Shits and Ladders

Couples that mate for life are always interesting.

Yesterday afternoon and Mother Nature presented me with a magical moment when I spotted these two mating pair of American Bald Eagles alighting on this branch well within the range of my iPhone camera.

What caught my eye while I was driving back from town was that the two had intentionally clutched talons and spun around balletically just before landing on this branch, so I pulled over and started snapping photos and a video of them perched on the high tree top –

see the video at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091444194790. They seemed so happy together.

I enjoyed watching the aviary royalty soaring so high up, the same way I enjoy gazing at the peaks of The Three Witches, from a distance with my two feet safely planted on the ground.

Anyway, seeing the birds so naturally soaring and perching at such high altitudes, bought back my own dance with vertigo earlier that morning.

I should have suspected something was amiss when Retired Lisa came home after dropping off some Christmas gifts to ex-coworkers telling me a story about a male nursing friend who had fallen off a ladder and severely injured himself. I mentioned that he had to be pretty high up on a ladder to do that kind of damage, probably roof high.

Then, there is Lisa’s recent continuous demands that I place copies of our life insurance policies in her new filing cabinet.

Imagine my surprise when my spouse suggested that I had to climb a tall ladder yesterday morning to perform outdoor and indoor window cleaning. I should have saddled up Claire and rode off into the sunset.

Better then heading eternally West in Egypt.

But being a dutiful husband – and knowing I would be shaming Spaghetti if I refused – I grabbed the shoulder-crushing metal extension ladder and dragged it up from its last resting spot behind the barn, and scaled the interior and exterior of our unusually configured home to clean the inside and outside of windows that only the now dead bees on the sills and an occasional nosy bird outside get a close look at.

I chose to document my knee shaking endeavor, in case there were any criminal inquiries down the road.

Yes, that is faithful Blue, staring up at me from her couch, hoping for the best.

The mirrored windows help keep the brutal Colorado sun from giving me skin cancer when I am reclining half naked in my living room.

Those knuckles look a bit white, for sure.

Yes, facing and overcoming your fear of heights is an accomplishment, but seeing how sparkly clean the pair of peering windows I call The Eyes of God was particularly exciting.

Seeing those beams of bright sunshine was the moment I realized that Spaghetti was still watching out for me.

The fireplace, who I call The Grand Kahuna, seemed equally thrilled with the end results.

I was never so happy to retreat to the dungeon – which Lisa forced me to clean the other day – just to chop the fruits and veggies for the week.

Anyway, I survived the ladder ordeal and I remain earthbound through the year end, in order to wish my fine, five readers a wonderful and peaceful Christmas Eve – and a Merry Christmas in advance – just in case Lisa asks me to juggle some chain saws later in the day.

But first, I’m going out to cuddle some kitties and do my rounds.

And no matter what else we all may get up to, let us make today a great one.