Oops, been awhile. I'm getting ready to jump back in.

On the Road

I want to be on the road, yeah, I'll be alone, but I'm alone now.

Mom

This picture was taken 57 years ago. Mom and I were, well, a certain age.

Inez M. Shields (nee Weber) died two years ago this coming March.

We had a long stormy relationship. There were a lot of valid reasons for that most of the time, but now she's gone and oddly, I only seem to recall those moments when we laughed, there were quite a few. The other times, the bad stuff, it's over and doesn't matter so much anymore.

It would have been better if I could have opened my mind a bit to understand enough of life to comfort her better at the end of it. I don't know how to make up for that and I'm afraid it's too late now.

See you soon.

Penny

Penny was old when I got her.Her knees and hips were half on the way to gone and I think her eyes were already starting to fade. Penny's story wasn't a bad one. She grew up with a woman who loved her but then her person got too old to take care of Penny and she was neglected. After Penny lost her person things got worse. Thankfully, someone called Old Dog Haven who rescued her and made her well again.Somehow I found Penny girl - lucky day for me. She came to my home and has done far more to ease so many broken parts of me than I have ever done for her.

There is an inevitable day I know is now too close. Penny's sight and hearing are pretty much gone, She startles easily and sometimes senses things that just aren't there. She does not recognize the cats, maybe thinking they are raccoons coming after her food. She struggles when rising and when lying  down. I know she hurts.

The thing is,I have not yet arrived at that moment, imagining my life without her.

God should have given one tenth of the heart and soul of her to humankind. She stands ready to forgive any smallness of spirit,any less than noble action.

She is a whole complete soul, only waiting to go home.

In your Life

There will be only a handful of people who see you, who "get" you. Hold onto them. I am not talking about those who flatter you, who imitate you, who hang onto you. I am talking about those, you will know them, who instantly know exactly who you are. You will know them. It is as if some magical line of communication has opened and you understand exactly what they are saying and they know exactly what you are saying. Yes, this is very rare and it has nothing to do with romance or lust or attraction.

Sometimes it lasts for a moment, sometimes it lasts for a bus ride, sometimes it lasts for a lifetime. Do not let it go.

Bufflehead or Hooded Merganser

And just in time to be included in my Great Backyard Bird Count!

Every year in late winter or early spring and if the pond isn't frozen, a pair of ducks spends a day or two paddling around. Maybe they're on their way somewhere and just resting here, but I always wish they would stay and raise a family.

These, I first thought, are Buffleheads; however, after staring at the pictures and going through my bird book several times, I'm now leaning more toward Hooded Mergansers because of the breast color and stripe. Buffleheads seem more white from breast all the way across the bottom of their bodies. Most of the ducks that land here are very wary and it is difficult to get close enough to get a good picture - they either fly away or dive under the water.

One year it's Wood Ducks, another year Mallards and there are almost never more than two, a mated pair. Only once have I seen two species of duck on the pond at the same time. In any event, it's a moment of absolute happiness for me to observe wildlife. I wish them well and Godspeed on their journey home.

Great Backyard Bird Count Feb 13 thru Feb 16, 2009

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