April 28, 2024
Spring Break’s End
Sunday morning was here, and it was the last day of our spring break time off. Tomorrow, my wife would leave town for her next rotation, and I would go back to work. While sipping hot coffee outside, we noted how cool it felt and that the humidity was gathering in the air, forming condensation on all the patio furniture.
We got dressed and headed to Wilson for breakfast. The restaurant was busy and I couldn’t decide whether I liked all the background noise from the surrounding people. Years ago, I craved this environment while writing at coffee shops. Although I always wore headphones, I liked to be in a sea of people as I wrote. These days, I preferred to write alone while at my house. I hardly ever visited coffee shops anymore, and wouldn’t visit one to write.
Our breakfast conversation was upbeat, but my wife and I definitely felt the pull of going back to school and work. That wasn’t cause for sadness as much as it made us a little more serious, less in the mindset of relaxing, and more focused on what we had to do. After breakfast, we stopped at a new gas station in Wilson called Royal Farms. The gas pumps were fast, although they didn’t stop pushing fuel once our tank was full, spilling gas onto the car and over the edge of the rear quarter panel. The inside of the gas station was nice, and they had wonderfully organized all the drinks and snacks. They served fried chicken and other foods, but basically carried the same products as any other gas station.
When we arrived at Lake Wilson, the weather was sunny and warm, although it did not feel hot. Strong breezes came and went, cooling us off during the two-mile walk. Just south of the bridge, we spotted a blue heron and two other waterfowl. From a distance, it was hard to gauge their size, but they looked similar to the blue heron, only they were a dark brownish color. I noted the blue heron was gazing at them both. When we arrived on the bridge, we caught a better look. The two darker birds were baby herons, probably the blue heron’s chicks. It appeared they were learning how to wade and hunt in the low water.
The rest of the walk produced additional treats. There was another blue heron hiding in tall grasses on the bank. A little further down, the mallard family we spotted earlier in the week was sitting on the bank next to the water. The mother extended her wings, displaying the brown, white, and blue feathers for us to see. Next to her, a pile of tiny ducklings napped in the sun. Later, we saw a group of four male mallards hanging out together on this lazy Sunday morning. The highlight of the walk was when we spotted tiny turtles sunny on a submerged tree branch that poked out of the water’s surface. The smallest of the turtles were no bigger than the leaves on the branch. It was incredible to see. They looked like miniature figurines and their instincts to sun at such a young age impressed me.
After our walk, we ran my wife’s SUV through the car wash and then headed home. I made some notes on my computer and then we threw some burgers on the grill and ate outside on the deck. After lunch, I fell asleep for a half hour on the couch, and when I woke up, I made a cup of coffee and sat down to write while my wife practiced on the piano.
Later in the afternoon, we carried food into the forest. There were apples, ears of corn, and other healthy snacks. My wife helped me as I stopped at each trail camera to replace its batteries and SD card. We moved one camera to a new trail area we recently cleared and set up some food near an old broken shovel left abandoned on the forest floor near a cluster of large cedars. I hoped the cameras would catch videos of new fawns or baby foxes.
We cooled off on the hammock in the pasture, sharing it, our heads on opposite ends. My wife eagerly anticipated her next month of school, a rotation in OB-GYN. We knew she loved working in this field and although we would be apart during the weekdays; we were looking forward to getting through this last testable rotation. She had two more rotations she selected as electives, but after this month, she had a few months to focus on final exams and the national certification test. We were in an excellent position and we knew it.
While my wife was talking, I picked up my phone, googling Pino’s Pizza to see if they were open. I told my wife I was going to make an order, and she told me she was about to ask if I wanted to pick up some Pino’s. We loved these little quirks that came with long-term relationships. After many years of being together, our minds were melding while retaining a healthy sense of independence.
We made the quick drive into Wilson, picked up the pizza, and came home and ate in on the deck. It was a beautiful evening as our time off work came to a close. We needed the time off and appreciated that we could spend time together. But we were ready to get back to business. We agreed to meet back on the deck on Friday evening. I held her extra close throughout the night.