Walkabout

Even my dog is drawn by the sunshine. 

I got a call at work on Thursday -

the vet clinic got a call from a woman who found him walking down the middle of the street headed right out of town, so they called me. 

How he got out, and wandered so far, I don't know -

but he seemed perfectly pleased about it all.

I guess he got tired of waiting for me to take him for a walk, after two weeks of perfect weather, and took matters into his own paws. Can't really blame him.

Warm weather has arrived at last.

winter was long, and damp, and cold and dark.

Today the sun shines, the sky is blue

last night the sunset was glowing peach and orange and gold

the evening balmy and perfect.

The neighborhood streets thronged with people 

Walking, biking, running, doing yardwork, playing at the playground.

The student ghetto was full of kids in bikinis or shorts sitting on their lawns.

Everyone came out into the sun at once, like milkweed bursting from the pod,

Hungry for the sunshine and blue sky 

after the winter that dragged on too long.

My life is in transition. 

The past is gone, the present is difficult - a tight fit.

The future beckons, tantalizing possibilities to contemplate

If I think about what could be

it makes it easier to survive the now.

As good as it gets

I called my sister in law to wish her happy birthday -

she's on a trip to Kentucky with her son. Eric is 6.

So far he's milked a cow, bottle-fed a calf,

named a kitten, driven a (big blue) tractor;

now they're going to ride go-carts.

Boy - when you're 6 it doesn't get much better than that.

I kind of wish I were 6 too.