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May 25, 2014
May in the Rockies
And in May, the fields were green. The hummingbirds shivered by their feeders in the snow. The hail came and beat the fresh leaves off the trees.
As the sun set, we brought in the cats from outside, chasing them from the shelter of their scrub oak ramparts with waterlogged pine cone grenades. (test).
So that when the coyotes and the eagles came through at dusk, the cats were safely indoors.
In May, the mountain lilacs bloomed. The mule deer came around, grunting loudly like wild pigs.
The broadtails buzzed madly through the yard, defending the feeder at all costs. At great risk. Unwilling to share the 1:1 sickly sweet syrup.
The mountains are completely soaked, as it rained all day yesterday
And maybe, off in the distance, a dog barking. And children screaming and playing. It's not fair that they should go away. That they should turn tail and run away after 18 short years. It's just no right. I wonder even who's kids they are. Most of the people up here are older than me. Maybe it's grandkids.
I see the kids playing at school where I work, and I'd like nothing more than to eat my lunch shooting them at recess, but no one would understand. It wouldn't be tolerated.
A bald eagle flies by, very high. Alone. Flying above the crows and ravens that would challenge his path. Above the Corvidae. But I see him. His bright white head against the setting sun. I'm surprised that he's here now. Surprised that he's not much further north by this time.
A male broad-tailed hummingbird loudly dive-bombs another hummingbird in the Mountain Lilac bush. He climbs to 40-50' in the air, then, comes screaming down, pulling up in time to miss the interloper by a few centimeters maybe. His wings make a skipping sound as he risks breaking them in two with the strain.
They buzz loudly through the evergreens - I don't see how though. How they dodge all the little sticks and needles without breaking their hollow wings. It's hard to imagine where they came from.
Posted by Rob Kiser on May 25, 2014 at 7:36 PM
Comments
Beautiful! Now call me. I'm back from Africa and have been trying to reach you:)
Posted by: Molly on May 30, 2014 at 12:14 PM