Finally!!!

 

I did something today that I haven’t done in at least 6 months! I went into a library and BROWSED! I had ordered some books on-line and had them delivered to the Bridgeville Library for pick up. When they called to tell me they were in, they asked if I would like them to bring the books out to the car or would I be coming in?

Naturally…I went in! A mask is required of course. The librarian was sitting behind a booth-like enclosure, high Plexiglas on three sides.  It was difficult for her to hear me or for me to hear her. I asked if we were able to browse the stacks or just pick-up pre-ordered books.  She told me they were open and I could stay for up to 45 minutes.  I had to keep my mask on and maintain social distances.

I was overjoyed! In fact I was a little bit overwhelmed. I got a bit choked up as I told the librarians how excited I was. The libraries closed in Alleghany County on March 16^th, the announcement was sent on March 13^th, Friday the 13^th! That is “approximately” 223 days since I’ve been inside a library. (Not that I was counting) Ann Marie and I did go inside the main Branch in Oakland in the beginning of September but it turned out they were closed except for using the computers, picking up pre-ordered books or to use the bathrooms. We took a run to the bathrooms just to go inside and look around. It really wasn't what we had hoped for!

I was excited, where do I start? What do I want to get?  I finally went to the farthest set of shelves and worked my way back to the main desk. Biographies and into hobbies and home keeping, through the sciences and into fiction, I just strolled along, pulling out books when they looked appealing. I picked up a couple books I have probably read before and added them to my pile.

There was one other patron in the library with me. We kept our distance from each other but I really wanted to go over and say how excited I was. No doubt she was also, it sure looked as if she was smiling under her mask! How could she not be excited to be finally allowed back into this sacred temple of education?

I passed over the DVD’s and moved on to the “new” shelves. One of the books there was a new version of the Scrabble Players Dictionary. I wonder how many times that has been lent out.  I have a copy of it at home so I passed over it.

I left the library with four new books to read. I couldn’t wait to get started. I pulled into “my spot” near the stream and looked through my cache. I picked one out and started to read, I still had 20 minutes until work started, plenty of time…

Oh, what a great feeling!

A Brief Bit of the Real World

Quietly the water slips past, a small murmur rising as it passes over a low spot in the stream. The rocks on the bottom cause ripples, a soothing “white” noise to my ears. Some birds keep me company; I hear them but don’t see them.

                The water on the upper section of the stream is glassy, reflecting the trees hanging over it. The shrubs reach down to touch their counterparts in the water below. The colors are those of fall, browns, oranges and worn out greens. The weeds along the sides are tinged with yellow. The fresh green of spring has long since been replaced with the fading colors of autumn.

                The air is cool. It won’t be long till the trees are bare and the weeds are brown clumps pushed downstream by the cold winter waters.

                Leaves are already scattered over the rocky shore while others slowly drift through the artistic scene reflected by the stream. They drift past, much the way we as humans drift through our lives, drifting on towards our inevitable future.

I do my best to soak it all in, remembering the view, savoring the bird songs and drinking in the sounds and the smells of the stream.

I can see my car from where I sit, in the summer it is hidden by the foliage. Across the stream the new condos are starting to appear again as the leaves fall.  My spot of relaxation and de-stressing is slowly being revealed once again.  I won’t be coming here as often as I do in the summer. I will be back to enjoy the view of snow clinging to the trees and ice coating the weeds and limbs hanging in the water. The chill will keep my visits short. All the while, I’ll be looking forward to those first green shoots that will pop out in the spring.

I come here to sit and enjoy the sounds and smells of nature. A short visit before I head into the noise and stink of work. By listening to a birdsong or the babbling of the brook, to watch a heron fly upstream when he senses my approach or watching as the flowers slowly appear as the summer nears, these things give me the strength to step back into the world of manufacturing. A brief bit of the real world before I step into the “other world”.

 

Mountain Peaks

Mountain Peaks

 

Standing atop a mountain

Gazing at worlds below

Amazed at the heights climbed

The years it’s taken to arrive.

 

Mountains surround us

All of our own making

Rocks, cliffs and crags

Paths both easy and hard.

 

The trails sometimes steep

High and difficult to ascend

In places, smooth and flat

An easy stroll.

 

Slowly they stack up

One on top of another

Creating a pinnacle

Attainable by only you.

 

Comprised of dreams, memories

Fears, pride and emotion

Held together with a bond of Love.

Impervious to the weathers of life.

 

When my daughter was born

I saw a double rainbow

I thought I was on top of the world

Little did I know, I was only taking my first steps.

 

Looking down I see another

A mountain like mine, smaller

But growing quickly.

My daughters own mountain of emotions.