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One Day More
Another electric color day in these mountains. The month is half over, which means the scenery will soon diminish and dull itself. But for now, it is a boon to the soul. I did a bit of spray painting when I got home this evening. Didn’t seem like that big of a deal. But then I walked into the bathroom and saw myself in the mirror. I think I screamed. Cirque du Face. Tragic, tragic times. Did you know that errant spray paint can affect the little hairs inside one’s nostrils? *** When Jinx and I walked this evening, the bats were thick in the air over us, swooping and…
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Okay, Then…
It’s 0530 as I write this, and the temperature is 43F, with a sunny 73F forecast for the afternoon. When I pulled back the shower curtain a while ago, the spider was sitting there, just underneath the spout. He currently resides somewhere out in the back yard…dry and unharmed, but much chillier than he would have been had I not disturbed him. Which brings up the question…am I ever allowed to wander into circumstances that necessitate God removing me from them, removals which elicit grumbling and questions and frowns? I’m well aware that I’m in the tedious territory usually occupied by college students polishing off a bottle of wine in…
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Drained
This morning when I awoke, it was 46F. It will get down to about the same temperature tonight. The day was one of those luminous ones, the kind that start with swirling showers of yellow and gold and red leaves, the kind with high puffy clouds riding across the sky so blue it frightens the eyes, clouds lit from within with the high-wattage bulb of glory, the kind where the warm, buttery air carries within it the scent and hint of the frost that is coming on like a jove, the killing, revivifying frost, the dear rime of the earth’s whirl. It was a difficult day to be trapped inside…
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The Death of Edward Van Halen
I received news yesterday that Edward Van Halen died of cancer. He wasn’t that much older than me, and his music was a constant through my twenties. As the conflicts within the band surged and receded, and as Mr. Van Halen’s personal life was ravaged by his fondness for drink, and as I grew older and my tastes evolved, I lost interest in the California quartet that strutted through the late 70s and early 80s with a wink and a knowing grin. Oh, the memory is so clear, the first time I heard Van Halen. It was the Fourth of July in 1978. My girlfriend and I had been invited…
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On Her Day
Today is my wife’s birthday, and I hope she understands how loved she is by her entire family, and also how important her life is. She has touched and influenced so many with her quiet, guileless presence. I can say with no exaggeration that my wife is the best, most virtuous, most noble human being I have ever known in my life. I will never understand why she fell in love with the likes of me, nor why God loved me enough to bring us together in holy marriage. Happy Birthday, my little Texas girl. I love you more than I can express. ~ S.K. Orr
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Cool And Clear
It occurs to me that I write daily temperatures on my calendar and/or in my notebooks. In the interest of avoiding redundancy, I think I’ll start noting temperatures in these blog entries (on the days I actually write blog entries). This morning it was 46F and very clear when Jinx and I set out on our walk. I took vacation this week, just to relax and enjoy the fall weather and do a few projects around the house (some painting, a final mowing of the lawn, some trash hauling, etc.), so the feeling of bliss and freedom and peace was exquisite when I donned my jacket and cap and took…
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Hard Old Life, part iv
Mother, I was watching my dog this morning and thought of you. Jinx is his name, and I’ll risk saying something foolish and declare that I think you’d like him if you knew him. He’s goofy and affectionate and spastic, with eyebrows that Laurence Olivier would envy in their expressiveness. He’s the clumsiest dog I’ve ever seen, and the most graceful when he leaps and runs, seeming to be more deer than dog. He spends long periods sitting in front of me, staring into my eyes, and if I put a blanket across him when he’s on the floor, he falls asleep in about eight seconds, which is why I…
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The Bales Of October
We were up this morning in the silver moonlit dark of a mountain October, Mrs. Orr preparing the dogs’ breakfast and the coffee. We watched the dogs with some wariness, as we had an incident last night. Each evening about 830 or so, I take them outside for what we call the biscuit run. They do their business in the backyard, and then tumble back inside to await their treat: a dog biscuit for Jinx and a half-biscuit for Dixee. Usually, it’s a mellow time. But last night, Jinx was snuffling up a few crumbs from his biscuit when Dixee decided to come over and insert herself between him and…