Good Things Happen Too

[rojo]

There are many ups and downs in life. Good things and unfortunately, bad ones too. Sometimes the bad things can seem overwhelming. I won`t list any of the bad ones here; this thread is to concentrate on the good things. That way, if one of us is going through a difficult time, or just needs a pick-me-up, maybe some of this will help. Post any inspirational quotes and nice things that you have witnessed, here.

Today, I saw a flock of Canada geese flying overhead, hooting the arrival of springtime. It`s always a spectacle to see those big letter V`s in the sky. I`ve been witnessing it since I was a tot, and I still enjoy watching it every year.

[rojo]

Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up. Jesse Jackson

[Ouled Nails]

Oh, my, yes! Why does it draw our attention so much? I have done it every year and still do. The flocks of Canada geese don't seem to be as great as my memory would like to remember them. But, geez, it does have that very effect, doesn't it? Just like a Rite of Spring.

Okay. Here's a beauty from my late teenage years on the farm (you know where rojo). An early spring day when it's warm enough to keep the back door open for a while. A persistent and consistent sound that draws your attention away from whatever you believe is important in life. It's those black birds! No, not crows. Smaller and their black is almost bleuish. They all gathered in early spring, hundreds of them, crowding up a leafless tree as though it were all black and crowing, no, not crowing, just producing this ongoing calling/talking sound which I cant' describe but where there is no pause. And, then, without any obvious signal, they take flight. They fly over the field in perfect synchrony, a ballet far above the ground where one, two hundred birds seem to know exactly where to go and how to move, up and down, left and right, like a single organism. And the very movement of their wings is the music because at this point they're not crowing, only moving, all together, like a single being.

It's a memory. That's all it is. I have not seen anything like this in thirty years.

[rojo]

Like this?

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?doc...81973393100875

[rojo]

To love and win is the best thing. To love and lose, the next best.
- William M. Thackeray

[Andrew Roussak]

...In our lifetime, so many different people cross our paths. They come and go, and some of those who were once dear to us are now gone forever… but yet not without a trace – and these traces are All Good Things they were once to us.

Ian McClaren ( a friend of mine )

And - STARLINGS - wow...

Best regards from Germany
Andrew

[Ouled Nails]

Very much like this. Pretty incredible,I think. Why they call them "vulgaris" is beyond my understanding. Thanks a bunch.

[rojo]

Nice quote there, Andrew.

ON- Your welcome; thanks for reminding me of them. Yup, a wondrous spectacle, the starlings. They do sound funny as well. And your description of them is lovely. I remember taking a picture of some once; there were oodles of them sitting on a phone wire and post. Wonder where I put that? My mother taught me about birds. I know most of the local ones. That`s how I knew what kind of bird you were talking about. Birds are fascinating. Miniature dinosaurs. Or something like that.

[giovannimusica]

Hi Ouled Nails,

*Vulgaris* comes from the Latin *Vulgus* - meaning crowd.

Vulgaris in this context means ordinary; of the usual type.

Has nothing to do with them being *vulgar*. English can be a very inexact language. A better language would be Classical Greek. It has much more structured nuance. Of course, if we all knew English like Shakespeare knew it...oh the possibilities


Regards!

Giovanni

[zlya]

English can be a very inexact language. A better language would be Classical Greek. It has much more structured nuance. Of course, if we all knew English like Shakespeare knew it...oh the possibilities.

Ah, you mean if we all used arbitrary spelling, slang, bad grammar, and made-up words? Shakespeare was a genius and a god, and to be honest, most of us just couldn't pull it off.

And I disagree. I believe English is a beautifully nuanced and exact language, even if some of its words have evolved from roots which meant quite different things. The question "Why they call them vulgaris" has nothing to do with ignorance of English, but of ignorance of Latin which is quite a different thing, and though lamentable, entirely excusable in modern life.

[rojo]

Ah, the smells of summer.....

Last night I was enjoying the pungent aromas of summertime outside my open window- barbecue, cut grass, chives, and skunk! To think just a few weeks ago it was lilac....

Actually, there are smells I find much more objectionable than skunk (and chives); I really did enjoy it. The smell of skunk is not bad, as long as your not too close to it!

I've notice an abundance of Monarch butterflies this year, and bumblebees, and other kinds of butterflies, which I guess is reassuring; I find the Monarch to be a most impressive butterfly because of it's migrations! Amazing...

[Ouled Nails]

Them butter-flies (strange name in English ) are amazing for sure. Where does that English name come from? What is it in your respective languages? Papillon, in French. I wonder if the English folks who called it a butterfly had been watching dogs try to catch them . Last time I was at the lake, alone with white dog, 'twas full of butterflies and draggonflies (another interesting name). Wolf dog tried and tried to get one of those buttery insects in his mouth, clasping his teeth in the process, but to no avail. Quite amazing, really, because the poetic butterfly does not look so agile and fast at first sight, seemingly drifting around like a distracted little being who is reciting poetry while in flight. Forget it, said wolf dog, this ain't worth the effort. The result? butterflies, 10; wolf dog, 0. Buttery flies, indeed.

[rojo]

Nice story, ON. In French, Papillon sounds nice, and in Spanish as well; Mariposa. But in German? Schmetterling!

Slippery little creatures indeed.

[Art Rock]

Dutch: vlinder
Mandarin: hou-di-e

[Ouled Nails]

On a restaurant deck, near the Penobscot River in Maine, I enjoyed this month/time in my life/meal tonight. A young but powerful eagle flew by, sending the resident crows in a frenzy; ducks were peacefully drifting on the water, both up the dam and below it. The temperature was hot for Maine, at around 85F but the breeze picked up late in the meal and, suddenly, everything felt just right. It was that physical state of being when cultural associations suddenly become more meaningful. Humm, I thought, that Korean forumist who talked about umbrellas in the sun. Interesting. Why do Koreans value a light complexion when so many North Americans seek to tan? Such a meaningful question, I think. Culture is to personal well being what the eagle is to the landscape.