Turkey trot
By: Matt AKA Dad
The warning sign for the events about to unfold should have been just how normal & pleasant the day started out. I was still pretty young, about 6-7 years old, but old enough to play in the front yard by myself. We lived out in the country with forest behind the house and cornfields in front, so there was never a concern about “stranger danger”. It was just my mom and I at home that day and we had recently finished a nice breakfast together. The temperature was already in the 70s, so I was anxious to go kick the soccer ball around. Mom was staying inside to enjoy her favorite pastime, cleaning the house. (Side note - mine is the only mother I know that would regularly take every dish out of the cupboards to dust. If dusting were an Olympic sport, there would be a gold medal on display in our house!) I wasn’t outside long before our neighbor’s large brown Labrador, named Bo (I suspect after Bo Derrick), came trotting over for a visit, which wasn’t unusual. She and my dog Butch would usually play together in the yard, engaging in tug of war with a stick or looking for an animal to chase. Bo was relaxing in a spot of sunlight poking through the trees as I practiced goal kicks. I had barely managed a handful of shots when I heard the oddest noise coming from the woods. It got louder quickly and we heard a loud rustle, followed by an animal sprinting onto the front yard at full speed! Fear not, it was only a wild turkey, but I didn’t know that at the time! Here’s what I knew: a strange looking animal was making some crazy noise and moving very quickly in my direction. Time to run!! I took off in the opposite direction, waking Bo up in time to join the chase. I remember yelling but I have no idea what, but it was enough to get my mother’s attention. By the time she came out the front door, with Butch pushing past her, I had begun a large circle in the yard. The chase now included myself, a turkey, Bo, and Butch. The turkey was obviously now trying to get away from the 2 dogs and not chasing me, but I didn’t know that! So I continued running in circles, screaming for my mom to help. What does she do? Join the chase with what else, a cleaning tool! So now it was me, Tom the Turkey, 2 dogs, and my mother with a broom. Fast forward several laps around the yard and the large bird finally broke the cycle, heading into the woods. As the dogs kept up the chase, my mother and I collapsed into a sweaty pile. This turkey trot was one of my earliest memories involving the local wildlife but it definitely would not be the last!
Moral of the story is - always be on your toes!
Alternate moral - if you mind your business and don’t act like a turkey, all will be just fine.
The warning sign for the events about to unfold should have been just how normal & pleasant the day started out. I was still pretty young, about 6-7 years old, but old enough to play in the front yard by myself. We lived out in the country with forest behind the house and cornfields in front, so there was never a concern about “stranger danger”. It was just my mom and I at home that day and we had recently finished a nice breakfast together. The temperature was already in the 70s, so I was anxious to go kick the soccer ball around. Mom was staying inside to enjoy her favorite pastime, cleaning the house. (Side note - mine is the only mother I know that would regularly take every dish out of the cupboards to dust. If dusting were an Olympic sport, there would be a gold medal on display in our house!) I wasn’t outside long before our neighbor’s large brown Labrador, named Bo (I suspect after Bo Derrick), came trotting over for a visit, which wasn’t unusual. She and my dog Butch would usually play together in the yard, engaging in tug of war with a stick or looking for an animal to chase. Bo was relaxing in a spot of sunlight poking through the trees as I practiced goal kicks. I had barely managed a handful of shots when I heard the oddest noise coming from the woods. It got louder quickly and we heard a loud rustle, followed by an animal sprinting onto the front yard at full speed! Fear not, it was only a wild turkey, but I didn’t know that at the time! Here’s what I knew: a strange looking animal was making some crazy noise and moving very quickly in my direction. Time to run!! I took off in the opposite direction, waking Bo up in time to join the chase. I remember yelling but I have no idea what, but it was enough to get my mother’s attention. By the time she came out the front door, with Butch pushing past her, I had begun a large circle in the yard. The chase now included myself, a turkey, Bo, and Butch. The turkey was obviously now trying to get away from the 2 dogs and not chasing me, but I didn’t know that! So I continued running in circles, screaming for my mom to help. What does she do? Join the chase with what else, a cleaning tool! So now it was me, Tom the Turkey, 2 dogs, and my mother with a broom. Fast forward several laps around the yard and the large bird finally broke the cycle, heading into the woods. As the dogs kept up the chase, my mother and I collapsed into a sweaty pile. This turkey trot was one of my earliest memories involving the local wildlife but it definitely would not be the last!
Moral of the story is - always be on your toes!
Alternate moral - if you mind your business and don’t act like a turkey, all will be just fine.
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