CAMEL MUSING.....ON THE LONGEST DAY

'THAT CAMEL WAS BEHIND THE BED....THE WHOLE TIME..."

On this "longest day of the year," I 

selected my favorite and most-colorful

mug and poured myself a cup of half-

caff....settled down at my writing place

to muse a bit.

At this early hour the temp was cool 

and the air was fresh and the "burning 

of the noontide heat"  was yet to 

descend. BE, who read half the night,

was still asleep.

As I sat here, sipping and musing, my

eyes settled on "Herbie," my foot-tall

camel statue.

Herbie is a priceless friend (of sorts)

because, you see, not only am I fond

of camels, but he is the de facto cause/

founder of MIL'S ANIMAL SHELF!

The Longest Day---a good time to 

remember stuff...kinda like New Year's

Day----

But let me digress here a moment 

and remind you of something. May I

borrow an expression from 

Ecclesiastes?

"I looked, and under the sun," 

could find no one in the world who 

likes camels... (except me, and one 

other.)

Yes, I talked to people who had ridden

camels at carnivals, circuses, balloon

festivals, Vidalia Onion sales, and even

those world travelers who have been

to Egypt and Australia...

None of 'em liked camels. As the saying 

goes: "I kid you not." Not a one!

"They're stubborn."

     "They spit on you."

           "They rare up."

                 "They have bad tempers."

"They stink."

      "They need to gargle."

            "They are contrary."

                 "I like my dog, better."

"Give me a buckin' bronc, anytime."

Now I confess, I'be never ridden one,

nor petted one, nor had one throw up

on me...but have learnt about them...

from books.

A few years ago we ordered "A WALK

ACROSS THE GOBI" by Helen Thayer,

age circa 64---a lady adventurer/traveler/

writer.  For the journey, she rented two 

camels in Mongolia, and named them

"Tom and Jerry."

With her husband (nolens volens) in tow,

and one camel loaded with 100 gallons

of water, they set out to cross 1600 miles

of desert. 

One camel stumbled and spilled all their

water in mid-trip. This was only one of

numerous vicissitudes. But they made it!

Tom and Jerry, who earned several years

income for their owner, were put out to

pasture over in Mongolia, almost as if

they had won a big rich US horse race.

Several years later, Thayer and husband

returned to the country of their trip and

went to the Mongolian pasture of Tom 

and Jerry...and "hall-oo-ed" them afar off

and they remembered and came running!

For old time's sake...

Not long after finishing that unforgettable 

book, I asked BE of she'd be on the 

lookout, when out shopping, for a little

statue of a camel to go on my writing 

desk...because I thought so fondly of 

those two camels...in the Thayer book.

Surprise: She disappeared somewhere 

and came back in three minutes with 

the neatest foot-tall statue of a camel

you could ever imagine.

She set it down in front of me and said:

"You remember the Christmas when our

little son, Brian, thought it was a fine 

idea to give us a camel statue?"

"Well, it has been behind the bed ever

since."

I put it on the two 38" inch tall

bookshelves here beside my writing 

table and somehow people started

bringing and sending to me animals

of all kinds...until I had a real genuine

writer's animal shelf.

(One animal missing seems to be a

small/medium skunk...but ah, "skunk

scouts" are out there and looking.)

The "other" camel-appreciator, besides

me is a lady over in Texas, who has 

always wanted to spend a long vacation

in Egypt, visiting the pyramids, the 

Sphinx, the Nile---riding her own camel.

Alas, it has not happened for her as yet,

but I did obtain a nice drawing of a 

"camel at a carnival," and sent it to her.

Now, you readers aren't always privy to

behind-the-scenes-stuff; but here is a 

little secret: This is the SECOND longest

day piece.

The first one was written yesterday on 

June 20. And I liked it. But it had some

political overtones...very incisive and 

wise ones, I'll admit...but I think we have

all had enough politics for awhile.

Don't you.

Enjoy the cool fresh delightful breezes

of the old Gobi, on this...the longest day.