WALKING MY DOG SAL

CHINESE LANTERNS ADD FALL COLOR IN MY COMPLEX

I sit here in the dark of the morning listening for the crows and ravens to begin their noisy flights between the conifers outside my window. The ravens in particular interest me with their thick beaks and grand stature.

The complex where I now live, called the Meadows, is slowly waking up to this Friday morn. Everyone with their own personal agenda. I have found that this small complex contains an ethnic mix that results in several different languages being spoken. I hear them off in the distance as I begin my walk with my dog Sal on this overcast morning. But as I pass them we seem to have one language in common -- a smile.

I contemplate my day as I walk back to my apartment. I know that if I watch the news on my computer this morning I will again witness the mess in Washington. Here in this little place where I now live, far from Washington, with people of different languages, we all seem to get along with just a smile or two.

Is my thinking simplistic? Probably. But come on -- lets get the show on the road in our government -- you know a few smiles would not hurt anyone and might even get the ball rolling again.