Weekend Update

Most Sundays I wake up and want to do nothing. Laze around. Pick through the NY Times. Play endless games of Letter Linker. This Sunday I woke up restless. I wanted to pop up and go somewhere. I bugged my husband into coming along.

So we drove through Warner Park, out Highway 100, and hit the Natchez Trace. Man that place is beautiful. A winding tree-lined road that looks as if the world never touches it. The trees were barely into fall colors, with only hints of yellow and red here and there, but the light was different. Not that harsh summer light that hurts your eyes, but crystal sharp and clear yet soft. Even though the landscape was mostly green it looked like fall.

And there were sights. We’d turn a curve and see two oblivious fawns grazing as if no one in the universe would hurt them. Around another curve, a group of wild turkeys wobbled and skittered away. Ever see a wild turkey? A first for me. I don’t think I'd seen any kind of turkey unless it was bagged and tagged by Butterball. Not the prettiest of birds, but then we all can't be swans...

Later a flock of huge, black vultures flapped into the air as we drove by. And as we were about to turn off the Trace we saw a hawk gliding in the sky above us. Not what I see everyday.

Sheesh, I sound like Outdoor Girl, or a shill for the Department of Tourism. So, okay, I was impressed. Wasn’t hard to be.

I imagine those of you who live in the country or on farms are a lot closer to the natural world than I am. I wonder if you get inured to it. Does it still seem magical if you see it every day?

I guess it’s hard for all of us to slow down and see what’s around us. I recommend a Sunday Drive. You never know what might be around the next curve.