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
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.
