...but are Birds of Paradise, birds of prey?
That's probably a dumb question. I don't know that there ARE any "birds" of paradise, but I like how it sounds so I'm NOT going to google an answer.
I'm doing the mental calisthenics of adjusting my attitude to autumn. No bitching about the cold. The leaves are pretty.
I don't have any Halloween plans or a costume, but the mind's full of images of bare branches and bones and dead things.
I heard there's no organized Witches' Paddle on the Willamette this year. It's just as well. It's kind of a slog when the water's cold and the wind's blowing in your face. I hope someone still goes out in costume anyway, without needing a few hundred other people for moral support.
I've been out on my board a few times despite the clouds and chilly temperatures, when the wind lets up. Not sure I'll be on the water again before spring. It's kind of a drag to have to bundle up, and it's hard to avoid getting wet and taking on a terminal chill.
I was gliding back to a boat landing, on a cloudy afternoon. It was chilly and tiring but the water was still, near one of the big clusters of house boats.
A little bit spacey after paddling for a while, I thought it started snowing. But it wasn't THAT cold.
Then I realized that I was watching feathers drift down all around me. I looked up and at the top of one of the pilings was an eagle ripping its lunch apart.
Kind of a grim image, but it's holiday-appropriate, "cycle of life," etc.
Summer's over. Contrast is everything.
It's a good time to get cozy, drink something warm, and just roll with it while the darkness sets in and the mind mulls over morbid things.
Boo.