Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Another one of those days





Family drunk acting up today, playing the emotional extortion card. I don't mind when that stuff is deployed against me, because I know it for what it is. I have a hard time understanding how a grown man in his 50's can pull that kind of shit on his own recently widowed Mom though.

I do understand that this is a hard time for everyone, and that grief can be a real hard road for the professional lush. Behaving like a drunken shitbird doesn't make him any less human or any less my brother.

Life doesn't always give you a lot of good options, and the concept of life being somehow fair is pure folly.

Some days can be tough, and that's a fact.

But it's also true that it's in the fire and pressure of pure misery where character is formed.

Thought mine was formed well enough, but I guess I thought wrong! 😬

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Mom and I took a driving tour of the Cederburg section of the ranch this evening. We'll be taking cows there in the morning and I needed to get the water turned on and valves set to deliver good cow drinking to the right stock tanks. It's something Mom has never done, so I showed her where and how.

As I was doing this it occurred to me that should I be out with surgery and the water needs to be addressed I'm the only one who knows where and how. Except for the well service folks, who would be happy to help out in a pinch I know. Still, I need to get the more responsibler family members up to speed on a lot of stuff now that Dad's gone. It's not a huge thing or even a worrying thing but just having one guy in the loop is silly when there's an alternative.

Wonder why I never thought of this before? Too much head trauma over the years? Good bet, that.

Anyway, as Mom and I navigated along a windbreak we came across a big ol' Great Horned Owl sitting on a fence post. He was just getting up for work I'm sure. Only got a poor cell phone image, but you can see his horns. If you squint a bit. Magnificent Bird!


A bit farther to the west we kicked up a Sharp Tailed Grouse hen. She didn't like being under the gaze of the owl so she hunkered down and let me get a snap and a bit of video.




My goodness it was a pretty evening and a lovely 30 minutes to spend with Mom in the middle of the place where her Husband whipped some serious good environmental mojo upon the land.

When it's "one of those days" it's never just one thing or the other. There's a circularity and an ebb and flow in everything.

I also realize that my worst days wold represent an absolute heaven to very many people, near and far, and indeed around the globe.

I must never forget my blessings and remember to be thankful and appreciative.

14 comments:

  1. I don't know why, but I really like owls, for some reason.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They're stately birds and superb predators. Also, there was X the Owl.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting Scott!

      Delete
  2. Alcohol. Been through it with my sons. One ran up three DUIs before he got it together. Ran through a boat load of my money in the process. I don't have an answer. Seems they stop when they decide to stop, or their problem kills them. Even worse is the collateral damage done to the others in their lives. Same, same with drugs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's always a train wreck for all involved. At the end of the day it's personal choice, more a choice to be completely selfish than to drink, really. One of the less pleasant parts of life, but all you can do is work hard to do the best thing and rely on supreme guidance and support. Not fun, but there are worse things.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete
  3. There were great horned owls that nested in one of the trees near my bunkhouse. Such fun to watch and see the two babies they raised.

    Collateral damage (as WSF put it) is the hardest part of living with an alcoholic. I know...

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Nature provides such a spectacular show, 24/7/365. She centers me every day.

      It's a hard thing to deal with but like every other hard thing, one step at a time and do the best you can. The One Above carries the heavy loads when you let him, at least in my experience.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting Brig!

      Delete
  4. Life is much about keeping on keeping on.

    Thanks for the post.
    Paul L. Quandt

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is a statement to conjure with Paul!

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete
  5. Nailed it.

    Oh, yeah. Write it down. We enjoy the essential man but it sucks when he fails to show up one day.
    Put it in a MUST READ binder and leave it where all can find it and learn how to turn on the water and other good things.

    I never understood why good people just wouldn't write down what is needful and necessary.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, it's just stupid not to. I think it's a subconscious (or maybe even conscious) control thing, or perhaps a strategy to avoid being kicked off the island. People. Go figure.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete
  6. Sad to say, it's what alcoholics do. What WSF said is absolutely true.

    Your world is pretty spectacular Shaun, you're a wise man for recognizing that.

    And yes, what the Cap'n said, write it down. We Air Force types lived and died by the checklist (those who didn't use it were the one who died).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's what they do, and that's a fact.

      The One who puts on the spectacular show makes it all work out so long as I do my part as best I can.

      And yeah, checklists. They're all written in blood, and ignoring them is kind of like spitting on the tombs of those who provided the lessons. Plus it's stupid. And of course if you look stupid up in the dictionary, you'll find a very good likeness of me!

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting Sarge!

      Delete
  7. Beautiful spread. And nature at its best. Sorry for the family issues, but as WSF said, it's all about THEM... Sigh... And yes, get a backup, and a backup to the backup...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm blessed in many ways, and walking nature's majesty every day is one of them.

      Working on backups and checklists!

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete