Neighborhood Encounters

Yesterday, I wrote about my Thursday encounter with a fox while taking an early morning walk through my neighborhood.  I've continued to think about that fox.  We don't live near a forest.  How did it come to live here?  I think of its family, its extended network, living in this non-native habitat.  And then I wondered if maybe it was once a native habitat of foxes before we paved it over.

As I drove through my neighborhood on my way to the grocery store this morning, I saw a thin man walking barefoot through my neighborhood.  I might not have noticed, except that earlier this week, I saw a different thin man walking barefoot through my neighborhood.

They walked mindfully, which immediately put me in mind of ashrams.  Of course, they might also have been on the lookout for the many things that can pierce a foot.  We are not living in a lovely village in the countryside, after all.  Even though we're near the ocean, we live in an urban area, full of broken glass and poop and the detritus of tropical trees and the occasional oddity like a bracelet or a key or a needle.

I wondered if I'm witnessing some new thing; I've read about people who run barefoot, but no articles that implore us to take a daily walk without our shoes.  It doesn't seem wise to me.

At the grocery store, carrots and potatoes were on sale, and the onions looked good.  It's going to be a slightly cooler week-end, probably the last week-end with the kind of weather where we could leave the oven on for hours.  I decided to make a pot roast this afternoon.

I got to the check out and had my groceries half checked out before I realized I forgot to get the roast.  Happily, I was able to wheel my cart with purchased groceries back through the store to get the meat.

As I drove back to my house, one of the ducks that seems to live on a golf course almost flew into my car.  Happily, I was able to hit the brakes without harm.  Did the duck not see my car?  Was it attacking the car?  What on earth?

I am also thinking of my much better mood this morning, when compared to last Saturday.  Last Saturday began in glumness.  Today, even though I had several events that might have wrecked my mood, I stayed buoyant.  Hmm.

We did start the week-end on a much better note last night.  We met some old Art Institute friends for dinner at a restaurant where I once ate on a much more regular basis.  They have a great happy hour that includes real meals for half price.  It was a wonderful night.

One of those friends will soon move close to Orlando.  I'll be sorry to see him go, but I understand the desire to move to higher ground.  And that is precisely why he is moving.  When I talk about sea level rise, I can see some people back away.  I am in danger of becoming a wild-eyed Cassandra, so I try to be careful.  It's a relief to be with people who don't think I'm crazy.  My floor boards are two feet above sea level, which puts sea level rise in a more direct perspective.

But now is the time for happier things.  My once in a blue moon book club meets today to discuss Sue Monk Kidd's The Invention of Wings.