Debwe

Wabooz was back this morning, not that you can tell from the picture.  (He’s under the end of the flatbed.)

Two phone calls: 

The second was from our Web host, saying that he thinks he’s fixed the problem that’s downed W’s business site since Thanksgiving.

The first (which apparently actually came yesterday, but I didn’t get until today) was from an old colleague, with an offer of occasional freelance gigs over the next two years.

Wabooz is a representative of Nanaboozhoo (in our belief system, a bit of a cross between Christianity’s Jesus and Adam, with a twist of trickster thrown in for good measure), and a symbol of the gift of knowledge that Nanaboozhoo imparted to the two-leggeds.  For some bands, he’s also a clan dodem, with responsibilities for hunting and gathering (i.e., for feeding the people).  I should have known that his appearance two days running (especially yesterday, so close) was an omen.

Life is good. 

Today there were three new visitors:  Omiimii (dove), shown here; and early this morning, two waaboozhoog (rabbits).

January 2 is very early here for the doves; they’re usually further south.  After all, it was ten below or more last night.  This dove was unusually large, too; it landed on the feeder, then flew to the tree, where it promptly got stuck, spread-eagled between two branches.  It flew away before I could get my camera; an hour or so later, dignity recovered, it was back again.

About 7:30 this morning, as I was standing at the kitchen sink, I saw out of the corner of my eye movement on the ground around the bird feeder.  I looked up, expecting to see a large bird, and instead saw an unusually large rabbit - your basic cottontail, but the size of a jackrabbit.  Eventually he scampered back to the barn, where he met up with a buddy, and they romped in the snow between the horses’ pens and the studio.  Amazingly, the dogs neither barked at them nor chased them - shocking in dogs with prey drives as strong as theirs are.  Eventually, Waboozh 1 came back to the barn and spent the next half-hour scavenging for seeds under the horse trailers.

Later this week I’ll get to some substantive issues, but for now I’m still in the whole New Year mood thing, so I’m just enjoying our guests.  And we’ll probably have a few more later this week, since we’re supposed to get quite a bit more snow.