Thursday, November 5, 2009

The Squirrel

The Squirrel is one month short of four years old, my youngest nephew. He came to live with me two months ago, and has distinctly changed the whole household ever since.

The first morning he climbed on my bed and snuggled against me and we watched TV together.

The next morning while I was still in bed he opened my door, stood my guitar upright on the floor, haphazardly struck its strings and sang loudly in gibberish. The dreadful cacophony jerked me wide awake from my cozy slumber. I was mad then I burst out laughing.

He is a strong-willed kid, spoiled by his dad, and can be very agressive when things don't go his way. When that happens I am not sure if I like him very much.

Still, while he's sitting beside me playing a game on my computer or watching Coyote chasing Roadrunner on my TV, I feel a tender warmth for him and a mild regret for what has been missing from my life: a child of my own.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Fall Colors

I went hiking a few days ago. I had been impatiently waiting for the right weather to take my camera to the mountains to get some pictures of the fall colors.

Piedmont Park

I went to Piedmont Park in midtown Atlanta the other day. The fall colors were just beginning to show. A lot of tents were being erected for some kind of fair, so it was pretty messy around the lake. Still it felt nice to breathe in the fresh air in the middle of a large open space with skyscrapers in the background to emphasize the contrast.

A group of teenage students were running around a field under the exhortation of a teacher. The leading boys looked lean, fit and a bit smug. Lagging at the very end of the group was a girl who was somewhat chubby. She looked very tired and was panting heavily, but she didn't give up.



Fall Road

The roads are gorgeous near my home this time of the year.