It is a bitterly cold day today. I am restless, and want to get out of the house, go on a hike and admire the frozen streams and snow. Fly free, not hobble about. But I have duties today, including a chapter due.
Hobble. That’s a good word, eh? It means to ‘limp about’ and my ankle is still sore, though the bruising is going down. More, it also means ‘to hamper or impede’, and I am hampered from my hikes and find this frustrating.
Hard to believe that Ben Franklin didn’t want this fine bird to be our national symbol, but he didn’t and wanted the turkey instead. He found the eagle to be a deceitful creature, stealing food and bullying smaller birds. But I’ve seen eagles fish and care for their young, and I’ve definitely seen them soar – old Ben didn’t look closely enough to see the beauty amidst the avarice and aggression.
Or maybe it was his humor?
However, he’d probably be happy today: we may still have the Bald Eagle as symbol of the country, but there’s now a Turkey in the White House.
