My daily life has become pretty low and slow. It’s certainly different but it adds a bit of attention to the natural world around me which is nice. Every day, rain or shine, I take my elderly lab-ish dogs for a ride. It takes about 25 minutes as we trundle along at about 20 miles per hour. They love it and they’ve been getting this kind of spoiled for about two years. (They are 13 now.)

They sit at either window in the backseat with one black nose sticking out and one yellow. These days I hardly ever see a soul. There’s maybe one or two farmers. Before the virus I had to time us so that we wouldn’t encounter the 8 am rush to get to work at the Refuge. I think there are five or six employees. I’d also make every effort to miss the couple of school bus times since my yellow guy thinks he needs to bark at them to chase them away. 

One of the high points in the drive is going past a rather eclectic bit of a farm. Goats, chickens, dogs and most especially guinea hens. There must be about thirty of them. Sometimes they are way off in the fields. Sometimes they are carelessly walking in the middle of the road. On a couple of occasions they’ve come running at the car, suggesting to me a long ago image (which may or may not be real) that I think was a Dr. Seuss book entitled “Are you my mother”. It’s what it feels like and I’m sure in this day and age anything that can bring a smile t to your face is a good moment.

For now I’m thankful for the quiet contemplative time I have with my two great buddies. They experience neighborhoods filled with different smells and I experience the slow unfolding of spring.