Beautiful Day

I was out walking the dog this morning. The air was damp and warmer than usual for this time of year. It’s in the low 60s and it was amazing to be able to enjoy the outdoors without a scarf or gloves or having to hurry my dog through her peeing rituals because of the ghastly wind. I took in a deep breath and looked at the sky. It was overcast, which was probably why it was so warm. The clouds insulated our city, keeping the temperature bearable, even, dare I say, balmy. The trees were all grey and brown, with no leaves to speak of. I looked right as I stepped into the street, making sure it was safe to enter the traffic. My dog had done her “business” faster than normal (par for the course on a nice day- she takes eons when it is bitterly cold), so I could take the walk back to the apartment at a more leisurely pace.

It is amazing how nice weather can bring out all types of people into the public. People of all ages were sitting out on their stoops chatting. As I walked down the street I heard at least 4 different languages: English, Greek, Spanish and maybe... Portuguese? Little old men and ladies with their overcoats swallowing them up were walking, carrying plastic bags filled with knitting. Or oranges, perhaps. I see one such woman across the street, and I pause to enjoy watching her run her daily errands. Blue hat, glasses, couldn’t be younger than 80. I wondered where she was coming from and where she was going. Did she live on my street? Was she, like my landlord, living in the same home she was born in? Did she have children, or was she all alone this Thanksgiving? She looked at me, and I could see by the glint in her eye that she wanted to say something. But instead, she lowered her eyes... and hawked a loogie on the sidewalk.

Dog Bless America.

PS: Have you ever wanted to type a phrase like “hawked a loogie” but realize that you have no fucking idea how to spell it, even though it is phrase slammed into psyche from the time you were in the 3rd grade? Try looking it up online sometime- you get all kinds of interesting returns...