Exhibit A} Adding on to an old client's deck. 'Bout quitting time she comes over all excited talking about the black snake climbing her bluebird box pole fi'in'ta eat up the four fledglings ready to jump out into the large world. Chased it away, knowing it was not gonna take. Couldn't find a suitable barrier, but her son sprinkled copious quantities of Sulfur around the base of the pole. 'Posed ta deter serpents. Next morning she comes out to say the snake is in the box. I couldn't hardly open the it for all the reptile in the way, but when I did there was 5 and a half feet of black snake with four distinct little balls of bird about a third of the way down .
Exhibit B} Working on a house being painted. All the furniture and googaws and potted plants off the porch and in the yard. In one of the (broken) pots was a wren nest with two just-hatched wrens. The painters moved it, I moved it, the mother found it every time. Then we told the client. She took an interest. Moved it onto the floor of the porch, and the next day the nest was empty and the mother wasn't around.
Exhibit C} There's this.
Exhibit D} And this. This happened on a stretch of road I ride almost every week. The driver, who rolled his Honda Passport, was charged with 4 separate counts, from misdemeanor running somebody over to not having insurance. Way too close to home.
Exhibit E} Been seeing beaucoup Indigo Buntings on my rides of late. Bluebirds are all over this piece, despite the serpents, but the Buntings are pretty rare. Got a real good look at one today on my commute. Deader'n'hell on the shoulder of Cole Mill Road.
Exhibit F} Seta was one sick puppy. Otitis media, UTI, conjunctivitis, inflamed lymph nodes (but not lymphoma, Feline Leukemia, nor Feline Aids.) Two trips to the vet (and counting), two rounds of acupuncture, antibiotics, dietary supplements, etc. All while herself is conveniently "working" on Turks or Caicos or Turks and Caicos for a fortnight. Seta is back to her old bald self and T-Flo is at 35,000 feet between here and Miami right now. But ten days ago, after we got back from the first vet visit, she crouched on my chest trembling and whimpering for an hour. Until one of us fell asleep.
Exhibit G} A man can spend his whole life raising a family. He can teach his children the value of doing whatever you do as well as you can. He can show them how a word means some things and doesn't mean other things and that the difference matters and that it can be instructive and fun to play with the meanings, which requires knowing the meanings. He can demonstrate understanding and wisdom and true forgiveness. He can instill a love of learning and a deep appreciation of the wonderful planet we live on. All while busting his ass every day to provide 3 squares, a roof, most of the goods we wanted and all that we needed. He can do all that and still not get a card or a call on Father's Day.
It's a Jungle out there.
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Ok. So. Exhibit G is received into evidence without objection, counsel. And there you have it: Father's Day. It's a jungle put there boys (and girls), and knowing the meaning is key, as is the difference betwixt and between all that we wanted, {which couldn't/wouldn't have satisfied us anyways} and all that was needed. Which, the difference between, iff-in' you axe me, is why we iz where we iz. We learned the difference, even if we didn't know it at the time, then.
The same goes, of course, for Mother's Day, unless of course, the masking taped/painted Little Mickey's bottle "vase" was enough to repay the debt I incurred by being a such a pain in the arse. Yeah, I thought not too.
So. Thanks. As if that was enough. Which {of course} it isn't.
Just to be clear, are you bemoaning the fact that you were somehow distracted or otherwise prevented from contacting Poppa B. last Sunday, or that one or more of the three young-uns closest to your heart failed to acknowledge your impact on their lives last Sunday? Inquiring minds want to know!
Great post Tango. I was getting worried about you since we hadn't heard from you in an unusually long time, but you certainly made up for it with this long newsy one. Keep them comming as time permits
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