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Irish Times
10-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
The rise and fall of Cairo, Illinois: from Huckleberry Finn's dream destination to a town of just 1,700 people
Cairo had it all. Even now, with many of its elegant buildings collapsing or falling into slow ruin and the population at just a 10th of what it was in its rambunctious heyday, the place is a marvel. Cairo was built on the extreme southern tip of Illinois, on the narrow intersection of land where the Mississippi and Ohio rivers meet. It was the town Huckleberry Finn and Jim set out to reach on their imperishable raft. Advertisements in the archives of its several daily newspapers – the Delta, the Sun and the Monitor – contain proof of opulent hotels, jazz and blues clubs, restaurants and thriving local businesses and of coming prosperity. Now, on a teeming hot day in July, Dollar General is one of the few open businesses on the main street. A lone customer holds his plastic bag of groceries as he steers his motorised cart down the deserted main street. Otherwise, all is still. READ MORE Everything – the fire station, the churches, the old custom house, makeshift shops – lacks people. In YouTube land, Cairo has been repackaged as a ghost-town, with dozens of auteur films featuring intrepid 'investigators' rifling through the detritus of offices and abandoned homes. A welcome sign at the levee in Cairo, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Photograph: Brady Dennis/The Washington Post via Getty Images A street leading into the once-thriving town of Cairo, Illinois. Photograph: Brandon Bell/Getty It's punishingly hot. The port on the Ohio side of the water is quiet also. A car containing a group of youngsters comes out of the gate, windows open, stereo at full volume, and vanishes down the street. A thick midday silence and torpor dominates the hot noontime atmosphere. From a peak of 15,000 residents a century ago, the last census had just 1,700 people living in Cairo, a fate the original dreamers could not have foreseen. Cairo was famous from the get-go, and visitors – apart from Charles Dickens , who was not charmed – forecast greatness. 'This tiny village gives itself an anticipatory air of a great city,' recorded French traveller Jules Rouby, visiting in the mid-1800s. [ As an Irish Jew my Star of David is no longer a badge of pride but a mark of shame Opens in new window ] 'The time is sure to come when Cairo will be the largest city in the world,' declared one of the Cairo elders. That was at a time when speculators were mapping out a strategic future, plotted around its unique position at the confluence of the US's holy rivers, which would see the upcoming city eclipse places such as Cincinnati and St Louis, even mighty Chicago, as the beacon of Midwest commercial and cultural might. 'We's safe, Huck, we's safe. Jump up and crak yo' heels! Dat's de good ole Cairo at las',' Jim tells his companion in Mark Twain 's classic novel, set in the 1840s. But, of course, they had drifted past Cairo in a fog and were carried by the Mississippi into the treacheries of slave country. In the midst of rocketing property costs throughout the US, Cairo dwellings cost next to nothing. Commercial lots in nearby towns start at $150,000. In Cairo, they are $5,000 The chapter stands like a warning to Cairo itself, whose local history contains multitudes about the great themes of the United States – ambition, industrial expansion, good times, war, folly, bigotry and racial tension. Something went wrong. Last year the town's most significant achievement was the opening of the Cairo Community Food Market, a local initiative that meant Dollar General was no longer the only option for groceries. Locals celebrated with a placard reading: 'No longer a food desert.' In the US of 2024, that was a modest achievement. Driving through Cairo now is a disorienting experience. The breathtaking scope and the location make it easy to understand why Lewis and Clark spent time here to practise their skills in determining longitude and latitude; why, during the civil war, Ulysses S Grant set up a military camp at Fort Defiance, where soldiers bathed right at the tip where the imperious rivers mingle. A narrow metal bridge transports cars across the Ohio river from Kentucky into Illinois. Take a sharp right and drive for five minutes and you are on the equally narrow, unadorned Mississippi bridge, ferrying cars across that river into Missouri. An abandoned truck in an overgrown front yard in Cairo, Illinois. Photograph:A crumbled building sits along the main drag in downtown Cairo, Illinois. Photograph:Crossing three states and two mythical rivers in just 10 minutes: it's unique. The bridges are a reminder of why Cairo failed: the town was bypassed by progress. Cairo itself is a sprawling catechism of empty residential streets, gorgeous postbellum-era grand houses such as Riverlore and Magnolia Manor on Washington Avenue, a garage with a pizza stand and a bar that opened a few years ago. Some people were trying to hold on so tight to what they had that they lost it — Toya Wilson Haughty abandoned gems stand everywhere, including the Gem Theatre, not far from the riverfront and shuttered for longer than most living residents remember. Cairo is a mixed-up dream of a place, a card-pack shuffling 19th-century grandiosity with the Formica-era low-builds of the 1970s. And if it feels like thousands quit the place in a hurry, that's because they did. Cairo demands an answer to the question that screams through the mind of any visitor: what happened here? 