Big Daddy

Big Daddy. The day I tried to water the garden we had our worst fight. I even showered him a few times. Afterwards he complained for an hour. It was only afterwards that I wondered if the garden hose looked like a snake to him. He must have been terrified. This pic is from that episode. After that, I used the watering can without incident. I mean, he didn't dive bomb me.

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Hey, where did all the days go since the last time I posted here? Swallowed by the dragons? Drowned in the light of summer solstice? Frittered away? Refracted? Who knows? I used to be such a regular, reliable blogger. Hmm.

Solstice has passed and as usual, I feel relief. I look forward to the slow unwinding of the light. At this time of year there's too much light for yours truly. It's always the case, though this year has been a doozie. I was already so light filled from my trip to Paris that the long days of solstice put me over the top. I'm overfull of light, like a coffee cup that's too full but then you pour in cream anyway, knowing it will spill. I'm spilling light these days. It's quite a sensation! Though exhilarating, it's not comfortable. Fortunately it will not last forever.

I'm not complaining, by the way.

Life at the chateau has been exciting of late due to a family of mockingbirds who nested in the holly bush in front of the house. The daddy mock has figured prominently in the story of my days, at first dive bombing me every time I passed the nest - which is every time I come or go from the house. He and I, over time and strictly by necessity, eventually formed a relationship of slightly uneasy, mutual tolerance. We accepted one another as part of the landscape, begrudgingly.

One of Big Daddy's favorite perches, atop the weeping spruce.

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The birds have fledged and though still hanging around, they are venturing further afield every day.  I will not miss being scolded by Big Daddy but I appreciate his teachings about fierceness and loyalty, about the hard work involved in creating a family. I'll be thinking about this episode for a long time.

Mockingbirds, rainbows, Sir Isaac Newton and an abundance of light. That was my solstice.

Shalom.

Iphone pic from last night. Terrible quality but it conveys his temperament.