Every once in a while, there just isn’t that much to say.
That’s fine by me.
It’s nice to kick back and watch the world pass by for a bit — appreciate some positive complacency.
Tuesday evening, I sat at the Wyoming Tribune Eagle and wolfed down a piece of chocolate cream pie so fast it made my stomach hurt. I knocked out the work I needed to, and once it was dark, I poured a cup of coffee and clicked over to write this column.
But part of me just wanted to kick back and let my mind wander — think about things like chocolate pie, or who the Los Angeles Chargers are going to snatch from free agency. Managing Editor Brian Martin told me about the proposed state of Jefferson in 1941, which would join two even sections of Oregon and California, creating what would today be the 33rd largest state in the country.
Whether things are looking up or snowballing out of control, I can’t sit and complain through my day to day routine. The sun is finally out, and I noticed there’s a family of sparrows building a nest in the crook of the awning above the back door I use to enter the office every morning.
Their presence reminds me of the blue birds I used to watch in Lamar Park in Oxford, Mississippi. In my senior year, I would also monitor with curiosity the swallows that built a little dirt nest on our patio, watching them swoop out in search of food, revealing their blue incandescent wingspan.
Once it warms up a bit more, I’ll have Lions Park and all the birds that live in the trees and cattails.
The streets are starting to come alive, which is encouraging. I even drove Lincolnway yesterday with my windows down, feeling the wind and thinking about things like sandy beach blankets and Miller High Life, listening to Duane Allman and Dickey Betts let loose on “Blue Sky.”
But for the most part, I find myself in a state of observation — watching news and events pass along like boats on a quiet lake.
When I’m not coiled up like a compressed spring, I try and manifest the feeling of lying on the grass by some body of water — at one point in my short life, I had the Pacific Ocean at my disposal, later I had that large pond in Lamar Park.
Alas, today’s high of 62 degrees Fahrenheit is just the feint before Cheyenne receives more snow overnight. I doubt the weather will hinder the fun of Saint Patrick’s Day this Friday — a pint of Guinness is always better in the cold anyway.
Nor will it hinder the opportunity to get out and enjoy local events this weekend.
Cheyenne Little Theatre Players’ latest whodunit, “Accomplice,” opens tomorrow at 7:30 p.m in the Historic Atlas Theatre. It’s a more adult-oriented performance, and should be a great way to start a night of (responsible) drinking. The production will also run on Saturday night, with an additional matinee performance on Sunday at 2 p.m.
If you missed out on CLTP’s “The Outgoing Tide,” there will be two special abridged performances of the play for the Rocky Mountain Region’s American Association of Community Theatre’s national competition.
Weather (and hangover) permitting, the Cheyenne High Plains Audubon Society will depart at 8 a.m. Saturday from Lions Park for a field trip to the Torringon/Lingle area. The bird watching group will try to spot cardinals and other birds at the Rawhide and Springer/Bump Sullivan Wildlife Habitat Management Areas.
Not up for a day trip? Cheyenne Audubon is also hosting a program at 7 p.m. Tuesday about the High Plains Arboretum Bluebird Nest Box Project. Attendees can volunteer to monitor these birdhouses during mating season.
As for other outdoor/nature opportunities on Saturday morning, the Seed Library will open at the Laramie County Library, and a Beginner Vegetable Gardening class is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens.
On Saturday night, residents will have to choose between the latest Cheyenne Chamber Singers concert, “The Fire Within,” and a show from a cappella group Backtrack Vocals, presented by Southwest Wyoming Concert Series.
At least for today, I’ll continue driving through the city with the windows down, talking to interesting people and trying not to think too much about the past, future or how many calories might have been in that massive slice of pie.
I’d much rather focus on the song in my head:
“Walk along the river, sweet lullaby
It just keeps on flowin’
It don’t worry ‘bout where it’s goin’, no, no
Don’t fly mister blue bird
I’m just walking down the road
Early morning sunshine tells me all I need to know.”
