This is NOT an Ostrich it is an EMU just for the recordOk so I'm totally steeling this idea from my Sister's Blog.. Only with my own twist on it.. Reading her account of a VERY funny family story that has almost turned into folklore in the Lane clan made me realize that we all have our different spin on the memory so here is my challenge to Mom, Jack, Jody, Ashley and even Jeff (Jeff i know you don't have a blog BUT maybe it's high time you got one even if its ONLY for this challenge or can you do something like that on facebook??).. perhaps we ALL can write our memory of this event (even your "animal background" would be cool too!) and compare notes..
Ok so like Steph I'm going to give a little back ground on the Lane's failure of pets.. We tried hard to be "animal people" you'd think with my Mother growing up on a cattle ranch she would have some of these instincts from her birth right WRONG we think it skipped her but as Steph said, I also remember VIVIDLY her calling my Grandpa Jack to "take care" of the for mentioned hamster (Dad was away on a business trip) I remember vicious dogs (ok only remember 1 dog but it was so bad it had to stay in the gated off end of our back yard in LaMirada) and my Animal memories wouldn't be complete with out mentioning Lippity the demented MEAN ATTACK BUNNY, bet you didn't know bunnies chased and bit children on the ankles, they do if they are left out in the sun too long (lesson learned) and of coarse our slutty dog princess who had more puppies than since and was i think the huge thorn in my Mother's side in Oregon..
Ok on to the Emu saga, It was in the Summer and if Steph says we were all there then I believe her, because I know the main players My parents, Stephanie, Jack and Jody were there so I'm assuming Ashley and Jeff must have been there also.. We were sitting down to lunch and if anyone has sat with the Lane's for a meal you know it can get loud.. not in a mean bad way (contrary to a friend of Steph's who got VERY uncomfortable at the noise desable) but we ALL want to be heard and that means usually loud talking laughing etc. etc.. anyway I am sitting facing a bay window that faces the back yard when i see something run across the back yard.. it's something so odd I'm almost afraid to say it but i do and announce "I just saw an ostrich run
across the back yard" when EVERYONE erupts in laughter asking what am I smoking etc (which might give you some insight in my role in the family for saying ALLOT of stupid/silly stuff).. and I insist i saw something when they all look Steh announces it's an emu.. we immediately assume someone has lost their precious pet and we MUST help.. we call the Humane society (which in Arkansas is pretty much an old lady that takes in stray dogs and cats in her home) and of coarse they don't deal with anything like Emu's but she directs us to an Emu farmer that might be willing to take the beast.. We call the Farmer He tells us lots of people got into raising Emu's with the prospect of selling expensive meat and got out of it because it wasn't all it was cracked up to be..he then directs us on how to catch the Bird; he says get a large roap and try to lasso the bird and call him back because IF we end up catching it, he could come pick him up in a few hours, Jack and Jody went into action and went to the garage, only problem, they couldn't find a roap but they did find a large orange extension Cord (that will do right??) they chased the Emu as far as they could then decided they needed a better plan and jumped into the little white truck; because I wasn't with them how they exactly caught the bird is still kind of a mystery but they came back with Jody in the back of the truck with the Emu.. they tied it to the Tree My Mother quickly calls the farmer back saying "We have the Emu" she then asks is there anything we should do to make him more comfortable, told him how we had him contained etc... the Farmer then says "these birds are tough its virtually impossible to kill them".. In my memory (and the way we've always told it) no sooner than my mother hung up the phone we saw the bird from the same window we had originally saw it.. lying on the ground with his neck in a very awful position, still tied to the tree.. we all looked at each other in kind of a panic and said "no way"... Yes the bird was dead.. not only was it dead we had ALREADY called the emu farmer so we couldn't just "forget" this had happened.. so Mom called back the Emu guy (again a reminder she had JUST got off the phone with him) she said something like this "Ummm, well, it looks like you don't have to come somehow it looks like he has broken his neck and well he's dead"... and the farmer; the SAME guy who said just minutes before you can't kill the beasts said; "Yea, they sometimes do that"... WHAT!!!!! evedently when Emu's get distressed they contort their necks or even sometimes beat their heads against hard objects so in essence the Emu couldn't stand to be in the Animal killers presance so it committed suicide (was that too dramatic??) so Jack and Jody disposed of the Emu somewhere on the 10 acres of my parents property they'll never reveal where (not like it would matter now anyway) and they still won't talk about it (it's kinda funny!) But that is the legend of the Lane's and the Emu..OK siblings get writing!!!
