A Fray

According to an e-mail I received yesterday, a little duck and two eagles acted out a true drama on a little river. A man, living in a house on the shore happened to have a camera as he spotted the ongoing drama. Walt Disney would have been able to make a fantastic movie out of all that was going on.

The little duck was swimming, minding its own business when an eagle spotted it and decided it would make a nice dinner. The big old bird swooped down determined to have his way with the duck but the duck dived under water in perfect timing and escaped the talons as the big old bird screamed. The scene was repeated several times and the eagle was getting nowhere when a second eagle came upon the scene and decided it should have the duck for its dinner. Now the scene changes and the duck is forgotten for a second as the two eagles swooped, dived vertically, leveled out and and gathered high speed as they attacked each other. The battle went on and one eagle battered the other into submission and it fell into the water to die . . . but . . . the duck had front row seats and watched the flaying bird as it struggled to survive. It struggled on and on as the other eagle flew away tired of the game it played and forgot about the duck. Meanwhile the drowning eagle fought on, this symbol of America showed its strong will to live on and it spread its mighty wings and flew up into a tree and watched the little duck swim away. I love happy endings.

This is my last blog for a whole week. I'm not sure I'll have access to a computer, but even so, I think you all deserve a break from the Lady of Words. I am leaving tomorrow for a weeks vacation and will take my little camera along to record some of the adventures of traveling up the coast to the state of Washington where daughter Christine lives. I will be in the company of my daughter Patricia and my granddaughter Erin. What a treat as it is a first time in a lot of years that we three have traveled together.

I have been on the fence, so to speak, about traveling as it is something I really love to do but this year I have slowed down a pace or two and the inside says 'go' while the outside says 'I dare you.' I just figured out that if I don't go I will miss out on a small family reunion with my girls and that would be a shame. I'll be thinking of you and after a weeks rest you may be anxious to share my adventures.

Yesterday I had a visitor, a lovely lady who used to be in my writers group. She and her husband went to Ecuador and stayed seven months. They now have visas so they can go back and will for the next two years earning another visa so they can stay there if the choose. It was interesting to hear all about the villages and the cities where they met friendly people, happy people, who take time out to help a stranger. Joyce and Ken do not speak Spanish, although Joyce is bent on learning their language. She had tales to tell to make you laugh out loud and her enthusiasm was catching as she told of their experiences. It sounded like they were living back in the forties and fifties when neighbors were open and friendly and helpful. A time when family was very important and your beliefs were your creed for living. They live in a house designed from the Hobbit stories and love it. Joyce brought me a tiny woven basket that has beautiful colors and a fish key chain made from the flower of a tree. It was fascinating to see the flower which is more like a large nut of mahogany color with a design in it. It was really a beautiful nut and the inside is like ivory. It is hand carved and so unique. She wore a pair of jeans that were well made and fit smoothly and showed me that they stretch so the material looks like denim but different than anything I've seen here. Good quality and stretches so you have not problem getting them on or off. She did mention that they have a huge market to shop at and flowers are very important to the natives there and are sold cheaply so everyone has flowers on their tables. The food is different and one has to be careful until they get used to it. I gather food poisoning is common to the traveler, like Montezuma revenge we hear about when you travel to the Islands or Mexico. It was a great visit and she has promised to keep in touch and will send me more e mails about Ecuador. I've been invited to visit but I know that far travel is not in my future. I'll be lucky to make this week.

So today, think about where you would like to visit and start a savings plan so you can. Enjoy your week and try not to miss me too much.....I will be back. Such ego, such pride, such gall . . . well, what can I say . . . I know . . . I'll be back! Hugs to all.

Happy Birthday Darlene

Here is Pat and Erin posing as Darlene took this picture. Erin took my picture and I got a few shots in of the others. We are shy of a picture of Dee and I have no idea why we missed her, probably because she was the last one in and had arrived as the waitress was bringing in a tray full of colorful margueritas.

The restaurant was crowded and for a while we were not sure they could fit us in. Darlene had made a reservation, well she called to say that eight of us were coming but she didn't give her name so when we checked the desk the waitress looked thunder struck as she wasn't sure if she should put us in the back room or not as he did have a name for eight but it wasn't ours. They pushed some tables around and made room for us and we settled in to decide what delectable morsel we should have. Of course we had to have a margarita while we browsed over the menu and it didn't take long for each of us to decide. Darlene and Peat had a special shrimp dish which I must try next time I go there as it looked so good. Maggie, Dee, Pat, Erin and I all chose our favorite dishes and we sat back and enjoyed the celebration. as Darlene opened all her gifts and cards.


