We are in the wake of Winter.
We're certainly not out of the frozen thicket just yet, but some recent days have been into the high 40s & low 50s, & mud has begun to emerge from the ice.
I cannot describe how strongly I long for the warmth & joy of Spring.
This past week felt like a million years in seven days. I am now officially an employee of Avian Haven, & I began that week.
Over the past year, I've volunteered on Friday afternoons. This mostly entailed cleaning literally shitty towels, doing laundry, cleaning perches & plastic foliage, washing dishes, sweeping, general housekeeping, etc. I was lucky to have helped hold birds & do things like helping catch birds in the enclosures outside.
Now, I am a true Rehabilitation Assistant, & it is incredible & everything I've ever dreamed since I first read "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George in sixth grade, from which point onward birds, specifically raptors, and specifically peregrine falcons, became a major passion of mine.
I'm part-time, & currently work Wednesday, Thursday, & Sunday. I've gone down to per-diem as a receptionist (Patient Service Representative) at B Street Health Center in Lewiston, where I've worked for about three years. I work every Monday there, still, & other days as needed.
It's a long haul to Freedom (the town where Avian Haven is); about an hour & fifteen minutes. But, the trip is beautiful, & I'm used to it, & I often go driving for hours in the evenings just for fun, so that is no problem. But, my brother & myself do intend on getting an apartment in Gardiner at some point relatively soon, which would cut it down to about 45 minutes.
Tonight, I cooked a large porterhouse steak, which I ate alongside roasted asparagus & a pot of locally-made chili. It was phenomenal.
This was the second steak I've cooked, & I must say, I'm already quite proud of how they've turned-out. I'm far from a great cook by any stretch, but I'm trying to expand my culinary skills, & it's very pleasing.
Needless to say, I'm extremely full, especially after topping it off with a small cyclone (vanilla w/ M&Ms) from Main Street Dairy Treat down the road (cyclone is their name for a soft-serve mix-in).
I am a short & thin man, but I am not fit or in-shape, so I do have a gut. Everything goes right to my belly.
I have been resuming my beloved evening strolls around the block. Tonight, I went all the way around the neighborhood loop for the first time in a while; I've gotta put some of those calories to good use. I intend to do some exercise, at-least some running in place, but it is 1:08 AM at this moment, & I may end up just wanting to lay down.
Regardless, I do wish to be more active, & if not go to the actual gym very often, then at-least work out in my room more frequently.
In other news, my replica of the Deskford Carnyx came in a day early, today. Boy, is it beautiful.
Carnyces were large horns used by the old Celts for wartime & ritual purposes. Those puppies used to scare the everloving bejeezus out of those dastardly Romans invading Gaul back in the day.
I went down to the dam at the end of Switzerland Road nearby my house, & blasted the sounds all along the river. The echo was wonderful, & I'm curious how far the noise carried, & if anyone heard & was wondering what the hell it was.
Tomorrow, I'd like to take it to the Height of the Land in Rangeley, & let the ancient sound echo across the forested land. I can't guarantee this will happen, but hopefully I will choose to.
Here are some images:
A thing of beauty. This one was on the less-expensive end, but it's still very nicely made.
The bell is fashioned like a boar's head. The lower jaw is hinged so it may clang around & add to the intimidation factor, as well as the tongue which was traditionally made of wood & also able to clang inside, though this one is metal & mostly stationary.
The Deskford Carnyx was found in or near the town of the same name in Scotland. The other most well-known carnyx, with a more draconic head, was found in Tintignac in France, & carnyxes have been found throughout the Celtic lands as far, at-least, as Romania.
As is obvious, I have a particular fascination with the ancient Celtic peoples, & hope to bring knowledge & awareness to the masses in a manner antithetical to the nastily machismo ways of many right-wing cretins.
Needless to say, with my torc & carnyx, I intend to turn many heads at this year's annual Celtic Celebration in Belfast.
Anyhow, I grow tired & weary, & nature is calling. Goodnight, dear friends near & afar through space & time.
Be as well as you can be.
Until the next...
~Jacob "Yeof" Morin~
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