"Blackboards"

Life holds on to the stuff that is important to you. First you have to make that decision and erase the other stuff from your blackboard. Being an old teacher this is how I do it. For years my blackboard was like a comic book with every comment circle with a pointer pointing to a character full of chatty chatter like a ticker tape machine printing out the blabber of every day, clicking away time as we dropped the tokens in the little metal recepticals in the front of the bus next to the driver on our way to work in the city. Going to work after dropping out of college because you just couldn't stand the appetite of the grueling routine that was trying to make you into everyone else. Taking time out to learn about the person you were to become and the person that would become part of your life for 46 years. Learning more about that youngest of three girls from a small Ohio farming town. What was and would become her passions? Finishing up the shared years and once again finding a place in time to discover what and who you are; enter the solitude of the cabin in the Texas Hill Country. The fast forward has ceased to exist in your life and the cursed habits of solitude have taken over. The rewind has taken hold and the pause bottom holds the moments you have learned to cherish, like the hours you spend watching the wild animals night and day here at the cabin in the woods. The quiet and total darkness only highlight the images and sounds that find their way into your life. Like strawberry shortcake with lots and lots of whipping cream, you can't get enough. Sharing all this with your well disciplined, super companion ten year old egocentric English Pointer is that whipping cream on the strawberries and cake. I got a limp a few years ago and had it fixed with a titanium hip, she is now limping as old age flutters around both of us hanging on to the unknown suspense of this passage of time. She is on medication to help and it is slowing fixing her. Like mother, like daughter. Her incredible attitude and perserverance will carry her through as it will with me. We have decided there is so much excitement to deal with here at the cabin we must remain coherent and absorb it like water on our parched ground. We have erased the unimportant stuff and are lavishing in the surprises and fun of the moment. The drought has been eased with some rain. We are still reaping the benefits of all the critters that came out of hiding in search of food and water. Lets see what has remained on our blackboard and escaped our eraser.
Jane Doe comes to the feeding area several times a day now, giving Gypsy a point each time. She sneeks behind the sneek and peek weeds in her fenced area that defied the drought and produced cover for her adventures. She slips and slides in her invisible mode until she reaches the breaking point. As she rushes Jane, the frightened deer runs off into the woods. Mission accompolished, fun, fun, fun. The rabbits that come early in the morning light also deserve one of her points. They get way to close to Gypsys fence so, it is impossible for her not to go for them. She follows the path of least visability until she can't wait any longer. She chases them along the fence until they disappear. A multitude of birds also eat at the feeding area. There are many doves and we love their hollow, echoing lonely call, surely why they are called lonesome doves. They eat with the jays, grosbeaks, cardinals and chickadees and finches. We are priviliged to see mom and pop Painted Bunting each day at our log cabin birdfeeded outside the cabin kitchen window and the ever present hummingbirds at the blooms on our morning glories on Gypsys fence just outside our writing window. Beauty on beauty is always on our board. The sly fox came one day as well, we watched him closely. Now you probably wonder if Gypsy gets frustrated because she can't get to all these critters. Well, I suppose so. However, if she could the feeding area would be just one big buriel ground covered with blood and guts. I have purchased a record amount of birdseed and corn this year and don't intend to let Gypsy devour all of its takers. She said she wouldn't bother the deer and birds if I took the fence down. She said she was just helping the vultures when she ate the doves that flew into the cabin windows and killed themselves. That is if she gets to them before I do. She said she just wanted to work on improving the stye of her points, and would never run down a bird and eat it. Now, Gypsy has been known to stretch the truth, and this might be the case here. We aren't really sure what she might due if left to her own discretion. Do dogs have discretion?
We have had a problem with the food we put on the porch on the side of the cabin that is off limits to Gypsy. Here the baby kittens born this year to our feral cats are eating and drinking. For awhile thing were going well and then disaster struck. First the opossoms showed up looking for food and water. The water dish and food for the cats got trashed. I put on my thinking cap and decided to put the food and water up high on a table we used in our hunting motor home. Well guess what raccoons can get up on anything and that is what happened. We out foxed the opossums and got attacked by a coon. By the way this coon was the biggest one I have ever seen. This morning at 4am Gypsy and I heard a thump coming from the cat porch. When I snapped on the porch light the coon was on its tiptoes on a stool next to the cat food table munching away. Today I put the big, black can holding the cat food on top of the stool. Well see who wins this battle. Gypsy told me she could eliminate all my problems if I would just let her out on the cat porch. Like the blue jay chasing the squirrel through the tree biting at its tail to keep it from the feeder, Gypsy would have a chance with a bird or maybe a squirrel. However, if she got too close to a opossum or a raccon the outcome could be different. She says she could handle it well. She says her bad leg would not affect the outcome of the encounter. I don't want to tell her she is getting older and with a limp to slow her down the blood that might be shed could be hers. She is extremely stubborn and single minded. Her passion to throw caution to the wind and just do it is admirable and legendary. Her memories and dreams may hold more excitement than her future, but we hope not. We hope the same holds true for us our blackboard is full.
Our solar gate at the gravel road, held by the cedar post coyote fence keeps out the world while we write and our phones are quiet. When the words come it is impossible not to sit down at the computer and punch them out on the screen. An interruption is like a giant sized exclamation point, interrupting the geritol words in your blood stream rushing into your brain from some unknown source creating more words for keeping for you to write on your blackboard. When the erases get dirty, take them outside and pound them together like you did when you were a kid and the teacher ask you to and you watched the white dust holding the words drift off with the wind.