Dancing on the Edge

If there was a dress code I wouldn't comply. My Mom claims I've always been contrary, a good kid, and bright, but contrary. My favorite quote recently, from a Daedalus catalog "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate." Henry Tillman. Too tired to think, hardest two days working at the museum ever, prep for the wine tasting and setting up for the auction. Auction Sunday, Tuesday clean-up will be huge, and still two shows to install. Everyone in good spirits today, which certainly helps. Chairman of the Board saw D and I outdoors smoking and walked over, gave us a little pep talk. 20 degrees cooler than this date last year, low 50's tonight, good sleeping weather. The young turkeys, again, at a curve on Mackletree, looked stupidly at the truck and then scattered, awkward blokes, could have shot one with a sling-shot, if I'd had a sling-shot and had wanted to shoot one. I'm terrific with a sling-shot (and not bad throwing rocks), and still a pretty good shot with a rifle. Learned to shoot with a single-shot .22 off the back porch of Cousin Kenny's place in Water Valley Missip, exploding green black walnuts off a tree 75 feet away. I couldn't see them today. Mentioned the turkeys to D and remembered Ocee Dale, in Duck Hill, Missip, who delighted in shooting young turkeys on the wing, with a .22, called them fryers. Man could shoot. I didn't believe him until he took me out and showed me. Cousin Kenny only shot squirrels in the head, so as not to ruin meat; his mother Aunt Pete (I never found out what her name really was) was a great shooter of birds on the wing, but always aware of the cost of shells, only shot when two birds were "crossing" and she could get them both with a single shot. I can't even see when birds are crossing. Just called my Dad to find out about Aunt Pete, she raised him (his mother (Dovey)'s sister) after his Mom died when he was young, and he didn't know why she became "Pete" but her name was Mildred, which is maybe reason enough to become Pete. Hey Joe. Purple Haze. "Is it tomorrow, or just the end of time?" D bought me a portable CD player and showed me how to hook the headphones into my computer, so I'm listening to old rock music. I don't put the earphones on my ears, just put them around my neck, and I don't do it often, because I enjoy the sounds of the natural world, but after the last couple of days, Jimi and Janice are a welcome relief. Thank god history is at my fingertips. When I press with both hands, the music fills the middle of my head, I can forget everything else. Oh sweet forgetfullness.