May 7, 2024
Traffic Jam
The night was full of interrupted sleep, and I found myself wide awake at 3:00 AM. I finally fell asleep around 4:00 and my wife’s alarm woke us both up at 5:00. We both felt tired and eagerly sipped our coffees on the couch while Kilo stared impatiently. Kilo knew it was doggy breakfast time after we finished our drinks, so she was always hurrying us. The dogs gulped down their breakfast as if they hadn’t eaten in a week. Except for Koda, who liked to take his time, and mostly ate when his mama and papa sat down next to him. After my wife left for work, I sat down to write.
I spent most of the morning in the woods, reconnecting with the ever changing environment that looked like a different forest each week. This morning, the songbirds were active, as were the downy and pileated woodpeckers that were thumping on hollow trees. The skies were dim, and the trail was still muddy from all the rain that fell this week. The overall temperature was comfortable and cool, and the forest felt peaceful; quiet.
I walked north on the east side of the property, hoping to sneak up on wildlife near the creek. As I turned west toward the water, I slowed my pace, watching carefully to avoid stepping on twigs lying on the forest floor. It only took one snapping branch to alert the wary animals in the area. I heard a loud noise, a type of bird that had a vibrant honking sound, similar to a goose. Freezing in my tracks, I squatted low to the ground to conceal myself.
Through the trees about sixty yards in front of me, I saw a large blue heron fly from the ground to the top of a tall tree where it kept on with its loud, unusual call. I stayed low, attempting to locate the tree where the heron perched, but before I had moved five feet, the large waterfowl flew past me, soaring high above the forest’s canopy. One day I hoped to photograph this bird. Even if it was a poor photo, it would be one I cherished, as I’ve been trying to approach this heron for over a year.
The water in the creek was moving fast today, rushing from the recent rainfall. The trees still held water droplets on their leaves, and when the wind blew, the water rained down on me. I turned back toward the house so I could take a shower and start work. It was an enjoyable morning in the woods.
Work was busy, but productive. I cleared most of the items I wanted to finish by the end of the week, and today was only Tuesday. For lunch, I grilled chicken wings on the Traeger, seasoned with salt and pepper. It was a tasty meal, and I saved a couple of wings for the dogs.
At six o’clock, I was ready to shut down my work computer. I had been tracking my wife and knew her drive had been bad, as it took her almost double the time to get home. When she pulled down the main road, I noticed her car had stopped for a while. Garbage, her favorite local cat, must have been out hunting today. Any time my wife saw this cat, she would pull over and say hello, usually pulling out an impromptu meal for her furry friend. The dogs, who could smell the cat and cat food on my wife’s hands, were never impressed.
It was good to see my wife, and when she got out of the car, I could see she had a long day. School and work were a constant pressure in her life, and a two-hour drive through traffic did not help. We both felt a little out of sorts, but we were happy to be back together. I had spent the day worrying about a family issue I was struggling to solve, which required resources I was trying to balance. The matter weighed on my mind throughout the workday, and by the time my wife came home, I felt exhausted, too.
We drove into Wilson, planning to fill her car up with gas and pickup some food at Panera. Somehow, we ended up sitting on the patio at La Rancherita, sipping an iced tea and water. My wife asked several questions about the problem I was trying to solve, and before our food was served, she had remedied a problem I had been working on all day. I didn’t know what I was going to do with this woman. While “awesome” was a word that was overused, my wife truly was awesome. I always told her that if she wasn’t already married, then I’d ask her to marry me. That was our little joke since she was the one who proposed. I said yes. A story for a different time, perhaps.
After dinner, we crossed the road to Target, where I bought a new pillow to see if it would help me sleep without my head being too high or too flat. I needed something that held my neck in the Goldilocks zone. Aging was so fun.
When we arrived home, I fed the dogs and my wife bathed. After the dogs ate, I went outside and stood on the deck, peering into the forest’s edge. The air was thick with humidity and the sun’s light was all but gone. There were a few birds chirping in the distance, but it was mostly quiet. Then, to my surprise, I heard something that made me smile.
Off in the distance, I listened to the repeated calls of an owl. The sound was faint but undeniable. My wife came outside, but the owl had already quieted for the night. She did not miss out, however, because three fireflies made an unexpected appearance. After a long day, the evening ended just as it did every night around here, with nature showing us that life, no matter how mundane, was always full of magic.