around an algal pond

[gurdonark]

This morning I rose early to get to my office to get work done before a business trip to Michigan. I sorted documents, created "to do" lists, did "to do" things, created disks to do more things while on the road, sent e mails, and generally worked very hard.
During a post office trip I did stop by a rummage sale at Axe United Methodist Church, where I bought a 25 cent goldfish bowl just to get the plastic aquarium plants inside (I would have left the bowl, but my presence of mind escaped me), two books to read on my trip, and a one dollar long black box filled with kitschy 8 tracks. I think that the sheer fellow humanity of selling a box of kitschy 8 tracks on-line is why I consider ebay.com the best way to win friends and influence people since Dale Carnegie. We'll see if anyone will bid for them.

Last week, I launched an ebay auction of my over-supply of chess books, in order to begin fund-raising for the deaf/hard of hearing non-profit which wishes to produce the play "The Signal Season of Dummy Hoy". The initial auction raised 25 dollars, which I'll post off to the campaign. Meanwhile, I'm inclined to go on line and find chess clubs near the MI suburb I'll be visiting, so that I can get a few games in while on the road.

Work lasted well into the afternoon, and then I had to take things I need copied to the Kinko's over in Plano. Last night I had dropped off a massive copy job, which is to be ready at 6 p.m. At 4 p.m., though, when I arrived, they said they were behind schedule. This is a mild inconvenience for me, because I hoped to review the documents for potential culls before travel and perhaps send some by federal express ahead of my flight tomorrow. We're having our vet and two of my wife's friends over for dinner, so my evening is filled already, though, and it's not that big a deal. I'm a person whose single good trait is that I adjust well to hassle, so I'll work it out early tomorrow morning before my flight.

When I arrived home, I had received a new shipment of corruplast cards, which I'll put to use sending out photos near and far. I still seem to have neglected to send out a chess poem booklet to amatrixangel, although the reason is happenstance personal flaw rather than cruel intention. I received a charming letter from iambliss. There's something about mail, whether snail or e mail. It might be fun to actually write genuine letters, as Bliss has done.

I had not gotten any exercise today, so I walked over to Glendover Park to stroll around the little pond. Birds were singing all along the short trip down Landsford Road over to the little park. A young teen was in the middle of the road with his skateboard, which made me think to myself my sardonic expression "Skateboarding is NOT a crime (but it SHOULD BE)". I did not share my negative thoughts with passersby, though, and let's hope that the store of universal positive thinking remains at relative equilibrium.

Glendover Pond has a dense coating of green algae along much of its shore, though which filmy material many mosquito fish can be seen darting. I saw a pair of mallard ducks, male and female, along the shore. I also saw a small brown bird which was entirely unfamiliar to me. It was a plover or a curlew--I'm not sure which. Whenever I hear the word "plover", I remember in the novel "Brideshead Revisted" when Sebastian, the child of wealth, offers to Charles, the middle-class boy, Spring plovers' eggs. Sebastian says something to the effect of "don't pretend that you've had them before, because you haven't". The notion of eating plovers' eggs never appealed to me, omnivore though I am, but the image is wonderful. The plover/curlew or whatever it was proved a bit shy, and as I circled the pond, it kept flying to the other parts of the pond. It was a little brown fellow, with a curled down beak, and longish but not too-long legs. I saw a plastic fishing bobber floating in the pond, but I've never known if any sunfish reside in the pond. Perhaps I should drop a hook and find out someday.
the swallows cruise above the pond with bug-hunting zeal, almost oblivious to people, while those waterbugs which go in circles upon circles elliptically punctuated the waters.

As I approached one yearling tree, a scissortail flycatcher emerged from its branches, flying away. Meanwhile, a grackle hunted seed in the "field" portion of the park. The park was filled with those little blue flowers with yellow centers which are called "blue eyed grass". Over in Garland, on the way to work, I had earlier noticed that the bluebonnets have all given way to fields of little yellow flowers. Spring passes away, and now the flora will change nearly weekly. I realize that I am not doing my part at our home garden, because I have neglected to plant anything, while my wife has planted gorgeous flowers. The tropicana rose bush, a sort of living memorial to her late mother, is blooming incredibly well, and many flowers among her "wild native collection" are doing. I'd like to have most of a weekend morning some day soon to just silently sit by our flowers and watch for butterflies and birds. We got our first hummingbird recently. They only migrate here briefly, though. I miss our home in CA in this way, where hummingbirds were nightly visitors all year-round.

I notice that I've fallen from the "Amazon.com" top 500 reviewers, and somehow I want to ascend back to this meaningless title. Number 590 is 90 places too low. I must post more book reviews again.
I find that among my reviews, theology seems to win the most "votes", so I perhaps should go to half.com and buy some used theology books. At today's rummage sale, I did buy an odd book of aphorisms favored by Dale Carnegie. I'm working on my smile, you see.

Last weekend the duplicates of Scott M's CD and my CD arrived. But I have not yet found the time to print out the dozens of jewel case inserts. I almost wish I'd just printed all the info on my CD, as I originally intended, but Scott M's liner notes and cover design are too much fun to leave off. If one is out to do a silly thing, one must do it with complete silliness. I have future recording intentions, as this has been a fun experience. But I do not like things "in progress"--I like to finish things.

I wish very much I could attend marstokyo's art exhibition. I seem to get business trips to a world of places other than Maryland these days. I sat in my office today, sorting through masses of documents for my document-intensive case, and thought, for just a moment, how far removed my life is from art.

There's a hint of storm in the air, which is somehow kinda pleasant. I'm eager to figure out the "outdoors hiking" situation near the Detroit suburb in which I'll be visiting, as I'd love to take in some evening walks in some rural Michigan park, if one is drive-able. Meanwhile, my wife has the Oxford American music sampler on the CD player, and it's time to shower.

Comments

[laruth.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting the description of your walk in the park. I love hearing about the seasonal changes to summer, while we go through the opposite over here ;)

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I like your changing of seasons, too, although you're more like California inverted than Texas inverted. We're inverted from you, but our winter is colder, and our Summer more miserable.

But at least we have no marauding magpies!

Thanks for commenting!

[laruth.livejournal.com]

Are there no magpies in America? Have you got any birds that swoop as well?

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Like a lot of things, there is some of everything here. Magpies are native to parts of the States, but here in Texas other blackbirds "fill their niche", such as grackles and martins. But your magpies, with their swoop and peck habits, sound wild!

My wife and I were hiking in British Columbia some years ago, when jays began to swoop at us in slow, slow motion. We thought it was some odd attack, but then locals assured us that the jays were the local "whiskey jay", and that they were swooping because tourists extended their hands with food. We did not encourage this practice, though.

[laruth.livejournal.com]

Yes, our magpies definitely have characters!

What do the jays look like?