Interesting how the mind works

I think I may have a possible explanation for the marks on the fence (see previous post). We live near a large provincial park (well, right across the street), and though the park is "urban" in that it is within the city limits, we have lots of wildlife in the area -- lots of deer, coyotes, raptors of various kinds. We've been locked onto the idea that a bird flew into the fence, but somehow this didn't explain the marks. Then, just a little while ago, while doing dishes somewhat meditatively,
I thought, what if an owl (after all, it did happen in the dark) caught a rabbit or a large gopher that it had in its beak, and this poor little thing was struggling. The owl lands on the fence, facing our house (its back to the lane) and gives it a good whack, once, twice, to kill it. That would explain the symmetry the marks have and explains why there were no feathers or dead animals or parts of animals laying about. Does this make sense?

Creepy

These marks were on our back fence this morning. There was nothing whatsoever to indicate how they were made (they were on the inside of the yard and that gate is locked with a padlock; we're also sure no one came into the yard by another gate). We're sure it was blood, and it washed off easily, but it rattled us both a little. It looked violent and almost occultish. It really, really creeped me out. There were no feathers, no half dead animals lying anywhere, no clues whatsoever.

Time is Subjective

My usual Saturday morning routine is to get up a wee bit later than I do during the rest of the week (about an hour or an hour and a half later), then it's into the newspaper(s) with a cup or two of coffee. Depending on our mood, we will get our weekly grocery shopping done soon after breakfast, which is generally of the bacon-and-eggs variety. I can spend a LOT of time with the newspaper(s). I put an "s" because I don't always keep up-to-date with the newspapers, and then have to catch up by reading them in order. I can't read them out of order because then the editorials and letters to the editor don't make any sense. I love the letters to the editor. People have some pretty strange opinions. They make great fodder for fiction writing. However, all this newspaper reading prevents me from "getting things done". And, being a capricorn, this is naturally a source of distress for me. I can't be getting much done if I spend two hous with the newspaper.

I once heard a decorating/renovation type person say that the best way to get into those renovation projects around the house is to throw away your TV. Well, I don't watch a lot of TV, but point taken. This morning, the newspaper hasn't arrived yet, and, inexplicably, I'm caught up on my newspaper reading, so I don't have Thursday's or Friday's to read. Therefore, I'm sort of sitting around (or was) sipping coffee and, you guessed it, getting nothing done. Then it hit me: do something! So I brushed the dog. Boy, did he need it. I pulled a grocery bag's worth of undercoat out of him. Unbelievable. I was at it for at least half an hour and could have taken even more time, but he was starting to get a little restless. So, no newspaper = getting something done; along the lines of unplugging the TV and getting that spare bedroom painted.

On a different note, I bought Loreena Mckenitt tickets yesterday. She's appearing at Calgary's Southern Jubilee Auditorium, which is an awesome venue, and she's one of my absolute favourite artists. The show is at the end of September. I'm really looking forward to it. She has the most beautiful music, celtic and earthy. I've been listening to her for years.

Flesh, Blood & Hell

Apparently, a Catholic school in Australia has denied entrance to a young boy because his family's surname is Hell. What's in a name, you ask? Apparently, quite a bit. The parents are all up in arms, and understandably so. The child was in a different school, from which they pulled him because he was being bullied about his name. I say, change your name. Or change a letter. Why go through your whole life defending a name like that? On the other hand, I once had a boyfriend whose last name was Flesh, and I have a student currently whose last name is Blood. None of these names is particularly pleasant, are they? You really have to wonder where they come from -- and why weren't they changed generations ago?

Yes, I know I've been gone awhile. I had a rather traumatic incident happen in early May and it really took up all my energy and then it took awhile to come back. Sibling feuding is not a good thing. Still, you talk to people, and every single family is afflicted by it. When I pushed my sister to look at how she's behaving by speaking the truth for once, instead of just ignoring the elephant in the room, she has turned mute on me. I can't say I'm surprised.

I'll try to post regularly. I've missed you all.