Will You Still Need Me...

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

The Beatles asked us that question 42 years ago, when I was all of 22, and I can remember trying to envision any of us at the ancient age of 64.

Well, here I am, now an official member of the Old Buzzard Club, by Beatle standards anyway, and I don't have to imagine anymore, I can just look in the mirror at the reality of it all!

As for the answer to their question, I may be in luck. Peggy still says she needs me and I smell something good cooking down in the kitchen, which means I may be getting fed in a few minutes!

I'm feeling very fortunate today, half of the Beatles never made it to 64, and yet I'm getting ready to take a nice morning walk along the lake with my dear wife, Peg, and my sweet dog Dallas.

Plans for the rest of the day include making an apple pie together with some of the bucket full of apples a neighbor gave us off her tree. We're visiting with my old, old buddy, Charlie Melton (50 years as pals now), who came to celebrate the occasion with me, and tonight, the three of us are going out dancing to the great blues music of our friend Jimmy Reid.

I was officially sixty-four at exactly 5:11 A.M., just about the time I started putting this post together.

The Turkey Vulture photo was taken by me at the Moonridge Animal Park, here in Big Bear, in August, 2007. The animals at the park have been injured, or can no longer survive in the wild, for one reason or another, and this handsome ol' buzzard is one of the inhabitants there.

Red-Tailed Hawk

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

Monday morning, during our walk along the shore of Stanfield Marsh, Peggy and I were privileged to catch this Red-Tailed Hawk on the dead tree where I've also photographed a Bald Eagle now & again. I've seen this bird here a few other times in the past couple of weeks but this is the best photo I've been able to get.