One of the many things my mom taught me was how to properly TP a house. When most parents would forbid such an act my mom surprised us one evening. When I was in the sixth grade, I was having some friends over to spend the night. We had just consumed our pizza when mom came into the living room with a bag full of toilet paper rolls. She explained to us how when she was a youth in church, this was the popular thing to do. Holy Rollers is what she called it I think.
We all piled up in the black Ford Aerostar minivan and proceeded to my parent’s friends Dale and Cathy Ray's house. Parked outside mom strategically laid out the assault mission in detail. We executed the mission with ease leaving no evidence behind except the result of a perfectly administered TP yard.
As we got older, we ventured on our own TP adventures. Some successful, others not so much. One night Mike, Stevie, and I crossed through a field which separated Oakhurst Rd and Shane Rd to roll a kid neither of us liked all that much. As we arrived, I agreed to TP the bushes by the front porch. Unknown to us at the time, the kid, and his family had not made it home. When I was about to start the rolling process car lights swept across the yard as they pulled into the drive. Mike and Stevie still on the perimeter of the yard fled in fright across the field and back to the fort on Oakhurst leaving me barricaded between the bushes and porch steps. I watched the family literally walk by inches from me. Once inside I retreated as quickly as I could through the field where I tripped over a miniature tree. That night we failed our mission and I broke my big toe.
My youth was filled with multiple TP adventures. Some involving forks in yards, some with soapy water sprayed by our super soakers, and all demanded the attention of the next morning onlookers. My house was rolled as well due to the retaliation of others, but it was all in good fun.
I owe this gift to my mother and look forward to the day when I pack my daughter and her little friends in the car equipped with the proper ration of TP. I will watch them with pride as these female ninjas give their own assault on Dale and Cathy Ray's house.....It is only fitting.
-Steve Childress
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Disney World
It seems several of our friends are taking their little ones to Disney World for this year’s Spring Break trip. They are all talking about the money savers, meal passes, ride passes, and all of the ways they have found to efficiently and economically get around to all of the Disney parks with their kids. Although I feel my daughter is still too young for such an adventure, I do look forward to taking her and our next child-to-be, on their first magical trip to Disney World.
It was the late 80's when mom and dad made the big announcement that we, as a family, were to make our first grand excursion to the Magical Kingdom ourselves. I was ten, Will was four, and the excitement alone of such a trip was more than we could bear. My parents sacrificed a lot that year to prepare for this trip because trips like these were few and far between, so the plan was to live it up to the fullest. We avoided the Spring Break rush and took our trip in early May to avoid the Spring Break crowd. Rates were cheaper then, as well as the airfare. Now that I've married a teacher she would be the first to tell you that taking a full week off of school in May is a crucial time to miss, especially if one is preparing for year end test. However, I was ten and thought taking an additional week off of school was the coolest thing ever.
Finally, the big day came when we departed to Memphis International and were Orlando bound. We rented a car and stayed outside of the park area in a Ramada Resort there in Kissimmee. It was, by far, the biggest hotel room my brother and I had ever stayed in. Our first day there we were jumping from bed to bed out of excitement and if my memory serves me correctly, that was when we had our first accident. Will and I collided in mid-air during one of the jumps. Matching goose eggs on our foreheads and a bag of ice on each did not stop us for the amazing weeklong adventure that was awaiting us.
My dad had borrowed a friend of his video camcorder for our trip. This was not your little hand-held device that fits so neatly in the palm of your hand—no, this was a massive two or three pound suitcase that balanced neatly on your shoulder and used true size VHS tapes. My poor dad carried that camera everywhere we went on the trip. It was almost like having an Action News 5 crew document our trip for us. The hard shell case alone for this contraption would alert "today’s" airport security to by-pass the wand and go straight to a full-body cavity search, due to its questionable nature and size. Like I said, my dad recorded everything and by weekend, he had completely filled six full length VHS tapes.
