I Never Enjoyed Killing
I’ve never in my life gotten pleasure out of kiling living things. I can respect and appreciate people who hunt, especially when it is not just for ’sport’ and they actually make venison out of it. Once, when I was about 13, my dad handed me a rifle and told me it was my job to kill the groundhog that was digging holes in our lawn. I was incredibly excited. I waited for that sucker with my eye in the scope. He finally made his appearance. I pulled the trigger, and he immediately started spasming in wild excitement. My father instructed me that it would take another shot to finish him. I aimed, steadied, and pulled the trigger again. The spasming stopped. It was then my job to get rid of the body. I walked over to the dead groundhog and stared in horror at what I had done. I immediately felt sick to my stomach. I cried.
Yesterday I was putting shingles on the roof of the chicken coop when I noticed some wasps moving in to a hive. Two of them were mating, which I found midly interesting. It was like those shows you see on the Discovery Channel. However, I am petrified of flying insects. I found the wasp killer and soaked the hive. I was pleased with myself until I saw their dead bodies dropping from the nest. I felt like a murderer. What had I just done to them? Who said that they didn’t have the right to be there? It’s unfortunate that their lives had to be brought to an end simply because they were an “inconvenience” to me…
The Word Is Out
I set up the first bird feeder at my new house… And the word is officially out! The first bird to stop by was a White Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis). Here are some photos:
I can’t wait to see and photograph the variety of birds that stop by for a quick treat!
Modernizing The Home
So, my dad and I recently got a dishwasher in our house. It is amazing how one simple appliance can change your life. The dishes used to be a task that my dad and I absolutely dreaded and avoided. I feel so blessed to now have this “modern” technology. We load it full of our nasty, dirty dishes, push some buttons, and walk away, only to come back later to perfectly clean dishes. Simply incredible!
I do have to admit, however, that I am spoiled by the dishwasher – I obviously could do the dishes by hand for the rest of my life. I would have to assume that a dishwasher is much more efficient, though.
Easter
Easter has come and gone. I had a nice weekend in Cooperstown with my mom, my sister, and her friend Jolie. The three of them arrived on Friday from New York City and we all went our separate ways today. We attended the Easter service at Christ Episcopal Church in Cooperstown. Although I do not regularly attend church, I still thought it was a lovely service. It has one of those European cathedral type sanctuaries. During the sermon, I stared in amazement over the ornate architecture. It is simply gorgeous.
Now that the weekend is over, I can let out a huge sigh of relief. Both my mom and my dad know about my sleeve now, and, well… I’m not dead, they haven’t disowned me… Life goes on!
Although I sincerely wish my mom would just sell that house already (no one currently lives in it, we just use it for family gatherings) it is quite nice to be able to escape to the middle of nowhere. The house has such a charm and whim to it, thanks to my mom’s designs and remodels. It looks like something out of a “Good Housekeeping” magazine. You just want to curl up in the bay window with a good book and tea! I technically live “in the country” now, but that house is literally in the middle of nowhere. There is a certain peace of mind that is much easier to attain there.