Bonding time

It was bonding time for my four year old grandson and me as we aimed at floor-to-chest-high urinals--until I felt him peeing on my foot. After suggesting a forty-five degree correction, I experienced the joy of mentoring my grandson.

The Woman With The Tail

As I stood in line to order my senior coffee, I noticed that the woman in front of me had a tail. Yep, a real tail like foxes have. It emerged through her jeans right at her tail bone.

She turned toward me and I said, "There must be a story there."

"THERE'S NO F___N' STORY THERE," she shouted with a snarl, enhancing the wrinkles of a rough life.

A pall fell over the restaurant... With a timid voice, Michelle the clerk said, "Next."

Young Adult

I am outside reading the paper, when a blue jay lands on the edge of our bird bath--for an instant--and then falls off to the ground. Clump. After dusting himself off, he flies back up to the edge, and clumsily gets a drink of water. A juvenal jay out on his own; his parents avoided discussing bird bath skills.

Bears in the Night

Last night, I ate watermelon on our deck. Unfortunately, this morning when I looked out on the deck, I saw I had left the melon rind, and some creature had gnawed on it--as pictured here. Looking closely, it was easy to see that this was the work of a bear--or mother and cubs. Large bite and tooth marks as well as muddy prints of dirt and watermelon juice all over the table and deck--they even checked out our patio door.

Good work, Geoff. They can smell a watermelon rind from a mile away, and now they will be returning to check for more food. I hope that it is not when we are eating; bears on deck ruin a nice meal.

Letter to Uncle Dick,

Uncle Dick,

Is this your car? It is just as I remember it. I don't think you should have ever sold this jewel.

It brings back memories of my sitting in the back seat with the top down--it doesn't get much better than that to an eight year old--who was thrilled to be sharing the life style of his about-to-be-married, "Camelot-like" aunt and uncle.

 

I remember being in Grandma Eva's garage after the wedding with Dad and his accomplices, as they worked over your Plymouth. They wired up a smoke bomb, Bon-Amied it with cute messages, filled it with rice, and attached cans to the rear bumper. I was disappointed that you outwitted them and took another car.

From that incident I can still remember exactly how to connect up a smoke bomb to a car; so you get some credit on my becoming an electrical engineer.

Love,

Neph Geoff

Suprise Visitor

As I read the paper on our deck early this morning the birds started squawking, and then several yards away a bobcat appeared. Seeing a bobcat is an ephemeral moment that happens once a year or less, always coming as a complete surprise. She was majestic, stealthy, and confident. We looked at each other, and then she, with what looked like a grin, again faded away like a Cheshire Cat.

Daughter Rebecca's Essay

Here is a thoughtful writing by my daughter to whom (she and her family) we are much indebted for taking us into their home during the wildfires.

Rebecca Chance Cordova

The events of the past five days - (has it only been five? - it seems like time has stopped) -are beginning to sink in and I am amazed at the incredible force of this fire and the incredible bravery of fire crews and officials who are working tirelessly around the clock to save structures, people, whole communities and... cities. My heart breaks for those who have lost homes and swells with gratitude that no one has been injured or killed yet, which surely in the midst of an inferno that could triple in a day is a miracle. I am not affected in my practical life - I still go to work, the grocery store, the YMCA. My family is safe, although my parents are evacuated, but their home still stands and we appreciate that we are together. There is the constant smell of smoke, ashes falling from the air, and as I drive down I-25 from Briargate Parkway towards Garden of the Gods Road, I can see that to the west is a ghost town - completely evacuated. No one is at work or at home - everything is still and empy under the blanket of smoke that rests here most heavily. Beyond where I can see, I kow there are areas of ash where homes once stood. At a recent press conference, this angry question was asked to the officials, "Who is in charge around here?" I thought to myself how in that question the basic desire of all humanity is raised - how can this happen to us? Who is going to stop it? And there is no true definitive answer. Surely there is a greater power than us all at work here. And our human fraility is exposed - we must adapt to the unthinkable, the frightening, the upredictable. Yet those moments are rich with triumph - the brave firefigters, police, and pilots who rise to meet the terrifying blaze. The ordinary citizens who reach out to meet the needs of others with shelter, clothing, food, comfort. In the midst of this destruction, there is the rich opportunity for so much giving, sharing, gratitude, and bravery. We become better because we have less than we did before. It is in these moments that grace is breathtaking.