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Summer Comes In
While the spotted twins snoozed on the back porch this morning, I walked for an hour and inhaled summer’s new air, holding it in my lungs like a stoner, letting it absorb into my body and give me a morning buzz. The neighbor’s feed corn is thigh-high, the leaves grinning their green grins beneath the sun’s path. While I leaned against the fence and scanned the rows, I could still hear the dogs — two yappy Dachshunds and a basset mix — carping about my temerity in daring to pass their house on the way to the pastures. I knew that if I was near Jinx and Bluebelle, I would…
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Coof Positive
My beloved wife has the Covid. She’s positive for the ‘Rona. She has been stricken with The Chinese Lung Aids (hat tip to Ann Barnhardt for that little phrase). She all eat up wif de Coof. She’s been smitten with the Birdemic. She’s been assaulted by the Kung Flu, laid low by the Chyna Vyrus. She developed a fever last night and was very achey and flu-ish. We did a home test that we’d been given and we got the positive result in 10 minutes. The main concern has been chest congestion, which is the one thing that truly causes her distress. We’ve been treating her with Ivermectin (again, thanks,…
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Happy Birthday, Mrs. Orr
Happy Birthday to the love of my life, who is the best and kindest and most virtuous human being I have ever known. The two of us spent the day doing exactly what we wanted, and it was fine. I even got some country ham out of the deal… As the day ends, I am aware of all that I have, of all that has been given me. I love you, Mrs. Orr. Happy Birthday to my little Texas girl. ~ S.K. Orr
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Leaves Change, Dogs Lie
As I write these words, Jinx is sleeping in the recliner on the back porch. I came out here to do a bit of writing and he came out with me. As is his custom, the spotted menace hopped up in my lap to snuggle, and so scribbling with my pencil in my notebook became nigh impossible. We rocked and watched the rain and the birds and the chipmunks, and we rested. I needed to go inside at one point so I could put clothes into the dryer, and when I stood up, Jinx got back into the chair and made himself comfortable. When I returned, he was asleep, but…
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Young October
And now September has flown away with the hummingbirds, leaving the young and quiet October as sentry to my observed life. We haven’t yet had our first frost, but the mornings are damp and chilly, and I’ve resumed wearing a hat on my morning rambles with the spotted menace. The spider webs are visible on many plants and structures, dew-decked and glistening like ice wheels. The wildflowers are dying back slowly; this morning Jinx and I passed between rows of late chicory, the vivid blue a contrast to the murky air around us. The leaves on the trees are slowly turning. I’m growing a tiny oak tree in a flowerpot…
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Tuesday In Holy Week
My sister sent me happy news, an announcement that my nephew, her youngest child, will be getting married next month. She reports that he and his betrothed are happy with each other and ready to take this step. While I am genuinely happy for my nephew, I have mixed feelings about the situation. The world is different, as it always is, age to age. Marriage doesn’t mean what it once did, and among young people it seems to have taken on an aspect of gladiatorial combat. And the watching world is either ho-hum or avidly watching with gleaming eyes, not wanting to miss a single extraction of pain. I pray…
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“To You Today”
Almost every morning before I leave for work, Mrs. Orr will say something along the lines of “I hope someone is really kind to you today.” It’s one of those things that I know she sincerely means, and I take it in that vein, but I rarely think about it once my day begins. This is probably because on most days, no one is “really kind” to me. This morning on the way to work, I prayed the Rosary and then did some thinking about my life, about the spectacular mess that I’ve made of it in so many way, of the numberless crevasses of regret that I see when…
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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