in the well worn path between where i sleep and where i work

there are a few efficient ways for me to walk to work in that diagonal nearly straight line of the mile between where i sleep and where i work. the walk is by no means monotonous. there are the neighborhood cats and chickens, the birds (i know where more than a few good nests are), the giant papier mache chicken timer on someone’s porch. lately i have made two discoveries that have me torn in which direction i take on the way there.

the first is the vacant lot surrounded by a cyclone fence where grass and weeds has grown up where a building once stood. in there is this family of killdeer. at first you see nothing but weeds and garbage, but you can hear their call. if you look carefully, you can see them; they blend perfectly into the landscape. i have been watching this particular family for weeks now. there is a pair of adults and four chicks. they have long stilt legs, and their bodies glide along when they move about in their search for insects. when the mother sees me she cries out in this panicked call, and all four chicks scurry about in circles and eventually disappear underneath her. her mate is nearby. he lays down in the grass; extending his tail feathers moving them so that they look like they are fluttering in the breeze, or extends a wing to appear injured. ‘come eat me.’ he pops up occasionally to see if i am still there, and then resumes his charade to protect his family.

the other is another filled in hole where a building once stood. now it is a field of blue flowers. that doesn’t sound all that exciting, but when is the last time you stood in a field surrounded by blue flowers?

i puzzled over these choices this morning as i sat on the end of my bed sewing flowers. the sporadic weather forces me to try and time my walk to work, so i don’t get drenched. i genuinely believe that the sun wants to shine. it has been this way for the past several days. the weather people keep predicting rain. i felt torn between the killdeer and the blue flowers, but today i opted for the former. as an added bonus there were a pair of canada geese. and when i was one block away from the egg the first raindrops fell, as the sky turned dark for the impending downpour, for once i had timed it just right.

photo stolen from brent wear