WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.550 align:middle line:90%


00:00:04.550 --> 00:00:05.330 align:middle line:90%
OK, here's--

00:00:05.330 --> 00:00:09.470 align:middle line:90%


00:00:09.470 --> 00:00:13.610 align:middle line:84%
"I thought the rattlers wouldn't
climb up the tall clay pots

00:00:13.610 --> 00:00:16.040 align:middle line:84%
but my neighbor found
a big rattlesnake

00:00:16.040 --> 00:00:20.030 align:middle line:84%
in one of her large clay
pots on her wooden deck.

00:00:20.030 --> 00:00:24.440 align:middle line:84%
About that time I watched a
really big rattler crawl over--

00:00:24.440 --> 00:00:28.610 align:middle line:84%
not around-- a stack of
bricks by a flower pot

00:00:28.610 --> 00:00:30.770 align:middle line:84%
which means the
snake could easily

00:00:30.770 --> 00:00:34.790 align:middle line:84%
climb into my tall
flower pots if it wished.

00:00:34.790 --> 00:00:38.090 align:middle line:84%
Fortunately the snakes
seem to prefer the dirt

00:00:38.090 --> 00:00:42.530 align:middle line:84%
that dampens between the flower
pots under the mesquite tree

00:00:42.530 --> 00:00:44.900 align:middle line:90%
to the flowerpots themselves.

00:00:44.900 --> 00:00:47.450 align:middle line:84%
My neighbors wooden
deck gets too warm

00:00:47.450 --> 00:00:49.700 align:middle line:84%
and is probably the
reason the snakes

00:00:49.700 --> 00:00:53.240 align:middle line:90%
crawled up into her flowerpots.

00:00:53.240 --> 00:00:56.150 align:middle line:84%
The snakes here
haven't done that yet.

00:00:56.150 --> 00:00:57.560 align:middle line:90%
Not yet.

00:00:57.560 --> 00:01:01.280 align:middle line:84%
But I now look before I
reach into the flowerpots

00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:04.819 align:middle line:84%
to test the dampness
of the soil.

00:01:04.819 --> 00:01:07.670 align:middle line:84%
The big rattler was lying
in the shade in wait

00:01:07.670 --> 00:01:09.530 align:middle line:90%
for a mourning dove.

00:01:09.530 --> 00:01:12.110 align:middle line:84%
He was on the other
side of a big pot

00:01:12.110 --> 00:01:14.210 align:middle line:90%
with gourd sprouts in it.

00:01:14.210 --> 00:01:16.040 align:middle line:90%
I couldn't see him.

00:01:16.040 --> 00:01:19.820 align:middle line:84%
I was wearing my sound
canceling headphones

00:01:19.820 --> 00:01:22.520 align:middle line:90%
when I stepped out to the porch.

00:01:22.520 --> 00:01:24.890 align:middle line:84%
I think the cockatoos
had been screeching

00:01:24.890 --> 00:01:26.570 align:middle line:90%
so I left the headphones on."

00:01:26.570 --> 00:01:29.750 align:middle line:84%
When I'm writing, just--
you can get those for the--

00:01:29.750 --> 00:01:31.530 align:middle line:84%
I don't listen to
music through them.

00:01:31.530 --> 00:01:35.160 align:middle line:84%
I just try to take
the edge off of noise.

00:01:35.160 --> 00:01:36.260 align:middle line:90%
So here I was--

00:01:36.260 --> 00:01:39.770 align:middle line:84%
beware of doing that--
walking around on my porch

00:01:39.770 --> 00:01:43.220 align:middle line:84%
with my sound
canceling headphones.

00:01:43.220 --> 00:01:47.030 align:middle line:84%
"Although I barely
heard it I felt

00:01:47.030 --> 00:01:50.180 align:middle line:90%
the vibration of the rattling.

00:01:50.180 --> 00:01:53.510 align:middle line:84%
I took off the headphones
and located the snake

00:01:53.510 --> 00:01:55.700 align:middle line:84%
before I stepped
around the big pot

00:01:55.700 --> 00:01:59.450 align:middle line:84%
and found myself face to
face with the big snake.

00:01:59.450 --> 00:02:02.360 align:middle line:84%
I don't like to be
surprised by snakes--

00:02:02.360 --> 00:02:08.400 align:middle line:84%
it means I'm not paying enough
attention to my surroundings.

00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:09.509 align:middle line:90%
The light!

00:02:09.509 --> 00:02:10.620 align:middle line:90%
The light!

00:02:10.620 --> 00:02:14.670 align:middle line:84%
This first morning of June on
the stretch of the big arroyo

00:02:14.670 --> 00:02:18.960 align:middle line:84%
just above the old iron culvert
that resembles a coffin,

00:02:18.960 --> 00:02:24.210 align:middle line:84%
bright in the sunlight I found
a small cabochon of turquoise

00:02:24.210 --> 00:02:27.870 align:middle line:84%
in the shape of a heart
on a gravel bar I've

00:02:27.870 --> 00:02:32.520 align:middle line:84%
walked past a number of
times recently but never saw.

