As I write, we await the arrival of a gentleman who will offer a quote for the installation of a generator that will keep us up and running in the event of a power failure, since the model we inherited with the house appears to activate but a single light bulb.
Whether or not he is a gentleman, I’ve no idea, but I offer the benefit of the doubt.
We have survived the past 8 years in no discomfort, so perhaps there is no reason this should not continue, but there is so much evidence of changing weather with *extreme conditions becoming the norm, while many people who find themselves in dire distress are being left to their own devices.
In my bones, I feel we should be prepared for the coming winter.
*Shortly after I wrote this, a tornado touched down in Saratoga causing severe damage in nearby Wilton.
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Most of my life I have been deeply cynical, but what I feel now, – I had to stop and ask myself what exactly I was feeling. I sat for a moment and allowed my emotions to bubble up.
As I wiped tears from my face, I acknowledged that I feel profoundly sad.
Not for myself, but for our beautiful planet, so horribly despoiled by mankind. For the many species we have exterminated and those who will surely follow.
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A keeper says goodbye.
The last male Northern white rhino died in 2018.
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And for the overwhelming majority of people who want nothing more than to live comfortably and in peace, but who are used as pawns in the games of the mega-rich and power hungry few who throughout history have caused misery and devastation.
It is the lot of humanity that we are cursed with greed and the lust to dominate and the reason I am sad is because I cannot see a time when this will ever change.
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We all must suffer, from time to time. That’s life. What makes me sad is so much unnecessary suffering, about which I can do nothing.
Sadness is certainly easier to bear out here in the country. We are not quite in the boondocks which I would have preferred, but that would have been an irresponsible move for an aging semi-cripple!
Our area is completely rural, though we have within reach all that we need and we have only a short drive to find ourselves in an urban area. I hope that I shall not live to see it encroach, the way it did in Washington.
That would depress me.
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Here, we have distractions, of the natural kind.
Why would I need television entertainment with so much to see just beyond my window?
The Cooper’s hawk, not seen around here for many weeks, swooped out of the blue yesterday in the unlikely pursuit of a squirrel that fled under a nearby hedge.
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Although a Cooper’s hawk could easily catch a tiny Adirondack squirrel, a full-sized grey squirrel seemed ambitious, however Coop did not give up the chase.
His prey apparently weighed its chances and made a break for it, darting across the driveway, heading for the pine tree by the garage.
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Coop lunged and missed. Who should we be rooting for?
The hawk needs to feed and the squirrels are numerous.
My entreaty to the hawk is that it should please not feast on my friends.
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Even after the squirrel shot up the tree, Coop did not abandon the chase, attempting to follow.
But his prey lost itself in the dense higher branches.
Coop was one frustrated hawk.
Not long after the hawk was circling over the field where I hope it found a meal.
It is such a delight to have wildlife literally on the doorstep.
The microwave beeped one evening, so I ran to attend to it…
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Passing the sliding door, I always glance out, but I’d never seen a fawn there before.
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So, abandoning the broccoli, I went for my camera which for once was nearby.
Did I really need yet another photograph of a fawn? Hardly, but I’d never seen one on the patio – eating peanuts before. I cannot befriend these wonderful creatures, so capturing their image gives me something to hold onto. It is also a means of keeping track of their comings and goings.
And it helps to diffuse sadness.
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The hawk’s tale has a short post script.
Friday morning, Ralph the peacock came by to renew his acquaintance, breakfasting on raisins and boiled egg.
He seems keen to further the relationship, staring through the glass door as if wanting to interact, but he is still hesitant, approaching to just beyond arm’s reach.
So we just talked and clucked reassuringly. These things take time. But suddenly, the Cooper’s hawk swooped overhead and landed in a nearby hedge. Ralph’s head shot up and we expected that he might flee into the brush, so we were somewhat surprised instead to see him rush toward the hedge in pursuit of the hawk, as if chasing it off “his property!”
Poor old Coop.
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Talking of losing species and feeling sad about animals, I read yesterday that Trump intends to sell off large parts of your National Parks, including Yellowstone. I can only imagine what private owners will do in terms of developments, new tourist sites displacing nature, allowing hunting and trapping, and so on. By the time that Orange Pig is dead, he will have totally ruined your country, and all the work that went into making its natural wonders accessible to all will have been for nothing.
Best wishes, Pete.
Today I see that he has had dozens of beloved cherry trees cut down for the sake of renovations to his golf course.There is seemingly no end to his depravity and stupidity. Those who stand by and applaud ought to be rounded up and shot.
Corrected. My words turned into nonsense!
The Rhino photo is immeasurably sad.
Yes it is a heart ringer.