Friday, October 10, 2008

Snapshot--moments in time...

Fellow NT member and blogger, Sandra posted a great writing exercise on her blog the other day. I thought it interesting and the words for it have been rolling around in my head ever since. Not only that, but as a writer when I come upon a scene in real life, I always tell myself I need to sit down and try to capture it with the written word. Well, I'm finally doing it...

So my snapshot is of my morning walk... The house is mostly dark, only the small lamp in the living room giving any light as the dogs make a disturbance as they vie to be chosen for the morning's walk. The snap of the collar around a neck.

Outside the mornings are cool, and at five-thirty, still dark. The neighbor across the street leaves for work about that time, so his house and yard lights are on, illuminating across the street.

I hear the distant roar of East Loop 820, less than a mile from my house. I hear the click, click, scrape of the dogs toe nails on the asphalt. I hear the snap, crackle, pop of my own left knee as I walk.

I move out of the light from the neighbor's house to the section of street darkened by the large mature trees.

I see the blue-tinted fluorescent light of the streetlight, and hear it's high pitched buzzing.

The lonesome wail of the train whistle as it approaches to cross Handley Drive.

I hear the occasional dog barking when it sees my dog and I from it's backyard vantage point.

And every once in a while, I smell the sweet scent of fabric softener wafting in the air.

As I return home, the the neighbor's lights, except the dim porch light, have turned off. The dog I left behind barks in excitement as we return.

The house, by comparison to the fresh crisp cool outdoors, is warm and stuffy.

1 comment:

mtnchild said...

As I looked around me this morning in camp, I saw gorgeous tall pines and firs covered with snow. It was cold! 22 degrees at 8 a.m. We are leaving camp. It has been so cold that all the deer have left for lower elevations. There has been nothing moving in the brush or meadows. Even the range cows are moving lower... It is beautiful to see the sparkle of light snow as it glitters in its downward journey, but it is still cold and we are packing to leave this mountain. There is another storm coming in and we want to be home by the time it moves over our area... this is what I noticed this morning.

Love, Mom