I Sighed

I stepped into his closet.

Each piece of clothing draped on hangers spaced evenly apart.

I could almost see him standing here, choosing what to wear.

And, I sighed.

I grabbed his shirt.

A sweatshirt made of soft fabric,  just like his touch, in his favorite color grey.

I hid my face in the folds of it and could almost smell his cologne.

And, I sighed.

I put his shirt on.

I could almost sense him smiling at my good choice.

I made my way out of the closet and towards our bed.

And, I sighed.

I climbed under the covers.

I laid on his side so that I could put my head where his had been.

I could almost feel him wrapping his arms around me.

And, I sighed.

I closed my eyes.

I wanted to lay there until he came home again.

I could almost feel the time passing by more quickly.

And, I sighed.

Thoughtful Tuesday

Duty, Honor, Country.  Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.

- Douglas MacArthur

The Road

I took the road.   One that most times, regrettably, I have drifted from one end of the asphalt to the other without much thought.

But, today was different.

I reminisced and took in all of the the details with each dip, turn and stretch of well worn road.

It is much, much different now.

The road has undergone dramatic change:  intersections closed off and redirected, new traffic lights installed that loom overhead with lights that blink incessantly, businesses torn down and demolished, new businesses birthed to stand towering in the backdrop of the scenery just past the erected advertising sign.

I got to the end of the road.

Reminded that there is a time to tear down and a time to build.  

Two to Tango

 Enjoying what just might be the last few days of a warm fall season.

Seeing one who needed rescue from the depth of leaves.  

Feeding hungry boys.

Having two to tango is a little tiring.

(but oh, so worth it!)

Can You Even This Out?

I watched him go off by himself and start to get really upset.  Normally a content little guy, I became somewhat startled by his behavior.   I left my seat to investigate his angst and as I got closer to him, the scent of mint grew stronger and stronger.  Perplexed by the smell, I wanted to find out where it was coming from but I needed to tend to him first.  He was obviously in distress and needed me so the scent dilemma would have to take a backseat to the situation at hand.

I bent down and scooped him up into my arms as I cooed and stroked his hair in an attempt to settle him down.  And, as he was beginning to relax a little bit, 

I saw it. 

The cause of the problem.  

And, it was a really, really big problem.  

He allowed me to poke around a bit to assess the damage.  

It was a big wad of still-wrapped but now chewed piece of peppermint gum that had sprawled across Copernicus' beard and under his lip.  

The damage was widespread and immense.  

There was only one solution.  I needed the scissors.  I started to work with less than Edward Scissorshand style dexterity and managed to cut the affected area free from the gum.  

I took a look at him:  lopsided, half bearded, half shaven.  A mess, really.

It was reminiscent of being seven or eight years old when a little girl wields scissors to her head for a brand new do.  Her mom, upon discovery of the hair mishap, looks at her to decide the next step.  She chooses and carts her daughter off to the hairdresser asking, "Can you even this out?"

In the same manner, I looked at Copernicus and then carted him off to the groomer asking, "Can you even this out?"

Here he is sporting his brand new, non-bearded look.  Not quite the distinguished schnauzer-man of days gone by. 

Silly dog, gum is for kids. ;)

The Couple

A man and his wife casually walked up to the voting line at their precinct this morning.  He was strikingly handsome and slightly subdued as he drank from his Starbucks cup.  His wife, on the other hand, excitedly pulled on the cuff of his sleeve as she tugged him towards the end of the line.  

"We're here!  We're here,"  she exclaimed

He grinned at her with that kind of grin that flows out of enormous love and he softly said, "I know, honey.  We're here."

She anxiously fidgeted, almost jumping up and down in the spot where she stood.  Her eyes shone brightly  with anticipation as her speech got faster and faster.  Finally, as though not being able to withstand the emotional swell any longer,  she leaned into her husband's chest and burst forth into a quiet, almost hushed song.  It was a Lee Greenwood song.

"I'm proud to be an American.

Where at least I know I know I 'm free.

And I won't forget the men who died

And gave the right to me."

He grabbed her by the shoulders and said, "I love you, you nut."  She just grinned and whispered back, "I love you too" and then turned her attention back to the head of the line.  They were inching their way up to the front.  They talked about their date that morning as they passed the time together.  Their date to go vote in an election.  They recounted their years together by each of their trips to the voting booths.   

And, then it was the man's turn.  The electoral officer asked for his name and identification and his physical address.  As he provided the requested items, his wife became even more visibly excited. The officer handed the man a blank ballot and pointed him towards the voting booth.   He paused briefly, glanced back at his wife and winked at her, then made his way to the designated spot.  

The woman stepped up to the table and joyfully thanked the electoral officers for their service and volunteer time.  She then proceeded to give them her name, identification and physical address.  And, as she did so, tears began to well up in her eyes.

She knows the personal cost exchanged for the freedom of democracy. 

She served in the United States Navy for 13 years. 

She took the ballot handed to her and gripped it with all her might.  That paper was her vote, her voice.  She stepped into the voting booth.

The man voted and then stood past the line of booths as he waited for her to finish.  She stepped out of the booth and  saw him out of the corner of her eye as she fed her ballot into the counter.  

She took a few steps toward him with a really wide smile proclaiming, " I am number 989."

He shook his head, took her by the hand and led her to the volunteer standing by the door.  The volunteer handed her a sticker first, then her husband.

The sticker read,  I Voted.

The man took his wife's hand and said appreciatively, "We voted."

The couple started to make their way to the parking lot.  The woman leaned into the man once again.  This time, a small tear trailed out of the corner of her eye.

In a quiet tone meant only for her and her husband, the rest of the song began.

"And, I'll proudly stand up

Next to them and defend her still today.

Cuz there ain't no doubt I love this land.

God bless the USA."

So, if you were standing in line to vote and perhaps got distracted by this woman, I will tell you a secret.

It was me.  

Virginia: Red or Blue

The campaigns are pushing hard in these last few hours to get their messages out.  Focus is narrowing in on the swing states; the states that might just make a difference for either candidate.  In the mix of all the craziness sits my sweet state of Virginia which lies in an unprecedented spot. 

Both parties have been crawling from Richmond to Newport News in hopes of swinging the state to their favor.  And, because of this, there's been some pretty interesting expressions from passionate Americans.

Make sure your expression is to vote in this election.

Enjoy the freedom to have a voice in our country.

... just go vote.