The Acrobatic Leaf

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting in a pathetic old wicker chair on the porch, hunched over a tabletop piled high with bills, envelopes, stamps, a checkbook, a calculator, and a stapler.

I should be ashamed to say that the pleasantness of the warmish breeze, the gaily chirping birds, and the gently sighing pine trees had slipped from my awareness. My absorption in the depressing stack of bills in front of me was total.

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At some point I opened up the laptop computer to check the day's blogpost and almost without thinking clicked the start arrow on the Harvey video. Once again, I laughed out loud over Veta wryly saying, "Oh-h, yes.....Elwood SEES someone, alright." As the video neared its finish, a fluttering sound on the window screen caught my attention.......a leaf was spinning rapidly there, as if on an axis. I walked over to take a closer look; the leaf was impaled on a tiny pine needle which was stuck in the screening. I ran into the kitchen to grab my camera, but to my chagrin the leaf's dance had stopped by the time I returned to the porch. It was quivering just the slightest bit in the breeze, though, as if its animation might restart at any second, so I stood and waited, camera ready.

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Apparently, the talented leaf needed a few minutes of rest between acts, perhaps to gather courage for its grand debut on the stage of blogdom. It seemed the little leaf had dropped by just to brighten my mood. Actually, it seemed more like a bird than a leaf. Perhaps it was a sort of pooka or fairy.

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Without further adieu, may I present.....for your viewing pleasure......

"The Amazing Acrobatic Leaf "

(Be sure to watch closely for the very brief encore appearance at the end.....and, please hold your applause until the performance is finished......thank you!)