I sat at the window for about 10 minutes just now watching Boy Scouts Vs. Dinosaurs. Well, turkeys actually, but they count because they're avian. That's what the Scouts and I decided, anyway.

The Scouts were out to pick up after Halloween. We had a lot of traffic come through, and there was a lot of litter left behind. Someone also went on a bigger than usual pumpkin smashing spree, so it did look dingy yesterday. I live in the most neatnik neighborhood ever. Not an HOA with actual power, but a bunch of really tidy minded people who will leave you a mailbox sticky note if they think your lawn looks shaggy. One of them probably put the Scouts up to this service project. I've never actually seen them do this before, but they were all in uniform. I don't know anyone in this neighborhood too well, but I guess that is sort of a Scout-ish thing to do. I just thought maybe we ought to ask for a street sweeper instead of using kid labor, but the boys didn't seem to mind really. They were running and horsing around, but generally being constructive, and seemed to get along well. Just regular boys. How I want some of that energy.

There's a wild turkey flock that comes to forage our street about this time of day and they did not take kindly to the Scouts trying to scoop up the pumpkin bits. This big old tom got all fluffed up and started chasing the kids around. The younger toms followed his lead. The Scouts would give the birds room, but everywhere new they would go, turkeys would mosey on after, and then it was all gobbles and shouting again, back and forth, back and forth. The boys tried all kinds of things, clapping, stomping, waving the trash bags, but those dino-descended turkeys were determined. I discovered that your average Boy Scout can run as fast backwards as he does forwards.

A light finally went on for me that I should try to get this all on camera, but after I got my shoes and jacket on and got outside, there wasn't ever a golden moment where things came together again to show the story. Boys and turkeys are not good at holding a scene together.

Finally one of the boys held his rake over his head and charged at the tom shouting "HOO RAH!" like a Marine and that sent the turkeys off. I thanked the kids for cleaning up and told them I'd decided there should be a badge for dinosaur wrangling with a turkey in a trash bag. They thought that was funny.

The WHOLE time this was going on, Mr. Scout Leader is surfing his phone in the minivan parked at the curb. I wanted to MomSmack him for the moms who weren't there, but I settled for asking him to please tell me they're getting pizza for this. "Oh yeah, we're gonna go have fun." Hmmph. I wanted to toss the tom turkey in his lap but alas, the vengeful bird had moved to the next block.

Fun story. You're a good writer.

Lucky it was not geese. Domesticated geese are meaner than pit bulls. Very territorial, noisy as hell, crap all over anything and they bite a lot when anyone comes near them.