I was barefoot in my garden clipping shrubs the other day (admittedly, it’s losing its appeal; all the bits stuck to my feet feel like I’m walking on, well, all the bits stuck to my feet!). Anyways, the sound was so mesmerizing, I got carried away. Trim, trim, oops. It occurred to me that it’s a good thing I’m not a hair stylist!
I spoke to two “barefooters (feeters?)”, at the Seaside Shuffle yesterday, including Mark Trevis, the host of the Sunshine Coast BC Unify the Music Facebook page. “I never wear shoes,” he told me. “I like being grounded to the Earth.” Dee Dee feels the same way. She held up her feet for inspection; they were dotted with plant debris which she thought was just wonderful.
Shoeless youngsters joined in the low tide exploration with biologist Lee-Ann Ennis. She told me a young francophone boy was nervous about attending his new school. As it happened, he met two young lads who were delighted to share their experiences of the school, all very knowledgeable and reassuring. I wonder if they will become lifelong friends and one day tell the story of how they first met.
Also at the beach was Rand Rudland who was holding what looked like an ordinary black and white feather. Consulting his identification book, he pointed to a drawing of a Boobie bird feather and said, “This feather is from this bird but this bird doesn’t live here!” “Well good luck with your search,” I said to him. “I hope you find the Boobie bird,” a sentence I never expected to say in my lifetime!
Speaking of birds, I recently looked after my friend’s chickens. Each morning and evening, they would run to greet me, clucking and giving me love pecks. Except for one – Lateesha – who made it perfectly clear that she was not impressed. The first evening, I had to carry her to the coop (zucchini was not an enticement!). The next morning, when I let her out, she pooped right beside my shoe, her disdain evident. That evening, I frantically searched for her, calling “Lateesha!” while the others clucked anxiously behind me. I was just about to send my friend a “Sorry I lost your chicken!” message, when I spotted her! Again, I had to carry her to the coop. On the third evening, Lateesha was cooperative but before entering the coop she hesitated and glanced around, letting me know that going in was her idea not mine. It was an utterly delightful experience.
I am presently taking care of my favourite furry friend Bruno, a chocolate lab, who is eager to please as long as he gets the requisite number of hugs and “who’s a good boy?!” exclamations. And just to be clear, I am NOT a pet sitter so please do not ask me to look after any creatures you have at home! Even if you assure me that they are nothing like Lateesha!
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