YES, I AM STILL HERE peeking out my window on Main Street, and I want to tell you about an event that made me become very reflective on a recent early morning as I waited for the coffee to cool. I was seated comfortably on my patio and was contemplating a mockingbird which was perched on a highline in the alley. I could tell it was a mockingbird because of the way it flicked its tail. It was singing at the top of its precious little mockingbird lungs.
My mind was already scrambling to find something other than the Strait of Hormuz or Epstein’s List to think about.
So, I thought about the mockingbird.
“That bird is so smart and talented,” I said to myself, reminded that the mockingbird is the State Bird of Arkansas and got its name by reportedly mocking the songs of other birds.
Do they really do that? Really? All birds?
Almost as if on cue it began cooing like a dove.
Wow! How talented! Did the mockingbird Mom teach her fledgling to do that? I had no idea it could ‘do’ doves.
It cooed again. Such a mournful yet lovely song.
For moment at least the Strait and Epstein were out of mind, thanks to this bird’s talent.
Wow! It must have actually earned its name by mimicking sounds it heard in its surroundings.
Coooo. Cooooo. Wow, the mockingbird not only mocks the sound of a dove, it does it extremely well. I admired this morning’s real life performance for awhile.
The Almighty — through our human nature — has given us the gift to appreciate the unique offering of this bird.
In all honesty I’m fairly sure that the bird isn’t mimicking other birds solely for our pleasure.
Cooooooo. But I was really impressed by its dove imitation.
By this time my coffee had cooled to sipping temperature. As I lifted the cup some movement on the ground nearby caught my attention.
It was a dove.
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THE STRANGEST THING. Seven or eight years ago I departed from my regular brand of toothpaste and decided to try Arm & Hammer because it contained baking soda. But I only used it one time because it made my lips and gums burn. I must’ve been allergic.
Threw the tube away.
Years passed and I decided to try it again. Maybe they’ve changed the ingredients, I thought. Or maybe I’ve evolved.
But no. Brushed with it one time and had the same allergic results.
I asked Mr. Google, and, yes, that brand sometimes causes “swollen lips, mouth sores, a burning tongue or perioral dermatitis (which I won’t bother trying to explain right now).
When I finally convinced my daughter I didn’t need to go to the emergency room, I sneaked back to the bathroom and threw the tube into the trashcan.
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AN OBITUARY in Sunday’s ‘Texarkana Gazette’ caught my eye. It was for a Stamps, Ark., lady named Mary Ann Cowling, 86. She was apparently very active in her community — a teacher; played organ and piano at her church.
She was also the widow of a man I knew named Joe Cowling. He was gone from high school by the time Igot there.
Joe is the reason for this brief note in today’s column.
He was a great Scrapper fullback and was a pretty good trombone player in the band.
He was one of my idols. I remembered a game — Scrappers were playing here against Hot Springs. Joe burst into the open and it was going to be a long footrace to the end zone. He handed the ball off to speedster teammate Woody Futrell who easily outran the Hot Springs defenders.
After starring here Joe went off and eventually became mayor of Stamps.
Joe had an older brother, Bobby, who played football for the Rice Owls, the Razorbacks and, finally, the Henderson Reddies, if my memory is intact. Their family lived on Sunset Street.
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MORE THINGS I LEARNED from opening an email: EGOTIST — Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.
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WORD GAMES. They’re the Lying twins: New and Improved.
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HE SAID: “From a small seed a mighty trunk may grow.” Aeschylus, playwright
“Great Oaks from Little Acorns Grow,” school motto, Acorn, Ark., near Mena
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SHE SAID: “Our attention spans have been reduced by the immediate gratification provided by smartphones and social media.” Katherine Ryan — Canadian comedian
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SWEET DREAMS, Baby
