By Al Batt, Nature’s world

My neighbor Crandall stops by.

“How are you doing?” I ask.

“How am I doing?” he asks in turn.

“I had a tough day yesterday.

I had to deal the cards twice. You ask me how I’m doing? I have a bad case of the DPs.&uot;

&uot;What on earth are the DPs?&uot;

&uot;It’s the Doing Poorlys. I’m all boogered up.

Look at this!” said my neighbor as he showed me his bandaged hand.

“What happened to your hand?”

“We are all born naked, wet and hungry.

Then things get worse. I put it my dog Pyramids’ mouth &045; I call him Pyramids because of all the little pyramids he leaves around my yard &045; to see how many teeth he had.

Pyramids closed his mouth to see how many fingers I had. The things you don’t worry about, happen, too. Say, I’ve found a new way to become rich beyond my wildest dreams.

Do you want to hear about it?”

“I don’t suppose I have a choice, do I?” I say.

“Nope. I have all those sheep and I’ve discovered that if I dye the wool of the lambs, they sell like hotcakes.

People love to own a pink, green, yellow or purple lamb.

You know what this makes me, don’t you?”

“I sure do.

The biggest lamb dyer in the county.”

Gobbling gulls

I was in Alaska.

I was hungry.

I like to eat just about wherever I travel.

It’s a habit I’ve formed.

I stopped at an eating establishment and ordered my food.

I opted to eat outside.

Alaska is such a beautiful place that I wanted to take every opportunity to see as much of it as I could.

My outdoor table offered incredible looks at the mountains.

I enjoyed an excellent meal with an even better view.

A number of birds called Mew Gulls enjoyed a view of my food.

I kept an eye on these creatures as they have been known for thievery of food.

I finished my delicious fare and took another look at the breathtaking vistas the day was giving me.

A glance at my wristwatch told me that I needed to hurry on my way to another appointment.

As I was gathering my plates to take inside the cafe, I noticed a family bringing their food outside to enjoy at a nearby table.

Those good folks put their food down on the table and then prepared to leave.

I guessed that they were going back to get beverages.

&uot;Excuse me,&uot; I said.

&uot;But I wouldn’t leave the food unattended.

Mew Gulls will swipe it. I’d watch it for you, but I’m a little rushed.&uot;

They paused to look at me. They all laughed.

I guess I’m a funny guy.

Then they went to get their beverages and left their food all alone.

It wasn’t alone for long.

As I walked away, I turned back just in time to see the Mew Gulls fly down and devour the unguarded food.

I felt sorry for the people, but good for the gulls.

The gold mine

There once was a gold mine around Ellendale, Minn.

It was an actual working gold mine located east of town on Highway 30 near the Cooleyville intersection.

It was operated by the Patterson Brothers and they searched for gold in the early 1900s.

The Pattersons were machinists from Pennsylvania who went to a fortuneteller.

The soothsayer sent them to the Ellendale area telling them that they would find either a young lady swinging on a gate or an old man walking along while smoking a pipe.

From where this individual was found, the brothers were to walk a certain number of paces and dig a hole.

There they were to find gold.

There was gold in them there hills!

The Pattersons headed for Ellendale.

And why not? Lots of people have had gold fever at one time or another.

The Pattersons were machinists, so they were weekend gold miners.

They excavated and hit water from an underground stream.

The Pattersons were nice fellows, well thought of, who believed that they were within 10 feet of gold.

They never found the gold.

Is there gold there?

Who knows? The Pattersons believed there was.

Sometimes that is enough.

We should never give up.

After all, snails made it to Noah’s Ark.

Rare bird

I take pleasure from looking for what I do not see.

This sometimes requires a little traveling.

All who wander are not lost.

Sometimes we’re just looking for something.

Nature loves to hide.

It is made up of many things that do not want to be found.

If you don’t see what you are looking for where you are at, where will you find it?

We wander.

Just as a car’s headlights do not shine on my final destination, each bird I see leads me to another &045; another of equal mystery and beauty.

I have been fortunate enough to see a number of birds that could be classified as rare.

It has been a treat to see every single one of them.

It’s a joy to see a bird that I had hoped to see.

It’s a miracle to see a bird that I had never expected to see.

I learned a lot about the birds both before and after seeing them.

This frees me from the need to rely solely upon my perception.

Knowledge and joy become one.

Hope and birds are forever wedded in my mind.

A rare bird is a gift to the person seeing it.

Each of these birds reaffirms something that my mother often told me.

&uot;Everything is possible.”

Alaska

Nothing could make me happier than having you join me as I lead a tour to Alaska in July and August.

I love taking the best people to visit our biggest state &045; it’s seven times larger than Minnesota!

For a trip of a lifetime, please call 1-800-328-4298 and ask for information about joining Al Batt in Alaska.

Etcetera

An African legend tells of an African tribe that ritualizes forgiveness.

When a member of this tribe acts unjustly or irresponsibly, he is taken to the center of the village.

All activities cease and every man, woman and child in the village gathers in a large circle around the accused.

Then members of the tribe take turns bombarding the man with affirmations.

They enumerate all the good things that the individual had done.

All his positive attributes, strengths and kindnesses are recalled joyfully and at length. When this process is completed, a celebration takes place and the man is welcomed back into the good graces of the tribe.

All is forgiven.

“Wise sayings often fall on barren ground, but a kind word is never thrown away.” &045; Arthur Helps

“If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don’t be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning ‘Good morning’ at total strangers.” &045; Maya Angelou

DO GOOD.

(Al Batt of Hartland is a member of the Albert Lea Audubon Society. E-mail him at SnoEowl@aol.com.)