'I think Cairo could have prospered, personally,' says Toya Wilson quietly when I call in to the local library. 'Mistakes were made, at all levels. I think some people were trying to hold on so tight to what they had that they lost it. And in years past we had mayors who weren't trying to help the town succeed, but to help themselves. Growing up here in the '80s and '90s, we had grocery stores and gas stores. We had four schools – two elementary, a junior high and a high school. It was a nice place to live. But it just continued to deteriorate because people continued to not put the interests of the city first.' Wilson graduated from college in 1991, and taught school in Cairo for three years. She remembers being able to buy her furniture in a local bespoke store, now long closed. Two years ago she returned from Michigan and took up her role as director of the Cairo library, which stands as another symbol of the town's lost splendour. The red-bricked house was built in 1884 by Ana Safford, one of the local eminences, as a memorial to her husband. Ruth Morrison and Toya Wilson in Cairo's library Inside it is immaculately maintained as both a treasure trove and an active library. Toya's colleague, Ruth Morrison, shows me around. There's a chest of drawers from 18th-century France on the mezzanine level of the staircase. Neat rows of padded chairs are arranged in the meeting room, enhanced by stained-glass windows. In the corner is a writing desk belonging to former president Andrew Jackson. Across the way, the Ladies' Meeting Room. Downstairs, the Reading Room, the preserve of gentlemen of the day, contains among its artefacts a polished card table from a river boat. It's a stunning public building: welcoming because of its staff but overwhelming in its ghostliness too. Out-of-town visitors call in seeking old newspaper stories or information about grandparents who owned a home or business in the town. The quick version of Cairo's rise and fall is that it was a briefly prosperous river town that tried to convert into a railroad hub. A row of abandoned homes sit along a residential street in Cairo, Illinois. Photograph:The abandoned Gem theatre sit among a small number of occupied buildings in downtown Cairo, Illinois. Photograph:It experienced the US's racial tensions in reverse: archives depict early signs of integration but by the late-1960s, Cairo was in the midst of prolonged and sometimes violent civil rights protests between the prevailing white merchant class and black residents whom they refused to employ. It ultimately led to the closure of many thriving businesses and the relocation to nearby communities like Paducah and Cape Girardeau. The Gem Theatre's fate is typical of the racial fallout. 'Some parts of Cairo were integrated early on,' says Wilson. 'And other parts were not. It was weird that way. I found books that showed black students at Cairo High in the 1950s. They were marching [in the civil rights era] because they weren't hiring black people in the stores. But there were black police officers as early as 1910. [ Sydney Sweeney's jeans ad: How did we get to a culture war over this? Opens in new window ] 'The Gem Theatre... it was whites only. And there was a theatre across the street for black people that was torn down. So when integration came, the Gem closed. They just shut it down. 'When they held demonstrations outside the all-white swimming pool in Cairo, somebody purchased it and they filled it in. I think it was owned by the Rotary Club before that. The new owners were draining it and figured it would cost too much to maintain. It was a different story to what we all heard, which was that they filled it in because of integration. But that seemed to be the solution here. Tear it down. Close it up. They did not try and repair anything. So, there was a lot of old, beautiful buildings in Cairo that they just tore town.' One of the rare new businesses in Cairo is CosmicCreations – Wings & More, a drive-through restaurant set up by Romello Orr four years ago. Now, he has a sister restaurant in nearby Mound City, where I find him navigating the grill and friers. Sauced wings, breaded mushrooms, corned nuggets, fried okra, chicken and waffles and grilled salad are among the most popular items. Romello Orr outside his restaurant: 'There is a lot of pride in Cairo. It's a friendly place' After graduating from college, Orr was a state employee as a mental health technician but a serious assault from a patient forced him out of work for a prolonged period. Encouraged by his family, he invested his dwindling savings in cooking equipment and flipped a passion into a business. Now he is one of the few people from Cairo who can employ others and has followed his late father in getting elected to the city council. 'When I first got elected as councilman, I figured maybe the older generation just didn't know how to go about doing things,' he says, raising his voice to be heard over the kitchen fan. 