The Lighter Side of Catastrophe, cont -- kid's tornado observation

A few days after the tornado, I needed to get a haircut. I wanted to do something to make me look pretty. My own hairstylist lives in a town a half an hour away. I didn’t want to spend that much time away from our storm-damaged house, so I went to a cheap local place. The young stylist gave me a cut which looks like she put a bowl over my head, but that’s a different story. Something else amusing happened at this new place.

A father and his six-year-old son were there, getting their haircuts. The kid started talking animatedly about the tornado, and with large gross motor action, showed everyone how “a branch flew right past my cheek.” That was a scary-enough retelling, especially from a child’s point of view. But then he added, “… and this is my favorite cheek.”

The Lighter Side of Catastrophe, cont.

I’m not so sure if this is so much funny as it is curious or creepy. The day after our tornado, the birds were acting very strangely, especially the starlings. They stood on the squirrel shield of the feeder or on the grass beneath it. They tilted their heads to the side and opened their beaks, and froze, remaining like that for minutes at a time. The starlings eyes were also a brighter white than I’d ever seen, especially against their shiny blue-black heads. (Try as I might, I can't find the photos I took of them! You'll just have to believe my words.)

Probable explanation for their behavior/look: The weeks and days up to the storm, the temperature had been in the 30’s at night and 50’s during the day. The day after, it was 90 degrees. I’m thinking their peculiar action was merely because they were suddenly hot. Although, personifying them, perhaps they were in grief of their nests, chicks, and friends who didn’t make it through the storm. (Okay, NOW who’s being creepy?)