Red at night….

Did your mom teach you that old verse like my mom did? “Red at night/Sailors delight/Red in the morning/Sailors take warning.” The sky is not red tonight but a faintly pink color that is a bit eerie. Perhaps if there weren’t buildings and trees in the way, I could see a glorious pink-and-gold sunset. Or perhaps it is that strange pre-storm color that the sky sometimes gets. We supposedly have a chance of a storm later tonight.

Nothing to blog about tonight. It’s been a work day, with my nose at the computer most of the day, and now I’m ready to settle down with that Anne Hillerman novel I’m reading. A small online group I belong to has had a fascinating discussion of Anne H.’s attempts to carry on her father’s literary legacy and series of mysteries set in the Four Corners area of New Mexico, mostly in Navajo country.

My naïve thought that she was doing a good job and seemed to understand Navajo culture in a way that few outsiders do was brought up short by opinions that her books were not as interesting, and she really didn’t know the culture. Until someone pointed out she was writing from the feminine point of view, and as is true of many of cultures, the female experience is very different from the male. I had initially praised her for bringing Bernadette (Bernie) Manuelito, a minor character in her father’s books, to center stage.

The group consensus finally settled on the fact that her writing from the female point of view brings a new dimension to the series and that she understands the culture well enough to differentiate between the gender experiences. I think I pretty much agree, but the discussion carried me into the book, Cave of the Bones, with a whole new critical eye. So far, I’m enjoying it.

Jordan invited me in for Mexican casserole tonight, but my mind was set on scrambled eggs with chopped scallion, tomato, and some of the smoked salmon I have in the fridge. When Jordan was out watering, she got to talking to the neighbor behind me, and somehow the result was that I got fresh eggs for my supper. So good!

I do enjoy watching the chickens, though the only place I can see them is out my bathroom window. Today one was on the roof of their pen. I’ve watched them fly up to perch on a bar inside the pen but never seen one up that high before. They free range a lot, whenever the family is home to watch them. There were brown eggs in the ones I got tonight which confirms, to me, that gold or brown hens lay brown eggs. Never thought I’d be so fascinated by chickens.

Too dark to watch chickens now, so I’m going back to my book. Pray for rain, y’all.