The exercise:
Today we shall write about: strange creatures.
More cabin reno work today - got the cabinets prepped for painting, Kat painted some walls and got started on the guest bedroom ceiling, and... some other stuff I can't remember right now. Back to harvesting tomorrow morning for the market.
Might be the last time, with the frost threatening to arrive any day now. We shall see.
We shalllll seeeeeeee.
Sorry, I'm tired. I'll get to my take on the prompt now.
Mine:
I've observed to Kat many, many times since we moved here that Osoyoos has an impressive array of strange insects. Like, what the hell is this?
Another angle of his brother or cousin or... wife? *shudder*
Needless to say (but apparently I'm saying it anyway), the zoom on my camera was used to its fullest for both of those pictures. Thankfully neither creature got offended by my presence and tried to eat my eyeballs.
Anyway. Today I decided enough was enough. I wanted an actual answer.
After a bit of wandering around the internet, I came across this very helpful page - I'd link to their home page but there's a picture of a snake there and nobody wants that. Anyway, I'm pretty certain that I've got two pictures of a Western Conifer Seedbug - it looks about right to me, at least.
So, I learned something today. I don't think I'm about to become an entomologist any time soon, but I am fond of knowing what exactly is crawling around outside my home.
Apologies for the bug pictures today. I shall make it up to you tomorrow with something a bit nicer. Birds, perhaps.
I should stop typing and hit publish now. Writing when tired is kind of fun though.
Marc - It sounds to me that you are having fun with your new home with all the renovation works and i wonder what did Kat paint on the celling?
ReplyDeleteI think that your spirit is quite remarkable! Although you're tired but you still continue to write. That is surely something that I've got to learn. I quite like about your prose in that raw mood :)
Mine:
I don't know much about strange living creatures but then i think that for any living things in the earth or universe it somehow seems strange to me and did i mention human is strange as well?
The fact is that i view them all as equal being. I think that no matter how strange whether it is a "they" or "me", it will eventually end up quite the same with life and death in mind. At most living once a lifetime on a small part of the world.
Sometimes when i stare right into those insects, i somehow feel sympathetic for their plight that they had to reduce to something so small and powerless even though some are really powerful in it's size but then the viewing of all beings are equal comes back to my mind.
I feel that no matter how strange, it is still trying it's very best to live a carefree life like anybody would. And for that reason, i try my best not to harm them in anyway i could.
Actually, i feel that if they had the same intelligence as a normal human being, they might have also created something fantastic. I won't be surprised that their creation might prose a positive influence in the world.
And i mean insects :)
Ah, just white - the ceiling was in need of a new coat of paint as much as the walls were :)
ReplyDeleteThank you again for some meditative prose!
@Zhongming: Marc is right, that's some elegant meditative prose.
ReplyDelete@Marc: Sorry this is a little later than normal (I think I still have 10 minutes of the day left in your timezone though!), things got hectic. Again.
Strange Creatures
"It's like they're made with all the left-overs," said Vince, poking something into through the wire mesh of the cage.
"What are?" Dave was glowering at the ancient cooker as if that might make it turn on, having twiddled the bakelite dials until they were in danger of coming off.
"Monotremes," said Vince, poking something else through the cage. There was a quiet snapping sound inside the cage.
"Mono-whatsit?" Dave kicked the cooker and discovered that it's frame was cast-iron. His anguished scream got no response from Vince.
"Monotremes, Dave." His voice was patient, exactly the tone that Dave used with him when he thought Vince was being stupid.
"He means the Duck-billed platypus," said a new voice, a woman's. "The one no ransom will be paid for and that you're supposed to be cooking."
"HOW? Dave's brain was urgently sending his voice messages not to shout, but not quick enough. The newcomer's cool gaze got the message through though. "This piece of cr-- cooker doesn't fu-- fully work," he said.
"Turn it on at the wall," said the woman. "And stop him feeding the praying mantises to the monotreme, will you. We might need them."
She left as abruptly as she'd arrived.
"She's a strange creature," said Dave to no one in particular. Then, "Vince! Stop feeding that damn duck!"
Greg - better late than never :)
ReplyDeleteLots of great moments in your prose today, I can't pick a favorite!