I may have found my totem animal

I haven’t posted since Saturday? How did that happen? Um. Well, on Sunday, we (sob) took my brother-in-law and his sweetie to the train station (they’d been visiting us over the weekend).

 

I stole this picture from my brother-in-law. Dunno who phone lady is. That’s Kersti next to me, pretending she doesn’t know me. Kersti’s Swedish, which those endearing Swedes insist on pronouncing “Sheshti”.

We had a great weekend. I believe it was very restful for them, which is the goal of hospitality, the way I see it.

My legs, encased in Kersti’s fabulous boots. If everyone had boots like this, there’d be world peace.

After they left, I went for a five mile run because folks, that next half-marathon is sooner than you think.

Monday dawned. That’s Reiki day over at the chemo unit in Keene. Loads o’ fun. (Would you let the goofball in the picture above put her hands on you? No? Why not?) I went to the gym. Tuesday dawned. Crap, gotta go to work. Did that. Went for a run. Came home. Cooked things. Ate. Which leads us to now: a day where the sun dipped behind the ridge at like, 4:30pm. Ugh. This job business certainly interferes with my work of visiting the neighboring plant life.

That’s OK, though. Last night, I sat out on the front steps, looking up at the moon and watching a storm front gradually move in. It was warm, in the 50’s. And lo and behold, after I’d been there about ten minutes, we got a visitor: a skunk wandered up the hill next to the driveway. Checked out the compost pile. Sniffed at the bottom of the garage door. Went back and forth several times, just checking it out. This is the same spot the wood turtle got fixated on back in May. Apparently, we have some major mojo magic happening in the space between the garage and the house.

July, 2006 – our wedding: Dancing the Ring of Fire in the space between the house and the garage. That might have contributed to the mojo.

Meanwhile, back to the skunk: I was captivated by its combination of utter cuteness and nonchalance, and stilled into respectful silence at the realization that I had no idea whether it was aware of me, and whether its normal routine included checking out the front steps where I was sitting. Gulp. Skunk eventually wandered back down the driveway, its white stripes rippling as it bobbled along.

Naturally, when I got inside, I looked up skunk in a book I use to decipher the universe’s clues. Some excerpts:

Skunk medicine! Go ahead and laugh. ..The “I-dare-you” attitude of this four-legged creature commands you, as the observer, to respect its space by mere reputation alone…. Learn to assert, without ego, what you are. Respect follows. Your self-respectful attitude will repel those who are not of like mind, and yet will attract those who choose the same pathway. As the odor of Skunk attracts others of its kind, it repels those who will not respect its space.

Yep, skunk. Thanks, universe!

Damn, those were some fine boots.