Kim's Game

When I was a girl guide we went hiking with our troup leader who introduced us to the game called Kim’s Game based on the character from  Rudyard Kipling book.  Often when I go for my nature walk I think about that time and will play the game just with myself as I did this morning.  There was no breeze so it was nice as it was also quite crisp outside and my ears are sensitive to cold. 

Right off the bat, just as I passed the swamp across from the house I saw a flock of geese take off as they heard my footsteps.  One.  Only a few more steps and I discovered a lone ragweed blooming yellow as though it hadn’t got the notice that it was fall not summertime.  Two.  The sun was beaming through the trees and hit directly in my eye so I was squinting and needed to turn my head westward.  There was a lot of dirty brown withered field but I didn’t care to count that as part of my game.  Then my eyes lit on the new house that was built last year near the golf course.  From a distance it is quite picturesque with that unusual Pennsylvania Dutch colour and white trim.  Three.  Then I noticed a clump of trees to the east that also had not received the message of their brethren.  They stood in glorious green and yellow leaf while all the trees around them were bare of leaves.  Four.  On I walked, picking up the pace now as I climbed the hill to the Indian Graveyard.  Quite by surprise a neighbour drove by, rolled down the window and stuck out his arm in a wave.  It was so unusual that I said Five. 

Hit the graveyard and I turned around to head back.  By this time I was mulling over the idea of neighbours and realized that on November 16^th I will have lived in my home for 25 years.  In 25 years I have never once been invited into the home of any of my neighbours.  How unneighbourly is that?  I like the dynamics of Wisteria Lane of Desperate Housewives fame and feel sad that I don’t have that sort of neighbourhood.  So because I was thinking about that I forgot about Kim’s Game and didn’t discover any more natural wonders this morning.

Once again I think – I get more like Faster Jonna every day.  Focus.  But lately I seem to wool-gather more and more often and then I think “Still Alice”, oh oh, I’m in trouble.  Now what was this blog supposed to be about . . . nature?  Well, I’m a natural wonder too!