the thumbs up on The Trauma Cleaner! I tagged it at the library when I was looking for the earlier book.

    That's either a tiny birdbath or a huge pigeon! I absolutely love those photos of sweet Olga.

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  16. I'll have to check out the Puppet Master. Olga! Oh, that's the biggest smile I've ever seen. That's the smile of a kid getting his favorite toy on Christmas morning or someone getting the happiest news in all the world. Absolutely fabulous!

    There's a tongue twister somewhere in the purple pigeons!

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  17. Olga has the nicest smile, particularly with a new ball. The bloody pigeon is just priceless. After the berries ferment, do they all get drunk?

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  18. It may have been blood male pigeons do fight

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  19. I'm left here just grinning away.

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  20. Olga has an irresistible smirk! That author does sound excellent and her topics fascinating.

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  21. I love Olga's smile. She just looks so happy. When I first saw that pigeon, I thought blood too. Blackberry juice is a much nicer explanation.

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  22. I am not sure I've ever seen a dog grinning so widely. What a trophy!

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  23. Olga Girl - Best Day Ever - Happy As Can Be And Smiling From Ear To Ear - You Go Girl

    Cheers
    P.S. Olga Girl Would Prefer A Biscuit Dripped In Peanut Butter Please

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  24. River: Well, if you ever come across a copy, you'll know now to pick it up!

    Frances: Funny how these things just turn up sometimes! I found a baseball in our garden not too many years ago -- figured out it came from some American neighbors a few houses down.

    YP: I'd rather watch my dog play football than any professional team!

    Mitchell: I know. I still have several books I was hoping to plow through before school begins in August!

    GZ: They do seem to be having fun, but I think that pigeon really wants to get cleaned up!

    Colette: She is a very smiley dog.

    Bob: I agree! It cheers me up just to see her having so much fun.

    Ms Moon: Finding something interesting is always a nice surprise, for both me and the dog!

    Ed: Do it! You won't regret it!

    Susan: She's such a ham, honestly.

    Ellen D: I'm trying to figure out how someone managed to remove the entire cover from a soccer ball. I've never seen such a thing.

    Robin: It was a good walk. Olga was exhausted by the time we got home.

    Ellen: Give it a whirl! It's kind of like watching "Hoarders" but in book form.

    Sharon: Either it was a very messy eater or, as John Gray said, it really IS blood from some kind of a fight. Seems like a lot of blood for a bird that didn't seem at all harmed, though.

    Bug: The pigeon needs a Trauma Cleaner!

    Kelly: I didn't even notice the relative size of the bird bath! I guess it is a little small.

    Jeanie: LOL! That COULD be a tongue-twister. I could have come up with one if I'd thought about it more.

    Allison: I've never seen pigeons get drunk from berries, but I have seen birds in Florida get drunk from fermented holly.

    John: It seems like a lot of "blood" on a bird that appears relatively unscathed, though. Besides, what was washing off in the birdbath appeared more purple than red. I could be wrong, but my money's still on berries.

    Mage: That dog smile is contagious!

    Margaret: I wonder how she found the woman who features in "The Trauma Cleaner." She really does have a heck of a life story.

    Pixie: It's nicer, but I suppose it's possibly wrong, given what John Gray says above.

    Andrew: She was very happy! It's funny how much she loves football. I think this is something she learned as a puppy before we even got her. (We certainly didn't teach her about football!)

    Padre: Ha! I'll give her a peanut butter biscuit, I promise. :)

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  25. Olga looks so Happy! She's Smiling in every Image. Will she be crestfallen when you're visiting Michigan? Or, will she be spoiled rotten by whose gonna be Petsitting her? I had Friends here who used to go to Ireland Yearly for their Vacays and left me to Petsit their Border Collie, they said Addie lived for me Petsitting her, I spoiled her rotten and so she didn't even miss them, which they said was both a Blessing and hurt their Feelings. *Ha ha ha*

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