The day finally came when we first entered the magic kingdom. It was everything I had dreamed of, seen in books, and on TV. We walked down the grand boulevard with Cinderella’s castle awaiting us on the horizon. It felt like we had stepped into a dream with the horse-drawn carriages, Disney employees all dressed in their attire, and fascinating sights made for this truly magical world. The park was extremely crowded, but it was not hard finding my family because it was the late 80's, so we were all decked out in the bright neon clothes that made us stand out. Not to mention, dad was carrying an entire film studio on his shoulders that made him easy to spot in the crowd. We rode as many rides as we could, including the infamous Space Mountain where my dad had told and retold the story of when he and mom rode the ride on their honeymoon. He recalled feeling his sunglasses slip and fly off his head. In the pitch dark ride dad reached up in thin air and snatched them back to safety. After riding Space Mountain, I could not understand how he did it. We spent the entire day in the Magic Kingdom and were able to watch the famous firework show at night.
Over the next couple of days, we experienced MGM studios where we saw the Indian Jones reenactment, took a tour on the Grauman’s Chinese Theater ride, and many other attractions MGM had to offer. We also experienced my favorite part of Disney World, Epcot. What amazed me the most about this particular park was the tour of countries. I could have spent the entire day in that section alone. We hit every country, visiting every shop and riding every ride. Did I mention dad was still carrying his camera? We did take a day off from the Disney Experience and took a trip to the Kennedy Space center and Cocoa Beach. That was our first ocean/beach experience. It was a sight I would never forget. My mom and dad made our first Disney experience an unforgettable one to say the least.
I later returned to Disney World my junior year of high school for a MCHS choral competition. There we all met up with a former classmate of ours, Justin Timberlake, and were able to spend the day with him on and behind the Disney scenes. Many years later Shannon and I were able to spend our honeymoon there just as my parents spent theirs.
Our first Disney Vacation was hands down the best family vacation we all took together. We experienced so much in that one week, and amazingly, Will and I did not fight one time. What made the vacation even better is that my dad heroically and sacrificially carried around that massive camera to document the unforgettable Disney Vacation. I was filled with a very nostalgic feeling walking through the parks at night as “When you Wish Upon a Star” played over the many speakers throughout the parks. I highly recommend that if you ever get the opportunity, take your family at least once to Disney World. I can guarantee you it would play a major part in your child’s life, as well as rekindle the child in you. I do recommend that you take a smaller camera though.
-Steve Childress
It was the late 80's when mom and dad made the big announcement that we, as a family, were to make our first grand excursion to the Magical Kingdom ourselves. I was ten, Will was four, and the excitement alone of such a trip was more than we could bear. My parents sacrificed a lot that year to prepare for this trip because trips like these were few and far between, so the plan was to live it up to the fullest. We avoided the Spring Break rush and took our trip in early May to avoid the Spring Break crowd. Rates were cheaper then, as well as the airfare. Now that I've married a teacher she would be the first to tell you that taking a full week off of school in May is a crucial time to miss, especially if one is preparing for year end test. However, I was ten and thought taking an additional week off of school was the coolest thing ever.
Finally, the big day came when we departed to Memphis International and were Orlando bound. We rented a car and stayed outside of the park area in a Ramada Resort there in Kissimmee. It was, by far, the biggest hotel room my brother and I had ever stayed in. Our first day there we were jumping from bed to bed out of excitement and if my memory serves me correctly, that was when we had our first accident. Will and I collided in mid-air during one of the jumps. Matching goose eggs on our foreheads and a bag of ice on each did not stop us for the amazing weeklong adventure that was awaiting us.
My dad had borrowed a friend of his video camcorder for our trip. This was not your little hand-held device that fits so neatly in the palm of your hand—no, this was a massive two or three pound suitcase that balanced neatly on your shoulder and used true size VHS tapes. My poor dad carried that camera everywhere we went on the trip. It was almost like having an Action News 5 crew document our trip for us. The hard shell case alone for this contraption would alert "today’s" airport security to by-pass the wand and go straight to a full-body cavity search, due to its questionable nature and size. Like I said, my dad recorded everything and by weekend, he had completely filled six full length VHS tapes.
