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Shine On
The redbuds and dogwoods have been especially vibrant this spring in the Appalachian mountains, and on the drive home this evening I was tempted to sight-see, a temptation my wife strongly warns me against, having been in the passenger seat too many times during my heedless reveries over the years, asking me through tight teeth and compressed lips to please steer the vehicle off the shoulder and back into the lane. The waterfall near our home is now completely obscured by the oaks and poplars along its shoulders, and it rages on unseen until autumn pulls the leafy comforter away. I have to do better with my eating habits. How…
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Supping On Beauty
Down the gravel road to home this evening, the dust hanging in the air from a hurrying tractor, and then into the tunnel of shade created new each day by the tall poplars lining the driveway. Walk in the house and see the old dog waiting for me on the steps, her tail thump-thump-thumping as she grins her “Oh, you came back!” grin. Kiss my wife and listen to her etude of a Southern voice run the scales and describe something someone did and said. Shed the work clothes and put on my soft home clothes, the t-shirt gleaming white as a saint’s robe, the scent of bleach and detergent…