I am watching the shadow of a tiny bird, hopping from shingle to shingle up the spine of the roof next door. The sun is shining at last.
The rain has been a dreary companion, here alone at the little house in the city. Time passes so easily when the sun shines.
The curtains are thrown open at all the southern windows, and the light pours in, warming chairs, floorboards, the backs of chairs, me.
The temperature in the house fell to 17C during the night, which is respectable. This morning, the sun has pushed the thermostat up by three degrees, to 20C.
Body and soul are warmed.
I am beginning my packing and planning process, intending to return north in the next day or so. There is much to plan, as I will be transporting five frozen turkeys without refrigeration for five hours, during the trip home. The cardboard that needs transporting north is available for insulation. A cardboard cocoon will be formed in the back seat of the car, where the frozen turkeys should remain frozen until they arrive at the country house freezer.
This morning I was researching the use of sound in art. I was impressed as I waited for video downloads, that the blank black screen portrayed a night sky, full of stars. I laughed at myself, when my finger brushed the screen and I discovered that the dots were dust on the screen, brushed by sunlight. What a delightful misperception!
Here I am again at the computer, and the day is drawing to a close. I have managed to make my lists, and partially pack the car. I created a cardboard cooler on the floor of the back seat, for the frozen turkeys. There are still items to go into the car, but until just before it is time to leave. I will also be bringing my garbage home with me, as I will not be here for garbage pickup. I think wrapping up the garbage for transport is my yuckiest packing job!
While cutting cardboard and fiddling about with the cooler project, I found a dead bird on the driveway. It must have flown into the window. This is the first time this has happened here, to my knowledge. I buried the bird in the back yard, and apologized for the frailty and inconsiderate form of construction that humans employ. Sadly, later in the afternoon another bird of the same species lay dead below the front window, in the grass, in the front yard. I performed another burial, and gave another apology.
Both birds were the same species, so there must be some weak point that our windows have captured, causing their demise. The other species have had no accidents with our windows. The two birds were grey and brown, with yellow tipped tail feathers. A great number of bird species are all around our yard, attracted by the crabapple tree, which is bearing ripe fruit at the moment.
Our neighbour has offered us an old freezer, which was replaced with a more energy efficient model. I accepted immediately. Attila and I will have a look at it the next time we visit. We probably won’t run two freezers, but it will be nice to have them, so that we can purchase food in bulk and store it until the opportunity arises to transport it to the country house.
The refrigerator at the little house in the city was purchased used, and the freezer in it is not working well, so this little freezer from our neighbour will be welcome indeed.
Worldly Distractions
Weather
14°C
Date: 6:00 PM EDT Tuesday 8 October 2013
Condition: Mainly Sunny
Pressure: 102.7 kPa
Tendency: rising
Visibility: 24 km
Temperature: 13.9°C
Dewpoint: 6.1°C
Humidity: 59%
Wind: SSW 18 km/h
Quote
“If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to the man. All things are connected.”
CHIEF SEATTLE OF THE SUWAMISH TRIBE, letter to President Franklin Pierce
Chief Seattle should have continued on saying “…for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to the man, man being the biggest beast of all! …”
My view of man and beasts and all things that live in and on the earth is that we are all just microscopic parts of a larger item – molecules working in tandem alongside one another to form a bigger picture. I’m sure the ants of the earth think their world is large and that we, as towering humans, are forces of the universe that they do not really understand. Perspective is everything.
Beautiful. Sitting at my desk in the chill of early morning, the sunbeams of your world transported through time and space. My choice of residence is in the middle of a woods with densely packed tall trees. I gave up the sun and the moon and the stars. I missed them at first but the cocoon of forest is now a comfort.
Well said Bex! I often think that the meek, as in “the meek shall inherit the earth”, refers to those who understand that we are part of something greater and grander, than our puny perceptions allow us to fully understand.
Irene, “a cocoon of forest”, how lovely, your home sounds wonderful! Our country house is also located in a forest of tall trees. The leaves fall in October, and for four or five months of the year there are black trunks, occasionally lined with white snow, marching off into the distance, as far as the eye can see.