family matters
It is a mystery where I got my reverence for nature. In my family nature, unless strictly controlled, is thought of as a dangerous and unclean state, at war with civilized values.
The other day I was with my mother in the garden when she spotted some ants. "Ants!" she said with alarm. "So?" "Well, aren't you going to spray them?"
My mother in law has a garden, which she loves, but wishes she could repel the birds which dirty the tiles and make the garden untidy. As for the possums which eat - but do not kill - the mature camellia bushes - this normally polite, restrained 80 something year old, is filled with dreams of hatred, violence and vengeance.
Do you suppose it is something that happens to us with age? My 88 year old Mother in Law is similiarly indisposed towards garden wildlife, screams at Squirrels (calling them tree rats) and chases even the Robin from the boughs of her apple tree.
ReplyDeleteWe'll have to check back with each other each decade or so to make sure we keep our priorities honest!
ReplyDelete