Gloria ~ May 20

 

DRIVING PART 5…The Long and Winding Road

 

 

Glory hallelujah the Jewish agnostic atheist has by some divine intervention reached the holy grail of all concrete bound New Yorkers: 

 

GRASS!

 

TREES!!

 

LAKE!!

 

AIR!!

 

I was happy. 

 

Loved the clean lake that did not permit smelly oily noisy motor boats. 

Rowboats were available and it was wonderful in the cool early mornings to take the trail down the hill and into the water.

 

It was deer mating season… and the shy little fragile does could be seen from the farmhouse back windows. They told us not to go too near them, and if we did…to watch their hooves, if they were digging or stomping that meant babies are close so back off.

 

One morning I was coming up the  path from the lake when I spotted  the little black cat who was not too friendly but liked to hang around the farm. She was hunched up in a little furry ball and seemed frozen with fear a few feet up the path.  Somewhat uphill  from the kitty was a doe, and she was not too happy with either one of us.I stopped walking and checked out the hoof situation. The doe was definitely pissed and her seemingly delicate foot was smacking up a dirt cloud.

 

 It was a stare down. 

 

I sent as much love and friendship as I could muster aimed toward that lady. Assuring her that we were harmless and never ate venison. (OK not quite true…but that was maybe thirty years ago and I never did it again) 

 

She finally decided that we were probably not her mortal enemies and she daintily crossed the path into the woods without a backward glance.   

 

Continuing on the now mama doe free hill I stopped to pick up the kitty who was still frozen and cuddled her to the top of the path. At which point she regained her dignity and made me promise not to tell anyone how scared she was, so I put her down to go her solitary way.

 

Soon after I decided to take the car out to drive back to town. This involved winding down that mountain on a different path from where I had come up. I realised that this particular way of driving on a constant  curve was totally different from the straight lines of Manhattan. 

 

 

In NYC you go left or right or north or south…all on straight lines.  But this was a mountain, you have to keep driving on a never ending curve. I went as slowly as possible riding the brake, and every time there was some one behind me I pulled over to graciously wave them on…indicating that I was in no hurry so could generously yield the road. Truth was I had no idea how negotiate that winding trail and by the time I got down to the bottom I was shaken but relieved.

 

I made it into town…and that’s where the  real trouble started!

 

Next up: How I almost ended up spending the rest of my life on top of that mountain