A Constant Companion
After spending an extended period of time being house-bound due to a sinus infection, getting outside even for a little while has been wonderful. Just a short walk around our path in the backyard has re-energized me and afforded opportunities to enjoy some of the last blooms of the season close at hand—a different view than the one from the window of the sunroom. A mysterious white oval on the gravel path that had looked like a fried egg turned out to be a large mushroom, about three inches tall! And I discovered a patch of light purple penstemon previously unseen, along with flowers on the purple sage still hanging on at the beginning of fall. After taking the path around the perimeter of the garden late one afternoon, I sat down on the prayer bench in a corner of the yard and closed my eyes. Of course, there was the background noise of traffic and dogs barking, but after a bit I heard the sound of a blue jay calling in the cemetery next door, then the tinkli...