The day finally came when we first entered the magic kingdom. It was everything I had dreamed of, seen in books, and on TV. We walked down the grand boulevard with Cinderella’s castle awaiting us on the horizon. It felt like we had stepped into a dream with the horse-drawn carriages, Disney employees all dressed in their attire, and fascinating sights made for this truly magical world. The park was extremely crowded, but it was not hard finding my family because it was the late 80's, so we were all decked out in the bright neon clothes that made us stand out. Not to mention, dad was carrying an entire film studio on his shoulders that made him easy to spot in the crowd. We rode as many rides as we could, including the infamous Space Mountain where my dad had told and retold the story of when he and mom rode the ride on their honeymoon. He recalled feeling his sunglasses slip and fly off his head. In the pitch dark ride dad reached up in thin air and snatched them back to safety. After riding Space Mountain, I could not understand how he did it. We spent the entire day in the Magic Kingdom and were able to watch the famous firework show at night.
Over the next couple of days, we experienced MGM studios where we saw the Indian Jones reenactment, took a tour on the Grauman’s Chinese Theater ride, and many other attractions MGM had to offer. We also experienced my favorite part of Disney World, Epcot. What amazed me the most about this particular park was the tour of countries. I could have spent the entire day in that section alone. We hit every country, visiting every shop and riding every ride. Did I mention dad was still carrying his camera? We did take a day off from the Disney Experience and took a trip to the Kennedy Space center and Cocoa Beach. That was our first ocean/beach experience. It was a sight I would never forget. My mom and dad made our first Disney experience an unforgettable one to say the least.
I later returned to Disney World my junior year of high school for a MCHS choral competition. There we all met up with a former classmate of ours, Justin Timberlake, and were able to spend the day with him on and behind the Disney scenes. Many years later Shannon and I were able to spend our honeymoon there just as my parents spent theirs.
Our first Disney Vacation was hands down the best family vacation we all took together. We experienced so much in that one week, and amazingly, Will and I did not fight one time. What made the vacation even better is that my dad heroically and sacrificially carried around that massive camera to document the unforgettable Disney Vacation. I was filled with a very nostalgic feeling walking through the parks at night as “When you Wish Upon a Star” played over the many speakers throughout the parks. I highly recommend that if you ever get the opportunity, take your family at least once to Disney World. I can guarantee you it would play a major part in your child’s life, as well as rekindle the child in you. I do recommend that you take a smaller camera though.
-Steve Childress
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sontaneous Trips
We were never the richest family but my mom and dad always believed in multiple mini trips throughout the year. Growing up we would always take our BIG trip in the summer to ST Louis to see everything that town had to offer. One particular winter's weekend we took an unexpected weekend trip that was most memorable because it was unpronounced unplanned and to say the least spontaneous.
At the time, I was playing varsity soccer and my mom picked me up after my Friday practice. She instructed me that we were going home, packing, and quickly leaving. Caught off guard I assumed we were running from the law but was told that dad was taking us on a weekend Nashville trip. That night we left our mundane lives in Millington to break away from the norm and enjoy a little different change of scenery.
We arrived in Nashville and stayed at he Holiday Inn there by the Nashville airport. It was winter and pre-Oprymills so there was not much to do; however, if you know of this particular hotel you are aware of its amenities. I do not think we left the Holiday Inn facility once since we arrived. We had an indoor swimming pool, jacuzzis, indoor putt-putt course, ping pong table, TV area, and each night there was a live band. This was just in the lobby area. We ate all of our meals in he hotel restaurant and simply enjoyed each other's company.
Looking back one could go to any hotel in Memphis and enjoy a similar getaway, but the reality of that weekend is that it was different and unexpected. Years later, on my wedding day, my dad gave me a solid piece of advice and key to a happy marriage and family. He simply reminded me to take little trips spontaneous or not to keep things alive, to break away from the routine and fall in love with your spouse and family all over again. I was reminded of our little Nashville trip and realized my mom and dad were doing just that.
