Are You Bothered by Loose Ends?

Are you bothered by loose ends, by stories that are not quite over and yet the telling or the writing has ceased?  Sometimes after we wait awhile the rest of the story emerges and things make sense, but sometimes it seems like we wait and wait and we never quite get to the end.  Periodically I run into readers of the blog and they ask about the ending to a particular story, and I am reminded again that there might be wisdom in circling back and sharing the endings.  Therefore today's blog is dedicated to revisiting a few of the stories and answering a couple of the recurring questions.  If you are a new reader, you can gain context through the links to the blogs.  If you are a loyal reader, I thank you for journeying with me each week and I hope you enjoy the endings.

Gull-like Birds
The consensus amongst readers was that the birds which came by the hundreds last week were Franklin's Gulls.  One mystery at the swake has been solved and next year when the gulls descend upon us again we will be able to welcome and address them by their proper name.  


Geese
Then there were the geese, so easily recognizable that we did not need to ask for help in identifying them.  We watched the geese arrive and sit on the ice waiting with us for spring to arrive.  Eventually spring did visit the swake and we were privileged to watch the new goslings peeking through the grass.  As the goslings grew our families of Canadian Geese expanded their territory from the safety of the water and the reeds to the adjacent fields.  This morning when the sun has risen and the mist has dissipated from the swake the geese will gather in the fields.   Our two families have begun to form bonds with an enormous flock that will migrate together in a few months.     

The goslings have grown so fast; their down replaced by feathers that will aide their flight.  They have switched from being cute goslings to being easily identifiable as Canada Geese.  Their explorations have broadened and there have been days where we have not seen them at all as they have ventured farther and farther from the swake.  Last night we watched them emerge from the willows only to turn and disappear back into the sanctuary of the water when one of the dogs barked.  

Novel Weekend
Labor Day weekend 2013 was very quiet on the swake - there were no dogs barking.  The only sounds were those of the keyboard clicking as I poured my heart into my entry for the international 3-day novel contest.  It was a novel weekend, one of those experiences that leaves you drained but satisfied because you conquered it, you actually produced a novel.  Not necessarily a good novel, but that's irrelevant because the energy was in the trying and succeeding.  

Having it turn out to be good and possibly winning was far down the list for this rookie.  Here's how it turned out.  There were so many entries that judging was not finally complete March 2014, fully three months after the expected completion date.  No I didn't win but I am officially a Literary Warrior and I have the certificate to prove it along with an invitation to do it all over again this year.  In the interest of avoiding further hanging endings, I am not planning on entering again this year.   There is unfinished business in the 2013 novel that is calling me back to the keyboard.

Surprise
Although my novel is feeling unfinished, you also need to know that the Robin's nest which caught us by surprise was empty two weeks later.  That family finished their nesting and moved out of the cramped quarters of the trailer hitch to the tops of the surrounding pines.  From that vantage point they serenade us every morning when the first hint of light breaks the eastern skyline.   
While the robins have been welcome visitors, we also were subject to one crazy bird.  (One of the aims of this blog is to cover real life not just the idyllic aspects of acreage living.)  Back in May the idyllic was interrupted by a crazy red-winged blackbird flinging itself at our windows every few minutes.  Eventually the flinging calmed to simply pecking at the windows and crapping on the deck chairs.  The bird sat on the window ledge watching us while we watched it.  But it stayed with us for over six weeks, and we became accustomed to having that eerie feeling of being watched.  Finally we realized it had moved along.  There was no longer bird poop on the deck chairs everyday when I arrived home.  The red-winged blackbirds had moved from the willows near the water's edge out to the reeds on the swake.  Their nesting complete and their families ready to fly.

I hope you enjoyed the trip back in time and the endings to the stories.

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