Thursday, December 24, 2009

It's a small world after all



I think I get it. I feel it happening. You know how the lives of older people appear to shrink down to a more manageable level? Not quite as bad as having a whole day revolve around a visit to a doctor or the next day to an oil change for a car – I’ve seen far, far too many old people do this. Almost to a comical level in some cases. Like not being able to go out to dinner on Wednesday because they have to pack for a trip leaving on Friday. Much too frequently. Spare me this as I age.

I mean in the broader sense. A global sense. I rail against the political shenanigans, the lies, the abuse of human rights, the outright thefts and predations of the theocorporatocracy, the smug satisfaction of the patriarchy. No more of this in the new year unless I feel my head exploding and I have a choice of venting here or dying pitifully in a state of apoplexy.

I resolve to write of the small, the meaningful.

Like today, sadly sans camera, I walk by the shore with the Wonder Dog and a recent storm has again shifted the landscape. I just love the power of the water, I have a marvellous up close and personal relationship with it here. A little bridge was wiped out a couple of years ago in a storm, so we couldn’t advance along this part of the shore at high tide. This latest storm has shoved the widened stream banks about 6 feet to the east against a very old wharf, narrowing the river bed to a jumpable level (even for this old geezer!).

Well, we were just delighted today. The other side of the stream is far more interesting as it has rabbits and hawks and the odd sea lion or otter. As a matter of fact, Ansa spotted a rabbit in a hawk’s mouth and went on chase, the rabbit was dropped, hawk flew away, Ansa was on the point of leaping on the rabbit herself (she is an amazing hunter, ask any shrew) when I called her. I was more than pleased when she returned immediately to me, foregoing the hunt. She has responded remarkably to all the training over the last few years and confirms yet again how super intelligent she is.

I anxiously await the arrival of my daughter tomorrow, Christmas Day. She comes here for 10 days while the grandgirl stays with her dad. We are going to get caught up, reading a lot in front of the fire and planning the annual Nollaig Na Mban do here on January 3rd.

The best of this lovely season to all of you out there and peace, seriously, on earth.

7 comments:

  1. You're right about oldies shrinking their world down to a pitiful level of inactivity. I hope I never lapse into such a state.

    How lucky Ansa is to have such interesting surroundings to explore.

    A Very Happy Christmas to you. Reading in front of the fire sounds perfect.

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  2. Thank you for reprinting Nollaig na mBan. What a wonderful tradition. I studied Wicca where we were told that the Catholic Church made Brigit a saint beacuse she was originally the mother Goddess of the Irish in the old religion. They knew there was no way the Irish would give her up.

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  3. A Women's Christmas sounds like a very pagan tradition to me, WWW, and I bet it is a left over from the olden days, like Karin says. It sounds like a wonderful way to spend the day, surrounded by the women you care about, eating the food you love, singing the songs you know. You're very lucky to be able to celebrate it. I hope you and your daughter have a marvelous time.

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  4. Enjoy Christmas with your daughter m'dear. I thought of you as I made up my own Christmas garland for the window.

    Just to raise your juices a bit and get you into a bit of a froth, I have posted another Scotch Beef man photo just for you over at my clog.


    Xxxxx

    hulla

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  5. Happy season to you, and I love the Nollaig Na Mban idea! I wish you lots of small meaningful stuff in the new year. In a good way.

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  6. Belated Christmas wishes, and all the very best for the New Year. Your post echoes my sentiments exactly.

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  7. You are so right about the lives of pensioners shrinking down to depressing levels. I have to urge my post-stroke sixtysomething friend to ensure this does not happen all the time as he does tend to panic (though tendancy to panic is one of the side-effects of stroke.)

    Hope you are having a lovely festive season WWW. Lxx

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