This is Maggie looking very pretty. What a smile.

Here is Peat waiting patiently for his first cup of coffee. I didn't get to meet the lady who joined us. I think she was a friend of Darlene's and she just thought we all knew her. She fit right in with her quiet smile.

Here she is, Darlene, the birthday lady wearing the Pancho sombrero with her ice cream desert which she shared with all of us.

We have to wait for November for the next birthday celebration and that seems a long way off. Maybe we can find another reason to get together and celebrate Friendship Day, why not, that is a very good reason to celebrate.

So today check your calendars and see if there is a birthday person in your life you can surprise with a hug, a card, a gift or a phone call . . . maybe a 'text message' or whatever new gadget will carry your greeting to make someone happy. I love birthdays! Hugs to all.

And the beat goes on

Friend Marge was beach walking with her daughter and spotted this huge rock on the beach to take a picture of, and shared it with me. She said the holes were filled with sea anemones, a new form of tide pool. It reminds me of a brain , much like the politicians of the day who are ready to take on an ocean of ideas without realizing the big holes in them. Like the rock you cannot move them but you can wait them out and watch them dissipate with the tides.

I'd be remiss if I didn't brag about the salmon dinner I had last evening. Jock not only caught the huge salmon but marinated it in a special sauce and cooked it on the grill. What a difference it makes to have fresh caught salmon out of the Rogue river. It was interesting to hear about the small fishing crafts, numbering at least fifty, all drifting about waiting for a big one. Few are caught, which amazed me. I thought being salmon season everyone could catch their quota but that is not the truth of it. The fish are smarter than the fishermen and only a few give up the ghost, most keep going up river and spawn and come back another day. It isn't a lost cause though, as the die hard fishermen have a day in the sun and enjoy each others company and tell fish stories. They never give up, and if you were to ride up to Gold Beach today, you would see the boats out there with the fishing lines dangling off the boats while the fishermen are laid back and waiting for that 'big one'.

Meanwhile out in the wild waves of the ocean, the charter boats are having to turn back in as wild waves and fishing just do not go hand in hand. It means refunds for a trip for another day and disappointment to many. When the ocean is calm and the charter boats go out a few miles the ling cod and the bottom fish are plentiful. They do have whale watching trips which I think about going on, but I'm not courageous enough as I am one of those who is satisfied just getting my ankles wet. You would think after having grown up around the ocean and jumping into the waves and playing around salt water, I'd be a good swimmer and not afraid of the water. Not so.....all the playing and not swimming is a good case and point . . . or maybe it was the first time I went into fresh water and sunk like a rock that left me afraid of the water. Well it is a little late now to worry about that. I'll just walk along the beach and maybe stick my toes in now and then although a sneaker wave could get me.....there I go....all worry and no fun......jeeezeee....you would think I'd get over it. Maybe I should buy one of those floating jackets . . . oh yeah, then I'd be floating off into the sea singing sea chanteys trying to find my way to shore. I think I'll go out in the garden and check on the weeds and put some seed in the bird feeder . . . it is much safer and both feet will be on the ground.

So today, if you can't swim for heavens sake, go take a lesson or two so you can enjoy all of the wonders of the sea. Get off of 'hold' and make the day your oyster. Make it a fun one. Hugs to all.

Crab or Crabby

When I received this e-mail yesterday, my first thought was, how beautiful the colors are in this crab, but I wouldn't want to meet him or her, on one of the tropical islands or a sandy Pacific coast beach. It is a Coconut Crab, the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world. It can crack coconuts with its pincers.

Imagine finding it hanging around on your garbage pail. You wouldn't catch me lifting the cover. Wow, that thing is monstrous . . . three feet long and weighs forty pounds. Stop salivating and wishing for melted butter and some garlic, unless you have the cracker that will go around a pincer or two. I bet there is a lot of crab meat to be had. It seems to have a busy life according to the write up as it went on to say that it sneaks into tents and carries off anything shiny, like a pot or silverware. I'd be afraid to be anywhere near it, for all of its beauty, it is an ugly thing, and probably would fight for its survival. I'll wait until our Fred Meyers store has a sale on crab legs and I'll cook them up, spread newspaper on the table and have a feast . . . but I would much rather have all the work done for me then I could relax and enjoy the luscious meat that only a crab can give . . . well then there is lobster and that has a flavor all its own. Um. . . must be time for breakfast as I am making my self hungry and I know there is no crab or lobster in my refrigerator, not even cold pizza . . . but there are eggs and a dropped egg would taste pretty good so I'll leave you to fend for your own breakfast.