-Steve Childress
At the time, I was playing varsity soccer and my mom picked me up after my Friday practice. She instructed me that we were going home, packing, and quickly leaving. Caught off guard I assumed we were running from the law but was told that dad was taking us on a weekend Nashville trip. That night we left our mundane lives in Millington to break away from the norm and enjoy a little different change of scenery.
We arrived in Nashville and stayed at he Holiday Inn there by the Nashville airport. It was winter and pre-Oprymills so there was not much to do; however, if you know of this particular hotel you are aware of its amenities. I do not think we left the Holiday Inn facility once since we arrived. We had an indoor swimming pool, jacuzzis, indoor putt-putt course, ping pong table, TV area, and each night there was a live band. This was just in the lobby area. We ate all of our meals in he hotel restaurant and simply enjoyed each other's company.
Looking back one could go to any hotel in Memphis and enjoy a similar getaway, but the reality of that weekend is that it was different and unexpected. Years later, on my wedding day, my dad gave me a solid piece of advice and key to a happy marriage and family. He simply reminded me to take little trips spontaneous or not to keep things alive, to break away from the routine and fall in love with your spouse and family all over again. I was reminded of our little Nashville trip and realized my mom and dad were doing just that.
-Steve Childress
The Proposal
This past week my little brother proposed to his girlfriend. In typical Childress fashion, he pulled out the stops and it made for a grand unforgettable proposal. I was reminded of my proposal to my wife and the events leading up to the event.
Shannon and I had only been dating for 9 months but we had known eachother for several years from church. I had and still today a great relationship with my soon to be in-laws. I wanted to respect them therefore asked for thief permission first. I had rehearsed how I was going to ask them over and over in my head; however, the question came out quite different. In fact, it was not a question at all. I set them both down and meaning to ask them I flat out told them I was proposing to their daughter soon. Although I botched the question, they of course were thrilled.
The big night had arrived, the plans were in place, the key people had been contacted, and of course the ring had been purchased. I picked Shannon up and although I was playing it cool I could tell she was a little nervous more than usual. We had dinner at Gordon Birsch restaurant downtown and them proceeded over to the Peabody Hotel. She was still extremely nervous and I could not figure out why unless she had been tipped off, but who in their right mind would do such a thing.
Despite the nerves, I had convinced her to go up to the roof of the Peabody with me. I know you are thinking I proposed on the roof which everyone seems to do but you are wrong. We took a left out of the elevators and into the great ballroom. It was dark and unoccupied like I had hoped and in the middle of the dance floor was a circle of lit candles. If you know my wife she is a "rule follower" and cringes when rules are broken. She knew that we were not supposed to be in there much less have a bonfire in the middle of the dance floor so getting her to move towards that direction was a challenge. Needless to say, she knew what was coming and we shared a dance in the middle of the circle of candles while a good friend of mine serenaded us with our song "Unforgettable.” That moment I dropped a knee and proposed.
We left downtown and headed towards the Wolfchase area. Shannon was calling all of her family including her sister from Nashville and was frustrated that she could not reach anyone. We went to Barnes N Nobel to "pick up a book.” There in the cafe set all of her family, and mine including her sister from Nashville. It was an unforgettable proposal and one I am quite proud of. When Shannon was finally asked why she was so nervous the entire night, she simply responded "I saw the ring box in your pocket when you picked me up.” Good grief! I love that woman.
-Steve Childress
Shannon and I had only been dating for 9 months but we had known eachother for several years from church. I had and still today a great relationship with my soon to be in-laws. I wanted to respect them therefore asked for thief permission first. I had rehearsed how I was going to ask them over and over in my head; however, the question came out quite different. In fact, it was not a question at all. I set them both down and meaning to ask them I flat out told them I was proposing to their daughter soon. Although I botched the question, they of course were thrilled.
