Scraps

For the past few days I've been hard-pressed to think of a single subject that's blogworthy, so tonight I'll feed you scraps: the literary equivalent of a casserole thrown together from the contents of a nearly bare pantry.

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Today I saw a red-tailed hawk sitting on the ground of a residential corner lot. His head swiveled as he watched me drive around the corner, but he didn't seem too concerned about the presence of an interloper. I couldn't see for sure, but I suspect he was having lunch. It was that time of day.

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Still on the subject of wildlife, I found a dried frog carcass flattened in the driveway yesterday. It was so flat I thought it might be funny to post a picture of it with a silly caption, so I snapped a couple of shots. On the driveway the frog isn't that visible. It almost blends in with the rough concrete beneath it. On my computer monitor, however, the close-up photo tells a different story. One skinny front leg is twisted at an unnatural angle, and there's nothing at all funny about it.

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For Mother's Day, my younger daughter gave me a digital picture frame. This past weekend I finally had time to sit down and figure out how to load it with some favorite photos. It's really nice to be able to glance over and see a slideshow starring the people and pets that make my life feel so rich. (No frog pictures included.)

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My grandson is presently on his senior trip to Mexico. A few days after his graduation ceremony, I got a thank-you note that said, in part, "Thank you very much for the money...It will come in very handy for college (cough cough Cancun)." I love that boy young man.

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Butch is lying on the floor beside me right now, sound asleep. His tail just gave a couple of big wags, so I guess he's having a happy dream. I always wonder if he's sightless in his dreams or if he sees things the way he used to.

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I'll bet there isn't one among you who doesn't clearly know the difference between withdrawal and surrender. I wish somebody would explain it to John McCain.

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"Dancing with the Stars" is over, so I'm getting my dance fix now with hours and hours of audition shows on "So You Think You Can Dance." It must feel really great to be able to move your body like that. I was always the one in Jazzercise class who kicked to the left when everybody else kicked to the right.

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On a grocery shopping trip yesterday I wanted to buy potato chips to eat with my lunchtime sandwiches next week, but they only had extra-large bags. It seemed wasteful to buy that many potato chips. But then I saw the "buy one, get one free" sign, and who could refuse a deal like that? I bought two bags, and today I gave one bag away. Which leaves me with one huge bag containing more chips than I want or need, so it's still wasteful, isn't it?

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As much as I hate shopping, it feels good to have the pantry and refrigerator full again. My house is relatively clean, too. I was feeling kind of good about all that, but now I'm getting nervous. I've never met Holly's mother, and I just read online that a clean house and food in the fridge mean she's coming to visit. Holy crap! Now I need to clear off the dining table and steam clean the rugs.