Cat and mouse ...

Being in a 150+ year-old semi-renovated farmhouse has its benefits and a great deal of personality on the land. But there is also a downside. The main downside besides blowing the fuse everytime you run the washer, aircon, and tv together is "Moose". Moose is the friendly neighborhood field mouse who is niy uncatchable. Levi and I discovered him in our room, mostly heard him scratching around behind our boxes so we decided to arm ourselves (arming yourself is the american way after all). Instead of grabbing the broom we got inventive and grabbed the newest family members. Mary recently rescued five kittens from the feed and seed store where she gets her supplies for the goats and chickens. So Levi and I strategically places Cinco, Ichi, Zero, Banshee and Heathcliff on the corners of the room. Now I didn't actually expect the kittens to hunt the mouse but I figured their constant movement would deter a repeat appearence. If nothing else - they were fuzzy and cute.

Finished thoughts - Deer ...

Being back in the states has offered to me a new set of dangers on the road. Far away is looking out for koalas in Lismore, or wallabies coming back from Canberra. I am now back in the familiar territory of looking for the white in the eye of a deer or the white tip of a does tail. I have hit a deer in the past. I was only going 25 mph so the damage was negligible. The deer got up and walked away. More damage was done to my passenger when I threw my arm across his chest instinctually to protect him.

But with personal and second-hand experience colliding with deer there are two options of action. Hit or veer. It has long been the policy of insurance companies that if you hit a deer they will compensate your damages, but if you hit a tree or guardrail in an attempt to miss a deer - they will not. So there is the first conflict - kill or injury the animal or incur the costs of rebuilding your vehicle. This got me thinking that neither of the first two options really appeals to me.

Is it possible to remain on the road but avoid the deer. In this I am thinking of one lane back roads. Its well known that a "deer in the headlights" will not run off the road as they become easily paralized by fear. I would think that honking the horn or flashing the lights might work to scare the animal off the road - but I have never heard of anyone even trying the method let alone being successful.

Even with every tactic I could try - would I? It is just as common that human beings become paralized by fear. Would I go blank and forget all of this forethought or would I just move too slowly to be effective? If there is no point in learning and attempting these tactics then what is the point of thinking them up ....

Finished thoughts - DMV...

Okay, a week+ later but I finally have the head space to sit down and finish those "to be continued" thoughts from before.

I spent that early afternoon in the DMV (Dept. of Motor Vehicles). To be smart I went in at the middle of the day, middle of the month, middle of the week. My Australian license had finally expired so I had to renew my US license. Because of various reasons I was required to redo my written test, sign recognition test, and road test. I had finished all of my paperwork and the first two tests within a half an hour and was instructed to sit and someone would call me to administer my road test - to take approximately 20 minutes to complete. 90 minutes later one of the customer service reps asked me if I had lost my customer number or was waiting in vain. Overhearing that I had been waiting the whole time for something simple the manager realized that my semi-completed paperwork had been misplaced and no one knew I was waiting. With that said the road test took only 5 minutes and within a further 15 I was on my way - all legal and stuff.

The reason I call the DMV the great equalizer is because during my hour and a half wait I had time to observe several people come and go. Everyone has to go to the DMV, everyone who owns, drives, or hits a car does at least. There is no exemption because of your class, race, or weapon of choice. I witnessed the most striking disparity between two women at counters next to one another about half way through my wait. The first was a short south american woman with two sons (probably 10 and 12 years of age). She didn't speak english very clearly so the eye exam took a great deal of explanation. She had seen the flashing lights in the viewer but did not understand all that was required of her was to acknowledge that she could see them. When all was said and done her payment of 16$ was counted out in pennies and crinkled one dollar bills.

The woman to her left was a tall, lean, caucasion woman who had a scarf wrapped around her head under a canvas hat (presumably a cancer survivor or still in treatment). I was so distracted by the hubbub with her counterpart that I didn't hear exactly what her DMV task was but her payment was 1,091$ and she wrote a check without batting an eye and reflected that whatever the cost was it "was less than last year".

