Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Grasshopper season is the BEST time to be a cat

In the dry heat of a late August afternoon, the cats chase grasshoppers around the yard while one human works on a news article for submission today and the other one watches the events of small lives unfold.

Grasshoppers make the best cat snacks. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, they leap and fly to make the chase interesting, but don't usually fly high or far. And there's always another one if the first one gets away.

The hummingbirds battle around the feeders. Lacking long lenses for my digital cameras I brought out the old three-pound Pentax with who-knows-what loaded in it. Not only do I feel compelled to finish the roll, as we did in the past, I will also have to wait to get the film processed. But the quick shutter and telephoto lens allowed me to close in on some of the aerial action. If the film hasn't gone by completely in the uncounted months (or more) since I loaded the camera, I may get better shots than I have since the early 1990s when I was able to shoot from inches away, concealed in a makeshift blind made on the umbrella-type clothes drying rack.

Dragonflies patrol at all elevations. The new wind chime tolls long, deep notes that seem to resonate without end.

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