Shrouded Shore: The Many Musings of Thom Singleton

  Nothing I have nothing to write about today. Maybe tomorrow I’ll have something, but today nothing. So I guess I’ll write about nothing today. But then isn’t nothing something? If nothing is something to write about, it must be something. Isn’t THAT something!

  Rain First drip-drop, then pitter-patter, then sprinkle, then drizzle, then shower, then downpour, then cloudburst, then deluge, then thunderstorm, then cats and dogs, then flood, then (hopefully for you) still afloat.

  My Fortune Cookie      It said: “Your entrepreneurial spirit will take you far.” Hey wait, I’m 78. Last time I was entrepreneurial was loooong ago, almost antediluvial. If I would embark on something so primordial, I first would need to travel again the river of life, and dig into my life’s fluvial. What has been deposited in this river, its bountiful sediments, That has helped me to cause my benefit and betterment? It’s this: an interest in others, in his or her story, A dip into their rivers, their pain and their glory. This has been a strong point for long a priority: To help navigate their voyage down life’s tricky fluidity. To be a beacon of light to others in their plight. If this is what the cookie says will take me far, It’s right, it’s been my good fortune to help others be a star.

  Mel and Milly They’ve moved in next door, well, back door. They like what we’ve done to our place: the deck, the pond, the bird feeder. They like to sit on our deck, and jump in the pond. Because, well, Mel and Milly’s last name is Mallard. Yes, they are a mated pair of mallard ducks. They jump from the deck into the pond, then waddle over to the bird feeder pole to feed on fallen seed. Good neighbors. 

  Wobbly Call me unsteady on my feet. OK, wobbly. Like a boat pitching and yawing on the waves. What’s the cause? A fall off a truck onto my back a couple years ago? Probably. Loss of core strength. Likely. Here’s a possible one, low level of vitamin B12. What to do about it? Exercise to address the low back pain. Strength training and daily walks. B12 supplement. I can do this. I’m only 78.

  Water Birds  The red-orange glow of the predawn light reveals a mated pair of wood ducks waddling their way through the raindrops from our pond to the feeder pole. Here the female eats fallen bird seed with gusto while the male stands over her, erect, protective, ever vigilant. He allows himself to eat only after she is satisfied. As grey clouds extinguish further the already muted light, the woodies move off and a mallard arrives to eat his fill in the rain. After all, they are water birds. Whether the water is raining down or already in the pond, it’s water off their backs.