The firebirds

[missliz]

Am I the only person who's ever seen the firebirds? People look at me like I'm stark raving mad- but they never look up so they wouldn't see it.
In the evening, at certain parts of the year when the light is right, you can stand looking east and if roosts of birds are coming out to feed on insects and fly into the late red sun they become streaks of glowing red, fire brands in the sky. One year at Bella Vista Plantation we had hundreds of roosts of blackbirds along the Mississippi river bank and they would fly west every evening to feed on the insects in the feilds; they'd come by the tens of thousands and fly a couple hundred feet over head. You could see them twirling and bobbing in the eddies the air currents make. But every one of them shimmers red in the light, glowing coals with black wings in a great teeming rush overhead against the late blue of the sky. A firebird is an amazing surf swimmer, you can really see tham set their wings and muscle out of out of weird air in a way that doesn't show when the day is in it's more humdrum parts.
There's an explanation for it, a scientific explanation, but why do people need one? They oughta know this stuff from PBS anyway.
For me a bike has always been a journey to see signs and wonders. I realy like the firebird and running with deer sort, but in town you can get an interesting day out of reading random scraps of paper in the street- single book pages are good. (I know for a fact that world class racers do this too)

Should I just keep it all to myself? Or frighten the unimaginative anyway?

Lizzy

The worst of it is, I've been inviting people to come over with wine and lawn chairs, but they seem to be afraid or something. There's a weekends great riding, road and dirt, and lodging in a comfy house. Are house parties out of style?

[grannydea]

Missliz please never keep it to yourself.
I now can close my eyes and see them. Thank you for your description and for sharing.
Dea