Wednesday, January 10, 2018

porcupine fell

excuse the focus
when i'm in a hurry i struggle with technology
so i couldn't get the camera on it. 
porcupine was in the cedar, 
i was working at the table.
out of the corner of my eye
i saw a dark gray earthbound flash in the morning light.
porcupine fell. 
plop.
i turned and saw the landing, grabbed the camera, and ran to catch the action.
meanwhile 
stunned porcupine paused and took stock of the situation.
i could see that the fall was small, six feet, perhaps seven.
still, porcupine paused,
 moved carefully, 
turned and 
 walked across to another of the cedar trunks.
and then up porcupine climbed, 
quickly moving to a new place on a cedar branch
to browse.
(have i mentioned those marvelous climbing feet?)
on the omnipresent facebook i was advised 
that porcupines do fall.
evidence is their healed broken bones.
when i was told this, i worried at first 
but
this small one seemed only a little vexed
by the inconvenience of falling.
this is a lesson that
i want to learn.

18 comments:

  1. Porcupines are so cute and they make the sweetest sounds.

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  2. karen, i like what valerianna calls it: a little troll language. to me it sounds like a grumbly old guy going about his business. they are fascinating animals.

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  3. Pema Chodron says "every moment is an opportunity for lovingkindness."
    I say especially to one's self.

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  4. roxanne, yes. another thing to remember, to others and self.

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  5. love these insights into porcupine's wisdom! half a lifetime ago when I had no home, no job and no idea what I was going to do next a friend said, "You're in free fall enjoy the ride, how many times in your life do you get to have no deadlines to meet, no bills to pay, etc etc... he was right!

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  6. When I saw the title, I said Oh No! Glad to hear the porkypine is back to business. all across the world we are worrying about and learning from this busy creature!

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  7. sandy, this morning there was again vigorous activity near the spot where the fall occurred monday. such lack of concern reminds me of teenage boys, skates and thin ice.

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  8. Hi V - glad to see the critter had a short fall and into the snow - hours of entertainment. B

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  9. I am enjoying the porcupine adventures. I didn't know they were so big.

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  10. barry, yep. never a dull moment in the great white north!
    penny, this is a still small one, i've seen some perhaps twice as large. remember those quills fluff up maybe 3 inches all the way around...

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  11. I'm thinking that a porcupine might make a very good spirit animal (alongside a polar bear)

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  12. Well, that thought made me smile SO big! oxo

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  13. hazel, i'm a prickly one all right, but maybe we can trade them as needed...

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  14. Well, I tend to growl and bite!

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  15. hazel, we're both in on this then. i like that thought, too.

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