Read In May 2019

This is unbelievable - only four books read in May??!! I even checked my book lists twice to make sure. But it is true. Guess I spent more time planting flowers and taking photos - 400 so far this month with about 12 hours to go. 😉

As you can see, still reading my way through the Thomas Perry titles at the Creston Library - Silence, The Boyfriend and The Bomb Maker - and still enjoying this author.

As well as Karin Slaughter, though Cop Town wasn't my favorite of hers.

Surely June will see a few more than four books read! I've already earmarked three on the new books list the library just shared and I got four from the Corning Library, with three more on my list from there.

But we have a deck to paint, a wedding weekend coming up and 'spring' cleaning still to do. June reading may be limited, too.

How The Butcher Became My Friend

After my stroke six years ago, I recovered from the light paralysis quickly and soon went back to my regular routine at the Y, working mainly on the treadmill trying to rebuild speed, stamina and gait. I was still having some dizzy spells, but nothing too bad until August 12, 2013. I was on the treadmill when without warning I veered to the left. It only lasted a second, but I hit the stop button and quit for the day. I got to my car and sat for a minute, deciding I felt okay, and went on to the Fareway as planned.

I was at the meat counter, waiting while Jim (I only knew his name because it was written on his hat) filled my order. Suddenly I started feeling faint and knew I was going to pass out. "Do you have someplace I can sit down?" I asked him. He saw at a glance I was in trouble and stacked a couple milk crates for me to sit on. He wanted to call 911, but I told him I was recovering from a stroke and still had dizzy spells. "Would you call my husband for me?"

Bud came. I insisted on finishing my shopping so he transferred the things from my cart into the wheel chair cart, we checked out and went home. By afternoon I was fine. We went back so I could drive my car home.

On my next shopping trip to Fareway I again profusely thanked Jim for his help. Over the years, he never failed to smile and ask, "How are you? along with "What can I get for you?" He never made it sound like he was alluding to that day in August and I never acted like it was anything he didn't ask all his customers. Yet, once in awhile I felt we were both remembering that day. It wasn't a bond, but it was a connection.

From time-to-time we would visit a bit more. He told me as a teenager he had started working for Fareway in LeMars, because his Mom worked there. I told him we had moved to Creston after we retired because we had both been born in the hospital here (though we grew up around Corning) and decided we might as well (most likely) die here. I remember at least once telling him how much I appreciated his help that August day.

Then in January, I think we were talking about age for some reason, he mentioned that he would be 62 in May and was going to retire. May 31st, to be exact - his 62nd birthday. I told him that would be my daughter's 50th birthday. I asked what his retirement plans were and he told me that he and his wife wanted to move to an acreage and had looked at one northeast of Creston but decided to build their retirement dream home on the edge of Lenox because it was closer to Kansas City where their three children live.

His retirement party at the store was scheduled for yesterday and I knew there would be a lot of his customers/friends there, so I went in Tuesday to wish him well. He waited on me, asked if there was anything else and I said, "Well I do have a favor to ask, would you mind having a picture with me?" So we posed with the last package of meat he would be wrapping for me (a pound and half of Fareway's own ground beef for meatloaf) and I told him once more how I would never forget how he helped me six years ago - how much it meant to me even though he would do the same for anyone. I got a little teary eyed and so did he. Jim then shared his philosophy of living by being a good person and doing what he could to brighten the lives of others.

I will miss his brand of old fashioned customer service. I truly wish him a very long and happy retirement.

I didn't even know his last name until I read it in the paper, so I debated about referring to this kind man as a friend, then I remembered that old saying: "A friend in need is a friend indeed".

Little Robin Redbreast

Little Robin Redbreast
Sat upon a rail,
Niddle nobble went his head,
Wiggle waggle went his tail.

As a child, did you learn some form of this rhyme about Robins?
They were probably my favorite bird when I was young. But that is no longer true. I am often annoyed by their way-to-early wake up tuk, tuk tuk, It sounds like they are right outside the bedroom window. Oh, wait, that is because they are. Then they go into a rapid cheerily cheer up, cheer up, cheerily cheer up! They might as well be saying, get up, get up, get up! Because I do; no way am I going back to sleep.

There are a lot of Robins around here. I should be getting used to them. Yesterday I heard one loudly giving their danger call - yeep, yeep, yeep, yeep! I knew what that meant - the neighbor's darned gray cat was sneaking around. I went out and there he was on our stepping stones. I may not be fond of the noisy Robins but I sure don't want them to be victims of a preying cat.

Favorite poet Ted Kooser has different take on these early morning birds. It is very timely considering how cold, dark and rainy this day began:

The Early Bird

Still dark, and raining hard
on a cold May morning

and yet the early bird
is out there chirping,

chirping its sweet-sour
wooden-pulley notes,

pleased, it would seem, 
to be given work,

hauling the heavy
bucket of dawn

up from the darkness,
note over note,

and letting us drink.

If only I could keep Kooser's poem in mind, perhaps I wouldn't so much mind the Robins' early wake up notes.

A Committee of Vultures

Coming home from decorating at the cemeteries Saturday, we saw a dozen or more turkey vultures on this gate and in the field. There were seven on the gate, but the others flew off before Bud could get a photo.

Turkey Vultures 
   (By Ted Kooser)

Circling above us, their wing-tips fanned
like fingers, it is as if they are smoothing

one of those tissue-paper sewing patterns
over the pale blue fabric of the air,

touching the heavens with leisurely pleasure,
just a word or two called back and forth,

taking all the time in the world, even though
the sun is low and red in the west, and they

have fallen behind with the making of shrouds.

Nice Afternoon For Birding

I see a lot of birds everyday. I watch them at the feeders on the deck only a few feet outside my window. Even though I already have many, many pictures of the birds around our house, every year when they return in the spring, I take more.

This morning it was the Red-Headed Woodpecker.

A Brown Thrasher - the birds I was scared of as a child because Mom warned us "they will peck your eyes out."

And the Canada Goslings - four of them this year.

This afternoon we drove out to Green Valley State Park to see if we could spot anything new.

Right away we saw a number of swallows flying about, landing briefly and then flying around again.
I thought they were Tree Swallows, but had to look them up when I got home to be certain. They are very pretty.

I kept seeing a number of very small birds flying in and out of tall grass but couldn't see them close enough for identification.

One finally flew up into a tree and stayed long enough for a snapshot. But what was it? After searching online, I finally decided it is a Savannah Sparrow. At least that's what I think it may be.

I could hear some little Wrens before I saw them. Are they still called House Wrens if there aren't any houses near by?

This one seemed to be thinking about moving into a Blue Bird box.

Birds weren't all that caught my eye - these young Red Bud trees did....

....as well as the new growth -

- on an old Sycamore.

I almost didn't see the deep purple of these wild violets, hiding as they were.

The wind was sending the lake water lapping over the rocks - a sound that drew me.

It was also blowing the cottonwood leaves, causing the tips to shimmer in the sun shine.

Almost back to the car, admiring the soft silvery gray-green of a pine tree.

A close up of the pine needles.

The bright yellow of a Dandelion. Do you like butter? (Did you ask a friend that when you were a child?)

A short trip from home, but so worthwhile - and before the rains begin. It is already clouding up and getting dark off in the west. Doesn't look good for any sunset photos tonight.

So I'll leave with this picture of a thunderhead from early this morning and the sun hitting it and reflecting off the water.

Peace.