I'll tell you a half-dozen things that happened to me in Indiana when I went that far west to teach. You tell me if it was worth it. I lived in the country with my dog— part of the bargain of coming. And there was a pond with fish from, I think, China. I felt them sometimes against my feet. Also, they crept out of the pond, along its edges, to eat the grass. I'm not lying. And I saw coyotes, two of them, at dawn, running over the seemingly unenclosed fields. And once a deer, but a buck, thick-necked, leaped into the road just-oh, I mean just, in front of my car— and we both made it home safe. And once the blacksmith came to care for the four horses, or the three horses that belonged to the owner of the house, and I bargained with him, if I could catch the fourth, he, too, would have hooves trimmed for the Indiana winter, and apples did it, and a rope over the neck did it, so I won something wonderful; and there was, one morning, an owl flying, oh pale angel, into the hay loft o
It reminded me of being on a date about 18 years ago, on our way to the Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest, along a two-lane road hideously dotted on the sides by dead cats. The guy I was with said, If those sleepy cats aren't more careful where they snooze in the sun they're going to be hit by a car sooner or later.
ReplyDeleteCamping, yah, that's right. We're camping and if we stay long enough we just might homestead this spot.
ReplyDeleteEver the clueless? (word verification coedi)
ReplyDeleteIf the economy doesn't give me a breather I might ask the folks there to sublet me a corner by the pillar.
ReplyDeleteOMG! I LOVE those overheard lines so much. I always get the biggest kick out of them. In fact, they inspired me to try to listen more carefully for such jewels and I heard on up in Sacramento two weeks ago in a restaurant:
ReplyDeleteTwo guys were waiting to be seated in a restaurant and I walked by just in time to hear guy #1 say to guy #2 about guy #3, "He's an "early eater" type, that guy." I was so tickled because I caught the exchange and it made me laugh!
Doh!
ReplyDeleteFirst, I agree, overheard lines can be the best.
ReplyDeleteSecond-seeing these tent cities pop up is sad. I saw furniture and belongings under a freeway overpass. People were obviously living under the bridge. It's heartbreaking.
Priceless. Also sad that such obvious evidence of homelessness is not even recognized!
ReplyDeleteBoth is heartbreaking: the fact that homelessness exists and the fact that many people are totally clueless about it.
ReplyDelete