90 Min

Deb and I travel across country and now find ourselves in our Arizona home as I write..... Not so different than New Jersey. But no, perhaps a bit; yes a bit.....

But for the past 90 minutes, since 6pm; I was just hanging loose outside enjoying nature with no technology, no phone....the gentle curse of our lives; my phone...not to be seen. Freedom. I have this old strap chair, you know the type that was common just a few years back. It has some nylon webbing running criss-cross. I like that chair. I have had that chair for awhile and actually picked it up in a garage sale years back. Webbing....I love the feel. Although in this case the webbing is dangling off a bit so not sure if this means the end is in sight for I am no sure you can't buy 'webbing' much anymore. And I am not going thru Amazon....no way. I am 'off' Amazon. I am doing my part to save humanity. Either way, I slightly feel the brush of dangled webbing against my calf. 

So, sitting in my chair....binoculars in hand, was how I was. Directly in front of me there was a kettle of 49 turkey vultures...swirling around, as I counted them. One by one. Then, they morfed into a funnel cloud...slowly making a spiral to the east of me. One slow funnel cloud in constant swirl. Out of site they went and about a minute later, here they were, back once more in reverse direction. But this time they were widely dispersed across the sky, following each other towards the west like a band on parade stretched over the course of a half block. Easy to pick off...easy to ID....easy to count. They just kept going west, with no sure purpose I am sure. A kettle, innocently following their next of kin in a line.

A pair of bunnies skipped around like a pair of kittens next door. One would dig itself into the ground while the other looked slightly amused, or perhaps annoyed. Regardless of or not the one 'dug in'...would just pop up, like a kitten and chase the other. They circled the yard and dove in and out of a bush...but pretty much staying out in the yard not afraid of much I suppose. I haven't seen the neighborhood bully in a few days although have heard the Great Horned Owl, throughout the nights.

Many doves....just flying back and forth as on a mission. Eurasian Collard doves on the roof...bold and big and watching over the flock of all others. Quite a gang of Mourning Doves constantly in motion from one tree to the next...landing, then off...then chasing each other and off to rest once more. The doves would go from tree to tree and scatter the house finches. I know there were at least 7-8 finches in the tree next to me they landed in. Orange, bright orange spots flew out all around.

A white truck comes in.....past my house. Humans I would guess.

My feeders all topped off and three Anna Hummeringbirds buzz in.... buzz out. Land and dip. One of them took a huge gulp and then on the way out just spit it all out. What? I just filled that. Fresh stuff man. How dare you spit it out and it was free. Come on.... Drink up.

A giant raven flies past from east to west....all hunched shouldered and on call to attend a black-tie event someplace. Oh....look...a cormorant, solo.....flying up from a local watering hole. Why fly this way....you are leaving the water? And only one of you? It just continues on sailing north, that too dressed in black. Must be some fancy event for all of these black-tied birds to be making an appearance.

Oh the sun begins to settle ....a mockingbird takes up his call of the night. Brash it is...at this time. All the other birds are starting to nestle down and you my friend are just starting? The white truck returns, this time the opposite direction..... gone it went. 

My shoes are off....I am grounded. I do a lot of grounding....I love to sit on the brick patio which is great for grounding and just feel the warmth beneath my feet. No shoes....I take them off and if I had them on they are these awesome leather shoes with a grounded copper nail in them. Nefes, ...handmade from Turkey. Go ahead...look em up. Nice shoes....I ground myself with these often. Of course when Deb is around I have to pretend I am not wearing them outside as she would 'mention' something to me. Yes, mention. Deb is real good about 'mentioning' things to me. But hey...I am grounded...I feel good...I am relaxed....I am peace with nature. Nothing around to bother me so I can handle her 'mentioning'. But the point is....I am free. No technology ....no sounds. Nothing but nature and myself. That is so needed for our souls. 

Deb pokes her way out now....opens the door....and begins to 'mention' things to me. The neighbor next door just had a rattlesnake in their backyard, hence the white truck, as I put 1+1 together and get 'fireman'... Down here, the fire department frequents these parts with white trucks as they do free snake removal. Around now, they are doing 15=20 calls a day, so this is where Jersey might differ. 

There I was sitting....in the early dust of a new night...in the front....open to the ranges and whatever elects to come in. Not barefoot but no shoes. I wasn't even looking around me to see what might have been under my feet. But the image below shows what I might have seen, just a door down.