So today, check the market and see what the going price is for a crab leg or two, melt some butter and get out the garlic shaker and relax and enjoy. Maybe you prefer a steak on the grill or a juicy hamburger or one of those luscious hot dogs . . . well it is summer and you have a grill, now invite me over and I'll help you finish off every tasty morsel. Right now I am heading for the kitchen, if your close by, come one over, the coffee is hot and I promise to drop the eggs in the boiling water and not on the kitchen floor. Make today a 'smiley face' day, bring some sunshine to your world and watch out for the crabby ones. Hugs to all.

Granddaughters

My granddaughter took this picture up river when she and her photographer friend, John, went up to check out the kayaking. It was the Kite Festival weekend and there were throngs of people in town and all of the kayaks and small boats were out on the rivers. They spent time sunning on the rocks then John who is a lap swimmer jumped in and enjoyed the water. He had no doubts about how much fun it is here and hated to leave to go back to the city and work, but he has promised to come and visit again. Meanwhile Erin has some time off before she starts her new job so is hanging out with us. Last evening she came over to visit and brought me a couple of pieces of pizza. I had just had my dinner so was not able to eat them but saved them for lunch today. Well, at three a.m. I am wide awake and even though I was not hungry, the pizza was calling to me, so up I got, put on the coffee pot, ate the two slices of pizza and sat in my my chair to watch some television . . . of course it didn't take long to fall back to sleep as my chair is very comfortable and I settle in like Emma on her doggy bed and snooze away. It was six thirty before I moved again. So now I'm having a second cup of coffee, a piece of fruit and that is it. I cannot afford two breakfasts as I have already taken on the short barrel shape of a grandmother before me. Isn't it nice to have someone to blame (smile) . . . five foot two with eyes so brown, a barrel shape to make me frown, legs that wobble, don't want to go, but a stubborn will that wont take no, and like the battery bunny I still want to go.


Back to Erin's visit last evening . . . every one should have a granddaughter with a funny sense of humor to make you laugh out loud; computer knowledge to show you how to do a few things with pictures and strong fingers to give you a back massage to ease the stiffness from your bones. Granddaughters are like that and I am, once again, using my bragging rights to tell you all about an evening with Erin Michele, with one 'l' she tells me; I've been spelling Michelle the French way and she prefers the English way; wonder how the Russian or Chinese spell Michele, the female version of Michael . . . Michael the Arch Angel, defender of battle . . . Oh, I have one son named Michael, but I'll brag about him another day.


I have a feeling of content today as I have a date with a daughter, Pat, and her daughter, Erin, and I am taking the girls to dinner at the Nautilus to have those luscious scallops with crispy fried spinach and some soft noodles and a glass of Merlot to celebrate us . . . now that is a good reason to celebrate.


So today, I hope you have someone close you want to celebrate. If the kids are busy, or far away, then call a friend and take yourself out for a treat that builds special thoughts for your memory bank; a treasure to call upon on a 'dull' day. Go, enjoy, make today as special as you. Hugs to all.

A musing morning

Daughter Pat took this picture of a sand dollar lying on a beach. It is like this morning, peaceful and very quiet as the fog is in thick and low, only the silhouette of the trees shows through the eerie mist. The houses are dark, not a light bulb on, as their 'people' sleep in. You can well imagine the alarm clocks ticking and soon they will be up and getting ready for the new day, some to work and some to play. There is no wind this morning, not even a slight breeze at the moment, so the stillness brings about a feeling of calmness and serenity. I am thankful to have slept soundly and late this morning, as my usual wake up time is around four or five A.M. It is now six A.M. and I am wondering what is in store for me today. I'll do a chore or two around the house and I may even pull a few weeds in the garden beds, although I think some clipping needs doing as the bushes have grown wild and wide this year. If the girls are available, maybe we can plan a beach walk and see if there are any more sand dollars waiting to be picked up and treasured.