The big night had arrived, the plans were in place, the key people had been contacted, and of course the ring had been purchased. I picked Shannon up and although I was playing it cool I could tell she was a little nervous more than usual. We had dinner at Gordon Birsch restaurant downtown and them proceeded over to the Peabody Hotel. She was still extremely nervous and I could not figure out why unless she had been tipped off, but who in their right mind would do such a thing.
Despite the nerves, I had convinced her to go up to the roof of the Peabody with me. I know you are thinking I proposed on the roof which everyone seems to do but you are wrong. We took a left out of the elevators and into the great ballroom. It was dark and unoccupied like I had hoped and in the middle of the dance floor was a circle of lit candles. If you know my wife she is a "rule follower" and cringes when rules are broken. She knew that we were not supposed to be in there much less have a bonfire in the middle of the dance floor so getting her to move towards that direction was a challenge. Needless to say, she knew what was coming and we shared a dance in the middle of the circle of candles while a good friend of mine serenaded us with our song "Unforgettable.” That moment I dropped a knee and proposed.
We left downtown and headed towards the Wolfchase area. Shannon was calling all of her family including her sister from Nashville and was frustrated that she could not reach anyone. We went to Barnes N Nobel to "pick up a book.” There in the cafe set all of her family, and mine including her sister from Nashville. It was an unforgettable proposal and one I am quite proud of. When Shannon was finally asked why she was so nervous the entire night, she simply responded "I saw the ring box in your pocket when you picked me up.” Good grief! I love that woman.
-Steve Childress
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Would you be my Sweetheart?
Oh Valentine's Day. Aside from my mom, my first valentine sweetheart was Nicole Webber. Nicole and I first met in Ms. Becky's kindergarten class at Lucy Elementary. New to the whole "exchange of valentines" I was a little skeptical on how the whole thing worked. I remember giving her the most romantic He-Man Valentine in the box attached to a box of the hard candied hearts. I in return received a Rainbow Bright Valentine from her.
As we all got older, Valentine's Day became another class party that would break up our monotonous week of school. We would all decorate little brown paper lunch bags into mini mailboxes so that on that February 14th day we would have a class exchange of cards. I remember one year in 6th grade I liked this girl named Meredith, so the week of Valentines I wrote her a "Secret Admirer" love letter. I watched her read it and show all of her little girl friends. They all giggled as little girls do and even though she had no idea it was me who wrote the letter I felt 10ft tall and bullet proof, because I saw the excitement in her eyes. This story turned south immediately when Meredith decided to share the love letter with our teacher who immediately recognized the handwriting. I did not get my Valentine that year, but the pursuit was fun while it lasted.
As I got older, I became a little more knowledgeable of this obligated holiday where the man can either come out a hero or a joke. I have learned to shed the He-Man cards in exchange for roses and gifts. As a man I have learned there are certain rules you abide by on this "Day of Love.”
1) Do not under estimate the power of Valentines Day. Imagine your spouse/girlfriend
seeing all of her friends get candy, bears, flowers, whatever and you fail to
get her anything. Not good.
2) Make reservations! I forgot to make Valentine’s reservations once and we ended up
going to Chucky Cheese playing ski ball and watching the rat sing. Although it was
memorable, it definitely was not impressive.
3) If your spouse/girlfriend doesn't typically play with cute little stuffed
animals, she will not on this particular day either.
4) If all else fails..... volunteer to watch the "Notebook.”
Happy Valentine's Day!
-Steve Childress
As we all got older, Valentine's Day became another class party that would break up our monotonous week of school. We would all decorate little brown paper lunch bags into mini mailboxes so that on that February 14th day we would have a class exchange of cards. I remember one year in 6th grade I liked this girl named Meredith, so the week of Valentines I wrote her a "Secret Admirer" love letter. I watched her read it and show all of her little girl friends. They all giggled as little girls do and even though she had no idea it was me who wrote the letter I felt 10ft tall and bullet proof, because I saw the excitement in her eyes. This story turned south immediately when Meredith decided to share the love letter with our teacher who immediately recognized the handwriting. I did not get my Valentine that year, but the pursuit was fun while it lasted.
