Ok, So it's the last day of July in the year 2008.
I gave one last bill to Obama after I read McCain's statement that Obama played the race card and he played it from the bottom of the deck. If America elects McCain I will have to seriously think about which country to move to, because it will mean that this one will be lost. I plan to work hard so I don't have to move. (and I'll send a little money...You?)
I am sitting here thinking about empty nest syndrome. I sent the next to last college payment for the oldest son today. The youngest has three more years unless he actually figures out what he wants to do, and then we'll see. At any rate, we saved for their higher education and it's a matter of doling it out as needed. the main thing I think about is that our kids don't really live here any more.
And tonight... I'm here alone.
Annie is with her Mom, who is winding down from a life well lived, though no one can call it an easy one for her. She got through it though, and Annie is helping ease her last few months through this world. I came home to feed the animals and take care of a few other chores a house demands. Chores done, I fed myself one of those one pan meals from a Summer garden in the South. Garlic, okra, banana and some other pepper, spices, basil, and a sliced stuffed chicken breast from the weekend. Throw in a few other spices, a sliced beef steak tomato, sear properly and slide it all onto a plate and turn the stove off.
AS it gets dark here in the gorge, the wood thrushes are going off in the yard. I count five and maybe six of these birds surrounding the house. I don't see a single one of them but the voice is unmistakable. They have two sets of vocal chords and can sing harmony with themselves, create some amazing twitters, and yodel.
Yeah...I said yodel.
At times they have a shoot out, like rappers, or break dancers, with one of them calling and the others matching it. Naturally, as I had heard the calls from inside, I walked out on the deck for a clearer listen...and the woods went silent. I sat in a chair and waited.
Ten minutes later they couldn't stand it and started up again. I knew they would. I was entertained in the interim by a humming bird war at the feeder. We change it every few days when it's hot and usually one bird decides the feeder belongs to him. Yeah, HIM... Tonight, HE sat on a near by twig and swooped down on the others as they fed or tried to. At times he would chase one bird off and another would fly in and feed until the boss bird got back. Sometimes I wonder why some of them aren't killed, but tonight it is only ritual combat. At one time there were five flying ninjas feinting and chasing each other, and oddly enough, in all the buzzing and high speed flapping, they all...each and every one of them...got their time at one of the feeding holes and juiced up. Until BIG MOMMA showed up.
I've never seen a female dominate a group of hummers until tonight. This Bitch was Bad! The highly colored ruby, (read: dominant male) that had chased and swatted and dominated every hummer at the feederunti SHE showed up, got his ass kicked. She flew in and started feeding. He flew at her and she thwapped him good. Think "Old Batman TV Show" Thwap!
He didn't believe it and flew back at her and got THWAPPED again. She fed quietly and he, uh, left. Then there were four or five more taking turns feeding, all the while being serenaded by the wood thrushes and all their vocal chords. Now there is a screech owl warming up, and a flock of guineas almost a quarter of a mile away contributing to the chorus. The sky is multicolored "sunset on a thunderhead" yellow, where it isn't deep deep blue.
It is a fitting end to the July of 2008.
Peace,
Steve
I gave one last bill to Obama after I read McCain's statement that Obama played the race card and he played it from the bottom of the deck. If America elects McCain I will have to seriously think about which country to move to, because it will mean that this one will be lost. I plan to work hard so I don't have to move. (and I'll send a little money...You?)
I am sitting here thinking about empty nest syndrome. I sent the next to last college payment for the oldest son today. The youngest has three more years unless he actually figures out what he wants to do, and then we'll see. At any rate, we saved for their higher education and it's a matter of doling it out as needed. the main thing I think about is that our kids don't really live here any more.
And tonight... I'm here alone.
Annie is with her Mom, who is winding down from a life well lived, though no one can call it an easy one for her. She got through it though, and Annie is helping ease her last few months through this world. I came home to feed the animals and take care of a few other chores a house demands. Chores done, I fed myself one of those one pan meals from a Summer garden in the South. Garlic, okra, banana and some other pepper, spices, basil, and a sliced stuffed chicken breast from the weekend. Throw in a few other spices, a sliced beef steak tomato, sear properly and slide it all onto a plate and turn the stove off.
AS it gets dark here in the gorge, the wood thrushes are going off in the yard. I count five and maybe six of these birds surrounding the house. I don't see a single one of them but the voice is unmistakable. They have two sets of vocal chords and can sing harmony with themselves, create some amazing twitters, and yodel.
Yeah...I said yodel.
At times they have a shoot out, like rappers, or break dancers, with one of them calling and the others matching it. Naturally, as I had heard the calls from inside, I walked out on the deck for a clearer listen...and the woods went silent. I sat in a chair and waited.
Ten minutes later they couldn't stand it and started up again. I knew they would. I was entertained in the interim by a humming bird war at the feeder. We change it every few days when it's hot and usually one bird decides the feeder belongs to him. Yeah, HIM... Tonight, HE sat on a near by twig and swooped down on the others as they fed or tried to. At times he would chase one bird off and another would fly in and feed until the boss bird got back. Sometimes I wonder why some of them aren't killed, but tonight it is only ritual combat. At one time there were five flying ninjas feinting and chasing each other, and oddly enough, in all the buzzing and high speed flapping, they all...each and every one of them...got their time at one of the feeding holes and juiced up. Until BIG MOMMA showed up.
I've never seen a female dominate a group of hummers until tonight. This Bitch was Bad! The highly colored ruby, (read: dominant male) that had chased and swatted and dominated every hummer at the feederunti SHE showed up, got his ass kicked. She flew in and started feeding. He flew at her and she thwapped him good. Think "Old Batman TV Show" Thwap!
He didn't believe it and flew back at her and got THWAPPED again. She fed quietly and he, uh, left. Then there were four or five more taking turns feeding, all the while being serenaded by the wood thrushes and all their vocal chords. Now there is a screech owl warming up, and a flock of guineas almost a quarter of a mile away contributing to the chorus. The sky is multicolored "sunset on a thunderhead" yellow, where it isn't deep deep blue.
It is a fitting end to the July of 2008.
Peace,
Steve
Susan is right, you do have a way with words.
ReplyDeleteThanks, that was just beautiful.
Steve,
ReplyDeleteI got to your site through Susan's link, too, and am glad I did. Elegantly simple writing. Thank you.
I'll be sending a few dollars from my fixed income to Obama tomorrow, in celebration of his 47th birthday. And because my skin crawls when I contemplate a McCain presidency. I want to run out in the streets and grab people and shake them, saying "Wake up, people! This is our country in peril here!"
OK, I'd better go drink some chamomile tea.
Betty
Georgetown, TX