The 20th day of the fifth month of the year of the Camellia

OLD FRIENDS

Yep, we all have them.  But what about places and things? 

I walked on the River Walk for the second time in months and realized how much I missed this old friend.

The River Walk is friend!

Since my little wake up call with the cardiologist almost ten months ago, I have become retarded when it comes to walking.  If that term upsets someone, I am sorry but that's the way I feel about myself in this regard.  Telling myself I didn't have the time, while working on all the art work.  Well I figured that if I walked out a half hour to start, it would then be an hours worth of walking.  And as my muscles started to stop screaming, then each time I would walk a little harder and before long I would be up to where I was when I was a teenager.

  Right!

  Met all the usual suspects along the way and they all wanted to know where I had been.  Told them all that I had been spending my time setting up a series of illegal massage palors throughout the southeast.

  That stopped the conversation and I was able to walk and not talk.

Remember this is the Bible Belt down here.  Although I personally feels as if I am in the Rust Belt myself.

The River Walk is like an old friend to me.  I once was doing close to five miles a day down there and think I know pretty close to all there is to know about the area.  This morning it was clear and not hot.  Didn't see any wildlife critter types.  A homeless person was the only distraction which put me out of my comfort zone temporarily. 

 But no problem, I had my stick.

The stick is an old piece of wood about five feet in length.  On one end I have embedded a spike with which to pick up garbage left either by raccoons or people.  I have gained a great deal of respect for the raccoons.  They know how to get "Into" closed garbage cans looking for food.....but they spread everything around.  Have not reached the point where they "Know" they should clean up after themselves.  People on the other hand have evloved to the point of "Knowing" that rule.  They are just too damn something to do it!

  On the other end of the stick, I have embedded about a half pound of lead.  I was once attacked by a dog down there.  And he was on a leash!  Talk about the evolution of people.  The dog was doing what was in his blood to do, his master was just too dumb to recognize it. Next time they both will be on the receiving end of a half pound of lead.

 The stick is an old friend.

This is one of the spots on the riverwalk that has always attracted me.  An overlook on the river and the branches of this tree reaching out and over.  Just a friendly little spot that has some charisma.

This spot is a friend

I don't know what it is.  Maybe repetition that grabs us and makes us go back to the same spot day after day, or in the case of New Hampshire year after year.  Wildlife do it.  They return to the same tree to nest every year.  The same branch upon which to perch time after time.  Ospreys return to the same nesting site every year and on the same day.   Bluebirds us the same nesting sites year after year,  up to three times each year.

We all have a favorite chair in which we sit to watch TV or God forbid read.  The same side of the bed all the time.  Maybe that's why we like chocolate so much. 

Chocolate is a friend!