As I got older, I became a little more knowledgeable of this obligated holiday where the man can either come out a hero or a joke. I have learned to shed the He-Man cards in exchange for roses and gifts. As a man I have learned there are certain rules you abide by on this "Day of Love.”
1) Do not under estimate the power of Valentines Day. Imagine your spouse/girlfriend
seeing all of her friends get candy, bears, flowers, whatever and you fail to
get her anything. Not good.
2) Make reservations! I forgot to make Valentine’s reservations once and we ended up
going to Chucky Cheese playing ski ball and watching the rat sing. Although it was
memorable, it definitely was not impressive.
3) If your spouse/girlfriend doesn't typically play with cute little stuffed
animals, she will not on this particular day either.
4) If all else fails..... volunteer to watch the "Notebook.”
Happy Valentine's Day!
-Steve Childress
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Ice Storm 94'
If you've lived here long enough you know that West Tennessee weather is not consistent and can change at the drop of a dime. I will never forget the winter of 1994 when my mom. brother, and I were watching TV in the living room. All of the sudden we heard this massive fall of precipitation. It was like nothing I had ever heard. It wasn't like a gentle rain that crescendoed into a down poor, or a light wind that blew into a tornado. It was an unpronounced dumping of sleet and ice that seemed to last a good half hour to an hour. Once it had let up we all walked outside to see the aftermath. The ground and roads sparkled in glistening white ice. Immediately you could hear branches of trees breaking from the sudden impact. Nevertheless, the forecast of my week changed from school and test to snow days and fun.
All throughout the night I could hear branches snapping. It sounded like a war zone outside my bedroom window. The next morning proved to be a different story. Once dad finally made it home from the fire station we all piled in the truck to see if we could help move branches or clear roads. It was by far the worst ice storm I had ever seen, and proved to be deadly throughout the mid-south. Thousands were without power for days, and some even weeks. Trees were bent over at the trunk from the weight of the ice, branches covered the roads, power lines were down, transformers were blackened from the blowouts, and a few houses in Lucy got it the worse as massive trees fell on them.
Once the Lucy community had regrouped and all was well, we kids took advantage of the wintry conditions. Disney's Mighty Ducks was a popular movie at the time, so we all traded in our baseballs and bats for hockey pucks and sticks. About eight of us boys played hockey on the roads as we tried to perfect our knuckle-pucks and triple deeks. We had a chocolate lab at the time named Hershey. I was able to harness a sled up to Hershey and have him pull my 9 year old brother Will around the yard. Looking back, as a kid I could've spent all day in the snow and never get tired. These days after a good hour of snow play I'm ready to call it a day.
Much fun was had those few days we were out, however that ice storm would go down in Memphis and Mid-South history of being one of the worse Ice Storms this portion of the country had ever seen. Many mid-southerns lost their lives due to hypothermia and fallen trees and power lines. It is times like these though when communities pull together for the greater good. Neighbors helping neighbors, Memphians helping Memphians, and outside municipalities coming to our rescue to get the power turned on faster. Through tragedy comes compassion for your fellow man.
-Steve Childress
All throughout the night I could hear branches snapping. It sounded like a war zone outside my bedroom window. The next morning proved to be a different story. Once dad finally made it home from the fire station we all piled in the truck to see if we could help move branches or clear roads. It was by far the worst ice storm I had ever seen, and proved to be deadly throughout the mid-south. Thousands were without power for days, and some even weeks. Trees were bent over at the trunk from the weight of the ice, branches covered the roads, power lines were down, transformers were blackened from the blowouts, and a few houses in Lucy got it the worse as massive trees fell on them.
