I love that advice from Brian Doyle and poet Kim Stafford– Preferably with jokes from children. What’s worse than finding a worm in your apple? ….Finding half a worm.
I have been hanging around with my grandchildren, Papa Bob, and the dogs. Mainly, they all like treats: chocolate milk, hot cocoa and dog biscuits. (Well, the people don’t like the biscuits and the dogs don’t get chocolate anything, but you know what I mean.)
We did take some time to ride bikes far the last two Saturdays, for the virtual Kluane to Chilkat International Bike Relay since we can’t have the race without riding in Canada and the border remains closed. (Google KCIBR if you want to know more…). Out at 39 Mile we saw Diz and Mardell’s mailbox and I had to snap a picture that proves some people in Haines have read my latest book, Of Bears and Ballots so that’s very nice. You probably already know that wise advice comes from my friend Becky, and I used to write it on all of my borough assembly agendas in the hopes that I could do that. I also wrote “meet hostility with courtesy.” It takes the wind out of a grump’s sails when you don’t yell back, although the trick is not to let them see you cry either. Politics in Haines is hard.
I’ve also watched a lot of beginner Little League play too- all four of my local granddaughters and their cousin Lila are on the same team, the Red Sox, and they wear real uniforms, with hats, jerseys, pants, “and belts too” — The girls were surprised to learn that I am a good baseball player, but when I was their age girls weren’t allowed to play in Little League. Now, these girls and boys are all learning the game together, and are very serious, and sometimes slightly confused or a little afraid of the ball, but everytime anyone is up fans for both teams cheer, whether he or she gets on base or not.One of my favorite moments was when a tiny little kid ( the age range is 8-11) whacked a surprise line drive and hurled his bat into the back stop as he took off. The crowd started to remind him not to throw the bat, but then the first base coach leaned in and said : Great hit, but I think I forgot to tell you that your swing isn’t over when you hit the ball, the follow through is resting the bat on the ground, and then you run, okay? And the kid nodded and beamed.
I thought you’d like that.
I have been reading Linda Hogan’s essays, and I love how close she is with the natural world. She even let wasps build a nest in her house, and opened and closed the window daily so they could come and go. We do have a sparrow nesting in the garage, and we leave the door ajar for her at night, and fledgling Steller’s jays are learning to live on their own in the spruce trees. A lone crow is following us on our dog walks and has stopped in for bread and crackers on the deck a couple of times. He knows us now, and we know him, and that, and Linda’s wisdom makes me feel bad that I ever threw pebbles by the handful at the crows in my cherry trees. I have a good arm, but I hope I never hit him or any of his relatives.
Now it’s time for Papa Bob’s cocoa and a little drive before it rains. There’s a small craft advisory this afternoon, and gales, 17 foot seas and heavy rain in the forecast for mid week. I’m holding out a little longer before I move the pots of dahlias, begonias and geraniums into the greenhouse to protect them. If the weather bureau is right, Little League on Weds. may be rained out. (The games are at 5:00 and 7:00, Weds. and Fri. through July at Oslund field, out by the trailer park.)
