On Love

Charlie used to be one of those kids who laid right down and went to sleep at night. Not anymore. Recently he insists on sitting up in his crib while he chatters to himself, sings songs loudly, and kicks his feet. This goes on for at least a half an hour and usually after a few stern warnings to go to sleep. Ellis, his roommate, has shown extreme patience with this new nighttime routine. He has chosen not to go back to sleeping in his upstairs room to get some peace and quiet because he wants to be where Charlie is. One night last week, Josh and I listened from the living room as Charlie sang a rousing rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" at the top of his lungs. When he finished, we heard Ellis's small quiet voice say, "Charlie, that sounds beautiful, but can you please sing more quietly so I can sleep?" Sometimes a life-long friendship begins with the compassion of an older brother.

Lucky Thirty-Seven

We drove southwest to Blue Mounds State Park. We soaked up the prairie and saw bison from a distance. There was a point in history when this landscape dominated the southwestern part of Minnesota - an ocean of grasses and flowers and bison like black flies all over the hillside. I reflect on the stories that preceded me in this place, tragic and triumphant. I reflect that the land goes on, more eternal than me or my little family. Our footsteps fade in the dust. I am grateful to be conscious of the transitory nature of my life so I can fully enjoy these sweet beautiful moments. I want to dedicate the time I am given to add to the human legacy of love and compassion so that this legacy outweighs the blight of ignorance and cruelty. This is our only chance to be eternal.

More Autumn Wanderings

This Friday includes:

• A crisp morning walk through Crosby Park with Charlie, checking on the marsh, picking a few asters, saying "hi" to squirrels, and quacking and flapping our arms like ducks.
• Stopping by a neighbor's makeshift pumpkin patch, putting $5 in the box for a medium carving pumpkin and three "baby pumpkins" for my own baby pumpkin.
• Cooking purple viking potato leek soup.
• Planning a possible birthday weekend trip to the southwestern Minnesota prairie.
• A backyard bonfire party at a friend's house.

Everything is Golden

I've been working way too much lately and have been sick way too much lately and while I was distracted by my inner surliness, nature set ablaze. I may feel gray and drizzly, but it's in dissonance to the world around me, which is incandescent with yellow and orange and red. So today, I meandered around Como Lake with Charlie with no agenda but finally to enjoy the glorious weather we've been having. We saw the eagle that hangs out around the lake perched in a tree and lots of mallards diving and playing and quacking. We saw the last wildflowers of the season and a few final bumble bees. We sat on benches and lamp posts pretending they were beds or roller coasters. We took our time to enjoy a landscape that is like being surrounded by a million glowing paper lanterns.