'But there are so many areas of red tapes and barriers keeping you from doing anything. For instance, if you walk through Cairo today you have so many buildings falling in on themselves, burnt down buildings with overgrown lots. 'We have the ordinance but we don't have the enforcement to go after the owners to clean them up. And the city has gone through corruption – officials stealing money and things. So, we don't have the funds and capital that we should have.' Newspaper boxes sit in front of a shuttered grocery store in Cairo, Illinois. Photograph:To those of Orr's generation – the father of three is 27 years old – the civil rights protests of the late-1960s, and an infamous lynching of a black man, 50 years earlier, are unforgettable incidents on which the fate of Cairo turned. But Orr still believes in his home city. 'It was fun here as a kid. We had more things than we do now,' he says. 'We used to have kids' clubs, summer camps, places to eat and go get ice-cream and candy. 'As a kid it doesn't take a lot for you to step out and have fun. There were so many people and so much interaction. You would meet friends at the park and have the whole day with them. There is a lot of pride in Cairo. It's a friendly place. Yeah, you go on YouTube and search for Cairo, you get 'ghost town' and all that. It's really nothing like that. You can walk up to a stranger and talk to them here.' Orr's business model is a clever, attractive proposition that balances the treat of eating out with the income limitations of an economically repressed community. His ambition is to encourage other young people to have faith to set up businesses in Cairo – and to attract more people to move there. An exodus that began in the 1950s has never really stopped. An enforced evacuation when the Mississippi threatened to flood in 2011 prompted a good number of families to make lives elsewhere. Within the past decade, two housing projects were demolished after the buildings were condemned after financial malfeasance. Just like that, Cairo lost 400 families. 'I'll never forget when I was hearing in New York about how they were bustin' all those immigrants,' says Orr. 'I was like, send them out to us! We want them! If we have just 500 more people moving here, that's a game changer. And that might attract another 500. That's how you grow again. 'I know a lot of Mexican people and they are some of the hardest working people anywhere. They come in and they work harder than anyone on the job. So, if they are able to fight for their citizenship and get their papers and move to areas like Cairo, that would be great. Our cities are dying because people are moving away to bigger cities. 'Just 30 minutes in any direction from us are cities that are growing. They are adding more franchise and factories and jobs. And that brings more people to live.' I have a lot of Latino customers and they were diehard Trump supporters. And now they've taken all the Trump flags and signs down — Romello Orr He notes that in the midst of rocketing property costs throughout the US, Cairo dwellings cost next to nothing, relatively speaking. Commercial lots in nearby towns start at $150,000. In Cairo, they are $5,000. A private residential property can be bought for $9,000. One February listing on Mark Twain Real Estate offered a five-bedroom period house on Park Place, in immaculate condition, complete with original chandelier, beamed ceilings, oak floors, and an enclosed front porch for $85,000. It's not impossible to imagine Orr's reversal of fortune. But it would take courage and reverse-integration. Cairo gets modest state funding. Grand plans to reimagine the riverfront as a tourist destination delivered a fraction of the required grants: official belief in Cairo is stymied by past failures. If it is to turn things around, it will be down to the locals. Recently, the city of Cairo sold the prestige mansion Riverlore to a young couple who intend to turn it into a luxury bed and breakfast. It's another small but vital promise. And somewhere in the mess of Cairo's predicament is the siren sound of contemporary America: the nasally, seductive voice of Donald Trump . He has, of course, never stood on the confluence point at Fort Defiance, nor, one can bet, has he wondered what it is like to live in an American city that, a century ago, had the Cairo Coca-Cola minor league baseball teams and its own opera house but is now a 'food desert'. Windows are boarded up at the shuttered Bennett Elementary School in Cairo, Illinois. Photograph:Trump has never been here – but then, neither has Joe Biden, nor Bill Clinton, nor George Bush, nor Barack Obama. Why would they? Cairo, like countless other river towns, was a faller in the relentless, furious drive for expansion, for more. And the US is pitiless about fallers. Trump's message and voice travelled across the interior. All but one southern Illinois county voted heavily Republican. Cairo City, 67 per cent black now, still voted Democrat in the Republican county of Alexander, but Orr knows plenty of people who were persuaded by Trump. 'I believe they were just tired of inflation. A lot of good things did come out of the Biden administration. Gas was up. Things like that. Where are we now and has it changed – or is it getting worse? 'I have a lot of Latino customers in Cairo and they were diehard Trump supporters. And now they've taken all the Trump flags and signs down because they did not believe he was going to do the mass deportations; ICE picking people up. 