Both Sides of the Fence
A Tosa resident since 1991, Christine walks the dog, raises kids, cooks but avoids housework, writes and reads, and works too much. A Quaker and
The Aging Maven, she has been known to stand on both sides of the political and philosophic fence at the same time, which is very uncomfortable when you think about it. She writes about pretty much whatever stops in to visit her busy mind at the moment. One reader described her as "incredibly opinionated but not judgmental." That sounds like a good thing to strive for!
After the storm, orioles
By Christine McLaughlin
Friday, Jun 8 2007, 09:40 AM
We were luckier in my neighborhood yesterday than last weekend.
The big winds acted as nature’s arborist in a fairly gentle way, culling the dead wood without inflicting much damage on rooftops or cars. Our power stayed on. The creek is high but the smell isn’t, always a good sign.
I knew our neighbors in Brookfield have been seducing orioles with cheap grape jelly, which they prefer to oranges. The birds, that is: I don’t know what the neighbors prefer.
But today was the first I’d seen those flashes of orange in a couple years. I’ll look for their sling nests in the willows and aspen next time I’m at the Underwood parkway.
Wildlife’s out in force. I’d like to keep it alive, so I’m trying to drive slower and more attentively to subvert their suicidal missions.
Yesterday, the dead bodies encountered in this area included deer and wild turkey. On Canal Street in the Menomonee Valley heading home, it was beaver.
Coexistence, not collision: that’s my goal.
