I drove down the street and stopped at my mailbox before going down the driveway.
I got out of my car and opened the box.
It was empty.
It was not a federal holiday; it is unusual not to get any mail at all.

I got back in my car and began to drive down the driveway.
It was then I saw the package.
The package from the online company with the logo that looks like a smile.
The mail woman drove down the driveway to deliver the package with all of my mail on top.

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My husband says that I can see like a cat.
Let me clarify.
I can see well in a dark room.
He will inevitably stub his toe.

When he told me that I can see like a cat, I had to do some research.
I had to discover if it was true that cats see better at night than humans.
I had to see why I can maneuver around a dark room but my husband cannot.
I never really thought about it before.

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I went to a private elementary school.
My school did not have a cafeteria.
Lunch was eaten at our desk each day.
As soon as you were finished your lunch, you could go out for recess.

Each student was expected to bring a small towel so their desktop would be protected.
It was interesting to see what kind of towels each student brought.
Some people had two or three paper towels to lay on their desk.
Some people had old dish towels that tended to hang over the edge.

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A portion of the road was closed.
I only have to go that way on occasion.
Today of all days, I knew I would have to use that portion of the road.
However, before I drove in that direction, I had other things I needed to do.

I was trying to make my drive as direct as possible.
I was trying to be wise about the route I would take.
I really didn’t think about an alternative to the detour until I was driving home.
I wondered if I really needed to go in that direction or could it wait until another day?

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This fall, the squirrel population seems to be exploding.
I see them in my front yard.
I hear them scurry along the side of my house.
I watch them scamper across my deck outside the kitchen window.

Usually they are carrying a walnut in their mouth.
They have a vast supply at my house since we have a large walnut tree on the front lawn.
It is the tree on which my youngest daughter wanted to have a tree swing.
It is a beautiful tree, but this time of year, the debris that falls on the grass is extensive.

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There is something about dusk that intrigues me.
The shadows of light and the colors of the sky add a mystery to what is otherwise familiar.
I love to see things silhouetted against an autumn sky at dusk.
In those moments I would love to be able to paint the picture I see.

My husband was driving the other night and I was next to him.
I got to take in all the scenery that I miss when I’m not the passenger.
It was the power lines that captured my attention.
Silhouetted against the autumn sky was a line of birds too numerous to count.

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When my daughter, who is now a teacher, was in late elementary school, she used to pet sit.
People in the neighborhood hired her because she loved animals.
People in the neighborhood hired her because they could trust her.
They knew that she would be faithful to care for their animals and their house as well.

She took her job very seriously.
Quite often, she would pet sit for our neighbors next door, who have since moved away.
We shared the same last name, which made it quite interesting for the mailman.
They had a large golden retriever and two cats.

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No matter how meticulously you plan, it’s inevitable.
No matter if you make lists or not, it happens.
No matter if you have two sets of eyes to do the final check, it doesn’t make a difference.
Things are forgotten.

We moved our daughter into college today.
With four siblings before her, we have this down to a science.
We know which bins to use.
We know the system.

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Today is my birthday.
Today is my fifty-seventh time around the sun.
Birthdays are an event.
Birthdays are a milestone.

I remember when we would take a day trip and go down the shore.
It was a special day that started early in the morning.
A short time on the beach, jumping the waves, and making sand castles.
A visit to the boardwalk at night.

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I was six months pregnant with my fourth child.
It was our tenth anniversary that particular October.
Our child was to be born in January.
It was the perfect time to get away.

The other three children were home in good hands.
My husband and I went off to Massachusetts to see the amazing fall foliage.
We went to Stockbridge, sat on the front porch of an old inn and drank mulled cider.
We walked around the quaint little town.

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