'So now it is more anger for the man than, Oh, we love it. But he promised he was going to do it and he fulfilled it. You can't be mad at him for that. People thought he was going to bring all the changes that he promised.' [ On my swim the water tastes industrial, of fuel and metal and dirt Opens in new window ] One of the more prominent books in the display case in the library is Herman Lantz's 1972 study A Community in Search of Itself: A Case History of Cairo, Illinois. It charts the early cocksure optimism of speculators through to the dual-edged blessing of the rivers, the abject failure of local government and 'the development of an economy greatly dependent on liquor, gambling and prostitution, which lent the town an atmosphere of lawlessness and impermanence and the development of attitudes of pessimism, apathy and resignation on the part of a populace whose community had a continual record of failure.' But 50 years after that bleak obituary, Cairo is still alive. In September it will host its 12th Heritage Blues and Gospel Festival, a free event that draws thousands of day-trippers. Orr says first-timers can never quite get over Cairo when they see it. It is its own place, a world removed from the bland uniformity of suburban America. And it has a stunning story. 'It is always that number one question,' he says, standing in the hot sun outside his restaurant on Cairo's central boulevard, designed when the future possibilities seem limitless. 'Why is Cairo not doing what it should be doing? But I feel like, sometimes it just takes someone to think different to change people's minds about a place.'
Miami Herald
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Kelly: Damaging lies continue to be spread about the these Dolphins
'A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.' Mark Twain supposedly said that, but there are some sites, sources, pundits who claim the 'Huckleberry Finn' author actually didn't. 'The truth has no defense against a fool determined to believe a lie.' Twain supposedly said that too, but then again, there are sites claiming that the legend of American literature didn't say that either. Who can you believe anymore? I have been a media member for more than half my life, two plus-decades, and my answer would be: 'be careful with who you trust for information.' Or better yet, find credible people [sources] you can trust based on their track record. And in this age of information — all it takes is typing something into a search engine, or asking Chat GPT — it shouldn't be that hard. But it is. And the problem has infiltrated sports as well. 'Someone said that I've slammed Dolphins culture,' offensive lineman Kendall Lamm stated on a rare Instagram post, obviously intended to clear his name from something that began circulating last week. The lie that was stated, and attributed to an ESPN report — which was never produced — was about Lamm allegedly claiming he understands why the Eagles played in two Super Bowls the past three seasons. It supposedly praised Eagles players for never being late, not being toxic and spending 15 minutes after every practice sharing personal struggles to stay mentally sharp. Then it claimed those are all things Lamm never experienced with the Dolphins. 'I enjoyed my time in Miami and it will be near and dear to me forever. When it comes to this article that's being sent, or an article that's published, unless I just completely forgot doing this, it had to be misconstrued or taken out of context because I have nothing but the most respect for everyone in Miami, and the people in Miami know that,' said Lamm, who signed with the Eagles this offseason, and is playing for his sixth team in 11 seasons. 'Things like this really don't bother me. Anyone can come to me and ask me the truth and I'll tell you,' Lamm continued. 'When it comes to culture and all that, bro, don't put me in the middle. Don't try to spin things because you guys feel [someway] about Miami. I loved my time in Miami to tell you the truth. Please, I am not the one. I would never even speak about Miami like that. Never! Never!' Lamm, who started 16 of 33 games he played for Miami as a key reserve on the offensive line the past three seasons, is a straight shooter. I got to know him well the past two seasons, and developed a great deal of admiration for him. If there was an issue, he would speak on it. The fact he wants to distance himself from those made-up words shouldn't be ignored. The sports world knows the Dolphins had a tardiness problem last year because the head coach specifically called his players out about it before their exit interviews, minutes before the team spoke to the press, in an effort to inspire change. The Dolphins, who produced a 8-9 season in a year where quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missed six and a half games because of injuries, turned their back on a ton of veterans this offseason, and have put one of the team's best players [cornerback Jalen Ramsey] on the trading block in an effort to facilitate that culture change. Everyone associated with the team swears they have noticed a change within the locker room. They spoke about it so much, so often this offseason it got annoying. The problem is, we won't know if this culture change is real until adversity hits, which is generally when we see teams splinter, much like last year's Dolphins seemingly did. There's no secret everyone on the football side of the organization is on the hot seat, and everyone in Miami Gardens realizes the Dolphins need to produce a winning record for those in power to stay employed. 