Sunshine In Podunk.....

It’s a beautiful day in Podunk today. The sun is shining, it is fairly warm for early March, and the flowers are starting to bloom.

I am working this weekend, so I put fifty miles on my car, going from one patient’s house to another. I got to head east to another town to do wound care on a very nice lady. I like going to the east side of the valley because of the view of the mountains. The contrasts are amazing: the Sierra Nevadas have snow-capped peaks still, yet the foothills are a beautiful Kelly green right now.

Clouds are hugging the mountains, obscuring the middle third from view. The snow caps peek majestically above the clouds. The foothills, so verdant, are shaded in areas and look just like a painting. Fruit trees are a riot of blossoms, daffodils are everywhere, and even the weeds are green and beautiful. The sky is a bright blue with a few puffy clouds and over in the eastern sky, just above the horizon line, is a faded, three-quarter moon. It looks out of place in the bright spring sky.

As I drove to the office this morning, I saw a “Woody” heading toward one of the local high schools. As I turned on to Main Street, I saw a whole collection of old “Woody’s” from the 30’s and 40’s, lined up on the grass in front of the school and gleaming in the early morning sunlight.

Beautifully restored, the precursors to our SUV’s looked brand new. Shiny paint, finely oiled wood sides, and fat white-walls on the tires. I wish I could have stopped and taken a closer look.

This is a confusing time of year. As I arrived on a cul de sac to make a patient visit, I was careful not to interrupt all the activities. A father and son were tossing a football back and forth on their front lawn. Two young men were shooting baskets in the next yard. And a group of young boys were practicing their batting. Fortunately, my car was out of range.

My own grandsons had games today. Both of them had their last basketball game of the season and their first baseball game of that season. Since I am working, I had to miss the games. Not to worry, my son emailed me their baseball schedules and I will be at those games, cheering them on.

At another patient’s home, the neighbor across the street was on a creeper, underneath his truck. I didn’t notice him at first and I thought his wife, standing there drinking her coffee, was talking to herself. He rolled out from under the truck and then everything made sense to me.

And families were out in droves. Working in the yard, walking the dog, or riding bikes, the sidewalks were dotted with families enjoying their activities. I saw a cute family when I was leaving the last patient’s house. Dad was walking the dog, Mom was pushing a stroller, Older Brother was on his bicycle, and Little Sister, wearing a pink helmet, was riding her Barbie tricycle.

It was also a great day for yard sales. Lots of them. Mostly there were clothes for sale, some baby furniture, and car parts. Since I was working, I didn’t stop and look more closely.

I really don’t mind working on the weekend, but the sunshine made it hard to concentrate. When I finished seeing patients, I still had several hours of charting to do. And so I did the most logical thing I could think of:

I sat outside and enjoyed the sun.