[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket SGH-I727] Uncle Irish:
The sun creeps in through the narrow slit between my baseball cap and sunglasses causing an unmistakable blindness to come over me. Sitting here on the porch swing, staring up into the thickly mossed oaks, I watch the squirrels and birds do their morning dance. The baby squirrel I’ve watched for nearly a month now has grown to nearly twice its original size, and the level of his bravery has exploded. Running full speed across the narrow limbs as he’s chased by what appears to be his mother. All this while upside down. Amazing. Tiny bits of bark fall to the ground as the scurrying little animals race from branch to branch in some sort of strange follow the leader, then chase the leader type of game.

The solitary woodpecker bangs away at the telephone pole as routine as the sunrise itself. The hole getting larger by the day, yet I’ve witness no fruit from all this labor, merely the hole that just keeps growing.

The steam from a fresh cup of hot coffee curls up my face as I take another sip. Too hot for a gulp and too thirsty to let it cool, I bear the slight burning sensation as it meets my lips. Refreshing and annoying all at once, but I wouldn’t trade this for anything. This is my time of peace and solitude. No people around to bother me or ask for things they want but just don’t need. No lunches to make; the kids are long gone to school. Just sitting and relaxing as the morning gives birth to the multitude of life that calls my front yard home.

Dragonflies, seemingly freshly alive, flutter with an aimless direction to the nearest landing destination, where they spread their wings and curl their not quite fully formed tails. Close inspection of these little jet fighters reveals more indication that these are just the fledglings that are still learning and maturing.

Just me, my coffee, my laptop, and all that nature has to offer. Sometimes I lean back and close my eyes, just to rule out all but the sound of that which surrounds me. The sounds of birds I cannot see, some feel so close I could touch them, while others seem so far in the distance, I could never reach them. A bounty of pure solace surrounds me on days like this. It’s time like this that I just want to sit here for hours, letting the world expand around me. Let the day envelope me as the sun rises in front of me until the heat forces me to a shaded area.

Coffee run dry and the glare reflecting from my sunglasses back to the screen makes for a difficult time putting it all in place in this virtual memoir. The faint smell of the flowers diminishing as the sun becomes stronger. Birds chirping, now less frequent, signals the time that the morning rush is coming to an end. The coolness of the air is replaced by the stagnant heat of a summer Florida morning. I bid adieu to my friends of nature as I stand with hands and arms filled with my supplies.

Reaching the door, I push it open and half step inside. A pause as I turn around one last time to remember the last thirty minutes and all it has offered me. I push forward to the darkened room of controlled climate and fluorescent lighting. Pushing the door shut behind me, sunglasses removed, hat hung in the same place it is hung every day, I take one last look at the bottom of my now empty coffee cup. Let the new day begin and let it be a furtherance of the morning that nature has so graciously given me.