'Their positive working relationship is an asset to the Dolphins, and I believe in the value of stability,' owner Steve Ross said in a statement announcing general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel were being retained at the end of the 2024 season. 'However, continuity in leadership is not to be confused with an acceptance that status quo is good enough. And there it is, the 'status quo' won't be good enough. 'We will take a hard look at where we have fallen short and make the necessary changes to deliver our ultimate goal of building and sustaining a winning team that competes for championships,' Ross said. Subsequently, the Dolphins lowered the team's payroll, reduced the team's spending in the offseason, are discussing trading away two of the team's top players (Ramsey and Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith), and pushed toward a youth movement for the first time in McDaniel's tenure. We will soon learn if this speeds up the end of this regime, or fixes the Dolphins. The saddest thing about this South Florida fan base is that many Dolphins fans are pulling for failure in 2025 with the hope that it will lead to a full scale reset, as if that has changed the trajectory of the franchise in the last dozen or so regime and coaching changes since coach Don Shula was pushed out in 1995, and quarterback Dan Marino was forced into retirement in 1999. Mind you, those were also resets lobbied for by most of the Dolphins fan base. Football had changed and Shula couldn't adapt. The franchise needed Jimmy Johnson. Then Marino was past his prime, so it was OK to let Johnson push him into retirement. Whether that's the truth, or fiction depends on your agenda, and the same can be said about the next statement. The 2025 Dolphins have talent — not as much as the 2023 team, but enough to produce a winning season — and will succeed or fail based on Tagovailoa and the roster's health, Tyreek Hill's level of productivity, the effectiveness of the rebuilt offensive line and whether defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver can orchestrate the franchise's third straight top-10 defense. Very little of that has anything to do with the culture of the team, or what a former player says, or doesn't say about the Dolphins organization.
Forbes
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Today's NYT Mini Crossword Clues And Answers For Tuesday, June 10th
In case you missed Monday's NYT Mini Crossword puzzle, you can find the answers here: Welcome back, Crosswordlers, to yet another Mini Crossword guide. It's Tuesday and the weather is just fine. You really can't beat June when it comes to weather, especially here in the mountains with all the rain we've been getting. It's been just right. But before we enjoy that, let's solve this puzzle shall we? The NYT Mini is a smaller, quicker, more digestible, bite-sized version of the larger and more challenging NYT Crossword, and unlike its larger sibling, it's free-to-play without a subscription to The New York Times. You can play it on the web or the app, though you'll need the app to tackle the archive. Across 1A. Displays at a trailhead — starts with the first letter M 5A. Pulitzer-winning 2024 novel that reimagined "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" from the perspective of Jim — starts with the first letter J 6A. Invader in a sci-fi movie — starts with the first letter A 7A. Thin strands — starts with the first letter W 8A. 'Tude — starts with the first letter S Down 1D. One of Michelle Obama's daughters — starts with the first letter M 2D. A little out of whack — starts with the first letter A 3D. Marshmallow treats in Easter baskets — starts with the first letter P 4D. I.R.S. IDs — starts with the first letter S 5D. 1975 film with a 25-foot animatronic shark — starts with the first letter J Across 1A. Displays at a trailhead — MAPS 5A. Pulitzer-winning 2024 novel that reimagined "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" from the perspective of Jim — JAMES 6A. Invader in a sci-fi movie — ALIEN 7A. Thin strands — WISPS 8A. 'Tude — SASS Down 1D. One of Michelle Obama's daughters — MALIA 2D. A little out of whack — ASKew 3D. Marshmallow treats in Easter baskets — PEEPS 4D. I.R.S. IDs — SSNS FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder 5D. 1975 film with a 25-foot animatronic shark — JAWS Today's Mini Screenshot: Erik Kain The reason this took me 1:56 is I started plugging in the correct answers in the wrong spot. I did this twice, because apparently my brain isn't working or something. I put JAWS into 4-Down and AMISS into 3-Down and then had to backtrack and fix everything. Overall, though, if you're not plugging in the words into the wrong boxes, this wasn't a terribly challenging Mini! How did you do? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. If you also play Wordle, I write guides about that as well. You can find those and all my TV guides, reviews and much more here on my blog. Thanks for reading!