Once the Lucy community had regrouped and all was well, we kids took advantage of the wintry conditions. Disney's Mighty Ducks was a popular movie at the time, so we all traded in our baseballs and bats for hockey pucks and sticks. About eight of us boys played hockey on the roads as we tried to perfect our knuckle-pucks and triple deeks. We had a chocolate lab at the time named Hershey. I was able to harness a sled up to Hershey and have him pull my 9 year old brother Will around the yard. Looking back, as a kid I could've spent all day in the snow and never get tired. These days after a good hour of snow play I'm ready to call it a day.
Much fun was had those few days we were out, however that ice storm would go down in Memphis and Mid-South history of being one of the worse Ice Storms this portion of the country had ever seen. Many mid-southerns lost their lives due to hypothermia and fallen trees and power lines. It is times like these though when communities pull together for the greater good. Neighbors helping neighbors, Memphians helping Memphians, and outside municipalities coming to our rescue to get the power turned on faster. Through tragedy comes compassion for your fellow man.
-Steve Childress
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
BIRD!!!!
One of my family's favorite movies is Christmas Vacation. In a strange way our family resembled the Grizwalds and we would often found ourselves quoting this movie in any given situation. At prayer time one would say "Grace, she passed away years ago" or the classic "Save the neck for me Clark" at every chicken dinner. One particular scene from Christmas Vacation set the perfect script for what happened one winter's evening.
At one time the Childress manor had an ajoining covered breezeway that joined the garage to the house. It had two screen doors and every now and then birds will fly in and make a nest or simply get caught inside the breezeway. This particular evening a cardinal had done just that. We were eating dinner and heard a rucus come from the breezeway. Sure enough we saw a cardinal fly from one end to the other looking for an escape. The bird purched itself on one of the rafters to get a good lay of the terrain and plan his escape. He saw his opportunity and took it. The cardinal leaped from the rafters swooping down over our heads and right into the open door leading into the living room. At that very moment mom yelled BIRD!!!!! as Clark senior yelled SQUIRRLE!!!!! in Christmas Vacation. All of the sudden our little home was turned into a funhouse for the said bird and his new captures.
I immediately went to the garage and retrieved my fishing net. Mom had a blanket trying to move the bird out the door as done by Chris Farley in Black Sheep. Instead the clevor bird went deeper into the house and ended up in our bathroom. Purched on the window seal the bird was cornored and his persuers were closing in. At that very moment the cardinal charged his persuers as we hit the deck and the bird proceeded its way throughout the house. Knocking over lamps and leaving little bird droppings the bird was getting the best of the Childress clan. Eventually we caught the trapped cardinal with the net and released it outside, but not before my little brother could utter the words "Save the neck for me Clark".
-Steve Childress
At one time the Childress manor had an ajoining covered breezeway that joined the garage to the house. It had two screen doors and every now and then birds will fly in and make a nest or simply get caught inside the breezeway. This particular evening a cardinal had done just that. We were eating dinner and heard a rucus come from the breezeway. Sure enough we saw a cardinal fly from one end to the other looking for an escape. The bird purched itself on one of the rafters to get a good lay of the terrain and plan his escape. He saw his opportunity and took it. The cardinal leaped from the rafters swooping down over our heads and right into the open door leading into the living room. At that very moment mom yelled BIRD!!!!! as Clark senior yelled SQUIRRLE!!!!! in Christmas Vacation. All of the sudden our little home was turned into a funhouse for the said bird and his new captures.
I immediately went to the garage and retrieved my fishing net. Mom had a blanket trying to move the bird out the door as done by Chris Farley in Black Sheep. Instead the clevor bird went deeper into the house and ended up in our bathroom. Purched on the window seal the bird was cornored and his persuers were closing in. At that very moment the cardinal charged his persuers as we hit the deck and the bird proceeded its way throughout the house. Knocking over lamps and leaving little bird droppings the bird was getting the best of the Childress clan. Eventually we caught the trapped cardinal with the net and released it outside, but not before my little brother could utter the words "Save the neck for me Clark".
-Steve Childress
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