17 September 2008

Dark thoughts....

Observer: Estella Yee
Date: 17 September 2008
Location: West of Sigma Chi, East of Walton, South of Ford Hall
Time: 1424-1441
Weather: 77˚F, very warm

This afternoon, I was endeavoring to consume my late lunch outdoors, but the yellow jackets managed to find me as usual; they always seemed to be attracted to the ingredients. In my mad dash, I found myself at the west end of Sigma Chi. I was pleasantly startled by a raucous bird call. Usually unable to identify most birdcalls, I was even more surprised when a streak of blue glided from a nearby birch tree down into the brush at the East of Walton. The bird had a back and head of a vibrant blue hue and white underbelly. It was rummaging in a hole in the dry dust caused by the construction nearby. I could only imagine how difficult it would be to find vitals in the desert-like terrain. Or perhaps it was storing supplies? It hopped up a 10-foot shrub behind it, which had elliptical leaves arranged oppositely. They were fading from a pale green into a dull red. The bird, which I later identified quite confidently as a western scrub jay, hopped/flew to an adjacent 15-foot tree, which resembled an ash. The tree had primarily red leaves along the outer leaves where the sun had burnt away the chlorophyll. Shrieking, it turned and hopped up to higher branches, like one going up a spiraling stairwell, calling each time it faced a new direction. Satisfied by its accomplishment, it soared onto Sigma Chi’s brick, rectangular chimney, from where it flew off into the distance. Now that it had gone though, I finally took in the full barren landscape. The dry yellowing grass ended at a field of yellow dust, the grass was littered with shriveled leaves. On top of all of that, a Dreyer’s Ice Cream truck pulled up behind me into the driveway and stirred up a cloud of dust, which consequentially spread out toward me and the future Ford Hall. Everything seemed desolate, life obliterated. It always amazes me how much destruction must occur before something can be created. What happens once there’s nothing left to destroy? Will everything be chaos once more?

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