There's a breeze in the meadow, towels are drying on the line, and apples are falling from the trees. Not many days are finer than this one. Every once in a while the wind chimes sing out, but not enough to drive me batty. I like my wind chimes to be soft and occasional. I swore off chimes while living in Santa Fe as they were neither. No matter where I placed them the wind would run around that little adobe house and find them. But, here they seem to know there's only so much noise I can handle and they never cross that line. Perhaps they understand that now it's all about the birdsong.
My fall work list has been growing and is sitting there, staring at me, but today I'm ignoring it. Plenty of time to prune the rose bushes and hydrangea tree, move perennials to other beds, saw the lower, dead limbs off a few trees, and then take a look at the rest of my list. I almost wrote, 'the rest of my life.' Sometimes, that's how it feels. But, I don't make plans. Life will make them for me and they'll be far better than anything I could have imagined. It's always been that way. No reason to believe it will change now.
Buddy and I just came back from a walk in the meadow where he managed to find a fairly fresh pile of bear poop. He's rolled in it about three times this year. As I run toward him yelling, "No, Buddy!" he rolls and rolls in happiness. Today, the damage was minimal and so I took a soft swatch of pine needles that was lying next to him and cleaned up the worst of it, finishing with a handful or two of long, still-green grass. He seemed so proud of himself, like a warrior who's one with the bears, their smell still lingering on the almost lion-like mane around his neck. I can't tell you how much I love him. There are no words.
And now, a short nap on the couch next to the open windows, where I'll fall asleep listening to the wind rustling the leaves on the trees. This is too fine a day to waste on lists. Buddy's lying on the floor next to me and we have some dreaming to do. We'll be running with the bears, my little woodland warrior and me.
Perhaps some of you will remember this poem I posted last year by Leslie Marmon Silko. It's one of my favorites: http://teresaevangeline.blogspot.com/2011/03/alone-in-canyon-of-stillness.html
P.S. JB, my friend in Moab, Utah, called after reading this. It reminded him of a Greg Brown song we've both always liked. So, I decided to add it.
What a wonderful companion - I'm not surprised you love him as you enter into his world.
ReplyDeleteEntering his world is always interesting and offers some fine moments. Thank you, Jenny.
DeleteYes, lists are for rainy days.
ReplyDeleteAlthough gardening isn't, but gardening doesn't require a list, nature herself will tell you what needs doing.
How wonderfully you and Buddy mesh, it is very difficult for me to read this tale and not burst into tears. Once Benno and I, and before Benno, Boris and I, lived in close harmony. Perhaps it is time I chose my next buddy? It still feels disloyal.
I envy you your days, yours and your mighty warrior's, but we all go through the same cycle eventually. Give buddy an extra hug from me. I can almost feel my hands in his ruff.
Friko, I thought of you, as I wrote this, and your beloved Benno. Should you decide on another companion, I can imagine that Benno wouldn't mind, but would be encouraging.
DeleteAn extra hug has been given and I know he's grateful. Thank you so much, Friko.
How beautiful. And to have such a companion as Buddy, even if he is in love with bear poop... life doesn't get much better than that! :-)
ReplyDeleteIt certainly doesn't. What a beauty of a day.
DeleteLovely post as usually. I am jealous of you and your dog of course. So all I can do is be picky. War is not healthy. But" Me will be running with the bears " ?? Teresa!
ReplyDeleteWar is not healthy, to be sure. But, warrior is also defined as one "energetically engaged in an activity or cause." In this case, be-cause we like to run through the woods. :)
DeleteSometimes, I like to slip into "the vernacular of the peasantry," and it's a conscious choice. As it was here. And so it shall be, when the mood strikes again.
Buddy is such a wonderful companion. I remember when he was little...seems like such a long time ago, but it really hasn't been that long..has it? Today was beautiful in KC too, but no naps. Do think I'll try to get to bed early, tho. Don't you just love this weather??? Ahhhh...fall is in the air.
ReplyDeleteAlmost a year and a half now. Some days I can't remember life without him. I've been going to bed early lately, but up in the Very early morning, also. I like early morning. The slate's still clean.
DeleteBuddy, you need to stay out of that dookie. Mine wants to do the same sometimes.
ReplyDeleteDogs do seem to like the dookie. :)
DeleteThanks for that introduction to Greg Brown. I have never heard of him but something (either his voice or the words) reminds me of my step-brother Steve and his songs. Was that comment by Michael because of the "me" rather than "I"? Hmmmm...if so you should correct him on his "lovely post as usually". I just laugh at these kinds of things. But, maybe I misread it too. Anyway...your Buddy looks so much like our Max did. I loved that dog so much. Came home one day to find him dead on the grass. I never even suspected that it was "close" because he was just so relaxed and mellow all the time. I agree that the dogs that have gone before somehow accept and help us find the new companions in our lives. We would be lost without our Bodhi and Rudy. I don't think we could find two better companions!
ReplyDeleteWhat a hard thing to come home to. Our furry friends do make fine companions. Life without my Buddy would be far too quiet and then I would have to deal again with the alone vs. lonely issue. :)
DeleteI love to be lying down indoors, listening to the outside noises.
ReplyDeleteYou silly. That might be true, generally speaking, but I know for a fact you just returned from a vacation on a schooner off the coast of Maine. That's pretty outdoorsy in my book. :)
DeleteI trust you're resting up before your next trip. :)
Passeggiando beatamente nel verde...bello scatto!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Simo. The green is quickly turning to brown this time of year.
DeleteDear Teresa, thanks for linking us to the bear poem. Sometimes, I wonder what tracks I've left behind to show that I've been on this earth. And yet I know that a good rain, a mud slide, an earthquake will remove all tracks. And so it must be within the lives of others that we leave our tracks. And I find myself thinking of all those who have tracked across my heart. Those who raised me, those who trained me, those who befriended me. So many wonderful people. Peace.
ReplyDeleteYou're so right, Dee. The tracks of our lives will and should be found in the lives we touch and by which we've been touched. That's such a great thought: "So many wonderful people."
DeleteIs there anything better than a loyal dog? I'm glad Buddy found his way into your house. Unconditional love. Thank You Buddy for looking after my friend!
ReplyDeleteSteven, This is so very sweet and kind of you. Thank you. Another fall in Minnesota....
DeleteWhat a restful, peaceful post. In chaos and stress at the moment, so reading this was a moment of pine-scented stillness. Thank you...
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad this offered a respite for you. We all can certainly use those now and then. I hope the rest of your week slows down and is more peaceful. All the best to you and your menagerie! :)
DeleteRunning with the bears in your dreams. Such a rich, rich image!
ReplyDeleteWith Buddy, anything is possible. :)
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