Did You Ever See A . . .

Did You Ever See A . . .

     -barn swallow

     -horse fly

     -flip flop

     -bumbershoot

     -hot dog

     -teeter totter

BONNIE AND CLYDE

On a trip south, we happened to sleep one night
in the same motel that Bonnie and Clyde slept in.
Not just the same motel near Rockport . . . but the
same bed. As I looked up at the nearby ceiling, I
thought of that couple. Did they rest well?
There were loads of mosquitos both outside and
inside the motel. The staff attendant cautioned us
by saying: "be sure to leave the light on in the
bathroom and keep the bathroom door open."

We did . . . and it worked!

Tres bien

We so needed
the rain.

And - it came
in the night.

Gentle.

Over
an inch.

Very good, very
well.

Excellent.

Serenity Prayer

God, grant me
the serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change -
the courage
to change the things
I can -

And the wisdom to know
the difference.

Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

Swooping,
graceful, low,
flowing flight -
almost always
water nearby.

Deeply forked
tail streamers,
spotted with white.
Dark metallic-blue
upper parts with
chestnut-red forehead
and throat.

A half-cup nest
build of mud and grass
hidden under
eaves of buildings
or under bridges.

One April -
I was out of town,
and found Barn Swallows

in Peru.            

What Goes Around . . .

The old query . . .
      "what goes around a button"
dates back to my mother. She would
ask us kids that question.

We would say "a button hole."
     She would respond "yes, but also
           a goat."

Such simple things
      seem to persevere.

N e a n d e r t h a l i s h

Wow !

Am I proud to be able to trace my ancestry
all the way back to the Neanderthals!  Oh, the
marvels of modern-time technologies. Back as
a kid, my school library had a complete set of
the Encylopedia Britannica high up on a shelf.
It was so out-of-reach that the librarian had to
get them down for me. It was from them - I got
a hint of where I came from. The pastor of our
church said that we came from Adam and Eve.
(At the time, I thought it so amazing that Edam
and Ave were the very first Neanderthals.) 
How special is that?

        Mind you . . .  to think that I once actually
                looked like those folks.

But . . . those Neanderthals. Such foreheads and
those jaw lines. Rarely did we see anyone in
our neck of the woods that looked like that. 

However, there were a few folks that came close.

We wondered how come others in their families
looked like that as well. This was well before we
learned about heredity and genetics in science
class.

            We didn't poke fun at them . . . 
                              we were simply in awe.