Sept 10, 2020 - Tis a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood - I will keep trying - some day I will write a beautiful short story!

Please stick with me. I need a couple paragraphs to give your mind a little background on my thoughts of our wonderful America and on people. Go ahead and read the next paragraphs and you will see what I mean.

Here I sit in front of my computer on Drummond Island – This thought just jumped into my mind. “I love America, it is beautiful” – No, I am not running for office or campaigning for someone who is running for office. I love America because it encouraged me to live a number of lives – to be a number of different people. I have moved from being a farmer, to corporate manger, to computer programmer, to professor, to a rancher, to business owner, to preacher, to a world traveler, …. and the list goes on!

Along the way as I lived each of these lives, I learned that people do not always think the same way. For example, the Texas ranch owner thinks different from the professor in a New York City university.

The Texas rancher, at dinner, talks to his wife about facts such as how mow many cows calved yesterday The professor, while strolling the New York City park, will, at great length, discuss with his wife about intellectually discovering what is fact. They will discuss at great length the meaning of a single word like “love” or “beautiful.”

So, back once again to Drummond Island. Beautiful evening, sun is setting, I have cleaned up my dinner dishes and decide to take a half mile walk down the road to my barn. Took a beautiful apple to eat along the way for desert.

Here comes this young couple (50’s) in very serious discussion. She had beautiful long dark. I later found out her name was Marie and his was Albert.

This is sort of the way Marie looked to me – in my mind

He was completely bald with a beautifully shaved head. She seemed to be in control of him. He was sort of bent over, arms at his side and very distracted. With a worried look on his face, he kept looking back.

It was beautiful, though, to see them walking together on the this beautiful Labor Day weekend. It turned out they were husband and wife – both Professors. How did I know that? Were they Texas ranchers – NOPE! They fit, beautifully, the profile of people who are professors.

He saw me and interrupted his wife – He screamed over her voice, waving his arms as he shouting, “Don’t go down that road – There are 8 deer trying to attack us. – we do not know how we can go home – can you help us”

This is sort of the way Albert looked to me – in my mind

At that moment, Gimpy saw me and hobbled out of woods onto the road – I held out my hand and offered the half apple I had not yet finish eating. I actually touch his antler with my other hand as he gently took the beautiful half apple from my hand.. Gimpy, of course, is a beautiful three legged deer in the heard of 8 beautiful deer that hang around to be hand fed by neighbors up and down the beautiful mile long road we live on. They are like a pack of pet dogs in the neighborhood. Without exception, the neighborhood folks love them. Of course, having a beautiful garden or potted plants with beautiful flowers is out of the question. A few neighbors, myself included, have tried, with zero success.

Watching the sheepish look on the professor’s faces was a beautiful thought as I stepped inside the barn door. Oh my, the professors do not know I am standing in the shadows of the barn door. They are talking as they strolled by. I eavesdropped.

Marie: “When we first started walking, I thought, we were talking about the day – it is a beautiful day”

Albert: Well, I was talking about beauty – as I said you are beautiful and that is what made the day beautiful.

Marie: Now you are just trying to butter me up but I want to butter you up – cause I was so proud of you – grabbing that fallen down mail box post and rushing forward to protect me from those charging deer – it was a beautiful act of heroism – I love you – your action was beautiful.

Albert: In Columbus we do not have anything like that. I know we need to be careful on some streets in Columbus. But, a deer with antlers, 4 feet long, attacking us is never a problem.

Marie: Four feet long – maybe 4 inches long – and he could only use three legs – his fourth leg hung unless by his side – he must have been hit by a car. But he recovered beautifully.

Albert: Anyway, if he attacked us I was ready to be the one to save us out here on this lonely Island road at night.

Marie: And is a beautiful evening – but you were beautiful – my hero – Oh, now I know what we were talking about before what we thought was a deer attack. We were seeing who could use the word “beautiful” most often.

Albert: I only used it once to butter yo……………..before we …bed

Oh my, they and their voices faded off into the distance. You must finish the story of this couple’s evening on vacation on Drummond Island – and you think about the word “beautiful” and how often we can use it to convey goodness.

Anyway, here are a few beautiful photos taken with my iPhone as I stroll on Drummond Island.