Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Path where I walked Dog

The photo on the left shows the path I used to follow when I walked my dog Benoit into the “Boon Docks.” At the far end of the excursion, which was over a mile away, is the farmhouse shown in the shot on the right.

One vivid recollection I have is the smell of freshly spread manure on the fields and walking close to this farm. A French girl my age walked out into the barnyard and stared at me wondering who I was and where I came from. After a moment I waved and she waved back. Often afterwards, I remembered this encounter and wondered what would have happened if I had said something or introduced myself. Often such brief moments pass almost unnoticed in our lives but represent portentous opportunities, which if acted upon might have changed the course of our existence. Perhaps this isn’t a great example but it is one that often flashes back in my dreams.

Linda and I walked the path Benoit and I used to walk. It was raining but we walked it anyway. The path turned into the old Roman Road that led to the village. It was sunken into the ground and now only used for bicycles and hikers. Still we could see many of the original stones poking up from the ground.

Later, as I drove past the farm, from a road on the other side, I saw the old homestead was for sale. “Wouldn’t it be cool,” I told my wife, "to return some day and restore that old farm?" (Maybe when we hit the lotto…. But I’ve already broached with my readers that fanciful notion.)