Been a while

The day is fast approaching. THE day. Me who thought I would never marry in the first place, is doing in a second time. 13 days away and I still don't know what I'm wearing. I do thing that Bruno will be the ring bear (raaaawwwwwwrrr!) and Marshall is my best man and Taz, my betroths brother, will be standing up there with me, perhaps to catch me if I run off or pass out. Her father is preforming the service, thank God it's not a shotgun wedding!
While I am not so much nervous, I am concerned. I lost my mind during the first marriage and have yet to find it. I hope to do better this time around, both with my future wife and our kiddos. Every one's life is a book. Mine is rampant with miss-spellings, run-on sentences and story lines that jump around and have nothing to do with the previous chapter...or the previous sentence for that matter! I hope she can keep up with this crayon-wielding 2 year old.
Our friends from Texas will be miss greatly. Hmmmm, maybe we could use mannequins or blow up dolls in their place.....
Oh, and she FORBIDS me from wearing a Tigger costume, there went plan number one!

A rare morning commonly found.

Bruno and I were up and out before sunrise, as is usual, for our morning walk. We went to our usual haunt, the river. I will fall well short of describing the moment, but I feel I must try.
It was peaceful. The uncommon peaceful type moment that will stay with one throughout their lives and be judged against all other moments like it. The cold wind was blowing gently in our faces as the Canadian geese a mere few feet away, went through their morning routines of conversation, flapping and trying to impress the fairer of the sex. Lesser scaups dove and landed, their white feathers standing out against the dark water. The Village roosters,(crows), tried to wake the world as song birds warmed their singing voices. As the sun rose over the mountain I realized that I had, at that moment, no worries, no cares. I just "was". I was there, with my pal, Bruno, enjoying a peace that while rare, is all too common here. I noticed that even the usually impatient Bruno was sitting still, watching the water flow lazily by us, caught up in his own silent thoughts. He too, looked to be at peace. All was right in the world. It was a moment that, if shared with all the humans of this conflicted and confused planet, would put a cease to all ill will and hatred and worries, if just for a short while.
I wonder if a hundred years from now if another boy and his dog will stand at that same spot, watching the same sun rise on a peaceful, cool spring morning?

Joe

I would like to share a chance meeting that i had with a fellow in one of those horrid gathering places of mass consumerism a few weeks back. Understand That I am not stereotyping this guy or being a racist, his accent really was this thick and he knows it and says so. I am going to try to type his part as close to phonetically as possible so you too can get the flavour of his accent.
I was waiting for my Tree to get off work when I spotted this elderly fellow sitting on a bench. I nodded and he returned the nod. I came back a few minuets later and sat next to him and thus begins the meeting. His name is Joe.
Joe is an Italian immigrant, somewhere as he says, in his 80's for a while now. He is the veteran of our Air Force and served during Viet Nam. Joe is full of life and stories as I was to find out. With an impish grin and very little pause, he dives right in to a story.
" When-a I was-a in Japan, they had-a me drive a truck-a to a place. Now, I'm-a no truck-a driver, I no know what-a fuck is-a going on, but hey, I do it! Now the trucks, they have-a call sings, you know-a; a=alpha, t=tango and so on. This-a is my first-a time to do this, so I have-a no idea what I do-a. This-a guy, he stop me and ask, are you 124 Charlie? I say-a no, my name is-a Joe! He say, listen here-s you dumb fuck-a, not-a your name, what the truck's name. I say, how the hell should I know the truck's-a name, I never been introduced before!"
After a few laughs from me, he explains how "back then" you could buy a woman for $5.00 for the whole night. He then tells me this short tale and trust me, i cannot do it justice.
"Me and -a my friend from Kentucky was-a at this bar with this guy from-a the Boston whose accent was-a terrible! There was-a this woman there who my buddy bought-a a beer. She starts-a rubbing between my legs and-a I move her hand-a away. She move-a it back-a. Next thing I know-, she in my lap-a! So I says to my buddy, Hey Tom-a, get-a this yougly bitch-a off-a my lap-a!!! The other guy, he say, What the fuck-a he just say? I say Get this yougly bitch-a off-a my lap-a!!!!! He say, What the fuck-a is the yougly??? My friend, he say, That when ugly is-a not enough to describe-a how-a ugly she is. Now, back-a then, my English is not so-a good, not-a like now, so I-a not know how you ugly so I say it yougly. It was-a all over base very soon. A few months-a later I was transferred to Greece. I'm-a sitting ata bar when this-a guy, he come in looking real rough. I say, Hey fella, what's-a happened to you? He say, "I had-a this date last-a night and man! was she YOUGLY!! I says, "you just come-a from Japan? he say, "Yeah, how-a you know? I say never you-a mind!
As I said, I cannot do these stories justice without telling them in person and even still, it would not be NEAR as funny without Joe telling them. I would love to record a conversation with him. Eventually his wife walks up and Joe's face was afire with love that comes from years of waking up next to a beautiful sunrise, and his sunrise is his wife. She too is an Italian immigrant. She looked to be maybe half of Joe's age and a real looker!! Go Joe!!!!! I don't know what his secret is, but it sure works for him.
I hope to meet Joe again, though I doubt that I will. Meetings like this are once in a life time happenings. I type this more for me than for anyone else, so I will remember Joe, and the life that still burns inside of him. To remember his many stories, of which I only shared two short ones. Live long Joe, and keep telling your stories!

