Cobra

This morning, Bush, at the end of my daily meditation sit, I had this clear vision of a cobra, head on, poised and swaying--though not, it seems, about to strike. I felt no sense of threat. You may think me fanciful but always, on the rare occasions when I get visitations of this kind, I believe they have something to tell me. I have not yet heard what this creature from the wild world has to say to me, but rest assured, I'm listening. And when I hear, Bush, I'll be sure to let you know.

Otherwise, today, the trees are to be trimmed in our back yard. There are many of them--two flowering pears, two tall eucalyptus, several citrus, a coral tree... not to mention the tall camelias of various colors on one side and the green hedgerows on the other. It's a huge job. They have been growing apace with the rains these past few months, and the crew arrives in half an hour. I must be off.

But... before I do, a quick confession. I did watch--out of one eye at least--the last two evenings of "American Idol." My wife made me do it, honest. I am not a big fan of pop music. But the eye-opener: the popular vote for the final two contestants was a staggering sixty-three million! This is way more than have ever voted for a U.S. president, including your good self. A sobering statistic, and one that should give us all pause to reconsider the meaning of the freedom to vote in the land of the free and the home of the brave.