Time Out
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The best animal movies for kids
Willie would rather keep in nose buried in Huckleberry Finn than mingle with the other kids, especially the bullies who make his life torturous. That's when his mother decides it's time for a four-legged friend, much to her husband's dismay. When Willie and his new beagle skip form a friendship, things take a turn in a positive direction for the young boy. But don't leave the tissues too far away—there are moments that'll make you tear up and reach for your furry best friend. Rated PG.
Chicago Tribune
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Renovation at former Holiday movie theater in Park Forest to-do box
Two years ago, at a villagewide workshop that evolved into a master plan for Park Forest, numerous residents had their say about the future of the downtown area: what to build, what to tear down and what to save. The dormant Holiday movie theater on Main Street was on the keep list. And why not? For more than a generation, the cinema dominated the bustling outdoor plaza. The 1,050-seat theater opened Oct. 28,1950, as part of the Park Forest Shoppers Plaza. Should you ask, 'Tight Little Island,' 'Huckleberry Finn' and 'The Red Shoes' were the first films shown. The Holiday featured a fireplace, a beamed ceiling and a cry room catering to fussy toddlers. It was also a social center for the mushrooming community. Many first dates at the movie house later blossomed into marriage. Sunday morning church services were once held for what was to become the Faith United Protestant Church, and at one time Saturday morning services for the Reform Jewish Congregation Beth Shalom also took place there. In the late 1980s it was converted into a three-screen movie emporium, including a screen in the balcony. By 1993, two more screens were added. Alas, by then movie houses played a bad second fiddle to television and tapes. Owners came and left. Cook County began gobbling up more taxes. In 2008 new owners changed the name to Holiday Star Theater, but the venue shuttered for good in 2013. All that remained of the site, along with the dust and mold, were the memories, and that, we suspect, is what led to a 'save the Holiday' sentiment among those who once cared. It will cost a large dollar to clean up, patch up, fix up and rehab the facility, and in a year in which Park Forest is committed to spending up to $5 million to rehab the crumbling infrastructure of the Aqua Center, any plans for the old movie house must be shipped into the 'to be done later' inbox. The biggest question is, if renovated, what kind of structure will it become? The theater site is part of a large commercial footprint in the downtown area, bounded by Main Street, Founders Way, Liberty Drive and Cunningham Lane. Although short of ongoing ventures, two new businesses plan to move into that portion of downtown. The Good Times Gaming Cafe plans to open at the corner of Liberty and Founders Way, taking over from a similar operation on Founders Way, according to the agenda for Monday night's Village Board meeting. The Royal Styles Restaurant will renovate a large space in the center. Other changes are taking place. Those 44 apartments under private construction at the corner of Indianwood Boulevard and Orchard Drive will probably be finished before the first snow. The desperately needed overhaul of Forest Boulevard and Forest Boulevard will eliminate those pock-marked craters. That project is being done with $480,00 from Cook County piggy bank. Everything takes time. The Holiday must wait its turn, if there is one. The last time we met, there was a discussion about the conflict between the sparrow and the wren competing for the same space in our backyard gourd, how the sparrow would build the nest and the wren would come along and start dismantling it. It was written that the wren won, but the sparrow was never notified. One day after publication, the sparrow took over, barging in and, as many a squatter does, taking over the property. The wren shrugged its wings, in an avian 'oh well' and flew off. There are a number of wrens in our backyard. All birds look alike, thus preventing me from spotting the disenfranchised creature.
