My nemesis, the woodpecker

Yesterday, my wife and I drove to Seattle for a scheduled neurology appointment. I find myself miss-identifying common sounds and unable to discern their origin. Other times, I’m surprised by an unfamiliar noise coming either from my imagination or beyond. I told my neurologist about these mild aural hallucinations and learned it was a common symptom of advancing Parkinson’s.

Not a big deal,” I said, looking at the neurologist. She nodded in agreement.

The appointment went quickly. I enjoy speaking with my neurologist; it’s refreshing to talk about Parkinson’s absent sentimentality or misguided pity. We have a few laughs and don’t get mired down with maudlin future talk.

Soon after getting home, a loud “rat-a-tat-tat” made me shoot to my feet. It sounded like someone was on the roof with a pneumatic hammer; this was not what I had in mind when I cavalierly dismissed the importance of noise hallucinations.

I sheepishly yelled to Laurie in the other room, “Did you hear that?” It was becoming an all-too-common question of mine.

“No. You must be hallucinating.” Laurie replied.

Another violent staccato reverberated throughout the house. “Wow! I heard that!” Laurie yelled.

I ran outside just in time to see a woodpecker fly off our roof. I started laughing, raising my fist to the sky in mock fury, finding it incredibly funny that nature should pick this particular moment to f#&! with me.

The world is a curious place of untold beauty and mystery, waiting for our tacit approval to come out to play in nature’s wonderland. Now I have to wait another three months until my next neurology appointment to find out if bird harassment is typical of Parkinson’s.

Your time will come, woodpecker, your time will come…

2 thoughts on “My nemesis, the woodpecker”

  1. Mr. Hunt, your story about the woodpecker reminded me of some of my father’s experiences when he battled Parkinson’s Disease.

    I just found your blog and you are a fantastic writer. A friend of mine grew up on Long Island where he fell in love with wreck diving. He let me borrow “Setting the Hook” and a couple of other books on shipwrecks. He has a plate that he recovered from the Andrea Doria. I absolutely love the book, which reads like a thriller. I look for to reading your blog and your other books.

    Take care and God bless.

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