Spring is here. While you all are out frolicking with the lambs and bunnies and such, or what ever it is you do at this time of year, don’t forget those of us with allergies. All that promiscuous flower sex means lotsa horrible pollen in the air, which in turn means painful throbbing headaches, noses that will not stop running, sneezing, crankiness, etc.
Add to all that my yearly reverse seasonal affective disorder (too much light makes me depressed) and you’ve got a recipe for a deeply unhappy bmarkey. I’m pining for the depths of winter, even as the rest of you are gamboling with the puppies and kitties and, uh, various other baby animals in the vast, sunny, flower-filled meadows of the world.
Well, don’t worry about me. I’ll just sit here in the cool, soothing dark, with my box of tissues and my bottle of benadryl. I’ll be fine, really. Go have fun.
Bastards.
But before you scamper off, let me relate a small portion of my day for you. As I was returning form Lucy’s lunchtime walk (in the relentless sunshine, I might add), I noticed a car idling about twenty feet away from the intersection right in front of Science Manor. The driver was leaning out the window, looking up into the sky. I girded myself to endure the upcoming variation on “What a beautiful day!” as we passed the car, but the driver kept staring off into the sky. It appeared that she was tracking something. Out of curiosity I looked up to see a bald eagle, maybe 30-40 feet up in the air, turning lazy circles around the neighborhood.
(OK, that part was pretty amazing, I have to admit. If you’ve never seen an eagle in the wild, no description I can come up with is gonna do the experience justice. Trust me, though; it’s pretty damn cool.)
Once I got over the initial surprise, I realized that those circles he was turning had tightened around Science Manor. As I was crossing the street, it occurred to me why that might be: Martin the cat loves nothing more than to sun himself on the back porch.
Oh shit.
With visions of getting there just in time to see the bird swoop down and abscond with our cat flashing though my head, I hurried in, got Lucy off her leash & ran out onto the porch. Sure enough, Martin was snoozing right there in plain sight. As I reached down to pick him up and bring him inside, I glanced up in time to see the eagle flying off toward the Arboretum. I don’t know that I thwarted his lunchtime plans, but I think the chances are pretty good that I did.
So, next time you feel like spouting some blithe idiocy about the wonders of spring, keep in mind that Death waits to stoop upon on us all, snatch us up in his powerful talons and rip us to bite-size ribbons of flesh.
Now go enjoy your romp.
Comments