Backyard

Our desks and seats at the office were rearranged to fit more people in the office. I was moved to a corner desk with windows behind me. The out of control electronic shades sometimes go up to let the sun in when it's too bright and sometimes shut to block the afternoon light when the fluoresce lights are not enough. I am not sure why the electric shades work the way they do and no one seems to know how to control them... The shades are often stuck half open in the afternoon so I am able to catch a glimpse of the buildings and trees behind our office. At the corner of this scenery when I stare aimless out the window is highway 80 with traffic flowing both directions. Whenever I start noticing the highway and the traffic, it's usually time to pack up and head home because I am just not very productive anymore...

Last week, I noticed the heavy traffic on highway 80 for about 3 of the days. While I day dreamed, I thought about the traffic that I might run into if I left the office at those moments, so I waited for the traffic to die down. When I sit through the traffic on the 5 lane highway, I usually surf the net on the phone or talk on my phone while listening to the radio. The commute home has always been long, but it wasn't until recently that I started to notice my eagerness to be home because of the amazing Sacramento spring weather.

If staring out of the office window is a sign of dwindling productivity, drawing a blank on highway 50 is my way to anticipate the amazing spring evenings in our backyard. I will sit in my car, think about the big red wood trees in the yard, the grass cut and the pool clean, the wine bottle and wine glasses glistening under the afternoon sun, and the BBQ grill spits out scents of chicken, onions, and peppers. The temperature in its 70s, the occasional breeze, and the tree shadows that shade our lawn chairs. I sit on the highway, listen to NPR, anticipate what the backyard would be like. I let the pedals go then brake, let the pedals go and brake. Eventually, I will get there.

Forty to fifty minutes later, I will arrive at my destination. The cats will follow me around knowing that I am heading to the backyard so that they can roll in the dirt and chase some insects. I will get out that wine glass and pour myself some chilled white wine, then I will head to the backyard with Jim. The office, the traffic, and the stress of the day will disappear the moment that I walk through our front door heading to the amazing backyard. Then, the Sacramento spring evening in our backyard will finally begin our day...