A Taste for Humble Pie

There are times when I wonder why things are the way they are.  I’ve been thinking about a solution to our current economic crisis.  The image of humble pie entered my mind and what it’s like to partake of it.  This is something I’ve had to do many times in my life with little to show for my efforts.  But perhaps I have ignored the reason behind it and choosing to savor the taste of humble pie would be better.  After all, if others see me enjoying it they’ll want some too.

Lucky Day

It must be luck or hocus pocus or maybe I’ve just opened my ears wider.  Several bits of information have crossed paths with me.  The most prominent has been about luck.  It seems that luck (good or bad) is what you make it.  With that kind of power I decided to have a lucky day.  The sun shone brightly for me.  The bus arrived on time.  The internet cut out fewer times than usual, and I was even able to tweet.  The end of my lucky day saw me unintentionally boarding a bus different from the one that would take me home.  I could say I was on the wrong one, but this was a lucky day and for that moment it was the right bus.  This happened in West Salem and fortunately I know it like the back of my hand.  This came in handy when I chose to get off at a stop several blocks from my home.  The biggest issue was the sidewalks.  In West Salem they are either buckled up from tree roots or simply just not there.  While descending a particular steep hill, I was careful to check my speed.  There wasn’t a sidewalk, but there were plenty of sharp rocks.  The side trip was the high light of my evening and I’m glad to write that all ended well.  Gee, I’m so lucky.

Winter Return

I took a stroll out at Minto Brown Island yesterday.  It was cold and much different from the last time I was there.  The long grass is brown, the leaves are gone and everything is drab, sort of.  Anything growing close to the ground is green.  It’s protected from the weather by the dead grass and leaves.  The wildlife is still active.  The squirrels are looking for the last of the hazelnuts and the blue jays are giving them some competition.  The ducks and geese have a watery wonderland and few people to bother them.  Still, there was an ominous orange sign warning hikers that a cougar was sighted in the area.  That’s one encounter I’m happy not to have.

Frosty Air Again

For the past few days a freezing fog has hung over the valley.  There’s no wind; just a chilling fog.  I’ve been using the city bus more and had an opportunity to watch the fog from a passenger’s standpoint.  When crossing the bridge, one accepts by faith that there is another side.  That’s how thick the fog can get.  The weather isn’t without its wonders.  Where spiders had left webs, the frost had created white ropes.  The trees and shrubs were festooned with them.  One could call them free holiday decorations.