I stand corrected

Tree swallows... not purple Martins have invaded our mail box. I stand corrected. Yet it seems the tree swallows have not rejected the pathetic house sparrow I discovered in my driveway. Loyal fans ( those one or two related to me by blood) will recall my entry regarding purple Martins and their proclivites. I in my absolute stupidity mistook the tree swallows for purple Martins and hypothecated that these new residents of our mail box were behaving in a most unusul way. Wrong. Tree swallows behave like tree swallows and for the sake of the poor rejected house sparrow I found laboring to free itself from the shell, a prayer goes out that the swallows will nuture the little fellow. Even the tree swallows are cautious and behave protectively toward the young. . Whenever I approach the mail box, the swallows vacate and then stay within feet on me, circling, squalking, giving me a devil of a time for messing with their young. Can't blame them.

Well, here we are on June 8 actually feeling the full weight of summer's humidity. The record temperature for today was 95.. I think we either tied or toppped it. As for my part, be it lack of intelligence or just luck, I managed to take my daily forty minute walk, nearly two miles. OK more like a mile and a half. It was just after four in the afternoon and the temperatures was at least 95, I think more like 97. So what did I do? What any witless 65 year old in moderate condition would do.. I took my walk, listening to Joe Satriani's Engines of Creation. Engines of Creation is a great walking tape, in most cases. It is fast, rhythmic and fast. Oh, I said fast. Well it does rock. Keeping pace with the rhythm is difficult on a regular day. But try it on a day which is 97 with a heat index of 107. Yes, that's one oh seven. Mad, you say I'm mad. Well a little.

I've been a compulsive walker for many years. It hasn't kept me from getting pneumonia but it certainly has helped me keep my weight down and my legs muscular. As to my lungs.. well only and prayer and a miracle can reverse the long-term effects of smoking. Lucky to be writing is the truth. Double pneumoia, twice no less and a long inglorious infatuation with all manner of inhalable substances. I am currently in my 25th year of no cigarettes... but... well lest I be too open. I'll say no more. That I am alive is a miracle, that my lungs and body still feel strong and capable is a gift from my Creator.

Well friends, today also marked an interesting chapter in married life. When we were younger, much younger than today (*thanks Beatles)my wife, girl friend, constant companion and otherwise better self and I used to , as she so aptly put it, 'space around'. Shoot she and I have spaced around an entire continent several times... We've probably driven over 200,000 miles together.. I'd say more like 300-400,000. Space around.. yes we did it again. Spaced off to Frederick County where a new Wegman's grocery store just opened. Wegman's and many grocery stores like it are almost obscene. The food we have here is just too much. Now don't mistake me for a Socialist. I don't often go off on a share and share alike tangent but as to food, we Americans have more than enough. Too much if the statistics are correct. But space we did.. and enjoyably, regardless of the temperatures. The ride began with an enjoyable drive through Catoctin National Park where temperatures were 7-10 degrees cooler. The canopy of trees, the open field, the height all contributed to a cooler drive. But one doesn't race through Catoctin Mountains. There are hair pin turns where 15 mph is a stretch.. but the sight of cool, clear streams running parallel to the road seems to make the drive so comforting. Plus the camopy of trees keeps the sun frm blazing down.

Years ago we'd space up to Catoctin just to walk in the steams. Sometimes we'd choose PenMar, a lovely park on the MD-PA border from which one can see 4 states. PenMar sits on the Appalachian Trail and often trekkers would be camped or passing by,

On occasion I'd walk a mile or two down the trail getting a feel for it. Walking the Appalachian Trail is one of my life long goals, I suspect that's why I started walking in the first place... I've not packed that dream away but I am folding it. At 65 walking the trail seems a bit of a stretch but as my Spamalot tee-shirt says, "I'm not dead yet!" I seldome wear the shirt for fear it may find someone who would challenge that or that I might offend someone who has recently lost a loved one. Black tee shirts, got a bunch... like them a great deal.

With the hour growing late, I feel a slight ache in my body from today's walk and ride... not to mention the work I did around the house (which in honesty wasn't much). So with my body still burning calories from my walk, I'll take me to bed. As mentioned in an earlier post my internal body clock is beginning to revert to work mode. Tired by 10, asleep by 11 and up by 5. But what to do at 5 a.m. . A wiser man might walk, it's cool, quiet, and so on. Truth is I like the heat, and enjoy the sunshine. No more excuses. A tree swallow is not a Martina and I was foolish to think a Martin would change its habits, snap just like that. So I stand corrected and I am not a naturalist or bird watcher. My spacing around buddy discovered what kinds of birds we had in our newspaper slot. All things considered, the nest is a much better use of the space than is a newspaper.

Hope tomorrow's entry is full of enjoyable reading and that I can get my 4 person reading audience back. Oh yes you wonderful four, tell a friend, leave a comment, or just read. Night all.