00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:35.160 align:middle line:90%
Was it there those other times?

00:02:35.160 --> 00:02:37.050 align:middle line:90%
When did it appear?

00:02:37.050 --> 00:02:41.250 align:middle line:84%
Was it visible only
in the 6:20 AM light?

00:02:41.250 --> 00:02:46.050 align:middle line:84%
Maybe the light at 8:30 AM is
brighter but the wrong angle,

00:02:46.050 --> 00:02:49.860 align:middle line:84%
and so bright the turquoise
stones appear to be enam--

00:02:49.860 --> 00:02:54.630 align:middle line:84%
and so bright the turquoise
stones appear to be enameled.

00:02:54.630 --> 00:02:59.010 align:middle line:84%
Now the misty breeze smells
just like the ripe prickly pears

00:02:59.010 --> 00:03:00.660 align:middle line:90%
boiled for syrup.

00:03:00.660 --> 00:03:03.480 align:middle line:90%
The rain smells of wet cactus.

00:03:03.480 --> 00:03:06.480 align:middle line:84%
The wind came down from
the east and there was

00:03:06.480 --> 00:03:08.760 align:middle line:90%
a little thunder or lightning."

00:03:08.760 --> 00:03:11.040 align:middle line:90%
It was a gentle rain--

00:03:11.040 --> 00:03:14.550 align:middle line:84%
"It was a gentle rain that
soaked into the ground.

00:03:14.550 --> 00:03:17.520 align:middle line:84%
The air had been so
hot but now suddenly

00:03:17.520 --> 00:03:21.390 align:middle line:84%
the breeze off the
rainstorm feels almost icy.

00:03:21.390 --> 00:03:25.560 align:middle line:84%
The palo verde covered
with dainty yellow flowers

00:03:25.560 --> 00:03:29.220 align:middle line:84%
sway in the wind, at
their feet the drifts

00:03:29.220 --> 00:03:32.670 align:middle line:90%
of fallen blossoms swirl.

00:03:32.670 --> 00:03:37.920 align:middle line:84%
The cooler air lingers in the
low-lying places, the arroyos.

00:03:37.920 --> 00:03:41.460 align:middle line:84%
It feels delicious on
my face and is lightly

00:03:41.460 --> 00:03:46.770 align:middle line:84%
perfumed with the late-blooming
catclaw bushes in the arroyos.

00:03:46.770 --> 00:03:51.300 align:middle line:84%
The wildflowers that bloomed
in February, March and April

00:03:51.300 --> 00:03:55.230 align:middle line:84%
are dry stalks, their
seed pods the shapes

00:03:55.230 --> 00:03:58.530 align:middle line:90%
of spiders, bees and stars.

00:03:58.530 --> 00:04:02.970 align:middle line:84%
They are luminous-- backlit
by the rising sun"--

00:04:02.970 --> 00:04:04.710 align:middle line:90%
as lovely in this--

00:04:04.710 --> 00:04:10.080 align:middle line:84%
"as lovely in this light
as they were in flower.

00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:13.830 align:middle line:84%
At 5:15 AM, the
sun is up but not

00:04:13.830 --> 00:04:16.680 align:middle line:84%
quite over the
Catalina Mountains.

00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:19.050 align:middle line:90%
To walk or not to walk?

00:04:19.050 --> 00:04:23.250 align:middle line:84%
I tell myself the more walks
I take the more material

00:04:23.250 --> 00:04:25.920 align:middle line:90%
I will have for the manuscript.

00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:27.990 align:middle line:90%
Yes, no.

00:04:27.990 --> 00:04:30.600 align:middle line:90%
I decided, yes, a slow walk.

00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:32.400 align:middle line:90%
I didn't have any coffee.

00:04:32.400 --> 00:04:35.460 align:middle line:84%
I left the dogs
indoors but I uncovered

00:04:35.460 --> 00:04:38.340 align:middle line:90%
the one legged macaw's cage.

00:04:38.340 --> 00:04:41.970 align:middle line:84%
I started out and felt a
bit odd on the first hill

00:04:41.970 --> 00:04:43.380 align:middle line:90%
from not eating.

00:04:43.380 --> 00:04:45.300 align:middle line:84%
But I can think
of no better place

00:04:45.300 --> 00:04:48.180 align:middle line:84%
to die than out on the
trail in these hills

00:04:48.180 --> 00:04:51.900 align:middle line:84%
with the saguaros and all
the other beings I love.

00:04:51.900 --> 00:04:55.140 align:middle line:84%
But after the first till I
get warmed up and feel better

00:04:55.140 --> 00:04:57.540 align:middle line:90%
the longer I walk.

00:04:57.540 --> 00:05:01.440 align:middle line:84%
The low angle of the
rising sun through clouds

00:05:01.440 --> 00:05:05.940 align:middle line:84%
filters the light through a
yellow shimmering haze that

00:05:05.940 --> 00:05:08.790 align:middle line:90%
makes the early morning golden.

