I am using 'birds' metaphorically.
I straddle two worlds (or maybe more): that of bicyclists and that of runners. When I go out for a run, other runners greet me but bicyclists just pedal on by. Then I am on my bike and these same runners give me the cold shoulder but the bicyclists now are all friendly (unless they are in a draft line, they probably don't even see me). I biked by a soccer dad running out in the sticks where I both bike and run twice last week but he refused to acknowledge my presence even though I said hello to him using his name. Is he mad at me for some reason? Does he like me? (yeah I am just that insecure). But yesterday, I ran by him and before I said anything, he whipped off his headphones and exchanged pleasantries. So he will talk to me if I am running but not biking.
And even cars, did you ever notice how similarly colored cars like to park next to each other or even in same colored packs together?
Long ago this racist woman (from the South) living in our co-op justified her bizarre views by saying that Robins don't flock with Blue Jays.
She hasn't seen the winter flocks (probably hasn't seen winter) where the nut hatches, tit mice, wood peckers and chickadees flock together despite being entirely different types of birds.
As for birds, I thought I saw an eagle yesterday but on the eagle sighting website, none were listed for my area. All I saw were big, dark wings that were not tipped like the somewhat smaller vulture. Today a heron flew over me in about the same place but it is not dark (head way different too but I didn't get a good look at the head of my putative eagle). And where are my humming birds? All I have left is the lone female. Where are my boys?
Update: I just finished watching the HBO documentary Birding. Very cool! Central Park is a convenient stop for migratory birds. All they see for miles is cement and streets and factories and then...a patch of green with woods, fields, streams, ponds. There are a few year round residents too. The film follows the different birds each season and the birders that follow the birds and the joy that the birds bring them. What I would have appreciated was subtitles to let me know what I was looking at though. They asked each birder their perfect birding moment, that joy of discovery. Each named a different bird. I'd go with the first time I saw a bluebird about 15 years ago. Runner-up: seeing a vulture with Josh on our first long bike ride when he was 10. Vultures were rare then. Now a huge flock lives in the river valley by the high school. You can count on a few of them circling his soccer game.
Note that I said that I am running. Yesterday a woman reported that she saw me power walking on Green Road last week. Again, my mode of locomotion has been misidentified. But how can I run with plantar fasciitis or whatever I have been whining about? Well I don't think it is making it worse and perhaps biking is what caused this mess in the first place. I biked way more than ran last month. What would be worse if I didn't do anything at all.
In my restorative yoga class aka breast cancer yoga yesterday, I asked my instructor for advice on stretches that might help. She admitted to having some plantar fasciitis herself and said that she deserved it for wearing cheap flip flops. Ah, so we get what we deserve? Remember the setting, we all have or have had breast cancer. Did we deserve that too? No I didn't jump all over this gentle woman, not even when she keeps saying how we need to cultivate gratitude for everything. Not grateful for cancer..not grateful at all.
But I am for everything else..
I got up very early this morning to the soothing sound of dishes being unloaded then loaded then unloaded then thrown around hitting the hardest surface possible while clanging together or at least that's what it sounded like. Steve has his 15 hour stint as an election official today and got up at 5 am. It was only in the 50s, just have to run in that. Yeah it hurts but then the endorphins take over after 5 minutes or so. After my shower, went to the city pool to watch Oliver in his lessons. The instructor seemed to know how to deal with little boys with their own agendas. No this until this. Went to a Farm Market to see if they had their orange cauliflower yet (very tasty) to take to my friend. No but they had purple carrots and purple peppers. I opted for orange patty pans and corn fresh (10 minutes) from the field and visited my temporarily housebound friend. Did a few things for her that she can't do for another few weeks. When can she drive again? When she can exit a burning car fast enough to save her life. Never quite heard that one before. Not sure how fast she could exit a burning house either. I made her promise to keep that cell phone on her person at all times. If she falls, she could not get up.
