Sunday, January 21, 2007

the villita's first snow

4" of snow - i measured. apparently, there is a new type of salt the city is using - it doesn't bounce... sticks to the road... maybe inside the little salts there is a tiny man with a shovel?







Thursday, January 18, 2007

i saw a cardinal this morning outside my window. i stared at him standing in the leafless tree until he flew away. then i remembered the preface to the thornbirds - i hadn't thought of that since high school...

There is a legend about a bird which sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth. From the moment it leaves the nest it searches for a thorn tree, and does not rest until it has found one. Then, singing among the savage branches, it impales itself upon the longest, sharpest spine. And, dying, it rises above its own agony to out-carol the lark and the nightingale. One superlative song, existence the price. But the whole world stills to listen, and God in His heaven smiles. For the best is only bought at the cost of great pain... Or so says the legend.