Wordless Wednesday: Guns-N-TV's

I question both the capitalization and the punctuation--and everything else.  All that aside, though, there's a story here.

Wordlesswednesday.com

Skywatch Friday: Turtle Talk

Behold Jane and Sundance, inveterate turtle volunteers who clean the beach as they look for signs of mama turtle activity every day, talking to people on the beach.  Jane believes there are fewer turtle nests this year (28) than the previous two years (100+) because the ladies need a break. I hope it's that simple.

Skywatch Friday

Of Grandmothers and Machetes

Last week when the ignition coil in my VW quit and I had my car towed to my mechanic here in North Carolina, I had a lovely encounter with a young man whose wisdom and insight into the ways of the world slowed me into realizing what is important:  here and now in the awareness of all that brought me here and now.  That meant paying attention to the ride in the tow truck.

That young man remarked to me that he didn’t want to do anything but what he was doing:  driving a tow truck.  Buddha spoke, and I heard.  I didn’t want to do anything but be there.

The experience brought to mind another Buddha-bringing-the-car-home experience from last winter, when the battery of my car died, and I needed to get my buggy from New Haven to Woodbury because nobody but Pete touches my car unless I’m down here and it’s Ronnie’s crew taking care of ol' Betsy.

This was a 25-mile tow that saved me the trouble of driving in the snow at the same time it saved me the unpleasant experience of being alone while driving in the snow.  (If you want to understand loneliness, come to Connecticut in a snow storm and drive through the unlit hills and dales and surprising little curves and inclines of this pretty little overtaxed, misguided state for 25 insured, expensive miles.  You will wonder not only why you live but also what you work for because you will have a hard time feeling passionately inspired by your insurance bill.  But I digress.)

This tow-truck operator was Jose from Puerto Rico by way of Florida and (briefly, thank God, according to Jose) New Jersey.  He came here for a better life, and he worked for it night and day and made sure his kids knew they would have to do the same for themselves--though he would never deny them a plate of food or a roof over their heads.  Which was why he took my towing job for $100 (and suggested I upgrade my AAA membership to avoid this in the future, which I did.)

Jose talked about a lot of things that afternoon, but this stood out:

“I would have killed my brother with a machete if it weren’t for my grandmother standing between us.  But for my grandmother, he would be dead and I would be in jail, and I would not have my kids.  That’s who I was then.  I had to stop smoking, and I did.  Now, beer only.  I stop after six.  I know too much is dangerous.  I learn that day.  Only because my grandmother was standing there, I did not kill my brother with a machete.”

That was a long, expensive day.  It ended with me wishing I could meet Jose’s grandmother.

I love my little car, and I don't mind the repairs.  After 11 years, a lot of the original pieces are bound to need replacing.  I'm fortunate to have good mechanics who back up there very good work and are straight with me about what needs doing.  These moments in the cabs of tow trucks remind me to give over to the people who can help me when I can't help myself and to take everything from the moment.

Wordless Wednesday, Fountain in Charleston, South Carolina

Wordless Wednesday

Our World Tuesday: Recovering Sea Turtles

Adella and I went to the beach early Saturday morning.  We were the only creatures with legs on site for a while.  When I stepped into the water, I watched a stingray rise up from the sand and glide through the water.  I was glad he had no desire to meet me.  I stepped out of the water.  We made plans for the rest of the day.

We decided to pay our respects to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Surf City.  The hospital is in a new building on the mainland now.  It's much larger than the place they had been using, and it's a lot more comfortable for the turtles, the workers, and the visitors.

While we waiting to see the turtles, we got a load of this turtle made from garbage found on the beach.  He looks like a craft store project, but don't be fooled.  He is made from bona fide junk found on the beach.  Over the years, we have collected countless brand new sunglasses (even Ray-Bans) and sand toys.

Topsail is a very clean beach because every morning there are turtle patrol folks and others (myself included) who pick up what revelers left behind the day or night before.  News flash to the world:  juice box straw wrappers are garbage; orange and watermelon rinds are gabarge; full dog poop bags are garbage; broken beach chairs are garbage; the hot dog and hamburger rolls nobody wanted last night are garbage.  Footnote to news flash:  If you love yourself enough to take a week off and go to the beach, love yourself enough to leave it clean when you go.  The day may come when nobody else will clean up after you.  But back at the hospital....

There are lots of turtles receiving incredible care thanks to volunteers and folks who send in money.  There's no other way.  Many of the turtles at the hospital right now were cold-stunned or were injured by boats or were sickened in marinas where boaters had been careless with their fuel and oil.

Some have suffered shark attacks, too.  However, most have been sliced open or poisoned by boats.

This listless turtle, above, has been at the hospital since last August.  She required a transfusion along with intensive TLC.  Almost a year later, the intern told us, she is still pooping oil.

The turtle above is Lenny, a female turtle who is blind and will never leave the hospital.  Lennie was likely blinded by a fisherman who beat her with a gaff hook and left her for dead.  Thanks to another fisherman named Lennie, she has been in the care of the sea turtle hospital, where she will live out her days.

The sea turtle hospital is an amazing place for contemplating the kindness as well as the cruelty of human beings.  The lesson for me is always that we have the ability and power to repair what we break.  The question is always, Do we have the heart?
This brief video captures some of the recovering turtles in the safety of the hospital.

Our World Tuesday