I have a certain admiration for pigeons, in the same way I have a certain admiration for humans. There seems much that is similar about us as species, except pigeons are perhaps not so driven by John Locke's suggestions of happiness.
At the Puyallup Fair on Friday--more accurately, stumbling around the Puyallup Fair in an odd daze of crap food and utter distraction--I found the Open Class Pigeon show. There aren't that many--certainly not in comparison with show hens and roosters--but the ones that were on show were generally spectacular. One of them won my heart.
It's the Old German Owl Pigeon.
It's Hello Kitty as a real animal.
It's the Scottish Fold of birding.
It wears a lacy neckerchief.
It's Katherine Hepburn doing a pratfall.
I swooned like a parlor roller.
It's impossible to suspect it of being up to no good.
She could filled with heroin and trained as a jewel thief and nobody would ever believe it.
Look again at that oversized pupil and the tiny beak. She'll haunt your dreams.
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Thanks to pigeoncote.com for allowing me to determine the name of my new beloved, and for supplying the photo and leading me to find the standard of perfection in this bird: