Early-morning pedestrians

So this morning, we're woken by the sound of Ralphie barking: He's apparently heard something, and has run outside to warn off the intruders, invaders, whatever. Bark bark bark bark bark.

I hear people talking: Not uncommon for bicyclists or walkers to pass by our house and set the dog off.

Ralphie keeps barking. It's whatever-o'clock in the morning. ''RALPH!!!'' Continued barking. And barking. ''RALPH!!! QUIET!!!''


More barking. The voices are still there. Hm -- either they're **really** slow walkers, or they've stopped to look at our house. I hear mentions of ''hacienda-style''. Hm.

What's the time? 7am -- on a Saturday. Bleh. I **was** asleep.

I sit up in bed, put on my glasses, and look out the window: Our bedroom is in the front of the house, and my side is closest to the window. A couple in their 60s is standing at our front fence, next to their small, white hatchback, parked. They're looking at our house and taking pictures. Huh. Must be tourists.


They see my face in the window! ''Hi! We're here to count the birds!'', they woman calls out. Huh?

Slow, groggy, early-morning comprehension. Bird counting...?

Next-Door Uncle occassionally has conservationist-type people looking at his woods. ''Ah! You want Uncle Frank's place -- next door!''

''Ah,'' they say, and walk off. No ''sorry to wake you'', ''sorry to have set your dog off'', ''sorry we can't read the house number that's painted on the mailbox we're standing next to''.

Funny that they didn't take their car with them, given that -- because we live on acreage -- it's about a city block away. Balmy bird-watchers.

As I lay back in bed and try to go back to sleep -- we'd foolishly stayed up late watching DVDs the night before -- I realized I should have borrowed a line from ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'':

When the lady said they were there to count the birds, I should've said, ''I'ma sorry, but-a we dinna gots none!''


--GG