I spent some time today at my aunt & uncle’s house, which used to be my grandparents’ house, which was next door to the house that I grew up in.. so I took my camera out and did a bit of wandering around in the back yards and the wooded area & field behind the houses which is where I spent a whole lot of time in my younger years.
From one of the very first records I ever bought (without a clue what it was).. and now one of my favorite records ever.
I’m a bit of a scavenger for treasures when I’m out and about. I found these things on my morning run and had to bring them home with me. Also observed this morning while I was out on the trail: the morning sun reflecting off the river, a flock of seagulls looking for breakfast, the smell of a wood burning stove, brisk air on my face, warm sunlight soaking through my fleece, the sound of the few leaves left on the trees rustling, a bald eagle flying low over a field and landing in a nearby tree, my own spirits rising, etc, etc, etc…
Fields to my left, river to my right
RUN BEFORE DAWN
by William Stafford
Most mornings I get away, slip out
the door before light, set forth on the dim gray
road, letting my feet find a cadence
that softly carries me on. Nobody
is up—all alone my journey begins.
Some days it’s escape: the city is burning
behind me, cars have stalled in their tracks,
and everybody is fleeing like me but some other
direction.
My stride is for life, a far place.
Other days it is hunting: maybe some game will
cross my path
and my stride will follow for hours,
matching
all turns. My breathing has caught the right beat
for endurance; familiar trancelike scenes glide
by.
And sometimes it’s a dream of motion,
streetlights coming near,
passing, shadows that lean before me,
lengthened
then fading, and a sound from a tree: a soul, or
an owl.
These journeys are quiet, They mark my days with
adventure
too precious for anyone else to share, little gems
of darkness, the world going by, and my breath
and the road.
Watch Owl of the Arctic on PBS. See more from Nature.
I’m checking this documentary out on PBS this evening. Since snowy owls made their appearance in Kansas last year, I’ve been on the lookout for one. I swore I saw one fly over me when I was out running by the river the other day, but I’m pretty sure it’s too early in the year for that… wishful thinking perhaps. In other owl news, there’s a barred owl that hangs out at night in my front yard. In my own night owl ways, I’ve been awake in the wee hours of the morning for the last few nights and have heard it shrieking and hooting.
I got me a Lanikai Tenor Ukulele.. and I can’t put it down. I knew nothing about playing a ukulele and bought it out of impulse and curiosity. I have tenacity and determination: one of these days I’ll be rockin’ Hesitation Blues. For now, I’ll settle for a crusty little blues riff.
“We are driven by self-interest, it’s necessary to survive. But we need wise self-interest that is generous and co-operative, taking others’ interests into account. Co-operation comes from friendship, friendship comes from trust, and trust comes from kind-heartedness. Once you have a genuine sense of concern for others, there’s no room for cheating, bullying or exploitation.” -Dalai Lama (quote of the day from Facebook, no less)
I took a walk downtown to find some dinner and came upon a patch of toadstools on my way. I always imagine myself small enough to sit under one. Kind of like in this paper cutting that I’ve posted here before:
