By Edwin Arlington Robinson
Ten years together without yet a cloud,
They seek each other’s eyes at intervals
Of gratefulness to firelight and four walls
For love’s obliteration of the crowd.
Serenely and perennially endowed
And bowered as few may be, their joy recalls
No snake, no sword; and over them there falls
The blessing of what neither says aloud.
Wiser for silence, they were not so glad
Were she to read the graven tale of lines
On the wan face of one somewhere alone;
Nor were they more content could he have had
Her thoughts a moment since of one who shines
Apart, and would be hers if he had known.
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It was a relatively uneventful Wednesday after a very stormy night during which thunderstorms woke me several times, but at least our neighborhood suffered no big downed trees like several others around here. The morning was chilly and windy but clear and since the leaves were falling fast, I took a walk to see them around work and lunch. In the afternoon, I took Adam to the orthodontist, who was apparently quite pleased that son always wears his retainers and said he doesn't need him back for a check-up for five months. We got bubble tea, which is always good, but the mall is already decorated for Christmas, which before Thanksgiving I just find depressing.
We were going to watch Undercovers but NBC preempted it for a Dateline about William and Kate's engagement, so we watched that instead, since I really know nothing about either of them; I stopped being any sort of royal-watcher when Princess Grace died and I only paid attention to her because she was Grace Kelly. They seem like a nice pair of kids, younger than their ages, not terribly deep but a lot more grounded than Charles and Diana did when they got engaged, so I wish them well and hope they don't have a ridiculously expensive wedding. Daniel wanted to watch more Monty Python afterward, which seemed extremely appropriate somehow, particularly since it was an episode with Margaret Thatcher jokes.
Here are some photos of Battle Creek Cypress Swamp and the nature center nearby.
The cypress knees grow through the leaves and in the water in wonderful knots and twists.
The nature center is home to many snakes, an entire upstairs roomful of them, both local and imports...
...plus an albino snapping turtle, which are extremely rare (only eight ever spotted in the world) and almost never live to adulthood.
There is also a large beehive, though the bees seemed somewhat sluggish and sleepy on this fall weekend...
...and a hawk who lives in a large enclosure outside, near the steps to the swamp.
Visitors must stay on the boardwalk to protect the cypress roots.
Even with many of the leaves gone, it's beautiful in these woods.
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