Thursday Thirteen 155: Turkeys, Brats and Rainbows

1. This weekend is the Memorial Day holiday here in the states, a three-day weekend considered by many as the "official" start of summer.

2. Part of the Memorial Weekend tradition here in Madison is Brat Fest. You can read a post I wrote on it two years ago here. (And that's pronounced like 'brawt' not 'braat'.)

3. A record 208,752 brats were sold in 2009. To date, $855,723 has been raised during Brat Fest for local charities.

4. Another weekend tradition is the National Memorial Day Concert, broadcast on PBS from the Mall in Washington, D.C. on Sunday night (7pm CDT). This annual tribute never fails to move me to tears.

5. While out for a 2-mile walk around my neighborhood last weekend, I crossed paths with a couple of interesting local residents also out for a stroll.

6. A friend learned from a neighbor of hers this week that he frequently sees wild turkeys roosting on her roof at night. She has never seen nor heard them.

7. And while the neighbor has seen the turkeys, he has apparently NOT seen the big hulking deer that tramp through their adjoining yards on a weekly basis. How can you notice birds perched on a rooftop, but not see deer parading through your yard?

8. Speaking of feathered friends, I have seen hawks three times this week. The first was while turning off my street en route to work Monday morning. He took flight right in front of me. The second was soaring above a freshly-tilled field coming home that same day. Then Wednesday morning I saw another hawk circling over a field. Three sightings in as many days!

9. I posted about hawks as animal totems here.

10. I did not see a hawk going home Wednesday night, probably due to pouring rain, but did see a full rainbow arcing between two different woods.

11. I have had The Rainbow Connection, as sung by Kenny Loggins on The House at Pooh Corner CD, playing in my head since I got home.

12. Most people are probably more familiar with the version sung by Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Movie.

13. I can no longer protest that I am not a fast reader. Since last week's post I have read five books, and am working on a sixth. Five finished in one week! Honestly, I cannot remember the last time I read so much in so short a time.

LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Shelley Munro * Alice Audrey * Colleen * Paige Tyler
CountryDew * Kimberly Menozzi * Darla M Sands
Tatiana Caldwell * I Beati * A Catherine Noon
Jennifer Leeland * Hootin' Anni * Janice Seagraves
Jill Conyers * Adelle Laudan * Elise Logan


More Thursday Thirteen participants

Red-Tailed Hawk

Looking back over previous posts, I see that I have neglected to mention the surprise visitor I had the morning of 13 February. As I sat down on the living room couch to put my shoes on for work, I saw a flutter of wings out of the corner of my eye. I looked up to see that a bird had landed in the branches of one of the trees out front, but could night quite see him. As if sensing this, he dropped down a couple branches so that he was within perfect viewing -- and photographing range. I drew in a breathe of wonder as I saw that it was not a flashy cardinal or an early robin, but a red-tailed hawk!

This is the second time in the past year or so that one has flown directly into my path. The first time was during the summer, as I walked along the Beltline Frontage Road near the UW Arboretum: a hawk landed in the path before me only a few yards away -- and of course the camera was in the bag on my back. Doh! This time, however, the camera was within reach, and the bird sat preening for quite some time as I snapped a few pictures through the front window. I would have loved to go out and try to get a closer shot, but was afraid the crunch of snow might scare him off -- so settled for watching and admiring him through a pane of glass.

It was only later that I recalled the hawk that flew into my path some months before, and it made me wonder about animal omens and totems. Naturally I had to research the topic, and I found useful links through CC and Tempest's blog. If you are not sure how to find your animal totem, click here. And if you want to find out about a particular animal totem, try this site.

According to that last link, Sayahda, a hawk represents a messenger, appearing in our lives when we most need to heed what's going on around us. To quote from the site,

"One thing that all hawks have in common is the skill to move between the seen and unseen realms gracefully connecting both worlds together. Their acute vision compliments this ability and their discriminating nature keeps them out of harms way. The broader vision of the hawk allows them to see what the future holds... Those who hold this totem should remember to keep their analytical mind under control and not allow it to run wild."

"When the hawk flies into our life we will be asked to evaluate who we have become and rip out the threads of our self created illusions. This enables our inner truth to surface."

According to another site, the hawk is

"the messenger, the protector and the visionaries of the Air. It holds the key to higher levels of consciousness. This totem awakens vision and inspires a creative life purpose. A Hawk totem is filled with responsibility because Hawk people seek the overall view. They are aware of omens and spirit messages."

Having the red-tailed hawk as a totem is said to be quite special, as it is a totem you will have your entire life, whereas other totems may appear only when their power is needed. A hawk is also associated with the Tarot card Temperance, which represents "the teaching of higher expressions of psychic ability and vision." It's about learning to free thoughts or beliefs that are preventing you from "soaring," from attaining your potential.

I don't think it's mere coincidence that the hawk sighting coincided with the beginning of another vivid dream cycle. These are fairly frequent to me, sometimes so active and vivid that I wake feeling more drained than when I went to bed. I try to remember and record what I can of these dreams, but find it difficult to do when jarred awake, as I frequently am with some of my rude neighbors.

I think I'll end this post with a list of "hawk" qualities from the Better Living website:

Hawk Wisdom

Clear-sightedness
Being observant
Far-memory
Messages from spirit
Guardianship
Recalling past lives
Courage
Wisdom
Illumination
Seeing the larger picture
Creativity
Truth
Experience
Wise use of opportunities
Overcoming problems

Are there animal totems in your life that you are aware of?

Morning Wonders

Kind of a cool ride into work this morning -- both literally and figuratively. Literally because the temp is a bit lower than it has been, only in the 60s right now. You can smell and feel the approaching rain moving into the area. Almost made me wish I had a scarf for my neck, as the wind blowing through the open windows was a bit too cool on it.

Figuratively because of two sightings en route to work. First, as we drove south along Fish Hatchery Rd, I looked out my window towards the southwest to see an AWESOME cloud formation -- the kind that, had I been alone or even with one of my friends, would have had me/us pulling over to try to photograph it. Not possible when you're riding with certain people. It was a layered, feathery sort of formation, narrow at the bottom and wider at the top, and looked very much like a funnel. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it before, and wish I could have taken some pics from that vantage point. Once we turned onto HWY M heading west it looked rather blasé, just another cloud on a horizon full of them.

As we traveled along HWY M to the office, I saw the second wonder of the day: perched atop the power lines stretching the length of the road was a magestic hawk, surveying his realm and looking for a bit of breakfast. Again -- wish I had been with someone who wouldn't mind pulling over for an attempt at a photo. In any case, it was a truly magnificent sight to see.