The Persistence of Jays, Etc.

Some birds will do anything for suet. I've noticed before that most of the Stellar's Jays aren't good grabbers, in terms of gripping a surface that doesn't feel secure to them. Thus, they have a problem with the suet feeder, sized more for the chickadees and nuthatches. One came up with a partial solution today; he bounced back and forth between two branches under the feeder, spearing a gulp of suet in transit each time. Not dignifed, but effective.

Relentless saturating rains today, straight from Hawaii, after a good spell of dry sunny weather. I've never seen such a batch of pathetic birds, drenched through. The ruby-crowned kinglet was especially pitiful, several shades darker than his usual fluffy olive self. He has a scarlet topknot of feathers that usually only manifests itself when he is feeling defensive or startled; today he was so matted down it was visible all the time. I'm fascinated by these secret flashes of color, sparking out unexpectedly on seemingly-drab birds; the iridescent red at the throat of a female Anna's hummingbird, the orange undersides of a flicker's wings, exposed only in flight. Is there a word for those hidden feathers?

I don't know what designers have against green. Good greens. Why should it be so hard to find the perfect green silk blouse, or sweater? Every possible variant of pink, purple, blue is available. Why can I only find lime (death to my complexion), olive (same), mint (insipid), teal (not green), hunter (too dour), or Kelly (not for non-polo-shirt-wearers)? Is a perfect fern, clover, spring grass, apple, moss, or peapod too much to ask? Sadly, it appears to be. I'd even settle for a decent jade or emerald at this point, but no....

Snarl, hiss. Why do poetry boards atract people whose proper calling in life appears to be street fighting, no Queensbury rules? It seems such a waste of time, effort, and spleen to me, these insult-fests or flame wars or whatever you want to call them. I'm not talking about tough, reasoned, honest crit -- that's essential, or what's the point of getting feedback? It's the off-topic, ad hom garbage that always seems to attract much of the voltage of the board away from serious discussion. Call me a shrinking violet; fair enough. But that stuff really puts me off. I don't thrive on spite and malice, however cleverly-phrased.

Here is an apologia for suburbia, or quiet lives in general; a quote from Flaubert that Cambell McGrath paraphrased in an interview:

"Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work." --Gustave Flaubert

This certainly seems to work for me; the more orderly (not boring, mind you, just under control) my life is, the more undistracted energy I have for my work. Now if I could just achieve that measure of orderliness...