Frosty

The leaves and lawns are painted white today and the birdbath is a solid slab of ice. I put some hot tap water in there earlier and it's already skinned over with ice. Guess the birdies will have to wait for the sun to hit before bathing. Brr, makes me shiver just thinking about dunking in the water out there. Although the sparrows do seem to take great pleasure in their group bath. They splash and flutter and duck their heads in to let the water roll down their backs. There's always a bunch of them and they look like they're having fun. I have to clean out the basin and install the water heater in there so there's always open water for them.

Did you have lots of trick or treaters? We had a few, mostly neighborhood kids and grandkids, so now I've got a small bag of hard candies to put in the candy dish at work. I did have to show a 5 year old how to jump in the leaves. Can you imagine a boy (no less) not knowing instinctively how to run and jump in a big pile of leaves? Me neither, so when he looked at me kind of quizzically I just took off running and did a bellyflop into the biggest pile. I kind of slammed into the ground but it only hurt for a minute. It was only after I got up that I remembered that I'm 59 and probably should cut back on the flopping, especially when I have a running start. It was fun though.

October 31--Moorea. It didn't look much different in Opunohu Bay than it had when Captain Cook was there. People still built huts out of bamboo and thatch, and most had an outrigger canoe pulled up on the sand out front. Gaia and Max had sailed in a few days before from Rangiroa where they'd spent a week in the boatyard getting their motor overhauled and the fridge lines blown out and recharged with freon or whatever it was in those tubes that kept it cold in the box. Max had taken the dinghy ashore in search of the post office and Gaia was hanging out a load of wash on the lines run from the mast to the jib stays when the splash of a paddle made her turn. A young native man smiled up at her, his teeth Chicklet-white in his dark brown face. "You need pineapple, missus?" he called. She smiled too. It seemed like she was in a scene from a movie. "No, thanks," she said, "my husband's shore and will bring one back." As soon as the words were out she wanted to recall them. How foolish to say that she was alone. Before she finished the thought the young man had climbed aboard and stood too close.

Happy November 1! Don't forget to turn the calender page. Gotta get ready for work; it's payday. Yay!
--Barbara