Too Many Worms

A fine mist descends from the grey sky as I pull into the parking lot for the Bluebird Cafe, my favorite restaurant. I open the car door and almost step on a worm. It has been raining and the poor creature has had to leave its burrow to avoid drowning. I try to pick it up with my fingers. My victim writhes and shrinks trying to get away. After dropping her (him?...aren't worms hermaphrodites?) several times I slide my car key beneath her and lift her into my hand. I walk to an island of grass in the parking lot and carefully deposit my ward and head back toward the restaurant. I almost step on another worm. Once more I perform my key scrape rescue and free another annelid from almost certain death. Yet again I turn toward the restaurant and yet again I see another worm, actually two more. A scrape of key and a few steps saves the pair. And, yes, you guessed it...as I turn toward the restaurant a third time there are more worms. This process is repeated several more times before hunger overcomes my altruism and I make it to my favorite table...the one in the corner, framed with two huge windows. The sun glints on the table top and Laura comes over with a cup of coffee and a place setting. I order eggs and bacon and consider the fate of worms.

How many worms should I have saved? Should I have spent my morning saving every worm I could find? Should I have not even bothered to save one? Did I in fact save any? I noticed several robins watching my activities very closely. Did my efforts simply make a robin breakfast buffet?

The arrival of eggs and bacon interrupts my woolgathering. I dine on aborted chicks and slices of an animal said to taste the most like humans (some cannibal tribes once called humans "long pig" because we taste like pork). Where is my sense of morals now? Are chicks and pigs less noble than worms? I have no answer for my hypocrisy of saving worms while dining on pigs. I can offer no explanation or rationalization for my worm saving behavior. I realize that it is impossible to save all the worms and thus in one sense my efforts are futile and insignificant. However, even though my actions were a failure in the grand scheme of things...even though they were hypocritical in that I saved one creature while eating another...they still may have some importance and value. Just ask the worms I did save.

Dorothy

She sits in Uptown Bill's each morning dispensing words of wisdom.

"I'm here because I'm not all there."

I am glad that she is here. The warmth of her smile is beyond my knowledge and her laughter brushes the spiderwebs from my heart.

Thank you Dorothy.

Cirque de Dale

This picture has many dots. Some people call them stipples. I do not.

This picture started out to be many things to many people. Poor picture. It does not know that no one can be everything to everybody without ending up in the hospital. Wait. Perhaps that is its plan. In the hospital you eat three times a day and sleep in a clean bed. The way things are going with the economy perhaps the picture simply wants a bit of security. The hospital is not my cup of tea but who am I to judge others?

Sometimes my brain chases dots across a page. Sometimes dots are blue. Sometimes purple. Sometimes pink. Sometimes black. Other times the page is blank and so is my mind.

Keira and Caroline

This is a picture of my granddaughter Keira and my daughter Caroline. They are beautiful. I can't think of anything else to add.

Joe and Keira

Joe and Keira are looking at you. Well, actually it is just dots. Joe and Keira are in Florida. They probably do not even know you are looking at them.

This was supposed to be funnier. It is not.

JAX Beach Dunkin Donuts

I drew this while I was in Dunkin Donuts in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Must have been something it the powdered sugar on the donuts.

Confused Cow

This cow is confused...unless it knows how to eat snow. But then, it had the good sense not to drive around taking pictures of confused cows.

Strange Image from My Point of View

This image is strange. I mean it no offense by calling it so. I also am strange. But then strangeness depends on one's point of view I guess. I once had a point of view. I cherished it deeply. Then one day my point of view poked me in the eye. We parted ways after that. I have not heard from it for some time. Rumor has it that my point of view migrated to Rio De Janeiro and learned Portuguese. I have no way of verifying that fact. If you happen to encounter my point of view someday, please let it know that I wish it well in its new life.

I Sing (Poorly)

A friend challenged me to sing the British national anthem, "God Save The Queen". Foolishly, I accepted the challenge. Apologies to music lovers around the world, and to all my British friends.

Bill's Fly

This fly is out of perspective for the size of the table. It is much too large. In order to match the perspective of the fly the table would have to be larger than a city block. My ego is much like the fly.

Blue Lamp

This is a picture of a lamp. Trust me.

Scenes From The Mall

I spend a lot of time at a place called Uptown Bill's Small Mall. Uptown Bill's is a place that helps people with disabilities. It helps them start and run their own businesses and it gives them a safe place to just "be". We even let "normal" people come in - as long as they buy something! ;-)

These are some of the people who hang out at the Mall with me. Apologies to long time viewers of my blog for the repetition.

Dr. Tom

Here is Dr. Tom Walz, former Dean and current Professor Emeritus of the University of Iowa School of Social Work. He is the founder of the Mall. Our lives would be very much poorer without him. All of us love him very much. He loves himself very much as well.

Miss Dorothy

This is Miss Dorothy. She keeps Dr. Tom in line. At least she tries too. Here she is holding up her keys. I know it is difficult to "see" the keys. Dorothy uses her key chain to store all the dozens of "momentos" and toys that she has collected over the years. Trust me, there are keys in there somewhere.

Close up of Dorothy's key chain.

Happy Lynn

This is Lynn Borders. She opens the Mall and runs it Monday through Friday from 7 - 10 a.m. She often plays a brain-teaser game. She says it helps her keep her mind agile and quick. Perhaps I should play the brain-teaser game. But then what would I do if my mind were agile and quick? The shock might be too much for my system.

Boppin' Bob

Here's my friend Bob. He works at the Mall many times throughout the week. He is kind, friendly, and has a great sense of humor. He's a good role model. I have a pretty good sense of humor but I am not always good at the kind and friendly part. Oh well. I will have to make up the gap with my good looks and great singing voice.

Dave's Chair

Chair At Dave's Restaurant

This is the seat of a chair outside of Dave's Restaurant at the corner of Linn St. and Iowa Avenue in Iowa City, Iowa, Zip Code 52333, United States of America, Planet Earth, Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy. It waits patiently for the bottom of a person interested in eating Ethiopian cuisine. It is very clean.

Blue Brains

Some people said they thought this was a self portrait. I was insulted. This fellow has no mouth. I have a mouth. Besides that his brains are blue.

A Jarring Picture

Someone said that this picture was "jarring". I suppose it is jarring. It also is very colorful. Children, let us focus on the colors. That way we can be saved.

IMG009

My scanner named this picture "IMG009". I cannot tell if this name stands for "Image Number 9", or if it stands for "I'm GOO 9". I do not understand the name. That is okay. I do not understand the image either.

Coffee Lid

This began as a lid on a cup that held a special coffee that I had never tasted before. The light bounced off the lid. It went through my eyes to my brain. My armed jiggled and this is the result. I am not sure that special coffee is healthy for me.

Secret of Love

Larry burst into flames when he found the secret of true love. This phenomena has happened to me many times. You would think that my skin would be very tan from all the fires rather than pasty white. Luckily I remembered to wear suntan lotion. I recommend something with a SPF rating of 20-30, depending on the intensity of the romance.

Iowa City Street

I am in Iowa City. These are pieces of Iowa City I saw from Tate's Coffee shop across from the Iowa City Library. It is not unusual for me to see things in pieces. Integration is difficult for me.