The Caregiver’s Tales
Tiny essays on life, nature, grief and other things that catch my fancy in the Texas Hill Country. Here’s how it all got started.
Cold Morning
I’d love to wake up in the morning, go outside, and see frost on the ground. I need some fall weather. A sweater. A jacket. Something that says the days of high heat are gone.
The Visitor
I watched the comet last night. Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. It was in the western sky, just after sunset. It will be there for at least another ten days.
A Time Question
It feels nice when the air of the day you greet is sweet and cool as it is this morning. It gives you hope that softer weather is on the way.
The Breakup
I took down most of the old swallow nests yesterday. Washed the wall. Swept away the debris. Today I’ll do the back porch. I’m done with swallows. Next season they’ll need to find a new home.
In Good Time
As I’ve started studying the geology of the lands I hike, I’ve really come to love the size and the scope of the story I see.
When the Waters Come
When the waters come, mountains bow down before it. When the waters come, shorelines turn their back and recede.
The Settlers
I remember when my daughter first went to visit Maine with her new husband. It was summer and Maine was beautiful, and she opined that they could live there. And her husband said, no, because of winter.
A Better Life
It used to be that only the wealthy could flee the seasons, and mostly it was summer. Houses in the Hamptons. Hotels in The Catskills. Mansions in Newport. Then came the car and a burgeoning middle class. And people started fleeing all the seasons.
The Great Divide
It stormed at my house yesterday. Twice. The second time harder than the first. The rain was horizontal, flying along on the wind. There was a veritable river running down the dog run.
Repositioning
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. It is oddly invigorating to dig, trim, and work with trees and plants. I did it again yesterday and I’ll do it again today.
How Life Goes
It’s funny how life goes. How friendships ebb and flow. How jobs come and go. How time hurtles on and how time just creeps, ever so slow.
Moon Thoughts
Our forecast high today is 106 degrees Fahrenheit. That is entirely too hot for this neck of the woods. That’s Phoenix weather.
Birds and Cats
The swallows are in training for their flight home. They disappear during the day for long stretches, stretching their wings, building strength, getting the little ones ready.
When to Mow
It’s a lovely day in the neighborhood. We have clouds, which means the morning sun can give us a show, and it did so. I spooked a small herd of deer when I walked out my gate to get a better look.
A Knock on the Window
A bird hit my window yesterday, it appears to be a juvenile goldfinch. It was fatal. It makes me sad when the birds die at my window while flying toward what they believe to be blue skies and trees.