Monday, June 8, 2009

Bird Brain



The highlight of my day was watching a pileated woodpecker hunt for bugs in a burned out stump down the hill from where I now live. He was large, larger than a crow, with the distinctive brilliant red crest. He rooted around energetically for more than five minutes, while I just watched, marveling. Then, hearing another woodpecker nearby, he looked up. Alarmed? Jealous of his territory? And flew off in the direction of the potential rival.

The New York stock market went up today, slightly. Conservatives in Europe gained more power in elections. Hezbollah lost power in an election in Lebanon. The North Korean government sentenced two journalists to hard labor. All these are important and interesting events. But I’m not sure knowledge about these developments enriched my life more than just watching that bird eat bugs for five minutes.

3 comments:

Ani said...

"La vie est hérissée de ces épines, et je n'y sais d'autre remède que de cultiver son jardin."

"Life is bristling with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to cultivate one's garden."--Voltaire

Or, in other words, "burnout."

Ani said...

Actually, worth a tweet for me... :)

Anonymous said...

Recharging batteries. Absolutely necessary.