One thing (ok one of the many things) that I really love about Pamela is that, not only does she 'put up with' some of the odder aspects of my personality, (including an almost all-consuming passion for birding) but that she also indulges them regularly. Case in point: I found this item on-line a few years ago and really have not been able to justify the purchase of it, although I really and truly wanted it. This year it was one of my birthday presents!
Museum-quality replica of a Pileated Woodpecker skull from Skulls Unlimited
I'm sorry, but for a woodpecker nut like me, that is damn cool. And it's even cooler that Pamela got it for me. The other item she got me, speaks not only to the woodpecker nut in me, but also to the 19th century enthusiast in me: a William Morris tapestry that is based on his poem about Picus, the Italian king that was transformed into a woodpecker, which comes in turn from Greek and Roman mythology. (And was the source of the title of this blog)
And that's your woodpecker moment of zen for the day:
i once a king and chief,
now am the tree barks thief:
ever twixt trunk and leaf,
chasing the prey.
