Sunday, July 22, 2012
Wo ist Heimat? Hier.
Yesterday I celebrated the retreat of the invading Midwest air, defeated by native desert air in a fierce battle.
Calling the midwest an unwanted invader caught me by surprise ... the words popped out without planning. Made me realize that my definition of Heimat has changed recently. For 21 years Heimat remained in the Plains, and Spokane was just this place where I happen to reside at the moment.
Yes, 21 years of 'at the moment'.
Now Heimat is right here. Not Spokane as a city, but this neighborhood.
Why? Because I started walking every day.
The cities that previously counted as Home (Ponca and Manhattan) were Home because I walked and biked all the time. Because I knew every block at ground level. Because I knew which sights, sounds and smells were familiar, and which were suspicious. Until this year I didn't have the same cat-like territorial knowledge about the current location. Now I do.
= = = = =
Artistic note: the orange cat is not generic ... he's a real cat who seems to cover more or less the same territorial range that I do. He often appears in my yard, stalking squirrels and birds. He fails every time. The birds fly away and dive-bomb him, shouting "CAAAAT! CAAAAT! CAAAAT!" The squirrels stand above him on the powerline, indicating his location in multisyllabic squirrelchatter. But he keeps trying, and I suspect he'll catch a critter someday. ¶ 11:08 AM
Calling the midwest an unwanted invader caught me by surprise ... the words popped out without planning. Made me realize that my definition of Heimat has changed recently. For 21 years Heimat remained in the Plains, and Spokane was just this place where I happen to reside at the moment.
Yes, 21 years of 'at the moment'.
Now Heimat is right here. Not Spokane as a city, but this neighborhood.
Why? Because I started walking every day.
The cities that previously counted as Home (Ponca and Manhattan) were Home because I walked and biked all the time. Because I knew every block at ground level. Because I knew which sights, sounds and smells were familiar, and which were suspicious. Until this year I didn't have the same cat-like territorial knowledge about the current location. Now I do.
= = = = =
Artistic note: the orange cat is not generic ... he's a real cat who seems to cover more or less the same territorial range that I do. He often appears in my yard, stalking squirrels and birds. He fails every time. The birds fly away and dive-bomb him, shouting "CAAAAT! CAAAAT! CAAAAT!" The squirrels stand above him on the powerline, indicating his location in multisyllabic squirrelchatter. But he keeps trying, and I suspect he'll catch a critter someday. ¶ 11:08 AM
