Partially Settled Vagabonds

Socks and the City...

I don't remember the last time that I wore socks since moving up here. Flip-flops have been the footwear of choice, primarily for the sake of convenience. There are certain drawbacks, of course. For instance, early in the morning when the bluegrass has not yet given up the overnight wrestling match with the dew and Calvin decides to go to the far back of the lot to take care of business, one wearing sandals yearns for more stalwart protection against the wetness on their feet. But overall, it is most convenient to slip into my shoes before going outside, and there is no chance that I will have shoes on when I'm inside, so I prefer to be able to just slip right back out. Just ask my parents about whether or not I've ever been inclined to wearing shoes or socks.

However, that may have all changed yesterday. Margaret and I were standing outside letting Calvin run around the yard when our neighbors, Art and Mary, came home from work. I snatched the dog so that he wouldn't jump all over his new friends and held him while we carried on a little conversation with them. After a couple of minutes, one of the groundhogs decided it was safe to come out of the barn because he (or I suppose it could be "she") hadn't seen Calvin in a while. Calvin saw it and went beserk. After allowing the groundhog to get sufficiently far away from us, I dropped Calvin to the ground and the chase commenced. The groundhog was not far from home which, naturally, is a hole in the ground. Calvin decided he didn't need an invitation and went right in after the groundhog. I was close behind because I realized that Calvin may never come back if he wasn't quickly retrieved. As I stepped into the thicket of brush I realized my grevious mistake--no socks, no shoes. We should post a sign out there for future residents with Jack Russells: "No socks, no shoes, no entry." The brush is full of thorns against which the rest of my body was satisfactorily protected, but my feet took the brunt of the bruising and pricking. I did manage to pluck Calvin out of the hole by the tail just as he was disappearing from sight, though.

Margaret does not have to work on Monday because of the holiday, so we have decided to try to make it into NYC, or "the city" as it is affectionately called here. I don't think we have any specific plans except for a stop at Magnolia's, which evidently has the "best cupcakes in the world" (I suppose everybody needs a corner on some market). Mag has been there once before and raves about it. We'll probably peruse the streets and shops and have a meal while we're there. If I remember, I'll take the camera. We're planning to take the train rather than drive. One thing will be certain for our day of public transportation, though--I'll be wearing socks.

-M,J

posted by John and Mag @ 10:33 AM