00:05:08.790 --> 00:05:11.640 align:middle line:84%
The dry stalks and
leaves and the sea pods

00:05:11.640 --> 00:05:16.920 align:middle line:84%
were backlit by the sun and
transformed to flora of light

00:05:16.920 --> 00:05:20.580 align:middle line:90%
in another dimension.

00:05:20.580 --> 00:05:24.090 align:middle line:84%
I saw a set of large
boot-prints on the trail.

00:05:24.090 --> 00:05:25.320 align:middle line:90%
A big man.

00:05:25.320 --> 00:05:26.400 align:middle line:90%
Size 13DDDD.

00:05:26.400 --> 00:05:28.920 align:middle line:90%


00:05:28.920 --> 00:05:32.820 align:middle line:84%
I see little tracks of night
insects and night rodents

00:05:32.820 --> 00:05:36.510 align:middle line:84%
in the fine dust
inside the boot-print--

00:05:36.510 --> 00:05:39.270 align:middle line:90%
he was here yesterday.

00:05:39.270 --> 00:05:42.900 align:middle line:84%
After the Gila Monster Mine
the boot-prints stopped,

00:05:42.900 --> 00:05:47.040 align:middle line:84%
and I saw only rabbit and
javelina tracks, and those

00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:51.060 align:middle line:84%
of insects on the trail which
filled my heart with relief

00:05:51.060 --> 00:05:53.460 align:middle line:90%
and happiness."

00:05:53.460 --> 00:05:58.041 align:middle line:84%
You can tell where humans
rank sometimes, in my--

00:05:58.041 --> 00:06:02.850 align:middle line:84%
"At the javelina dance place
I found no dancing tracks.

00:06:02.850 --> 00:06:06.540 align:middle line:84%
They dance here because
the soft sand feels good

00:06:06.540 --> 00:06:08.880 align:middle line:84%
and there are no
pebbles or stones

00:06:08.880 --> 00:06:11.250 align:middle line:90%
to stub their cloven hooves.

00:06:11.250 --> 00:06:14.640 align:middle line:84%
They take their dirt
baths in select spots

00:06:14.640 --> 00:06:17.490 align:middle line:84%
where the runoff moves
the rocks and pebbles

00:06:17.490 --> 00:06:21.180 align:middle line:84%
and leaves only the finest
soft sand and clay which

00:06:21.180 --> 00:06:24.420 align:middle line:84%
they carefully prepare by
pawing it with their hooves

00:06:24.420 --> 00:06:28.860 align:middle line:84%
and rooting it up with their
snouts and curved incisors."

00:06:28.860 --> 00:06:31.680 align:middle line:84%
And of course, the
dust baths protect them

00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:35.760 align:middle line:90%
from insects and biting things.

00:06:35.760 --> 00:06:37.710 align:middle line:84%
"The morning after
the first rain

00:06:37.710 --> 00:06:41.100 align:middle line:84%
I will be sure to walk to
see what sorts of gatherings

00:06:41.100 --> 00:06:43.350 align:middle line:90%
went on here last night.

00:06:43.350 --> 00:06:46.140 align:middle line:84%
From the fresh tracks
in the damp sand,

00:06:46.140 --> 00:06:49.530 align:middle line:84%
I can tell the deer reared
up on their hind legs

00:06:49.530 --> 00:06:53.490 align:middle line:84%
and danced in mock
combat with one another.

00:06:53.490 --> 00:06:56.100 align:middle line:84%
They frolic because
the rain fills them

00:06:56.100 --> 00:07:00.330 align:middle line:90%
with joy and erotic excitement.

00:07:00.330 --> 00:07:04.830 align:middle line:84%
For years I rode my horse
along the trail I now walk.

00:07:04.830 --> 00:07:08.240 align:middle line:84%
The horse watched the
footing and did all a work

00:07:08.240 --> 00:07:11.780 align:middle line:84%
while I enjoyed the view
from the top of the horse.

00:07:11.780 --> 00:07:15.620 align:middle line:84%
Now I walk and I keep
my eyes on the trail

00:07:15.620 --> 00:07:19.340 align:middle line:84%
while scanning up and
around from time to time.

00:07:19.340 --> 00:07:22.910 align:middle line:84%
I stop now and then and
listen as my father taught me

00:07:22.910 --> 00:07:25.730 align:middle line:90%
for deer hunting.

00:07:25.730 --> 00:07:29.600 align:middle line:84%
I am losing my hearing after
all those years of my childhood

00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:32.420 align:middle line:84%
when I happily watched
my parents fire

00:07:32.420 --> 00:07:36.440 align:middle line:84%
high-powered rifles and
large hand guns without ear

00:07:36.440 --> 00:07:40.220 align:middle line:84%
protection so I probably
miss a great deal

00:07:40.220 --> 00:07:43.970 align:middle line:84%
but still I can hear the
happiness of the curved beak

00:07:43.970 --> 00:07:47.270 align:middle line:84%
thrashers and
speckled cactus wrens

00:07:47.270 --> 00:07:51.520 align:middle line:84%
over the recent rain
and the wild flowers."