Kalib and Jobe visit via pixel; a single study of the young writer, Shoshana; Carmen froze in Arizona; moose in the road; elephants in the road
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 12:30PM 
I have not seen these two, Jobe and Kalib, for over a week now. Lavina is pretty good at sending pix to me over the phone. I always show them to Margie. She always likes them.
For those who might have read my entry three days ago about my dream of Jobe and the grizzly bears but who may not have read all the comments, here is the one left by Lavina:
"Wow, that intense, I got chills thinkn about it! But Jobe is of the Bear clan on his Apache side so maybe that's why they befriended him b/c he's one of them...I'll give hugs to Jobe for you."
As soon as I read this comment, I went into the house, grabbed Margie, dragged her out here into my office and had her read it.
She was startled, and pleased.
"Yes!" she of the Bear Clan said. "I didn't even think of that."
And neither did I.
That's Lavina - always in tune.
Study of the Young Writer, Shoshana - this from two or three days ago. I had not planned to do any more studies of Shoshana for maybe another week, at least a few more days, but her earrings caught my eye.
Here I am, on my way to Metro again, as this kid shoots by in the opposite direction. It is Monday, January 10. Carmen has been gone on vacation since Christmas. She is supposed to be back to work today. Will she be?
She is! Elisabeth tells her I am at the drive through window. We are all happy to see each other.
"How was Arizona?" I ask her.
"Freezing!" she answers. "Cold. It was so cold, Bill! I couldn't get warm. I was cold all the time. You must bring Margie by. I must ask her about this."
It was cold everywhere she went, she says, including Phoenix and Scottsdale.
They did not take any warm clothing with them because, after all, they were going to Arizona from Alaska.
She folds her arms and draws them tight against her body, as if she is trying to conserve the heat that she lost down in Arizona. She looks like she is about to shiver.
"It was cold, Bill," she says. "Freezing cold."
Back out on the road, this moose crossed in front of me. I could have been forced to hit my brakes and to slide all over the place, maybe right into the moose, but I was watching out for it before it ever showed itself.
I just knew that a moose was going to pop up right around here.
I felt certain of it.
Sometimes, you just know these things.
Sometimes you don't.
Then you are more likely to hit the moose.
It happened again this morning. I got to sleep somewhere between two and three am, woke up a few times and then could not sleep a wink past 5:15. Still, I stayed in bed with the covers over my head, two cats laying on me and another tucked in close to my side until Family Restaurant opened.
Then I went, sat down, was served breakfast and all the coffee that I could drink and I drank too much. I photographed myself in the window. I noticed this morning that the amount of gray or white in my hair seems to have increased by at least four-fold over what it was just this past fall.
Maybe it was the mirror and the way the light hits it. Maybe if I look in another mirror, I will see that I have not gained all this gray, after all.
I need to get my hair cut and my beard and mustache trimmed.
Wouldn't everybody be surprised if one day I just shaved my beard and mustache completely off. They would really be surprised. Nobody has seen my like that for over a quarter century. I bet my face would be really pale, and shiny.
If I were ever to do something like that, I would grow the beard back real quick.
If I didn't, I would have to shave everyday. To me, it just makes no sense to waste time shaving every day.
And these two from India
We drove through two national parks where wild elephants hang out, and both times it was after dark. But every now and then, an elephant would appear in the headlights of our taxi.
People passing through the parks are required to stay in their cars. They cannot get out and go roam around. One can only hike in the parks with a permit.
My nephew, Ganesh, Soundarya's brother, knows how to get these permits and has promised to one day take me hiking out there, among the elephants.
When she saw the elephants, Soundarya shrieked with joy. There is more to this story, of course. There always is.
Reader Comments (6)
I would be shocked if you shaved your beard. But, I'm sure I'd still recognize you. :)
Jobe from the Bear clan. That explains it...great story!
I have a son with a perfect face that I have not seen in the past 35 years. He grew a beard to make himself look older when he was a young father -- and has never shaved it off. Perhaps he too considers that would be a waste of time as well. I really would like to see his whole face again though.....
Jobe from the Bear Clan -- what a beautiful metaphor.
love the elephants, such majesterial creatures! yes, beard-shaving is such a drag. aren't you curious tho to see what your pink-cheekd self would look like sans beard? which is not to say you ought shave. also love the photo of The Two in that phone.
I think I will have to take sometime out of my normal schedule and name it "Uncle Bill time" and read the blog daily!!
So much into this...I hope you start sleeping regularly...
and a clean shave?? - I would wonder who you are! Its your trademark! :) :)
I really wonder how Alaska would be like when I feel Blore too cold at night - it will be surprising to most of them but its get just close to 10Celcius and I feel toooo cold! :) I think I would freeze if I was in Alaska!!
Your comment about your beard made me think about my dad. Shortly after he got out of the Marines in the early 70's my dad grew a beard. Do you remember the show Grizzly Adams? My dad looked like that. I had never seen my dad without his beard until last July...36 yrs. The radiation and other effects of the cancer had taken its toll on my dad's facial hair and I cant lie, when I first saw him I thought "thats not my dad". Just 2 months later when I went back for the final goodbye and viewed him his beard was the first thing I noticed. Its silly sometimes what matters to us but I was so happy to see that beard...granted it wasnt as thick and bushy as it had once been but it was still something and that was how I knew my dad to look. Admist all my heartbreak I found some comfort in a small thing like a beard.....