Say It Isn't So

Sunday, January 21, 2007



The Birds

One evening, way back when I was working my summer job at the Banff Springs Hotel, "The Birds" was showing at the movie house in town. Scary flicks are not my favourite thrill. I am a chicken for that kind of thing unless I'm with my man at the drive-in theater where I can pull the blanket up over my head when things get too spooky! So I declined the invitation. The following day was my day off so I decided to take a stroll around the abundant grounds of the resort. The day was fresh, the paths were fragrant and the trees were towering. It was delightful. Suddenly I heard a 'crack-caw' in the direction that I was meandering into. A moment of apprehension followed by a minor self imposed chastisement and I'm back into my amble. I approach a very tall fir of unknown name and note the Raven perched high upon a branch. It made that kind of growly yet purring kind of rattle that I have grown to love in my more adult years but at that moment caused me to scurry on my way. The scurry soon turned into a dash while ducking as the enormous avian, winged with talons spread, swooped down upon me again and again for at least 200 meters. One of the hotel groundskeepers was working in a rock garden up ahead and I did not stop running untill I was in his presence. "Did you see that?" I asked, with what little breath I had left. He just chuckled and went back to his garden. I was back on my path once again, rattled, my step more rapid, alone and slightly miffed that the groundskeeper didn't care that I was a damsel in distress. Perhaps that's why he was laughing! So I saunter on. Keeping an eye on the tree tops, I soon became calm with my inner self again. Then I saw a squirrel high on a limb and it leaped off that perch and flew through the air a good distance before alighting on a branch of a different tree. Life was good and I continued with my ramble.

Years later, while working at a hospital, I had made friends with an older woman. She was probably at the age that I am presently assuming, not really old but at the time that was my slant on things. She was intriguing to me. She was from Estonia, a single mother, widowed, who had fled her homeland after the Soviets started their occupation in the Baltics. She had stories about the duress of life as a working single mom that make current complaints seem like nothing in comparison. You got through it only for the grace of your fellow man and woman. Her name was Mata K. and I used to fantasize that she was really Mata Hari. I had been reading a lot of fantasy back then, as well as Dostoyevski, and I had just finished reading one of Carlos Castaneda's books in which the narrator has an experience that caused him to become a crow for a while. Well, Mata wanted to read this book so I gave it to her. Several days later, when I next saw her, she demonstrated how she had tried the experience of being a crow by standing on one leg with the other leg cocked up perched in a corner of our little switchboard office. I cracked up! She was so delightful. One day I invited her to my apartment for lunch. She lived very close to the hospital where we worked, but I lived about 3 miles east of there. I told her which streetcar to take to get to my place and she replied. "Oh no, I am a walking animal!" She walked there, we had lunch and after that we took a walk on the beach. I lived in an area called "The Beaches". On the way back we passed a spot and I told her she could get the streetcar here when she was ready to go home and she once again repeated. "Oh no, I am a walking animal!"

As I am doing my Tai Chi exercises there is a step that involves a little kick of one leg, a cock of the same leg, another kick and a step forward. I always think of Mata doing the crow and vehemently emphasizing that she is a walking animal. Walking is so good for us. We don't do enough of it. Perhaps if we walked more, we would not have so much trouble in effecting it. It is surely much much harder to become a crow!

By the way, I am through Level One and onto the next stage next week. My butt is sore. The teacher said it was all about the butt. I've been using muscles that I didn't even know I had. I'm still a bit wobbly but I'm working on my focus.

We had 3 plus inches of snow this morning. I'm not going out in my car until the roads are clear. Maybe I should walk the mile to the store. Naw, I think I'll hibernate!

9 Comments:

At 12:24 PM, January 22, 2007, Blogger mdmhvonpa said...

"My butt is sore. The teacher said it was all about the butt."

Heh, that is funny in so many ways, but especially the part that I think of my 4.5 year old daughter telling me that we should not say butt ... it's a bad word. You should say Heine!

 
At 10:03 PM, January 28, 2007, Blogger mouse said...

Where I come from that would be a derriere!

 
At 7:29 PM, January 30, 2007, Blogger Stephen said...

what a wonderful story! and about the butt, my daughter the other night said that any questions about her butt were rhetorical. i think, ultimately, in perhaps every area of life, it is about the butt.

 
At 4:24 PM, January 31, 2007, Blogger mouse said...

Ah so, Stephen, and as with life we should not expect answers to all our questions. We must simply enjoy the quest to find more questions!

 
At 9:45 PM, February 06, 2007, Blogger Charles-A. Rovira said...

Hello mouse. squeak!

You posted a comment on my blog telling me that you made it.

Made it?

Are you getting my podcasts?

I would love to give you help but I have to know what to help you with.

 
At 10:45 PM, February 06, 2007, Blogger mouse said...

Hi Charles, I was happy to have finally managed to post my comment after 3 tries and that's what I meant by made it. I seem to be having the same problem on all the blogspots, so I think it has something to do with me going beta and no one else recognizing me now.

I've tried to get to the podcasts and can't do it. This computer hss Itunes but I must be doing something wrong. I had been to Kim's podcasts in the past without a problem. I'm stuck in this high tech maze!

 
At 8:43 AM, February 07, 2007, Blogger Charles-A. Rovira said...

How old is your computer? (The year is was made, because I've see quite a few 'hand me downs' in my day. [Heck, when I was there for Christmas, I bought a new box for my sister, who gave it to her friend, who gave her old computer to a friend who's been pining for one... {Aaah.. Hardware, the gift that keeps on giving. :-])

What kind of computer is it? (Knowing the make and model will save us a lot of back and forth.)

You say its got Ituned installed on it?

Uh, how long ago was iTunes installed on it?

If its older than September 2005, that would answer a lot of questions, right there.

You might want to update iTunes. :-)

Read my script next monday and it'll walk you through what you need to do to get the latest version of iTunes and my show.

In a couple of clicks I'll have you all set up.

Listen different.

 
At 12:50 PM, February 07, 2007, Blogger Charles-A. Rovira said...

By the way,

if you would go into "Comment Moderation, you could delete spam like that first comment.

 
At 9:01 PM, February 10, 2007, Blogger Pris said...

I love this post!

 

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