Snow Day

The date is March 21, 2018. This is the first full day of spring and we have a hands down, blow out WHITE OUT up against the North East. The snow is pounding down and I filled the bird feeders a little extra today. I’m posted up at the back half of the house as I watch the finches and Cardinals coexist with my hand thrown bird seed. They share, they are mature about it. The Cardinals are boisterous but the finches are persistent. Occasionally, the woodpecker makes an appearance and no one seemingly questions his presence. Either they ignore the woodpecker out of respect or maybe he’s so eccentric that the other birds don’t feel threatened. But, I think, the Woodpecker is in a league of his own. He can wreak havoc hands down.

But, other than birdfeeders, this day is about plotting a trip Southbound for the next few days. Business, not pleasure. But, the business has morphed into my pleasure. The traveling feeds me. Every mile is a nugget of wisdom. Sorry, the feeder is distracting me again. Earlier, wifey and I sat at the back door and watched the birds fly to the feeder as we sipped coffee. I love those moments with my Boo Boo. The moments are doctor ordered and good for my well-being. Sharing these moments brings me joy that can’t be bought. To connect with your soulmate while watching nature is so priceless. Like when the scent of a flower breaks across your nose and you understand the significance of the delicate, the beautiful, the stun of simple. It nourishes.

Ok, 1 and 1/2 weeks ago, I was driving on the outer loop of the Baltimore Beltway at about 4:11 am, southbound. 695 South. Now, at this time, probably out there with all the drunks and those doing the drive of shame, the thought of UMBC in the March Madness tournament really resonated within me. I, again, found myself professing my love for the East coast and its griminess and grit. Univ. Md. Baltimore Co. shocked the world by becoming the only 16 seed to ever knock off a 1 seed in the college basketball tournament. UMBC, a school that is posted up right along 695 by BWI airport. The same trash I see littering 695 probably eventually blows its way through UMBC campus. The exhaust from all the truckers and their trucks rambling through the late night hours probably coats the campus with a layer of grey soot. I love it, the perseverance, the competition, the cosmopolitan beasts of the east.