Merciful hearts

Hi all,

Clearly, I've been consumed with other things, and unable to tend to Ruminations for a number of months now. Apologies for the silence, but sometimes It Is Golden, and leaves space for true ruminations. I can't claim that for myself at the moment, but it sounds good, eh?

However, something Tim said today while on our 6 mile hike jolted me into the recording mood and so here is a little something for your edification and entertainment.

We have company, and for any of you who have managed a trek down here, you know we enjoy discovering new places and interesting sights with those who grace us with their presence. We decided to try a trail that promised to end in waterfalls, something that seems somewhat unlikely and certainly a sight to behold in this near-desert climate. So off we marched. Saw the gurgling brook that modestly, almost shyly, tumbled over a pretty rock formation, thus "water" and "fall" could reasonably be squashed into the same sentance, but it's a stretch to call what we witnessed anything much akin to "falling". Whatever. Which is pretty much how Tim felt about the entire event. Let's just say that hiking falls somewhere between "cleaning out my closet" and "picking empty snail shells out of the yard" on his list of "favorite things to do".

We were on our way out of the reserve, chatting about our next stop, Burger Lounge. Now, for any of you who live in San Diego, or have come to visit and have been schlepped there by us, you know what sorts of delicious thoughts run through a person's mind when thinking about Burger Lounge. The rest of you just need to come and experience it.

In an effort to make conversation with Tim, thereby distracting him from the agonizing complaints of his heavy and aching legs, I asked him if he was going to get the basil-turkey burger or regular grass-fed beef burger. He says, huffing, "Oh the beef. I think the turkeys should just be left to go free." "You mean just have them at Thanksgiving only?" I asked. "Actually, I was thinking of something more merciful; you know, let them frolick about and mate so we don't deplete their numbers. Say, Mom? What does 'frolicking' mean? I mean, is there anyone who actually DOES that?"

Ahhh. Sometimes, a conversation with Tim is all the refreshment a body needs for a good while. I would so love to be a fly on the wall in his classes, as we've been led to understand that he actively participates in discussions. All his teachers report that they enjoy having him in class and I have a sneaking suspicion that it's because he inserts these kinds of colorful punctuations into whatever the subject matter is, and therefore, genuinely enlivens their day.

Have a good one yourself!
Candy