While sitting and waiting I had occasion to analyze the two women. The first was most probably an immigrant (but aren't we all), while her task was simple it was heavily complicated by the language barrier. But she was rich in beauty and had two children, at least. The second woman seemed to carry a strained contentment - as if her stature explained to the rest of us that "today is an okay day, it can be better but it can be worse". She was demur and friendly to the staff but seemed almost bored. The first woman laughed and spoke with her children while unattended and had an uncanny ability to convey what she was thinking with only the look in her eyes.

I am not passing judgement on either woman. Nor am I saying that one is of a higher class. These two women only act as an example that - perception is and isn't everything.

"If you like pina colata's .... "

Last night I went to spend the evening at the Farm and enjoy some curry and relaxation. Driving back from the store the storm clouds loomed but it was nothing too worrisome. Levi and I were hanging out regailing the prospect of rowing clubs in D.C. when Kev came in and asked for our help. It had started to pour (more like monsoon) and he needed help quickly constructing an enclosure to cover the yearling goats in the far paddock. There was no point in grabbing an umbrella and my sandals weren't going to do much good - but I can't pass up jumping in a good puddle. It took about 20 minutes to construct an a-frame and scoop up the kids born this week and drop them in the barn. But by the end of it we were all soaked to the bone. It didn't help that I stopped on the trek out to the field and back to just stand and enjoy the downpour.

I think if you can afford to get wet (or have a spare set of clothes) that everyone should stop and let the rain fall down on them. It is a nice way to let go. Once you get soaked there really is no turning back and no logical motivation to worry about silly things - especially staying dry.

Thoughts begun ....

It's nearly 2am and I just got home from babysitting the munchkins. Heres a peak at what I "plan" to post when I can see straight ...

The DMV is the great equalizer --

How to do what to do if you have to choose between hitting a deer and a tree --

Toddler quote of the day "You know sometimes frogs don't eat paper towel".

I was holding "Dasua" in my arms when he said his first coherent word - dog.

Sleep now ... and forever hold you piece

Life is what happens while you are planning ...

I plan everything. Every aspect of my life that I can control I plan my way through. I list constantly as a backup disc to my finiky brain function. I will write the same list 3 times if things are out of order or the pen bleeds. I may not always stick to my plan, but at least it is giving me some indications where I want to end up. Walk the plank, don't walk the plank - wear a life vest for going overboard.

Things here have settled down, plateaued if you will. The room at the Farm is coming along. The task of actually sorting what needs to go where, what needs to be kept, and what I can bear to part with will come in a few weeks. Mary has acquired 5 kittens, all were supposed to find alternate homes but that is never the case on any farm (there are already over a dozen full grown cats). An orange tabby named Heathcliff has taken a shining to Levi, to the point of escaping from the "Man-room" (the lounge and only room in the house you can smoke in) on a continuous basis to follow him around. It's adorable and uncomplicated.

I told you that story to tell you this story ...
When I was a kid, in elementary school, all I wanted to do was get through middle school, high school, and college to start my life. I wanted to be a veterinarian, I wanted to live in VA. I saw school at the waiting line for a really fun rollercoaster, people kept butting in line, the ride wasn't my design and certainly wasn't dangerous enough for my taste - but it was mandatory, as was the line. Now that I am fast approaching the moment I have tried to rush my whole life, I am no where near where I expected to end up. Which isn't really adorable and uncomplicated.

I have not studied the anatomy of a dog for 5 years, I have not studied the anatomy of any species. I have studied the structure of speech, debate, and politics. I don't live in VA much, at least not for the last few years. I didn't go to Ohio State and study environmental law as a back up. I don't drive a restored 1957 Ford F100, I had one once though (no tires, engine, or windows). The only thing that has tranferred from the daydreams of a 9 year old to now - is me. I can't say I would change the road that brought me here, I didn't leave breadcrumbs to find my way (the last kid that did that got cooked by some old hag - Hansel).

On the drive home from the farm tonight I got to thinking - how much can I prepare for this same conversation 10 years from now. Where do I expect I will be and how far off the map will I end up? Is life leading me by the nostrils up and down the peaks of the rollercoaster or am I a maintenance man adjusting the speed of the cars on the tracks?

As a side thought - Where is the line between being morbid and prepared for "the big bad end"?

"Haven't you people ever heard of shutting the goddamn door. These things need to be dealt with proportioned rationality."