Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Yesterday evening was really nice here.

We went out and sat on the rocks next to the last shoals in White's Creek before it leaves our yard and watched the mayflies hatch and do their thing, dancing over the rapids in the air then landing on the surface of the water for just a moment to lay their eggs and take off again.

The ephemeral adult life of these delicate and beautiful insects is illustrative of the simplest meaning of life...

"Eat...Survive...Reproduce."

I would add, "Then give it up and donate your leftovers back to the food chain." I hope that I can be composted at the end of it all. Seems noble and far less barbaric than the options currently in favor.

As we sat on the rocks and talked, a large dark silhouette flew down the creek toward us, only a few yards above our heads, turned above us and flew back up the creek. The form of its wings as it flew and the long hooked bill gave it away. "An eagle," I said. "They fly just like a crow, when they're flapping."

We watched the insects all around us in clouds over the water. Some places the mayflies would touch the water and the surface of the water would break into a ripple, looking as if a pebble had just landed at the exact same place.

I hear they taste like raw oysters, but I don't plan to do that particular research project unless I get way hungrier than I have ever been so far.

Welcome to the food chain, little mayfly.

Peace,

Steve

*****

Oh yeah...The United States of America has admitted to torturing prisoners and charges had to be dropped against one alleged criminal because the evidence against him was obtained by means of torture, which is illegal under U.S. Law and the Geneva Convention. The prisoner in question?

Mohammed al-Qahtani, the man who was supposed to be the 20th Hijacker on 9-11-2001.

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