Wednesday, June 9, 2010

The Birdhouse Caper

Years ago Evelyn Brewer, a seventh grade classmate brought to the classroom a birdhouse she had built and planned to enter in a upcoming crafts show.  The house was pretty, but small and probably was made from a kit, but it inspired Mr. Trout, the teacher, to embark upon a birdhouse building frenzy,  using class time and students to run errands to acquire materials.  We were told to study on our own while all this manufacturing was going on (You can imagine how much studying actually went on.) 

The more houses Mr. Trout and his helpers put together the more imaginative and unusual the birdhouses became.  I can remember only one, but that one is interesting to me even today.  The teacher sent a boy to buy a broom and a metal funnel.  He attached the funnel as the roof  to the lower part of a birdhouse, severed the straw from the broom and glued it to cover the entire structure.  It was supposed to resemble a home in the South Sea Islands or Africa, take your pick.  I've considered  making one following that design but never got around to it. 

Evelyn entered her little birdhouse in the craft show and Mr. Trout submitted his entire collection. Came the judging and Evelyn got an honorable mention.  As for the entire lineup from the teacher, no firsts, no seconds, no thirds, no honorable mentions.  What was wrong with the judges?  You can bet Mr. Trout went on and on about that.  He was so angry he even found fault with Evelyn's house, saying the opening was too small for a bird to enter.  Evelyn never defended her house; she just smiled, and the class went back to studying

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