Events of the day

I know it's only 6:54am.

It all started yesterday morning at around 7:25am, while I was getting ready to get my purse and go to work. I walked by the fireplace and heard the "Caw! Caw!" of a crow; not an unexpected sound around here, but this one sounded really close. Really really close. Like it was in the house. I paused for a moment and it cawed again. Yep. It's in the house. More specifically, behind the wall above the fireplace (or as it's more commonly known, the chimney). What. The fuck.

We stood there for a minute, me and the cats, just looking at the wall and wondering what came next. The crow cawed again, and I took the flashlight that sits on the mantle (for such occasions as this) and shined it (cautiously) into the fireplace itself. I don't know if I was looking for the crow specifically (because what in the holy hell would I have done if it was actually IN there) or some kind of crow evidence: black feather? poo? shiny object? There was nothing, but apparently the light attracted the crow and it cawed a couple more times for effect. I put the flashlight back and walked away, thinking to myself, Wow, I sure hope the flue is closed. Now what?

"Now what" was go to work and think about it. Maybe it wasn't really IN the chimney but ON the chimney and the chimney style just carried the sound really well. Maybe it would find its way out. Maybe the upstairs neighbor lady heard it and will actually do something about it because I think she's home all day and a couple of hours of that cawing might possible drive one mad.

I called the property management people and they told me to call the association (nobody really wants to be involved, and I don't blame them, but it's easier for the association to get that poor maintenance guy over there and figure it out). We all had a good laugh over it, thinking about the flue being opened and the crow set free to fly all over my house, but the reality is I really, really don't want a crow flying all over my house. The verdict, ultimately, was to give it a day and see if I heard the bird again. So far, nothing, but you can bet when I got home from work last night I was very cautious, just in case that flue really IS open and the crow got out.

So as I sit here the next day, I haven't heard anything yet. But remember I didn't hear anything by this time yesterday either, and it's not like I am not constantly walking by the fireplace. But because it is morning and I am expecting to hear it, I've been walking around really quietly so as not to wake it, and in the silence of the morning, I accidentally stepped on Seca in the kitchen, which caused her to do that RRRREEEEERRRR cat thing and me to scream, which if anything is going to wake that damn crow up it would be that, and it also scared the shit out of me, so now I am all shaky and nervous and wondering what is going to happen when I walk by the fireplace to go at 7:25. So it's now 7:07am and I am all jangly and jumpy and FUCK I hope yesterday was just a fluke because I am learning about WAY too many things lately, and I just don't think I need to know how to get a crow out of my chimney.