Tanks and Tractors and Deer! Oh my!

My drive to school/work is often interesting. As I have oft mentioned here, I generally talk to Mom on the way to work, and that’s entertainment enough. However, I drive through a park on my way in and generally see some sort of wildlife: deer, wild turkeys, beavers, coyotes, bunnies, skunks, etc. I only get nervous when the deer or wild turkeys get too close to the road or start to cross or just happen to be standing in the middle of the road with no apparent plan to move on. Lately, I’ve been seeing a few more deer “napping” next to the road; I suppose they’ve been getting a little too bold.

This morning was a little more interesting that normal. As I was sitting at a red light, I was jolted out of my morning calm by the appearance of a small tank turning onto my street and then zooming down the road. What’s up with that? It had regular wheels but had the same design and army green color and was about half the size of a normal tank. It was strolling along with the rest of traffic as if it was a normal everyday occurrence. Then, as I continued on my way, pondering what I had just seen, a large tractor coming from the opposite direction made a sharp turn, without any warming, right in front of me and went storming across a field.

The holiday season is upon us. I really think it all starts with Halloween. Now I just keep thinking about how soon I can get my Christmas decorations out; of course that won’t be until the weekend after Thanksgiving. For now, I still have my jack-o-lantern and pumpkin lights on our balcony, and my dining room table is adorned with various sized pumpkins, figurines of Pilgrims sitting on oversized turkeys, decorative placemats with colorful leaves, and multicolored fall votive candle holders. Tonight as Chris and I went for a walk around the neighborhood with Bella, I reveled in the fallen leaves and longed to romp through the brightly colored piles of them in others’ yards. Some day I’ll have a yard of my own, and I can do that.

Perhaps it’s part of the teacher in me, but I love dressing the house according to the seasons and holiday. Christmas is the best because it’s the time when there seems to be more license to put a little extra flavor in all corners of the house. I also have a beautiful, full-sized tree I put in my classroom and decorate with a purple, silver, and white theme, and I line my whiteboards with lights. The students love it. Yes, I am one of those people that actually enjoys hearing Christmas carols and seeing all the grand décor in the grocery stores and shopping malls at this time of the year. I’ll save all my other thoughts on Christmas for another time.