Monday, February 6, 2017

Cats Both Big And Small, Wild And Not-So


Cat in sunshine.

Fiercely gorgeous day and the railroad guys are back and the chickens are running around the yard and Camellia is back on the porch and just a few minutes ago the gray and white feral was too but he took off when he saw me.

I took a walk this morning and I'm glad, as always, that I did.


It was quiet and I was able to simply walk, one step in front of the other, always a useful reminder of how life can only be lived.

As I was just about home, I stopped to chat with the guy who digs worms for fishing. We talked about fish and Lloyd Creek and when I told him I used to take my kids there to swim thirty-something years ago, he said, "Whoa! How old are you?"
He insisted that I don't look over thirty-five which of course is pure and unadulterated bullshit but it was sweet and then we discussed walking which we both enjoy doing and when he left he picked up his bucket of worms and said, "Now I'm gonna go drown these babies!" and off he went to the creek and I came home, passing Mr. Lawrence's abandoned store where this was taped on the side of the building.


Circuses are going the way of the dinosaur and most people would agree that's a good thing but there is something about the history and tradition of circuses which I will be very sad to see go. Animals are a part of that but it's also the aerialists, the clowns, the magicians. The family ties.

I don't know. I guess that in our world today there is no real need for the circus but oh, I remember when a circus coming to town was about the most exciting thing there could possibly be.

And there is a part of me which would want Owen and Gibson to be able to experience some of that death-defying action under a big top with the smell of animal manure and the spangles and the top hats and the magic.

I don't know.

They do use elephants and big cats so I suppose we should boycott them. Yes. Of course we should.

Do the right thing.

I need to get to town. I'm babysitting August for a little while this afternoon and I am eager to see him.

Be well, y'all.

Love...Ms. Moon

16 comments:

  1. I remember the circus coming to our small town a long time ago and how exciting it was. And I remember being taken to see the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus once. To use the expression of today, it was AWESOME!

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    1. It was, wasn't it? Ignorance can be bliss, I suppose.

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    2. Yep - I went to Seaworld in 2003, maybe, and marvelled at the co-operation of the whales and humans. I thought it was amazing and beautiful. How little I knew : I feel so terrible for going, now.

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  2. I understand your feelings about the circus, and wanting your grandchildren to experience that. On the other hand, the last time I went to the circus, when I was in my mid-20's, when I saw an elephant made to climb up on a big ball it made me cry and I vowed to never visit the circus again. And I haven't. It's just too sad for me.

    It's a beautiful morning in South Carolina too! Have a good day!

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    1. Yes. I agree. It IS too sad. It's like when I went to SeaWorld once and the sight of the Orcas having to perform made me feel ashamed to be a human being. It felt as if we'd imprisoned aliens and forced them to do silly tricks for our amusement. Awful.

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  3. When i look at that country photo why do I think about the film of The Yearling

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    1. Well, we're not that far from Cross Creek and where they filmed that movie. We're maybe a hundred or so miles north of there.
      One of my very favorite books by one of my very favorite authors.

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  4. Well - it's the horrible cruelty involved in almost all the circuses, aside from the weirdness of imprisoning big animals and getting them todo tricks. Dogs wouldn't mind. I'd totally go see a circus with aerialists and jugglers and contortionists and dogs.

    Cirque du Soleil is doing pretty well, and I'm assuming no one's chained up or beaten or broken... though, in fairness, who knows? The last circus I went to (they'd no animals anymore, ringmistress had been stopped from keeping them after being found beating baby chimps some decades ago, I think) and it was weird - Faded spangles and a wrinkly Hungrian Iron Curtain type family of acrobats doing flips with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths, more or less. It was fascinating in a seedy way :)

    Nice to have you back!

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  5. I think it's sad that circuses are going away. not sad for the animals but the human feats. they were the only entertainment for rural folks but that is completely changed too. everyone can go to the movies or TV or even be entertained on their phones.

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  6. My son *years ago* took a summer job with Ringling Bros. He had to ride in their train to Fl from NY ... when he called I asked how it was going and how were the other people ... he said "I work with a bunch of clowns."
    He quit the job early.
    Apparently , the group of people working in the circus are pretty rough and sort of scary .. not to mention having nothing in common with a college student from NY ..

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  7. Well, I pretty much hated circuses as a child so perhaps one of the boys would be the same? I know what you mean about the magic, though -- perhaps a state fair?

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  8. I distantly recalled going to a circus and I was very small and I was scared. I hated seeing the big animals in the small spaces so I guess it was a small circus. The boys might like experiencing it once and coming to their own conclusion. They are pretty smart. I can't wait for pix of little Gus later - no pressuređź’•

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  9. I grew up inside the circus and I am delighted to see it go though state fairs and little carnivals still excite me.
    Love you!

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  10. I am with the few that didn't like circuses as a child. The clowns scared me. The animal acts upset me. And they were so loud! I remember crying at most of them. But I was way too sensitive about damn well everything and that didn't help.
    Has Jack been around? I can't remember the last time you mentioned him beyond that he hadn't been around. Is Mr. Moon sad? Jack was kind of his cat, wasn't he?

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  11. I don't do circuses or zoos. I just can't. And along those same bleeding heart lines, have you seen Jack? I'm still worried!

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  12. We have a school a couple towns over that teaches kids the arts of the circus, all human based. They go on tour afterwards for the rest of the summer. I love those kind of circuses...What the human body can do is magic! When i was a little girl I went to a tiny circus that had a lot of clowns and dogs and pretty ladies on horses. I remember the longing in my heart for those beautiful performers, both the ladies and the horses. That was somewhere in the northern part of Germany. Hugs from Vermont where the snow is still falling...

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.