I heard on the local NPR station a little blurb by a fellow talking about how he is different from most Austinites in that he does not hate the ubiquitous boat-tailed grackles.
I admit that these creatures have bugged me a lot in the past. They are everywhere humans congregate, especially anywhere someone might drop some food. And they gather in huge numbers. They seem to be constantly either eating or making these horrific sounds--squeaks, clacks, whoops.
The guy on the radio said that the sound the boat-tailed grackles make reminds him that he is home. Hmm, I had never thought of it that way. The same day I heard this, I'd been sitting in the little courtyard outside the student union at the university. There's a big oak tree that shades it. I heard a squeak and looked up to see a very large male grackle doing that weird heat pointed up thing they do, with a ray of sunlight striking him so that he glowed blue and purple. I have to say he was beautiful. I need to remember that, in ever being with some ugly habits (like lurking in the bushes and under my feet trying to find a tidbit), there is also beauty.
And since this especially large and festive type of grackle is not found everywhere, they ARE a sign that I am "home." Nice, now that I have Lee and feel like I truly do own my home and am anchored, I do feel home in greater Austin now.
PS: Work has been very peaceful this week, and I have been doing interesting things. Like learning MS OneNote. Whoa, if you have Office 2007, try it out! It is great for taking notes, organizing thoughts and collecting images, etc. Now I really DO need to install Office 2007 at home.
PPS: Festive Beltane greetings to all of you who celebrate. May your lives be full of fertility and growth. I hope we do something to celebrate this evening.
2 comments:
I have always thought that grackles were pretty. It’s their other habits that irritate me—their aggressiveness and that sound they make that sounds like someone holding a mic in front of a PA speaker. That sound really puts a hurt on my ears.
Still, I’m glad you’ve grown to tolerate them. I’m even more glad that you feel at home in Austin with me. I’ve certainly felt at home with you ever since I let myself recognize what I was feeling.
I love grackles! They remind me of crows and starlings---two other oft bashed birdies I like. In Anchorage, I loved watching the huge ravens swoop around my aunt's back porch.
A bird I have never liked much but have come to associate with home (although, I guess it isn't really an Austinish bird), is the turkey vulture. I used to hate seeing them on the sides of the roads with their ugly bare heads digging through carcasses, but now, when I see one soaring overhead, I actually find the sight rather soothing.
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