My sister read that if birds overeat rice, the rice will swell up in their bellies and cause them to explode.
A kind hearted soul who did not want exploding birds at her wedding, J handed out packets of birdseed instead of rice for the guests to throw as she and her new groom emerged from the chapel doors.
So there we were, a crowd of family lined up on both sides of the sidewalk. As bride and groom emerged we all started hucking birdseed into the air above them.
The little kids and babies succumbed first, crying and rubbing their eyes. Then the older kids and parents began coughing uncontrollably.
What J did not realize--what no one realized until too late--is that birdseed is often heavily laced with capsaicin powder, to dissuade squirrels from eating the seed.
It's often said, but there was truly not a dry eye to be found that day.
A kind hearted soul who did not want exploding birds at her wedding, J handed out packets of birdseed instead of rice for the guests to throw as she and her new groom emerged from the chapel doors.
So there we were, a crowd of family lined up on both sides of the sidewalk. As bride and groom emerged we all started hucking birdseed into the air above them.
The little kids and babies succumbed first, crying and rubbing their eyes. Then the older kids and parents began coughing uncontrollably.
What J did not realize--what no one realized until too late--is that birdseed is often heavily laced with capsaicin powder, to dissuade squirrels from eating the seed.
It's often said, but there was truly not a dry eye to be found that day.