“Y R U Motoring Downwind?”

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Mark Zeiger

Yesterday, the three of us went to the boundary rock on the north end of our beach. The fishing has been pretty good there, and we hoped to catch a pink salmon for dinner. Michelle and I fished while Aly, never that enthusiastic about fishing, whittled, ran errands, and kept us company. The sunny, windy day was quite pleasant, and as we fished, an endless parade of boats passed. Inevitably, we saw a sailboat, which started us joking. Michelle proposed making a giant bed sheet banner to haul out when sailboats pass. It would read “Y R U motoring downwind?” Continue reading →

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Bats

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Mark Zeiger

July has two new moons, one on July 1st, the other today. I’ve been looking, but have not found a term for this. I would have thought the term “blue moon” would apply to two new moons in a month as it does to two full moons, but apparently that’s not so. At any rate, if you’re reading Mary Oliver’s Twelve Moons as a lunar calendar with me this year, it’s time to read another poem. Today’s poem is Bats.

The allusions in this poem ought to please the vampire fans among readers, but it does little for the bat’s reputation. I love bats, and I love that some varieties of bats are native to Alaska.

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