Zuihitsu

[sasha]

.i wonder wandering.

And - like the child I once was and still strive to be - I wander, wondering.........

[wylde]

.i wonder wandering.

And - like the child I once was and still strive to be - I wander, wondering.........

beautiful.





.

[sasha]

Covid-19. Stock market in free-fall, incompetent government in denial. Grocery store shelves as bare as in the old USSR. Transportation and hospitality industries lurching toward recession. Fear of the unknown breeding uncertainty and panic.

Fuck this noise.

Except for the woodpeckers trading drum riffs, all is still. The morning air is cold and sweet. My boots crunch on gravel that feels spongy underfoot as it begins to thaw from the overnight freeze. The sun on my back is warm enough to induce me to unzip my jacket all the way.

Every branch, every twig on the maple tree in Bill's field is tipped with a red bud. I imagine blood surging from the earth up into its dendrites bringing the life-force to awaken the sleeping tree. The maples are early risers. The oaks still slumber. Soon the hemlocks will refresh the tips of their own twigs with bright green shoots, with which I shall make tea.

I walk all the way to the lake, which, except for a thin crust along the shore in shadowed places, has completely iced out. I stand gazing out across the open water, now so unfamiliarly animate. The rocky peaks of Mount Monadnock glow in the distance. I exist here for a few moments before turning back for home and coffee.

From the crest of the knoll I can see down into the hollow - where two male wild turkeys in full regalia are vainly trying to impress a flock of at least a dozen hens milling about in the middle of the road. I laugh at their predicament, and call to them. "I feel your pain, bro!"

They seem not to appreciate my sympathy, and wander off into the woods as I approach.

So common are the fresh deer tracks i see here every morning that I barely take note of them anymore, but something I've never seen before catches my eye and I stop to try to make sense of it. It looks almost as though someone has dragged a small 4- or 5-tined rake through the dirt in a looping, meandering, spiraling path. It is occasionally flanked by short, straight drag marks that seem unconnected. My first thought is that they were made by a child - but who? Beyond the occasional visit from grandchildren, there aren't any kids in the neighborhood. Besides, I'm almost certain the marks weren't here on my outward journey, even though the sun was in a different position then.

So it must have been the turkeys, then. Mustn't it...?

A similar track wanders from the curlicued marks down into the hollow, and I follow it. And right where the birds had been clustered before I so rudely interrupted their tryst, is a similar set of curlicues. So I've learned something! Turkeys dance when they woo, scuffing their toes in the sand to impress the gals.

Any day you learn something new is bound to be a good day, regardless of what MSNBC or Faux News might tell you.

[wylde]

the real real is how to
b r e a t h e
in harmony with mother earth.
expelling all except how she holds
us dear
despite the blows we pummel
her relentlessly
as she holds us
in the valued palm of her mind
reaching up grounding us.

[judih]

earth grabs our attention
takes as long as it takes

[sasha]

The hunting was good today.

I brought down a loaf of bread and a 12-pack of toilet paper. The elders tell us such game was once plentiful, but I think that's just the foolish prattle of the old. Aiyee! Tonight there will be much dancing at the big sing-sing around the fire.

[judih]

powerful omen! Gather round the fire and share tales of once upon a time

[jackofnightmares]

All I seem to do these days is breathe and laugh
my life is a bitch with an ice pick

[the mingo]

powerful omen! Gather round the fire and share tales of once upon a time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq5cAJuUjAE

[judih]

powerful omen! Gather round the fire and share tales of once upon a time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq5cAJuUjAE

mingo! Where did you find this perfect response?
thank you

[the mingo]

judih,

I have spent an ungodly amount of time during this "stay home" period on Youtube. I found this yesterday morning on YouTube just before dawn. Later that day I swung by here to see what was happening and read your comment. I thought, "OMG, I have just the thing!" - and so posted. There is much, much more. I am the fox in the henhouse now -

You're welcome, I'm happy it lifted your heart as it had lifted mine -

[judih]

judih,

I have spent an ungodly amount of time during this "stay home" period on Youtube. I found this yesterday morning on YouTube just before dawn. Later that day I swung by here to see what was happening and read your comment. I thought, "OMG, I have just the thing!" - and so posted. There is much, much more. I am the fox in the henhouse now -

You're welcome, I'm happy it lifted your heart as it had lifted mine -

my heart's been duly lifted - right on time and i understand the fox/henhouse situation, but i'm also obsessively running on the spot, so in general i'm foxing all over the place.
keep sharing the jewels you discover, please

[the mingo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--UABwqW9Sg

[jackofnightmares]

watching a lot of movies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFpn3Cv2CE4

I am A Serious Man
Roger Ebert wrote a column about that movie. He mentioned a very old joke about the book of Job.

[the mingo]

Covid19 is upending Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Traditions

Celebrities read mean tweets!

white guy speaks perfect Chinese

Jungle survival makes Christmas possible!

6:02 am - cooking the perfect egg. Blown away by tribal food I'm going to paint my face blue when I'm done eating and get a tattoo by Bang Bang. He's an artist.

Eve explained the difference of ants versus the banana to me and how video games brought that all about. I never forgot it.

Hey Jack!