March 2, 2024
There’s nothing quite like waking up on a Saturday morning, knowing I had the entire weekend ahead of me. Still, today felt odd because my wife had to work, which took most of the fun out of having the day off.
I began the day with my customary walk through the woods. Weekend walks were the best, because I could take my time and spend hours outdoors without the pressure of any upcoming work. This day looked beautiful and peaceful.
It rained hard last night, but by morning, the precipitation had slowed to a drizzle. The morning had a soft and dreamy appearance as the thick mist diffused the light of the sunrise. With raindrops clinging to the wet bark, the trees appeared a dark blackish-brown adorned with vibrant patches of mosses in different shades of white and green. The ground was soft to walk on, and smelled of rain. I made my way through the grove to an empty crop field. It was green with fresh grasses and the entire area was full of fog, obscuring the treetops that bordered the field.
When I arrived at the creek, the drizzle turned into rain. The creek swelled, its rushing water sounding through the forest. I was surprised to see so much water. I didn’t know it had rained that much during the night. As the rain continued to fall, I felt grateful my camera gear was water sealed as I stopped to take photographs, documenting anything interesting.
When I arrived at Beaver Tooth Rock, I checked the trail camera, which caught a fox walking up the large boulder. I positioned my small folding chair and sat down to watch the ravine in front of me. Time outdoors was something I always appreciated, but this morning seemed especially relaxing. Songbirds of several species, including wrens, eastern bluebirds, American robins, finches, warblers, and cardinals, surrounded me. Above the treetops, I heard the loud caws of crows, and an occasional flock of Canadian geese passing overhead.
It started raining harder, but I remained on the rock with my camera tucked underneath my jacket, protecting it from the water. The sounds of raindrops hitting various things made distinct tones that sounded like a wooden xylophone. Rain fell squarely on the top of my head, the back of my neck, or against the side of my earlobes. The drops were large, and the water was cold.
After an hour, I packed up my things and headed back to the house. The dogs were happy to see me, a feeling that was mutual. I made a coffee to warm up and sat down at the dining room table to write. I didn’t move for the next four hours. A rainy day has a way of making dogs lazy, and all four of my canines slept quietly as I wrote.
The sun came out this afternoon, turning a misty morning into a bright day. I finished writing and jumped in the shower to get cleaned up before my wife arrived home. She came home feeling tired and took a shower before sitting down to study for several hours. In the evening, we tried Pinot’s Pizza, since they were closed last Monday when we wanted to order food from the pizzeria.
I called in an order and we left to pick it up in Wilson. The pizza was amazing. The outstanding crust rivaled some of the best pizzerias in Austin. I told my wife that we would no longer buy frozen pizzas, and that we should always order a fresh pizza from Pinot’s. One frozen pizza usually lived in our freezer for nights when we did not feel like cooking, but picking up a fresh pizza took twenty minutes and was a much better dining experience.
My wife studied for the rest of the evening while I started working on an article I had put off while doing research. It was a productive night and my wife was in bed by 8:30 PM, ready to sleep before her shift on Sunday morning. I joined her in bed at 8:30, reading from the Kindle for a half hour before turning it off and going to sleep. It was an odd Saturday, but any day off work was a great day in my book.