Sunday, May 25, 2014
Gosh it had Been Awhile- so Sorry...Here is an Update
The days fly by here...we are nearing six months here on the other side of the globe. When we arrived in December it was hot and humid and the days were long. Now we are nearing winter (July/August!) and the days are shorter and the weather is cool enough for jeans or a long sleeve t. The sugar cane was barely up to the fence in the backyard when we arrived and now it towers over it and it is blooming (achhooooo!). Fred said that it is related to corn somehow.
But with everything going on, my work has not slowed- and I love my work. I have several books in the works and several under contract. I am looking forward to heading to the States and being able to do the research I cannot from here and to check in with my tribe of amazing and accomplished artists and writers before I return to the antipode.
I keep a journal and these are some notes: the same birds come by every morning and our favorite is a scrappy looking Madagascar fody we call "Billy", the sky is ablaze with stars instead of light noise at night, most of the drivers on this island should not be allowed to drive, giant fruit bats hang from telephone wires during the day, I appreciate house geckos, I wonder what this place looked like before people arrived? , it's nice to take a break and sit outside (when that "gardener" is not here), the ocean water is an incredible blue, don't drink the powdered milk from India, those red flowers make me happy, ANOTHER holiday??? , I love exploring a new place with my Pookie , I wish I had a book that is not electronic here and Chilula hot sauce.
But with everything going on, my work has not slowed- and I love my work. I have several books in the works and several under contract. I am looking forward to heading to the States and being able to do the research I cannot from here and to check in with my tribe of amazing and accomplished artists and writers before I return to the antipode.
I keep a journal and these are some notes: the same birds come by every morning and our favorite is a scrappy looking Madagascar fody we call "Billy", the sky is ablaze with stars instead of light noise at night, most of the drivers on this island should not be allowed to drive, giant fruit bats hang from telephone wires during the day, I appreciate house geckos, I wonder what this place looked like before people arrived? , it's nice to take a break and sit outside (when that "gardener" is not here), the ocean water is an incredible blue, don't drink the powdered milk from India, those red flowers make me happy, ANOTHER holiday??? , I love exploring a new place with my Pookie , I wish I had a book that is not electronic here and Chilula hot sauce.
Monday, May 05, 2014
How Lucky am I??? Mama und Papa- Liebe.
This picture was taken by my uncle Harvey George of my parents. I look at this (and many more pictures of them), read their e-mails and notes- think of the times when in a single word "Ohana", for example, where they brought the idea and the meaning of family and made it manifest because they ARE and I am one lucky kid. I love you Mom and Dad. We all do- love from me and Fred and Tristam. Fred has said many times that until meeting you, that he had never seen a healthy relationship before. You two are rare birds, xo. Keep dancing your dance.
4 Months (or so)
I don't know if there is a kid or former kid out there who hasn't tried to dig all the way to the other side of the Earth. China is the usual assumed destination if you are in the U.S.. My agent told me that the word for the opposite side of the earth is an antipode. The almost (very nearly) antipode of where we live in California- is Mauritius. And so for four months now, we have lived here on the other side.
You can't predict how a place is going to be from reading about it or looking at pictures. Before moving here that was what I had to go on- that and Fred telling me about Mauritius. At first it was all so overwhelming. A van came to pick us up at the airport with our pile of suitcases and bicycle cases. The funny thing about the bikes- they are useless here. Riding on the roads is taking you life into you hands, but the cases came in handy during a flash flood where Fred and I had to divert the water away from the house. We used the bike cases as dams , along with some kitchen trash bags we filled with water and some others we filled with rocks.
Many mornings, we wake up and open the accordion doors onto the back yard and let in the breeze. The birds have gotten used to that sound as the "breakfast is being served" sound and they all come; Madagascar Fodys- especially an orange colored one with spiky feathers on his head we call "Billy"- after Billy Idol. Billy hangs with a group of sparrows. He is with them, but keep to himself. At first he was terribly shy- didn't come near the house and sat out on the lawn- an orangish red dot out there- and gradually, he became pretty comfortable and now often times, he is the first bird waiting for breakfast and complaining if we are late to deliver it. I love Billy. There are red bearded bulbuls that travel in pairs and zebra doves...the Mynas have a complex and varied range of calls and the village weavers are family centered birds who build their nests in palm trees that they enter from the bottom . Clever birds. I never grow tired of the birds.
I can't remember a time in my life without birds. At home we have our little parakeets ( who are under very good care of their new flock leader)- parakeets are flock birds who are used to having their voices carry over long distances and the unsuspecting pet buyers who come into per stores are often unaware of this and so many birds wind up being abused or neglected because of their natural instincts.
In California we have our hummers. They zip through the air in every which direction at high speeds, yet they are so small and delicate. During the day their hearts beat at 1260 beats per minute, but when they are sleeping, it drops to 50-180 bpm. Incredible creatures- and far older than us homo sapiens .
Birds have been around some 150-160 million years (present day estimate). Homo sapiens - about 200,000 years...we are youngsters compared to them...
So birds- they are making this place feel more like a home- not the people, not anything else- the birds. After I post this, I will cut up some baguette from our local boulangerie for the birds breakfasts. I look forward to opening the doors and seeing Billy- or the rest of our flock.
You can't predict how a place is going to be from reading about it or looking at pictures. Before moving here that was what I had to go on- that and Fred telling me about Mauritius. At first it was all so overwhelming. A van came to pick us up at the airport with our pile of suitcases and bicycle cases. The funny thing about the bikes- they are useless here. Riding on the roads is taking you life into you hands, but the cases came in handy during a flash flood where Fred and I had to divert the water away from the house. We used the bike cases as dams , along with some kitchen trash bags we filled with water and some others we filled with rocks.
Many mornings, we wake up and open the accordion doors onto the back yard and let in the breeze. The birds have gotten used to that sound as the "breakfast is being served" sound and they all come; Madagascar Fodys- especially an orange colored one with spiky feathers on his head we call "Billy"- after Billy Idol. Billy hangs with a group of sparrows. He is with them, but keep to himself. At first he was terribly shy- didn't come near the house and sat out on the lawn- an orangish red dot out there- and gradually, he became pretty comfortable and now often times, he is the first bird waiting for breakfast and complaining if we are late to deliver it. I love Billy. There are red bearded bulbuls that travel in pairs and zebra doves...the Mynas have a complex and varied range of calls and the village weavers are family centered birds who build their nests in palm trees that they enter from the bottom . Clever birds. I never grow tired of the birds.
I can't remember a time in my life without birds. At home we have our little parakeets ( who are under very good care of their new flock leader)- parakeets are flock birds who are used to having their voices carry over long distances and the unsuspecting pet buyers who come into per stores are often unaware of this and so many birds wind up being abused or neglected because of their natural instincts.
In California we have our hummers. They zip through the air in every which direction at high speeds, yet they are so small and delicate. During the day their hearts beat at 1260 beats per minute, but when they are sleeping, it drops to 50-180 bpm. Incredible creatures- and far older than us homo sapiens .
Birds have been around some 150-160 million years (present day estimate). Homo sapiens - about 200,000 years...we are youngsters compared to them...
So birds- they are making this place feel more like a home- not the people, not anything else- the birds. After I post this, I will cut up some baguette from our local boulangerie for the birds breakfasts. I look forward to opening the doors and seeing Billy- or the rest of our flock.
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