The Eyes Have It

They're everywhere.  All shapes, colors, and sizes.  In the house, I am followed by brown (Bessie), golden (Ralph), and jade green (Celeste).  Outside, turkeys and vultures have surprisingly large, liquid-brown eyes.  The chickens, depending on breed, have red or orange eyes.  Down in the barn, many pairs of tiny black, beady mouse eyes follow my every move.  The squirrels watch with dramatic eyes of dark brown rimmed with white fur for effect.  Lizards' eyes have a vertical pupil, while the yellow eyes of the goats have a strange horizontal pupil.

Yesterday, an Araucana chicken's eyes closed for good.  No more green eggs from her.  With the exception of the red sex-link hens, the flock is getting old.  I'll need to get more chicks next spring.

A couple of days ago I mentioned seeing signs of early fall.  Barely light out now, I just heard a vee of geese fly over heading south.  Hmmm.

There's an advantage to age and I use it often.  You can smile and talk to strangers and be thought eccentric and not forward.  I get a real kick out of seeing smiles or laughs returned, sometimes, I'll admit, after a moment's hesitation while the person processes my intentions.  It can make a trip to the grocery store a lot more fun.  (I've also been known to dance in the aisles to the Muzak music if the mood takes me, even if I know eyes are on me.)  I got the shopping out of the way yesterday so the larder is stocked.

My eyes sprang open at 4:15 this morning.  I know Linda and Luna have made it out of Washington, through Oregon, and are somewhere on I-5 in California.  Her last report was from Weed.  I imagine she'll be here sooner rather than later.  As usual, I'm running late with stuff yet undone.