On mornings like this, I wonder why everyone in our world cannot wake up to such peace and quiet, but I know as soon as I pour my cup of coffee and put on the morning news, the realism will seep in and the words and pictures will be of all the strife and misery on going in our world. Even in our little town isn't free of it as the local politicians agree to disagree. Speaking of politicians, I wrote to Congressman DeFazio about the possibility of the Muslims building a mosque on ground zero and my views of how wrong this is and the response, now via e-mail, was his views on spending. His office staff is trained well . . . I still do not know how he stands on this particular subject. I heard yesterday that building is already started near ground zero; we'll probably read about it at the opening ceremonies. No life is not FAIR as the parents and friends of the three thousand plus who died on September 11, 2001 protest and go unheard. As the saying goes, 'there is something wrong in Denmark' only this time the mark is ground zero. If you have any thoughts on the subject, write your representatives and let me know what kind of a response you get. I hope at least one or two of our illustrious leaders are watching over us.

So today, may you have a calm and peaceful day . . . don't turn your television, radio, or blueberry so you will remain that way. Stop and light just one candle . . . it may be the one to set our world into a peaceful orbit. Hope, isn't that a lovely word? Faith, now there is another one, Charity, yeah, added it to your list of to-do today and make your day the best one yet. Hugs to all.

Bird Watch II

Sunday proved to be an interesting day as the fire trucks pulled up to the big open field where the mill is, and where the deer reside. Someone tried to put a huge fallen tree on fire. Some of the boy in the neighborhood are still playing with fire crackers so that may be how it got started. It was nice to see our volunteers out doing a great job of putting the fire out.

Meanwhile a tiny leaf from the flower was hanging by a thread and it reminded me of the poem I wrote telling of a leaf daughter Pat and I watched on a tree in a parking lot when we stopped to have some coffee. We pulled in and noticed one leaf spinning and twirling around and eventually found it was hanging by a spider's thread. This little piece of leaf was doing the same dance yesterday and it made me smile.

My neighbor Jim was overseeing his wife Laverne's efforts to do some gardening. I could hear her yelling, as he is stone deaf, and he kept talking so there was no getting his attention to wave a hello my way.

Back to the birds I talked about in yesterdays blog. Believe it or not there are a couple of birds on the pickets but I don't know how to change the lens to get a closer picture of them, just hoped you could spot one near the bush. Later on there were four more but I'm not fast enough to catch them.

Just to prove I did stand out there and wait patiently for the birds to come and feast on the special blend for the birds which I buy at our new bird store. It is quite a place, lots of wonderful garden art as well as every kind of bird seed to feed our native birds.

You can see the little glass bird house on the slat of wood between the side and back fence pickets and the bird house on the stump of the pine tree which I miss very much . . . and the little wooden dilapidated bird house behind the bushes. All waiting for company.

And here are the beginning of the flock that will sit on the wires and watch and wait until I disappear so they can swoop down and in seconds eat every bit of seed I put in the bird houses. Usually there are dozens of birds sitting on all of the wires. I think I counted twelve one day, just waiting, and watching for me to disappear. I am afraid this is the best I can do with my little camera and my effort to show you 'my birds' in the back yard. I stood out there in the sunshine getting all the vitamin D, I could absorb and I stood over the railing of the porch with camera in hand for a good hour. I was patient, and quiet and figured they would get used to seeing me there and fly down to their waiting banquet . . . but . . . only one dared venture down and when Jim's dog 'Knee-High' let out a bark or two, they took off and left me there and all I got for my troubles was these few pictures and a sun burn. I did see a few hikers dressed in their straw hats and using their walking sticks go by. They were together one minute then on opposite sides of the street the next, um . . . wonder if they had an argument. There were a lot of dog walkers and a few stopped long enough to wave when they saw me standing on my porch.

It was nice to be outside and watch my world go by, then Pat came by and picked me up for dinner at Panchos where granddaughter Erin and her friend John joined us. Later I got to see the twelve hundred pictures they took of the wedding, unbelieveable how many photographs were taken and what a job it will be for these two photographers to put a wedding book together. The bride was lovely, the groom handsome, the backyard wedding was set up for family and friends; the cake a masterpiece; the children making the usual grimaces when you are looking for only a smile and from the looks of the photographs I would say that a great time was had by all, a day to remember and hopefully they will live happily ever after.