Adjusting to life in the Valley

The Mutt and I seem to be getting the hang of this Northern life pretty well. Everyday I am amazed at some aspect of the beauty of this place. Snow on tree limbs, the trails, hills, and streams, everywhere you look something wonderful appears. There is a cycle of snowing, melting and freezing that keeps one on their toes...or their backs on the sidewalk! The snow is still piled deep here but I don't mind. The 40 degree days feel great, nice hiking weather. Bruno loves the snow and romps, rolls and buries his balls in it. Um, his tennis balls.
My Kitten, Bruno and I visited the vet's office yesterday, a Valentines day full of shots for the Meathead. Then we did a little shopping and what not. We are not big V-day-ers, we love each other all year and everyday we tell each other so. I have taken to calling her Kitten, it sounds better than donkey, I think.
I enjoy the fact that the air is clean and fresh in this village. Even on main street during the height of the traffic times, the air is nice. And the water here was voted the best tasting water in NY a few years back. It may not be paradise here, but it is not too far from it. I think it's just to the north of here in fact.
Peace, Love, Taters.

The usual, and unusual, stuff.

Since the move up here there has been a lot of snow. And it is not even winter yet, not for another two days. This boy and his dog really enjoy it too! The other morning it was coming down at a rapid and great volumed pace. I was out with B and when he noticed it he ran around jumping into the air trying to catch the flakes in his mouth. I thought it looked like fun so I tried to catch some as well. It was fun. He also likes to bury his snout in the powder and run through it like a snow plow. This I leave to him, I doubt that I would care too much for it. We enjoy our walks with the snow falling out of the trees or blowing lightly into our faces. There is quiet here, and with quiet, I find peace. I can still my mind and find relaxation. There is also love.
Love, I think, is the most noble and enduring of human qualities. Enduring because it can span any distance and surpass even the great slumber of death itself. Selfless love is noble. When you can throw away all expectations and beliefs on how that person should be, act and behave and simply love them for them, then you have something wonderful indeed. Love is noble in that one is willing to give anything for the other, even there life. Love of one's children is a given. It is pure and whole. Finding someone with which you feel the same way about, that selfless, complete love, is rare. Rare and fast becoming extinct, I fear, for most. I am talking about the type of love that at the slightest thought of that person you are warmed as if by the sun. And sometimes it is as hot as the Texas sun in July! It too, is peaceful.
If you have someone in your life, anyone, hold there hand(s) today, look them full in the face and let them know that you love them. If nothing else than to remind you of that love. We all get caught up in ourselves and what we are doing that we can overlook the love we feel for others. We know they love us, but we can all use reminders of that love and the reflection of their love reflected back onto us. Think of each person special to you for a few minuets, one at a time. Picture their face, their smile, and consider the love you have for them. It won't take much time out of your day.
A wonderful woman I know says that there is always time to dance! Well, there is always time to love too.

New forrests to roam!

This Texas boy and his dog have moved, to New York of all places. Not the city type N.Y., but the nice part. We live in a village in Central-lower up state NY. We are at the base of the Adirondack Mountains area, in a valley, surrounded by hills. There are streams and rivers at every turn, with waterfalls! i cannot wait to try my hand at fly fishing some of these! The Mohawk River flows just a few blocks from the apartment, though I would not drink the water in it. The geese sure like it well enough, as do a lot of ducks. There are new bird species to learn and the squirrels are great! We have red, grey and black squirrels (the black being a color morph of the grey, so i have read). They appear larger with a fur that is more dense than their Southern cousins. Makes sense due to the weather. And we have snow, lots of snow so far. B LOVES it!! He runs around with his nose under the snow like a plow. He also like to bury his ball in it and watch as I try to find it. The other morning, (at 1:45!), he needed to go out and it was snowing pretty good. He was running around, jumping into the air while trying to catch snowflakes in his mouth! This area is truly beautiful, for more reasons than one. I find myself being happy a lot. The noise inside of me has quieted a great deal. The buzzing "sound" in my head has all but ceased. There are places here were my mind is quiet and I can think. I am still adjusting to a new family life and the idea that I am a part of it. The cold is good, for me, as it provides ample snuggle time! I do miss my Southern friends and wish you could all be up here with us. Speaking of snuggles, my snuggle buddy has just sloshed through like a zombie, it is after all 5:39 in the morning. A bit early for her. We miss you all!

2 a.m., again

Well, the boy with his dog awoke at 2 a.m. again, that is my super power. A 2 a.m. alarm that brings me to full awake. I lay there thinking of Her. Looking into those changing eyes hearing Her laugh. I think of my children. Are they sleeping well? What are they dreaming? How I would love to peek in on them as I did when they were younger. I think of roads behind and roads ahead, rough and smooth.I think of wolves, of bears, of birds, I think of trees. One in particular. I think of leaving, of packing. Of what I will leave behind, will I leave anything behind? Will I be remembered when I'm gone? Do I want to be? When I type of "gone" here, I refer to death. See how my mind leaps and soars into the weirdest corners of the room? I do so with a crayon, so I have been told. Like a two year old scribbling on the walls, I take off in every and any direction. It is no fault of mine, it's my brains'. So put him in time out, not me! I'm going outside to play!!! I think of my family, current and past. The trails I have walked and those yet to stroll upon, jump in my mind. New smells, old smells, sights, sounds, tastes. Running through my mind like a streaker at a football game, this way and that, being chased by the police of reason, these thoughts escape me. And the reason police for that matter! All these things bleed through staining the canvas of my mind.
And then I think: Whatever this boy and his dog encounter, She will be there, holding my hand, chasing behind me with a rag to remove the crayon from the wall. And now, I am smiling.