Lazy Afternoon

Another lovely day here in Paradise. The air is fairly calm, just enough breeze to set our elephantine arbor vitae rocking and rolling, the temperature around 80 degrees at midday, climbing to near 90 by late afternoon. I’m here with the boys—Charlie, Tiger, and Tuffy—listening to Diane Reeves by way of Spotify, waiting for Rosalie to return from her morning at the pool. Diane just sang her version of the old Minnie Ripperton classic, “Lovin’ You.” Diane’s version didn’t attempt the four-octave range of Minnie. But then, who could match Minnie? The kitties are all being very good right now. They’re all asleep, part of their 18-hour daily sleepathon. Diane is now doing anther old classic, “Midnight Sun,” lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It’s the only song you’d ever hear rhyming lips like a “ruby chalice” and “alabaster palace” and “aurora borealis.” I first heard this song done by June Christy on her Something Cool album in 1954. Oh, my, that was over sixty years ago. Where did the time go? Where are all the old jazz classics that I know and love? I guess they’re all being kept safe and sound by the young jazz singers out there, those who haven’t fallen into the hip-hop rapper cesspool that’s too evident on the charts today. I sound just like an old fogey, don’t I? I guess I am an old fogey who still knosw good music and bad. I’d rather listen to the good. One of our two yellow swallowtail butterflies just fluttered by, dipping and swooping and then up and over the arbor vitae. Doesn’t he ever get tired? And how long will he stay here with us? The two of them have been here for well over a month and I almost never see either of them resting on a branch. Just another of nature’s miracles. And speaking of nature and weather, the news is still reporting such awful weather conditions across most of the U. S.: torrential rains, hail big as softballs, flooding, tornadoes. And although not related to weather, Mother Nature has raised her punishing hand with the volcano in Chile and the horrific earthquakes in Nepal and the Himalayas. My wife and I feel so fortunate to have found this safe haven in Arizona, in this Valley of the Sun, in this retirement paradise. I wish we had room enough for everyone residing in those calamitous areas. But that’s not possible. Rosalie just got home. The arbor vitae have stopped dancing. The swallowtails have disappeared. And the boys are now awake and waiting for their afternoon treat of Fancy Feast. Life is good, for us two humans and our three boys.