February 24, 2008
Things I won’t see in Manhattan this week
…listen
…about the musicA trio for this trio.
Moses (in silhouette); Smudge (in attack mode); and Bambi (in fine dining attire).
This trio amuses me on a regular basis. Most of the time, Smudge doesn’t seem to care about these weird looking dogs that come round the studio to bogart the birds’ sunflower seeds. But on occasion, he feels the need to defend his territory, and jumps at the glass door in a noble, if pathetic, attempt to scare off the antlered interlopers.
It’s of no use.
I gleefully await the spring, with its new shoots and buds, already becoming visible. And: the promise of a few very non-indigenous sunflowers popping up here and there in the woods, courtesy of the potent combination of my largess, and the digestive systems of the local venison.
I’m off at the crack o’ dawn to NYC; more blogging when I return home at week’s end. Have a lovely week, my sweets.
Glenn Buttkus said,
February 26, 2008 @ 12:00 pm
Gosh, what a great pic! Hopefully it was shot right after the great blizzard in January. That is a lot of snow for the temperate weather of late; that or several hundred pounds of salt; which would be strange indeed.
Your musical selection, Allegro: Trio for Clarinet, violin, and piano @ 2:14 was wonderful, and apt too. Obviously Moses is Clarinet, Smudge is Piano, and Bambi is Violin. Piano pounds away sounding and seeming a bit ominous, while Clarinet narrates and facilitates, while Violin plays unfettered and unaffected by the other two. They mingle their voices and their spirit, and yet remain individuals.
What kind of a deer population is there on San Juan Island? I know that deer are good swimmers. Do they commute amongst the islands, or are some of them natives, and proud of it? Have you met folks, neighbors, that are more than one generation on the island? There has to be a few there.
Ah yes, Spring is coiled and ready to plunge its wonders at our feet, and into our eyes and noses. Gestation, ain’t it grand? Sunflowers on San Juan–is there a poem there in those few words that conjure up such beauty, such passion ala natural? Perhaps. But you are the resident on SJI, so you will have to take the first whack at it.
Quite the Jet-setter there Miss S., flying off to NYC so soon after your triumphant show there. You must rack up those frequent flyer miles by the chord/cord….cute, no?
Glenn
Drew McManus said,
February 26, 2008 @ 2:13 pm
I never get enough of these fantastic pics of your kitties and local nature.
Alex Shapiro said,
February 26, 2008 @ 10:43 pm
Thanks, guys!
While almost all of my blog pix are no staler than a day or so, yes, this one I decided to leave you with this week was taken four weeks ago when we had a couple of inches of snow. Today I’m told it was about 52 degrees and sunny on the island. Here on the far smaller island of Manhattan today, it was in the mid 40’s and raining on and off, and tomorrow (Wed.) it will turn cold and windy. Brrrr!
I have not done a deer head count but there are a LOT of them on San Juan Island– enough to warrant a hunting season, as well as plenty of “no hunting” signs in neighborhoods like mine. Deer do swim, and have been know to paddle in the frigid waters between islands, but it’s not a regular occurrence. If it were, I think it would make the hunting season against these very trusting animals even less challenging than it already is, since the water would slooooow them down!
Mike Wills said,
March 1, 2008 @ 4:52 am
Good morning, Alex:
A few hundred miles north of Manhattan my yard is invaded each afternoon by a heard of 5 does, including the yearlings. They are attracted to the corn that falls from the squirrel feeders.
I am headed back to the Superstition Wilderness of Arizona a week from Monday. Wish me luck.
I have a new photo up on my site, of Cayuga Lake in early spring featuring a full willow in bloom and an empty bench overlooking a 10+ mile view up Cayuga Lake.
Mike