I was just folding laundry in the bedroom and glanced out the window when a
little bird streaked into the lilac stems outside -- at first glance, I
thought it was marked, since I was certain I'd seen an obviously fake streak
of red paint on the bird.

But no. It was a ruby-crowned kinglet, and it continued looking around the
lilac for five minutes while I stood three feet away and watched. Despite
the gray weather, it made my day.

-Josh Hayes, josh at blarg dot net