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| Windowseat in Willow Cottage, Hedgebrook |
I startled at the sudden buzz of a fly, so deep I was in the writing. I've been killing flies all week, merciless and decidedly un-Buddhist. Where in the hell did that one come in? I thought. Had it slipped through a hole somewhere or been asleep and woken? Do flies sleep? It sounded frantic and beat against the glass of the window-seat. I opened the window a crack, and it made its way out.
Have you ever seen a bird climb a tree? I watched a small one make its way from the ground, up the pine outside the window, skittering up the bark, navigating the whorls and sappy spots and hopping in increments at a diagonal. When he reached a particularly large knot, though, he stopped and flew up to a branch where he perched in ease.
Happy Fourth of July. At risk of offending someone, I must admit that it's nice not to be waving a flag but to be deep in the greeny woods in the company of birds and bugs who know no country.
Happy 4th of July to you! We are skipping the fireworks and festivities in favor of hosting our parents for dinner. The heat has driven us to slow walks in the shade or along the water's edge. It's bliss to stand in its cool, salty goodness and feel the rhythm of the waves lapping at my legs. I'm grateful to be able to live here, with the freedom to enjoy such gifts!
ReplyDeleteI'm dealing with an invasion of tiny beings called, I learned yesterday, springtails. The size of a grain of salt but there are hundreds of thousands. They jump. A person jumping proportionally would clear the Eiffel Tower, where I joyfully watched a perfect fireworks display when I was nineteen, in a crowd of happy Parisians.
ReplyDeleteHappy July fourth. I remember a quote from the Dalia Lama
ReplyDelete"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”
Love. And continue on...
ReplyDeleteI would love the quiet and nature without the bugs. I know this is not possible. I wish I were different but I am horribly afraid of creepy crawlies and even if there are too many flies I start getting panic stricken. I admire that you have the capacity to deal with different types of surroundings so well. Sending you a hug.
ReplyDeleteI have never in my life seen a bird climb a tree. I would have been mesmerized.
ReplyDeleteI had a mama deer and her baby walk up to the back steps yesterday. I was mesmerized.
Deep in the writing - wonderful!
To be in the woods right now...
ReplyDeleteThe things we don't know - like when to use feet, when to use wings - you are rich with it right now
ReplyDeleteThe things we don't know - like when to use feet, when to use wings - you are rich with it right now
ReplyDeleteThe things we don't know - like when to use feet, when to use wings - you are rich with it right now
ReplyDeleteI often dream of not countries. What would that look like? Is it even possible?
ReplyDeleteWe seem to get quite a few houseflies here in London -- I have no idea why. I am constantly opening windows and shooing them out.
ReplyDeleteI've seen woodpeckers hop up trees, looks wonderful-goofy.
ReplyDeleteI adore the window seat.
p.s. You would like our resident gopher tortoise. I call him Mad Max. I roll a grape or blueberry into his den to let him know dinner is served, and then leave a small offering of strawberry tops and berries on a bed of lettuce or a cabbage leaf. Then I retreat to the house and check back via binoculars to watch him (her?) chow down. Makes me ridiculously happy.