Nothin Doing Day

There are still days when my type-A personality and life’s work ethic haunt me.

Must every one be stuffed with irrevocable To Do’s?

Not that I have to convert to a life of lassitude. But simple, unscheduled pleasures with no other aim are now mandatory.

One recent morning was a perfect example.

I had made a commitment to myself to finish a piece of writing. But after incessant rain we got a clear crisp sunrise that instigated a change in plan.

And Ernie agreed to the diversion:  blue sky and morning temperatures in the high fifties invigorated him to zoom through unusually high lush green grass. His head was raised like a trolling periscope.

After a few obligatory sniffs Ern nestled himself in the cool green. A few feet away I dropped the trucks’ tailgate and sat down. The early sun made our faces glow.

A small monarch butterfly circled over a patch of driveway stones just in front of us. I admired it as a first of spring. Always the eagle eye Ernie soon focused on it too. His hunter’s body language showed ready-to-bolt. Despite my telling him that he can’t fly he obstinately tried a few times to snatch the butterfly out of mid-air. Learning quickly from futility he went back to observer status. Surprisingly the monarch circled and returned for a moment to the same stone. Was it a victory lap?

My pal made a few changes in scenery as the sun got stronger. I got distracted by two mockingbirds making repeated attempts to land on the gutter above my head. They are trying to homestead. But they had to divert each time this giant stood up and waved his hands at them.

Ernie decided to sunbathe on the carport slab. On his back – paws snug against his chest – he signed that he wanted a belly rub. Nothing is better than that and a sun bath together.

Lunch time approached and we both returned inside.

A couple of hours had gone by.

What a grand way to kick-off a nothin doing day.