So today, the start of your new week, think about what kind of a week you want to have . . . make a list and start with the hard things first, accomplish what you set out to do and the next thing you know it will be hump day and another weekend to go out and play in the sunshine. Take good care of you. Hugs to all.

Birds

Beside the tall bush, another Rose of Sharon, which has grown over the top of the backyard fence, there is a piece of wood, a slat nailed between the side and the back fence. One I learned about the hard way as I stooped over to weed and came up and whacked my head more than once. Anyway, I taped down the broken bird house . . . I say broken for it is lacking a roof which disappeared in moving it around, but it still works wonders for feeding the birds. I think they like the glass sides.


On the pine tree stump is another bird house, well made, but the birds do not like it as well. I cannot imagine why, maybe it is not as open, although it is wider and well built. It was gifted to my granddaughter who thought it should find its place in my back yard. There is another rickety old bird house that the birds ignore all together and a good wind will knock it over before winter is over.

Several times in the course of the week I walk outside with my bag filled with bird seed and fill the little houses. I love to watch the birds and I have been trying for weeks to get a picture for my blog. I wanted to be able to share the fun of bird watching. It is not to be as they are very smart creatures and no matter how softly I walk or how carefully I try to photograph their antics, I am outsmarted for the slightest noise sends them flying away to the wires above the fence where they line up and wait for me to go away so they can get back to the business of feeding their little fat bellies. I watch them fly down from the wires and each one takes a spot on the fence post. They line up and wait to see if it is safe to go to the bird house and feast. There I stand inside the glass doors, camera in hand, and all I have to do it press the button and they hear the click of the button and fly away.



It make me aware that they have great hearing, and always on the alert. I tried sitting out on my chair with a book so they would get used to a figure on the porch, but they sit on the wire and watch me, or fly up into the big tree in my neighbor's yard, or on his roof top and watch. As soon as I go away, they signal each other and make a bee line for the food and have a party. So I gather they are smarter than I am and there will be no photograph session. It's too bad as they are cute little budgie birds and there is one that is different, a thinner all yellow headed beauty, probably the Marilyn Munroe of the crowd, and possibly the one who warns them when I click the camera to try for a picture of them lined up on the fence top. I haven't seen the humming birds this year but I have seen that 'huge' snake with it's yellow stripes . . . huge is an overstatement as it is just a garden snake but I don't like snakes and am afraid of them so it looks pretty big and scary to me.


So today, a beautiful Sunday summer morning, grab a cup of coffee and go outside and check out your back yard, maybe you will be able to snap a picture or two of the birds in your yard. If so, send it on, I'll post it. Meanwhile, I wont give up and will keep trying to catch the birds off guard. . . good luck to me, that is not about to happen as they are really truly gifted in how to protect themselves from predators from sneaky cats to those big persons walking around with shiny cameras in their hands. I thought it was only we humans that didn't like getting our pictures taken. Make your Sunday a day of rest, you probably could use one. Hugs to all.

Visitors

In far away Zambia the Mfuwe Lodge was built next to a mango grove that a family of wild elephants have always visited in the month of November when the fruit is ripe. Every year the matriarch, Wonky Tusk, leads the pack to the grove, as she has for years, lodge or no lodge the mangoes are a feast they refuse to do without. They stay for four to six weeks and eat the mangoes at least four times a day, so folks come from miles around to watch them amble through the lobby. The lodge owners put up a barrier to protect the visitors. What a sight to see. I cannot imagine being that close to a wild elephant, never mind a whole pack of them. I guess the whole idea is that they will not bother you if you do not bother them and woe be tie you if you eat the mangoes. It looks like a perfect place to vacation to, well the elephants think so.

So today, Saturday all over again, like the herd of elephants who never forget, our week flies by and we have another weekend to do what we please. Here in Brookings it is Kite Festival time and there will be crowds of people over at what I call Gull Field, but it is really "Kite Field" as the gulls take it over by the hundreds when the high winds blow in from the sea and they do not want to battle the currents and just glide along like they own the area . . . come to think of it they do. We have had perfect summer days this week and today is going to be another one and the kites will fly high and dance in the wind, a pretty sight to see. If you had thought about it you could have planned your vacation time here and I would have treated you to fish and chips at the Hungry Clam and a walk around the Port to watch the kites fly high and free. . . well, maybe next year. Hope you have a fun day today doing what you love to do best. Hugs to all.