Sunday, July 25, 2010

Summer Silence

It's a special gift to take time to travel to zones beyond home. Here in Roseau we see magpies, sandhill cranes, scores of dragonflies, and blue, blue wide open skies. Frances also caught sight of a skunk during yesterday morning's group bike ride.

We awakened this morning to the sound of Lizzie, the cockatiel, whistling for her breakfast. She ventured through a long unfamiliar melody and then inserted the familiar Pop Goes the Weasel. On and on she sang punctuating her refrain with a lusty chorus of Pop ... Weasel. Frances decided that her efforts deserved a reward and clipped several corn chips inside her cage which she promptly ate.

My morning phone check-in with our animal and house sitter revealed that she's contending with a mama bear and cub(s) that ventured into our yard at home. Our dog, Namaste, is well versed in catching the scent of these woodland creatures and letting her know through his wild barking that they're nearby. I wish I were home to see these visitors for myself but I'm also enjoying the critters we're finding here among the wheat fields.

Because of bright sun and heat I practiced TCC inside and positioned myself in front of the living room door. From there I could see the hot pink blossoms of hollyhocks that reached to roof height and an occasional handful of magpies that dipped and soared over the yard.

It's quiet here, too, just as it is under our forest canopy. We're in the middle of acres and acres of farmland with few nearby neighbors. Passing car traffic is infrequent and we avoid turning on the TV or tuning in the radio and simply appreciate the silence.

I thoroughly enjoyed this silence during my TCC practice and I'm grateful to sister-in-law, Becky, for the generous sharing of her computer to record my TCC blog. Tomorrow we head home to the woods. Today we'll enjoy more visits with relatives....

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