The Bird Clock - A Running Joke

 By: Dad AKA Matt    


I was a young boy, about 11 or 12, when my dad gifted me the Bird Clock, in all its glory.  I don't remember what I was hoping for that Christmas, but it definitely was not the ugliest, most annoying clock ever created.  Looking back, I should have known something was up.  My dad seemed particularly interested when I was opening that gift.  He had the biggest smile on his face, in contrast to my look of confusion. Every hour, on the hour, this clock promised to produce a different bird call at max volume.  This was a promise that it delivered upon all day, every day.  My dad immediately volunteered to hang it in my bedroom.  It lasted about a day and a half before I removed it and hid it somewhere in the house.  About 3 days later, my dad found it and hung it back up. It found a new and improved hiding spot immediately.  This pattern continued until I finished my senior year of high school and packed up to leave for college.  I made sure to leave the Bird Clock in my bedroom at home.  

I arrived at Lycoming College in late August, when it was still pretty hot out.  My parents drove me up in their pick-up, dropped me and my belongings on the sidewalk, and waved goodbye.  My mom looked a little sad, to be expected, but my dad had a big smile on his face.  Something was up.  That was when I heard a familiar bird chirp. You have gotta be kidding me.  The Bird Clock had followed me to college.  It turned out that the past several years had built up my tolerance to the chirping, because I found that it annoyed my roommate and friends a lot more than it did me!  That earned the clock a place of prominence in the living room. 

My little brother Zack faced a similar fate, only in the form of a Train Clock.  I'm not sure what ended up happening to that clock, but it had the same effect on him that the Bird Clock had on me.  Zack bided his time and paid the debt forward many years later.  

Christmas Day in 2020, my 10 year old son Caiden opened his presents from his Uncle Zack and was surprised to find a brand new...Bird Clock!  He was just as confused as I was, 20+ years ago, until I told him the story.  His response was priceless.






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