Gosh! Mayor Mike and HG&E come to the bird rescue

Wow!

HG&E clipping the Bird Killing Wire on the other side of the canal

After my call to HG&E did not make immediate enough action (birds were dying on average of one per week, according to my abacus) and because this is my neurotically fixated obsession of the moment, I emailed Mayor Mike Sullivan and told him about my bird cause and included a link to my post. And had included in said post that I was going to ask him, the honorable Mayor Michael Sullivan, for help.

So there’s that bit of conniving, admittedly.

This morning I had a reply from Mayor Mike himself that he was on it. Mayor Mike and I have a history. I used to (I am slacking a bit lately) clip every newspaper and magazine article I found about Holyoke artists and drop them off at his office, with his ambivalent receptionist. In explaining this to my friend Maren I said, “Well, I think he probably wants to know what we are doing here and because we live and/or work in the city he presides over, it’s like he’s our Dad” and she laughed. I have sent him long emails about what us artists are doing here etc and he replies. He is our very patient Dad. I finally met Mayor Michael Sullivan in person at a recent meeting. I said it’s me, Mo, your self-appointed clipping service. I didn’t tell him that I think of him as our Dad and that in my imagination he puts all the clippings on a fridge in his office at City Hall. I exhibited a very rare restraint.

Looking at the drained canal while waiting for the HG&E guys to drive around to the other side. Good thing it was drained. What if they fell in? I would save them.

So a few minutes ago, as I was putting together a bonfire because tonight I have friends coming over (in an hour, but I am so excited that I had to type this now) to celebrate a peach blueberry cheesecake that Kathy made, which obviously calls for wine and a bonfire, I heard this “helloooo? hello!?” and I went around the corner and there were two guys from HG&E. I knew why they were here of course, it hit me immediately, as sometimes I think fast! So I asked, “Oh!? Are you here to save the birds?” and they were. These guys were hilarious. And brave. Oh, the drama.

They surveyed the situation and said they’d need to climb the pole. This gave me instant vertigo because I thought of myself climbing the pole and I am afraid of such things. So I suggested the go to the other side of the canal and clip it there and then cut the pole on this side about 4 feet up and staple it.

HG&E cutting the cable on this end, high enough to leave room for Flirty Squirrel.

The reason it had to be clipped 4 feet up is because of Flirty Squirrel. Flirty Squirrel comes out about 1-3 pm each day and does this crazy breakdance kind of acrobatic thing which involves the first 4 feet of the pole. He looks at me, or the birds that might be gathered around (that only happens once in a while though) and then somehow jumps sideways and barrel rolls in the air and then does forward and backward flips. he is hilarious. he always looks to see if I am watching. I am sweet on Flirty Squirrel. Par time=27 minutes. Birds saved. Nice.

HG&E going back to work after a hard day's work of saving the birds