Bird Droppings July 19, 2011
Hearing an owl

“If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias in his garden. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator.” W. Beran Wolfe

Within this life we want to feel as if we are pursuing happiness this is perhaps an inner sort of thing within humankind. This aspect of who we are some would say is illusionary or it is the peer pressure. It is only the group psyche coming into play for happiness is an individual entity it is something from within not a transitory effort to have or to be like everyone else.
While reading emails and looking through electronic mailings and postings I happened to read one about the ideal guy would wear specific clothiers or have specific hair color or eyes or build sadly no where it seems do we look deeper. We seem to want the trappings and it is this outward appearance that brings happiness supposedly to far too many. We want this ideal to be who we want to be who we want to be around and advertising shows us this daily in all forms of media.
As I do so many mornings walking out into the darkness listening to the sounds of the night I had awaken from a very vivid dream and gathered myself and let my dog out only to encounter two owls calling across the stillness and my dog rubbing against my leg dripping wet from the early morning dew on the grass and plants. It was not raining and had not for a day a two but the dew was exceedingly heavy this morning. The crickets and tree frogs chorus was still chirping away though the darkness although the booming of the bullfrogs on a nearby pond was silent. Perhaps the owls were on the hunt for frogs legs. My oldest son tells me often of being awakened by the owls hearing them at night while I had heard them as well in our years here this was my first experience hearing them so close as I went out. The dueling owls went back and forth for several minutes in the stillness.
In my imagination so many myths and legends of owls for some great magic in owls for many others evil and death. But as I listened to the two back and forth mimicking calls I thought perhaps it is about territory or perhaps a pair hunting. There was not a fear but a sense of grandeur as the sounds soon dissipated I wondered why tonight and I pondered after reading this simple quote that I started with by W. Beran Wolfe and then searching further as I tend to do.

“One important source of unhappiness is the habit of putting off living to some fictional future date. Men and women are constantly making themselves unhappy because in deferring their lives to the future they lose sight of the present and its golden opportunities for rich living.” W. Beran Wolfe

Perhaps the owls were a reminder of things needing to be done or of specifically for me to stopping the procrastinating. There is joy in life for each of us now it is not a distant event to be reached when the right clothes, job or things are finished done or bought. Real happiness or I should say true happiness is now it is in the contentment of knowing you have succeeded and are where you need to be right this minute, this second. It is knowing that all you have done has been to get you here. Wisdom is about accepting what and where you have been and learning from this. Happiness and I mean true happiness is being content, it is about being alive. As I am sitting here writing as the sun is getting higher in the sky and moon faded for the day I have renewed my effort to thwart my procrastinating efforts by seizing the moment and getting things done. I have writing to do, bulbs to dig, weeds to pull, grass to mow and book to read. Yet some of my happiest times have been sitting on the mower going in circles thinking and pondering content for that moment. Please dear friends keep all in harm’s way on your mind and in your hearts.
namaste
bird

Doc Bird’s Herb garden:

Herb encrusted chicken breasts – I have made this several times over the summer and it is always one of those meals with no leftovers. I have also used a boneless pork loin and basically the same method s adjusting seasoning for size of loin. It is wonderful either way chicken or pork.

Ingredients

• ½ cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon sage fresh chopped
• 2 tablespoons of basil fresh chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of oregano fresh chopped
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or pork loin)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and or I like to grill with this recipe and in my Green Egg set temperature at 350 degrees
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, sage, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
Dredge the chicken breasts through the beaten egg, then through the mixed herbs (usually I will use a paper plate for my chopped fresh herb mix), until the chicken breasts are well coated.
Place in the oven or on grill and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken is done.