Proud Member of The Moms Clean Air Force
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Jul
23
During the last several hours, with some sleep in between, I’ve tried to teach myself how to blog and write code – or at least, move code – or at least delete the right code I don’t want. I’ve felt like the member of an alien species who has invaded a world to which she may never acclimate.
This feeling made me think of the animals who treat our yard as their playground. Five deer, two very cute bunnies, a large furry slow-moving rodent and several chipmunks live around and under our house, and in our trees. From my writing space, I can see them romp, stop, nibble and scurry across sunlit and shaded portions of the grass.
But when we moved here over seven years ago, my oldest son – who then was five – labeled our family “the alien species” that was invading the animals’ territory. I didn’t argue with him then and I wouldn’t argue with him now, even as my city and those around it offer solutions to thin the deer population that frankly make me recoil.
I’m not oblivious to the damage they cause. My older brother’s 1970s VW Bug got slammed by a deer in a frightening incident near Ithaca, New York. One night, a couple of years ago, a slew of sirens and red lights parked outside our house and interrupted our bedtime rituals: a deer had hit a car almost exactly in front of our house.
I’m no tree-hugger, I eat ostrich and I love shearling slippers. I giggle at the bags hung on long sticks that successfully ward off deer and keep my neighbor’s blooms beautiful. But something within me can’t accept that large wire traps and sharpshooters in the trees are the best solutions. We have to find a way to co-exist, not constantly declare death to the enemy. Is annihilation the only way for either species to acclimate to the inevitable presence of the other?
Hopefully, my acclimation to the blogosphere will be a lot less existential.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:19 am July 23rd, 2005 in Politics
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Jill, my dear friend, fellow mom, traveling companion, roomie and favorite editor/co-writer — welcome to the world of blogging. Here’s hoping you find as much pleasure here and I do writing mine.
And let me just say that your choice of titles for your blog is perfect!
I shall be directing all manner of family and friends to your site.
You go, girl. Good for you, Jill.
I’m getting the hang of the code thing, and if there’s anything I can help with–just give me a shout. The blogger templates are pretty flexible and fun to work with, once you know a little bit of html and css.