I straddle two worlds (or maybe more): that of bicyclists and that of runners. When I go out for a run, other runners greet me but bicyclists just pedal on by. Then I am on my bike and these same runners give me the cold shoulder but the bicyclists now are all friendly (unless they are in a draft line, they probably don't even see me). I biked by a soccer dad running out in the sticks where I both bike and run twice last week but he refused to acknowledge my presence even though I said hello to him using his name. Is he mad at me for some reason? Does he like me? (yeah I am just that insecure). But yesterday, I ran by him and before I said anything, he whipped off his headphones and exchanged pleasantries. So he will talk to me if I am running but not biking.
And even cars, did you ever notice how similarly colored cars like to park next to each other or even in same colored packs together?
Long ago this racist woman (from the South) living in our co-op justified her bizarre views by saying that Robins don't flock with Blue Jays.
She hasn't seen the winter flocks (probably hasn't seen winter) where the nut hatches, tit mice, wood peckers and chickadees flock together despite being entirely different types of birds.
As for birds, I thought I saw an eagle yesterday but on the eagle sighting website, none were listed for my area. All I saw were big, dark wings that were not tipped like the somewhat smaller vulture. Today a heron flew over me in about the same place but it is not dark (head way different too but I didn't get a good look at the head of my putative eagle). And where are my humming birds? All I have left is the lone female. Where are my boys?
Update: I just finished watching the HBO documentary Birding. Very cool! Central Park is a convenient stop for migratory birds. All they see for miles is cement and streets and factories and then...a patch of green with woods, fields, streams, ponds. There are a few year round residents too. The film follows the different birds each season and the birders that follow the birds and the joy that the birds bring them. What I would have appreciated was subtitles to let me know what I was looking at though. They asked each birder their perfect birding moment, that joy of discovery. Each named a different bird. I'd go with the first time I saw a bluebird about 15 years ago. Runner-up: seeing a vulture with Josh on our first long bike ride when he was 10. Vultures were rare then. Now a huge flock lives in the river valley by the high school. You can count on a few of them circling his soccer game.
Note that I said that I am running. Yesterday a woman reported that she saw me power walking on Green Road last week. Again, my mode of locomotion has been misidentified. But how can I run with plantar fasciitis or whatever I have been whining about? Well I don't think it is making it worse and perhaps biking is what caused this mess in the first place. I biked way more than ran last month. What would be worse if I didn't do anything at all.
In my restorative yoga class aka breast cancer yoga yesterday, I asked my instructor for advice on stretches that might help. She admitted to having some plantar fasciitis herself and said that she deserved it for wearing cheap flip flops. Ah, so we get what we deserve? Remember the setting, we all have or have had breast cancer. Did we deserve that too? No I didn't jump all over this gentle woman, not even when she keeps saying how we need to cultivate gratitude for everything. Not grateful for cancer..not grateful at all.
But I am for everything else..
I got up very early this morning to the soothing sound of dishes being unloaded then loaded then unloaded then thrown around hitting the hardest surface possible while clanging together or at least that's what it sounded like. Steve has his 15 hour stint as an election official today and got up at 5 am. It was only in the 50s, just have to run in that. Yeah it hurts but then the endorphins take over after 5 minutes or so. After my shower, went to the city pool to watch Oliver in his lessons. The instructor seemed to know how to deal with little boys with their own agendas. No this until this. Went to a Farm Market to see if they had their orange cauliflower yet (very tasty) to take to my friend. No but they had purple carrots and purple peppers. I opted for orange patty pans and corn fresh (10 minutes) from the field and visited my temporarily housebound friend. Did a few things for her that she can't do for another few weeks. When can she drive again? When she can exit a burning car fast enough to save her life. Never quite heard that one before. Not sure how fast she could exit a burning house either. I made her promise to keep that cell phone on her person at all times. If she falls, she could not get up.
No comments:
Post a Comment