Up and Adam

 Up and Adam

Noel Laflin

9-27-21

When I was a kid my dad would open our bedroom door and declare, 'Up and at 'em, boys'. I always misheard and thought he was talking about two other brothers named Up and Adam.

Consequently, I was inclined to to just go back to sleep and let my father eventually find the right boys to rouse.

Time and Money

 Time and Money

Noel Laflin

9-26-21

My friend Tom would have turned 64 today.

A Beatles song comes to mind.

He was just twenty when we met, so for his twenty-first birthday, four months later, I took him out for his first official drink, as well as hid twenty-one Eisenhower dollars around our room, making him hunt each one down. They were big and shiny coins – fresh from the bank – hard to miss really – unless the coins are hidden and the hunter has had a few drinks.

“You’re getting hot – you’re getting cold.” You know the game.

The last one discovered took a while as it was atop the cuckoo clock. The clock struck a late hour when he reached out to finally, and happily, retrieve it.

Cuckoo! Then the little bird retreated and the tiny door slammed shut.

The coins were stacked and counted.

Twenty-one.

Time and money …

Both pale in comparison to an old man's youthful memories.

Water Gods

 Water Gods

Noel Laflin

9-11-21

We had some rain the other night, and the summer storm that carried in both thunder and lightning along with it was a doozy.

Summer storms are rare here, so their arrival, as unexpected as this one was, was gratifying, especially since we did not lose power or experience any damaging lightning strikes. I know others did and I feel badly for them.

The only concern in our home was to run around in the dark and close all windows and doors for an hour.

And while doing so, I swear I could hear every plant in the garden singing a song of praise to the water gods above

Sticking Out

 Sticking Out

Noel Laflin

9-10-21

The adult female Pin-Tail Whydah is a sneaky bird, and just like a European Cuckoo, will lay its eggs in another bird's nest, and let the unsuspecting foster parent do the rest of the work. But unlike cuckoos, the whydah won't toss out the other eggs, but instead just hopes that the other species of bird won't catch on when the number of eggs in her nest has magically increased.

Here in Orange, whydahs prefer to deposit their eggs in the nests of house finches, as the eggs are similar in both size and color.

As I see young whydahs frequently in the company of house finches, it always amazes me how it is that the finches just don't seem to catch on that one or two of their siblings look so different from themselves. Sure, they are about the same size, fly alike, and tend to eat the same kinds of seed and grain, but where, they must think, does that bright red beak come from? And their song, for that matter, as the whydah's is vastly more melodious ... What's with that, they must wonder.

But, far be it from me to judge, as these integrated siblings do seem to get along quite nicely.

And unlike Rudolph, the whydah kids are certainly allowed to play in house finch games.

Old Shoes

Old Shoes

Noel Laflin

9-10-21

Jeremy came home from work one night - some thirty years ago - and was pretty excited. He immediately sat me down, and began to tell me why.

Now, Jeremy's way of explaining anything was as adventure in itself, as it was always in rapid sign language (ASL), since the lad was deaf. But after five years of living together, I was able to keep up with his tales of wonder.

But his excitement this particular evening was even more intense than usual as it had something to do with Abraham Lincoln and shoes.

You see, Jeremy worked in the display department at Nordstrom, and to make a long story short, he and an associate were assigned the task that day of showing off some famous presidential shoes that were on loan from Johnson and Murphy, a shoe manufacturer first established in New Jersey in 1850. In fact, the new company's first presidential customer happened to be the forgettable Millard Fillmore, leader of the No Nothing Party.

Filmore's shoes weren't part of the traveling show, but pairs worn by FDR ( custom braces still attached), Woodrow Wilson, LBJ, Ronald Reagan, and Abraham Lincoln were those that were to be arranged behind a large glass display window.

With the curtain drawn, Jeremy, and his fellow employee began to arrange their inventory, the history cards informing viewers who's shoes were who's, etc.

When Jeremy read the original thank you note from Lincoln to Johnson and Murphy, extolling the quality of their work and asking for another pair of shoes exactly like the worn pair he was now cradling in his own hands (size 14, it turns out), Jeremy said he could no longer contain himself and just had to smell the shoes. He demonstrated to me how he first carefully caressed the ancient leather, admired the well worn sheen, and then brought them to his nose, and inhaled deeply.

He stopped then, hands now quiet, and just smiled.

I don't think that I have ever been so envious of anyone in all my life.