Saturday, September 24, 2005|
Awoke to ice over everything this morning. Even the hardiest plants give up at last and fade to black. Ice thick on the greenhouse windows. I held my breath when I went to check on Gunter: ah, snug as a bug. I had to drag him into his enclosure space after he'd gone to sleep last night, in the dark. He didn't want to be dragged, but he couldn't wake up enough to do anything about it. He's too heavy to lift, so push came to shove. And a good thing--he wouldn't have made it through the night otherwise. Tonight he went to sleep in his enclosure of his own accord. Now he knows it's warm in there. Good boy. I don't think it got warmer than 50° or 55°F today. Sun didn't break over the ridge until 7:54 a.m., and there was still frost on everything at 10. I don't think the bridge-builder factored in ice when he added those ramps at either end. When I went to break up the ice on the llama-water trough I had to climb onto and then jump off the bridge; those are slippery slopes. I'll have to attach some cleats. We drove to town and I painted the west wall of the soon-to-be store. It's hideous. Took two coats, too. And I broke the handle on a roller right off the bat and had to buy another. Note to self: next time pack a lunch and remember your debit card. I forgot the camera, but it's just as well. The teal of the end wall makes what I thought was a gray carpet appear bright purple by comparison, and it clashes, baby. This can't be good. Yes, I've removed the first-draft segment here I'd devoted to whining. I'd like to just pour out whatever I want to share here, but the truth is such revelations are not always appropriate, and are repetitious, to boot. Growin' up, here, Boss. This is why we still keep pencils and paper around. As I keyboard this the dogs are wrestling—Ranger, 100+ pounds, vs. Apple, 20 pounds. And Sally (50 pounds) on the sidelines growling, snarling. She hates Ranger. Apple doesn't get why, and pauses from time to time to walk over and comfort her, tell her a joke, lick her muzzle. Ranger just keeps his distance; he's smarter than he looks. Doggy dynamics. Oh, I almost forgot. I haven't written much here about the great straw-colored mantises who've been making friends with me the past couple of months. I find them everywhere—sidling under the plant-room door, creeping across the bedquilt, perching on clothespins. I find their dead bodies here and there. When I took Gunter his apple this afternoon, I found he'd made a new friend:  Kind of like a tick bird or a pilot fish, maybe. 8:01:34 PM  comment [] trackback []
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 My friend Sally in Surprise Valley sent me this link to a person who makes handbags out of old books. What do you think? 4:10:25 PM comment [] trackback []
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Usually I avoid reading Harper's Magazine's back-page "Findings" column because in the past its lists of scientific discoveries only alarmed and depressed me into full-on paralysis.
But I looked this month, anyway, and learned things rather more interesting than terrifying, including
I had planned to link to more online news reports or press releases that confirm these "Findings" and provide details. It would be nice if the magazine would provide a "Sources" column for "Findings," as it does for "Harper's Index." As it is, it's all very vague, and we just have to take Harper's' word. 10:38:46 AM comment [] trackback []
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2005
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Last update: 9/30/05; 7:36:25 AM .
Last update: 9/30/05; 7:36:25 AM .
