We got our first ranch equipment load. Big tubing gates, fence sections, and rodeo chutes. It had five stops, all in Oregon to various places including a major store in a shopping center. These locations are great for the store, tricky for the truckers delivering stuff to them. Luckily, I was able to park on the shoulder a block away and walk over to plan my trucker magic tricks.

I checked in and headed back to the truck. It was a pretty busy street, and I was waiting for a gap to run across the street. I could see Freckles in the passenger seat. All of a sudden I heard a flip flap sound and felt something brush my hair! I swatted and looked around, nothing. I looked at Freckles who is laughing… aaalot. That’s usually not good for me, and this was no exception. Then a squawk, swish, flip flap, and a bird smacks me with his wing or something and absolutely scares the crap out of me, and the next one too. I dropped all the papers in my hand, and I am shamelessly smacking myself about the head while this friggin bird keeps dive bombing me. My papers are starting to blow away so I chase them down while waving my arm above my head in self defense. I get all my papers and perform high stakes frogger for my life across traffic. I jump in the truck and wonder if Freckles is in labor or laughing. I have seen both from her, and I can’t always tell for sure.

We speculated that the bird was protecting a nest somewhere nearby, and I was clearly a threat- wingless, gray, and short as I am. I was thinking maybe he sensed how much I love omelets? We went to breakfast, and I started to order an omelet, and thought… nahhhh better get them scrambled today.