I just liked the colours
these cats would walk with us anywhere
one gets tired of being the same colour all the time
sweet Mickey enjoying life, hard to believe he was paralyzed for 12 days
Two little coots come by every day. When they get too far from one another they cluck cluck their coot love calls until they are back together. Always, they bend their heads slightly, touching foreheads to form a heart shaped greeting.
At night they leave us, swimming to some secluded haven somewhere on the other side of the cove. Morning comes and they make their way silently, sweetly back to the lush water hyacinths that line the shore close to the docks. At some point in the mid afternoon they stop to attend their toilette, preening and dipping and shaking water feverishly. One stands on a small log to take a break from his watery world. If you move gently and speak softly as you walk along the shore, they will let you come near, as curious about you as you are of them. They seldom fly but when they do you can’t help but giggle. Our friends Gary and Christelle call them run-flappers, we have always called them whirligigs. From my point of view they are two shades of black with a pure white beak. Against the backdrop of the shiny succulent leaves of the hyacinths and the soft gray white stones that describe the shore line, they are so small as to be easily missed. I would bet that many people walking by pay them no mind at all. What a gift they have lost.
Wednesday, these two coots being alone except for the occasional visit of an even tinier grebe, were engulfed by a small band of other coots, swimming fast, clucking loudly, making a coot ruckus. I realized that was kind of like Jack and I as well. Here in this marina, which is relatively quiet, we were suddenly inundated with thirteen Loopers coming in one after another in quick succession. At one point 20 people were together on the dock where most of the boats were being berthed. The coming bad weather sending them into safety. A fall out of Loopers.
A remanufactured engine is being ordered and we should have it by this time next week. Soon our aspect shall change. We will miss Don and Rosie Peck, their immaculate friendship has made this anxious time easier to bear. So much they have given to us, time, knowledge, good cheer and wonderful stories. Seeing their faces and hearing their voices was like the sun rising for us, because of their honest warmth.
My new favourite book sent to me by Gail, Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver.
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