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A Morning Like This

 


  Hey, everyone. It is a lovely morning here at the green retreat. A cold front passed through last night and dropped the temperature down, along with the humidity. The air is crisp and there is a wonderful breeze. As it blows through the trees, it sounds very much like the ocean, though I smell no salt.
     I have a pretty crepe myrtle tree that is bloomed. The blooms are pink, massive and provoke memories. Jekyll Island, one of our favorite places, has a lot of these trees. For that reason, along with the nice breeze and the crisp temperature, I reflected on pleasant memories of the beach. I could see myself and Carley walking in the sand, hand in hand. Corny, right?
     This morning, I am sitting here on the porch, listening to the "cheep, cheep" of my cardinal babies. Do you suppose they are remembering the beach as well? I doubt it. Much too young. They are pleasant companions, anyway. I suppose I could name my porch Stanford University.
     About the crepe myrtle trees, they have very smooth bark that peels at certain times. I love to run my hand over it. The texture is wonderful. Actually, there is no bark. The tree is sort of naked and pinkish. You can walk by and see a small pile of the peelings on the ground around the base. They normally thrive in warmer climes than here, but they seem to have adapted okay to the green retreat.
     I didn't really mean to delve into the mysteries of crepe myrtles or my proclivity for stroking their slick trunks, but hey, bear with me. Isn't it funny how a smell, a touch, a breeze can evoke a reaction in our memory? Like the Elvis song, Memories.
Memories come floating down
And settle softly to the ground
Like gold of autumn leaves beneath my feet.
I touch them and they burst apart
With sweet memories.
I particularly like one line of the song which mentions a lady's quiet eyes and gentle ways. That reminds me so much of you-know-who. And when we walked among the crepe myrtles, on a morning like this.
CE Wills.
P.S. Crepe Myrtles' roots like to run above ground and they are easy to hit with a mower.

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