July Thoughts

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.”


Erma Bombeck
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One of the things I like about summer is the ability to go out at night and just stand and look at the stars.  Let's face it, it's just too cold in the wintertime to be outside for any length of time.  But sometimes on a summer's evening I like to walk outside and just look up and wonder who else is out there in the great beyond.  I find it to be a very nice way to relax.

I live in a generally quiet neighborhood where most folks don't stay up really late.  So when I walk outside it feels peaceful, as if I have the whole place just to myself.  Once in a while I can hear traffic on the nearest major street, but generally it's just me and Mother Nature.

I do have to laugh at myself sometimes.  I'll be standing outside and the wind will pick up a little bit.  Occasionally something will be blown by the wind and consequently will make an odd noise (usually it's just a leaf scraping across the pavement).  It'll startle me and I'll then begin wondering if it isn't actually a member of the local coyote population.  Or some other kind of critter.  I'll then hot foot it back into the house.  Silly me.

Thinking of the local critters, there was the cutest little bunny sitting in my driveway earlier.  He wasn't a baby but wasn't big enough to be full grown.  I guess the bunny equivalent of a tween.  I almost OD'ed on the cuteness of that bunny.  I would have loved to pick him (her?) up and just snuggle the heck out of him/her.  But I didn't just because I knew I couldn't get anywhere close enough.  No point in trying.  But it did sit there awhile and let me admire.

Otherwise, I'm just sitting here thinking about how the year's already half gone.  When I was a chld, the grownups would tell me that time goes by faster as you become an adult.  They didn't warn me that sometimes it feels like I'm in a speeding car or a bullet train.

Papillon