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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Hoodle, Random Thoughts, Shadows


This post is assembled from notes scribbled on a small spiral-bound jot pad at odd moments of relative calm between recent downpours of strange events, flurries of problems and frenzies of repair and resolution. What this tempest has to do with the photo above is this. It is a view of the woody end of our yard, which I often watch from an outdoor table or, on blustery days, the back porch pictured in this odd Normaphoto:



In the upper terraces of those tall trees I have lately monitored the progress of an eyas. Eyasses are what falconers  call nestling hawks. There is a hawk's nest up there. You can see the woody end reflected behind the brilliant ball of light that precedes Norma and over an array of philosophical instruments I use to decode the universe from inside the back porch. It is a confusing spectacle and I will not refer to it again except when I need my field glasses.

Of course, I am leading up to something. Last week, hours after a visit to one of my two cardiologists, I was contacted with alarming news. Due to a compromise of personal security that I won't go into, my identity had been stolen. My attempt to file taxes was rejected by state and nation because someone had used my name, birthdate and social security number to file ahead of me. So I've spent the past five or six days doing hurried paperwork and making bewildering phone calls to faraway places with strange-sounding names. I have visited offices full of wonderfully helpful people who work behind bullet-proof plexiglass. This is how one reclaims one's legal identity. Think about it: two cardiologists; stolen identity. I am a man of my time!

From Barrie's Peter Pan: "Boy, why are you crying?"
          
                " I am crying because I can't get my shadow to stick on."



Here by the house, I notice daffodil shadows are held down by pebbles and pavers. And I hear the hawk from further out. She launches onto a majestic circle, calling her call --a sonorous "screeeeeeee!"-- and her shadow undulates over the green field. Her hysterical fledgling remains treed, flapping awkwardly from twig to topmost twig yelling, "Hoodle! Hoodle! Hoodle!" His shadow is fragmented, claimed by leaves and branches.

In this modern world, our documents and records comprise our shadows and, when they come unstuck, must be painfully sewn back onto our toes. I could go on but it would be the same as shouting "Hoodle!" all day. So I go out to the woody end and say: "Hoodle, don't cry boy. We'll both get through this and then...well, then we'll fly like Peter Pan."   


18 comments:

  1. I've never heard of an eyas or a hoodle but they are an intriguing combination. I love the daffodil shadows.

    Sometimes I think we'd all be better off residing on the far side of Neverland.

    A few years ago someone stole my credit card information and it turned into a twisted nightmare that I'll never forget.
    I can fully sympathize with what you're going through and I truly hope the problem will be resolved soon.

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  2. Since I happen to know some of the background for this bloggie, I look forward to comments from those who don't know as much as I. I can't wait!

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  3. Geo., I'm stunned. I wish I had something helpful, anything, to contribute but all I can say is that I have read this and I quietly sit with you as you piece things back together.

    (Also, I was going to ask you how successful you'd been at decoding the universe ...)

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  4. Jon-- Thanks! My photographer is fond of daffodils, pavers and pea-gravel. And yes, Neverland gets increasingly attractive.

    Willie-- I am so appreciative of all the good advice and support you've given us through this so far and, yikes, it's got a ways to go yet or I miss my guess.

    Suze-- Decoding the universe is easy. Decoding money trouble, now THAT'S hard.

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  5. We were hit a few years ago by these identity thieves, but not to the extent you are having. This is a price we pay for living in the electronic age.

    If only we could all find a place like Neverland to fly away to escape the troubles of today. However, I did hear that there are crocodiles there also.

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  6. not to be nosy, but is it something that will be rectified once all the hassle of the peperwork, phone calls, and such is dome? How long is the process? I hope they are able to solve this in a timely manner. it's so sad that this happens but it seems to occur with such frequency these days. Sorry to hear this my friend - I'll say an extra "hoodle" for you.

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  7. What a frightening thing to have happen. I always thought a break in and theft would be horrifying but to have your very self stolen from you...I can't imagine it. I hope everything gets sorted out quickly for you so you can get back to normal (whatever that is).

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  8. Arleen-- Ah, then you know the sound of the crocodile snapping too closely behind.

    Keith-- Frankly, I don't know. Parts of the fix are immediate; others are not. But there are wards in place now to discourage further invasion.

    Delores-- I seem to still have a self but it is full of the jumps now.

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  9. They stole your identity!

    When they run this person out on a rail, I'd like to be there.

    Pearl

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  10. I'll have the bag of feathers at the ready while you slap the hot tar on the miserable blighter Pearl.

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  11. Pearl-- I would welcome your help making sure the rail is correctly positioned. Have just laid my findings before the Federal Trade Commission and linked them with our excellent Sheriff's Dept. Perpetrator has made an important error.

    Delores-- Anything but hawk feathers.

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  12. Hoodle indeed. This is a serious matter which light hearts do not need to be troubled with, no matter how many teams of cardiologists are on hand. The scene with the shadow stitching was a great favourite of mine in Peter Pan. I had a beautiful old copy, long since stolen. Let us round up all perps and tie them to the hawk tree. I am not terribly good at knots, so I shall take care of the rounding. I am good at that.
    Wishing you speedy resolution and restoration of peace of mind xx

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  13. Lily-- Most kind. I could use your rounding-up skills right now, your energy and perhaps your martial arts skills too.

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  14. This totally sucks. Not that you need me or anybody else to tell you that. Another of our blogging pals had this happen to her family twice in the past couple years. Nasty nasty stuff. I hope everything gets straightened out asap, and the perpetrator gets what he deserves.

    Dude.

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  15. Susan-- Thanks. So long as there's a purty gal callin' me Dude, I'll stand tall in the saddle and ride off after the varmint...er, maybe I should sit in the saddle. I'll go ask.

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  16. That bastid! After Pearl and Lawless are done with him send him here. I cut meat for a lot of years.

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  17. Laura--Oh thank you! Now the posse is complete. I feel my ID returning.

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  18. Awful experience, but not without it's existential lessons, I guess. After reading this, I found myself mulling over the issue of identity and what it means to all of us.

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