June 29, 2024

Twins

This Saturday morning, I woke up at four o’clock, staying awake until five, and then fell back asleep until seven. When we woke up, my wife and I drank coffee together on the couch, excited for the day. I loved waking up feeling rested, knowing the entire weekend lied ahead.

After we drank our coffee and fed the dogs, we changed clothes, gathered the trash and headed to the trash service center, our first stop of the day. Next, we drove to Lake Wilson, where we planned to go for a walk before eating breakfast.

When we arrived, clouds covered the sky, shading the entire lake. The humidity made the morning heat uncomfortable, but I was happy to escape the summer sun’s intense light. There was almost no wind, and the water looked glassy, reflecting the surrounding trees like a mirror. Several people were at the lake walking and fishing.

At the beginning of the walk, we saw something in the water. The creature kept swimming, surfacing, and diving, but we never saw what it was. From the size, it was probably a beaver. The two-mile loop produced three blue herons and a family of mallards. The young ducklings looked as big as the adults, and I wondered how much longer they would stay together.

It had been a long time since I had seen Lake Wilson look so placid. As we walked, I couldn’t help but think of having a camera with a tripod and a neutral density filter to take some long exposures. That would have produced some stunning images.

When we arrived at the long wooden bridge, the sun popped out from the clouds, casting an intense light everywhere. The sun’s heat made my scalp tingle, and we picked up our pace to cross the bridge and get back onto the shaded trail. On the east side of the lake, the water smelled briny, like a summer ocean.

When we were about fifteen minutes from the car, my wife and I both related how hungry we were. We finished the walk, hot and sweaty, happy to sit in the car while the air conditioner blasted cold air on our faces. Remarkably, we remembered to bring a change of shoes, something we always said we should do. We both kicked our running shoes off our swollen feet and my wife slipped on her sandals while I nestled my feet in a pair of flip-flops.

From Lake Wilson, we made an impromptu stop at the Puddles Car Wash, since there was only one car in line. By the time we were pulling into the wash, at least five other cars had pulled in behind us.

With a clean vehicle, we drove to Cracker Barrel, trying out an alternative route. The restaurant was busy, but they seated us quickly. Famished, we devoured our food with delight. Our stay there was full of upbeat conversation, and we were happy to be off work and have some face time together.

From the Cracker Barrel, we drove to Tractor Supply where I picked up one hundred and twenty pounds of deer corn, deer attractant, and two large bags of bird food. Now that the feeding station was ready, I needed to keep it stocked so the wildlife would continue to visit the area. While only a few birds had found the station, I knew the word of food would spread quickly. Birds were such chattery little creatures.

Our next stop was Target, where we restocked our supply of dog food and water. My wife also picked up a family sized box of Cheez-It crackers. We also found an outdoor rug for the rear deck, which had been getting hot with the summer sun. We didn’t want the dogs to burn their paws while going outside.

Our last stop was at Lidl to pick up groceries for the week. While weekend grocery shopping was not what most people would consider enjoyable, my wife and I always made things fun. Between our silliness and wicked sense of humor, we laughed most of the time we were out together. We commented on how happy we were and how normal things felt while going out to run menial errands. I couldn’t wait until she was done with school. I knew her life would be much easier without that monkey on her back.

When we arrived home, we unloaded the groceries and put them away. I dozed off a bit while my wife studied. After, I made a cup of coffee and started editing photos. The dogs started barking, so I looked out the window, and on the back tree line of the pasture, a doe stood feeding on the grass. I called my wife and while I was on my way to the living room to meet her; she had some exciting news.

The doe was with a fawn, but the fawn was not Roku or Natsu. This fawn had a twin! Another doe had given birth and now we had four fawns on the property. The fawns were so small but looked to be in healthy condition, and were likely born within the past couple of days. My wife and I watched, taking turns with the binoculars, until the doe and her two babies disappeared into the tree line. I felt thrilled we didn’t miss them, and I thanked the dogs for alerting us, even though I was constantly telling them to leave the deer alone.

Still celebrating, my wife cut open a watermelon and served it up on plates. I asked if she was going to squeeze lemon juice on the watermelon, since we had purchased some at Lidl. I recently told her about an Instagram video that showed people doing this and loving the result. She chided me, telling me those memes were all cockamamie.

Curious as a cat, she watched me as I squeezed lemon juice on my watermelon, watching my face intently as I took a bite. I told her it was okay. I went to the living room, eating it up. It was really delicious. She came in the room with her plate, telling me how good it was. Apparently, she had squeezed lemon juice on hers too.

In the evening, my wife made a salad, and we reheated the leftover pizza from Pino’s. We were happy to see Kilo’s improved condition. While she didn’t want to move too much, once she got up, she seemed happy to walk around the yard and inside the house until she got tired. Then, she would lie down in a single place for the next few hours.

After dinner, my wife and I took food out to the feeding areas. I grabbed a forty-pound bag of corn and slung it over my shoulder, carrying it into the forest. My wife hauled a ten-pound bag of bird food and some dried mealworms. It was still hot outside and carrying the corn made me sweat. We put down deer corn at the new feeding area, the secret trail entrance, the pine grove, and the pasture. 

Once we were done, my wife took a bath while I grabbed the mower and cut most of the pasture. Cutting the grass was relaxing, and I enjoyed listening to music on my noise-canceling headphones to eliminate the mower’s noise. There was a certain satisfaction that came from mowing the lawn that belonged to us. A freshly cut yard was easy on the eyes and reflected an awareness of our surroundings.

It was a great day and time to go to bed. Tomorrow, we would wake up and do it all over again.