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And then it was June
My summer has been going like these peonies: fast and furious. This month has been in such a great big hurry to make a flashy show and then get the hell over already. I’ve been meaning to blog since May about my trip to visit Susan in Grass Valley, Joon’s birthday, my mom having double knee surgery, and my constant trips back and forth to the desert…but in all the commotion I’ve somehow left my head unscrewed and it’s still swiveling around in circles making me a bit sea sick.
But I am still here! I’m busier than ever with work which is great. I’m stuffing in lots of family time and plenty of “hot girl summer” memories but I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to document them. So in the meantime here are some beautiful fleeting peonies.
Bursts of joy that make the maximum impact and then float to the floor as fragile whisps of their former selves, kind of like memories.
I have a giant print on my wall of some dead peonies fading on my dark scratched wooden table. I love that print and the longer it hangs there in my dining room the more attached I am to it and to all fading peonies. They are the dark siren of the flower world. I join the masses who sing their praises.
So quick, so fleeting, so dramatic. Just like life.
I wish I had time to pick up each petal and remember them one by one by one by one. Maybe that’s what the afterlife will be like, just sorting through all the petals of memory. There surely are enough to last forever! Anyway, deep wandering vague thoughts that don’t make much sense. I’m just filling space until I can get back here to properly document things.
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The Great Duck Rescue Face-plant
Monday, I was walking my dogs and there was a malard duck in the middle of the street. It’s a pretty busy street so I was worried about the duck. But also it was early morning so it wasn’t as busy as it will get as the day goes on. I decided that I needed to rescue the duck because a few years ago Bug and I watched a mama duck and her babies get stuck in traffic and much to our horror, one little duckling didn’t make it. While we screamed helplessly in the car, it was crushed under a wheel right in front of us. We’ve been traumatized about ducks ever since.
I decided to slowly walk my dogs out into the middle of the street to hopefully scare the duck to the other side to safety. Unfortunately, the dogs interpreted my actions to be that we were hunting the duck and not rescuing the duck so of course they got very excited. The closer we got the more excited they got and suddenly Cody lurched forward, pulling me down with him.
The dogs got loose and ran after the duck.
I fell to the ground on my knees first, then my palm and then my forehead and nose, like a rolling tripod. Now my dogs were running free in traffic, leashes flailing behind them. It was the most horrible thing ever. I got up and ran after my dogs and managed to get them. A car slowed down to see if I was okay but since I was up and running they sped on by.
I managed to catch my dogs and hobbled home. No broken bones, just skinned up knees, an egg on my forehead (that hides under my bangs) and a scraped up nose. I think the effects of adrenaline got the best of me by then. I teared up but made it home and patched myself up.
Now I’m walking around with a large surface gash on my nose and my knees are giant healing scabs. I try not to complain but I think I complain all day. Face-planting onto asphalt is hard when you are almost fifty! My whole upper body was sore all week and I’m still creaking around like I’m 100 years old. Anyway, I thought I’d share since photos of me have been popping up looking a little worse for wear.
I am fine though!
Moral of the story: Don’t rescue ducks. We’ve walked that same route everyday for a year and every day since the great duck rescue, the duck has showed up near the scene of the face-plant, completely unharmed and apparently not needing rescue. I think he must have a brood nearby or something.
