Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

HERD ABOUT IT?

by Ana Grarian


We have a lovely summer ritual in our house. Around 5 am the cat wakes my daughter. I hear her groggily yell – “GET DOWN!”, and then a 20 pound cat hit the floor – kathump!

This is my clue to get out of bed. If I don’t, the dog, who is by now sitting by the front door, starts a series of woofs, escalating in volume and frequency.

 

“It is time to feed the cat” she says, “and to take me for a walk,

so I can get back to the house and lick out the cat dish!”

Then we sit on the porch where I sip my coffee and she begs for my toast.

It is beautiful and peaceful. The birds chirp and the quiet is quietly disturbed by other dog walkers who pause to say “Good Morning”. Even a rainy morning can be comfy from my porch rocker.

You can set your watch by commuter traffic. 7am the quiet ends with the rumble of engines and the squeal of tires taking off from a steep slope at the stop sign.

Time to go inside and start my web surfing. The grime on the window sills shows what contaminates the air we would be breathing from the porch. Grit and grime make it even 3 floors up. Fortunately a well placed tree outside my window gives me a pastoral view even from my desk.

I like my city that sleeps. Unfettered hubbub is not good for the soul. Time spent in the company of the lowing sound of the mourning dove, the cacophonous blue jay, and the tweet of robins is restoring to the spirit.

http://www.naturesongs.com/esparrow2.wav

 

By AFarmer

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Ken Carman
Admin
12 years ago

Poetry. Very nice.

I’m rereading Terhune’s Sunnybank Home of Lad. He talks about squirrels that would hop up on the tables while he and guests chatted to get tidbits, birds that fight over a crumb of bread and the seasons subtle changes in their old house on the lake, decorated with his collie friends.

He reminds me of my father in many places.

I’ve always had a passion for mood of the moment prose. Prose like yours.

Ken Carman
Admin
12 years ago

As I hear: great mosquito weather too. Oi!

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