Ballet — using movement to illuminate human emotion and endeavor.
April 8th, I visited a place that’s become my favorite when a change of scenery is needed. The Lake. To be quite sure, this isn’t a place to park the car and go for a stroll. Vast and lonely, mysterious stories and secrets surround her which is one of the reasons I’m drawn there. On days when my focus is disrupted by sorrow, nature’s beauty comforts me best. Friday was a day just like that.
Needing a picnic, I stopped at the local Subway on Main. I could easily live on Subway sandwiches for the rest of my life. My little town has a busy shop and the sandwiches are always fresh and tasty. I’ve recently discovered the Child’s size sandwich. 4″. Perfect for lunch.
Stepping outside, the crisp spring day made me smile. Across the street, the hardware store was bustling with activity. Just minutes before, I’d stopped to buy couplers for my decaying sprinkler system. Fix one spot, three more leak while becoming a never ending project. Who needs the gym when one has a beautiful yard that needs tending?
With Easter just around the corner, I’d love to buy spring flowers and put them everywhere. Nature has other plans. For the next week, nightly frost will blanket us. Tahoe is expecting 12″ of snow. The winds continue to howl. Expensive spring flowers would be ruined this week. It was announced last week that Nevada is the most expensive place in the US to garden. After looking at 2022 prices for flowers, I’d have to agree. Nope. That project needs to wait a little longer.
Driving out to the lake, the clouds were performing a ballet just for me. Big Sky. If you haven’t experienced it, you need to. It’s something wonderful to behold and nourishment for the soul. Driving along while listening to tunes from the 80’s, I had plenty of time to think. 1987 changed my life forever. I met four people that transformed me into a better woman. VST and his three kiddos. Along with my two boys, we became a pack of 7. What an adventurous life we shared! Time remembered a little differently by each one of us, but cherished by all.
The terrain on the road to the lake reminded me of all the places VST and I traveled through the years. The coastal ranges of California, the plains of Wyoming and South Dakota, and the Central Valley of California where we both grew up. The spring rains have given new life to the hills, turning them the prettiest shade of desert green. At The Lake, shore birds come to rest and nest. With the high salt content of the water, grebes, pelicans (yes, PELICANS), cormorants, waterfowl, gulls, and terns all enjoying time there as much as I do. On the vast and wild lake, life is abundant. You just need to stop long enough to eat a sandwich and watch.
My time at the lake was cut short when a fisherman surprised me as he up over the ridge towards the bathrooms. With Naomi’s murder fresh in my mind, the Jeep and I were already rolling before that gentleman got any closer. Miles and miles of silent emptiness is the perfect place for one old lady to be snatched and never missed. Not happening on my watch.
Driving back home under the brilliant blue sky, the clouds danced along, changing shape and speed. A show just for me and the memories that tagged along for company on April 8th, 2020. Such a beautiful day to mark two years since VST’s went on his way.
With Mother Nature in the middle of her indecision, garden hoses are stowed and soup’s in the kettle. The winds are wild today, just the way I like them. All the while, the clouds dance on, eastward.
The desert. A most comforting place to call home. I’m so glad it’s mine.
Have a wonderful Sunday, whatever you decide to do.
More tomorrow.