pasted from the lj since it's been a bit busy to sit and spew as per usual...
It's been a meetings day, hours of chairs and mahogany tables and policy arguments, straight through from 9:30 yesterday morning until just now.
I stole outside for a few moments for a breath of the outside world, called Dave for the sheer grounding force of his voice, and then leaned back a moment in the last spot of sunshine.
I caught myself idly watching a sparrow hop about the concrete ledge that I was sitting on, realizing that I was seeing an awful lot of detail in the feathers. It was so close. Pulling back out of my daze a little I realized I was surrounded by sparrows, all within reach of my fingers.
I watched them a few moments longer and looked up to see a couple crossing the grass, their doberman leaping ahead of them.
When the doberman turned his face towards me I was shocked out of my reverie by the details of his face, and then realized -- it was almost entirely grey. Grey eyebrows, grey muzzle, as though someone had attacked it with theatrical makeup.
It occurred to me that I'd never seen an aged doberman before. Never known anyone to own one that long.
Or maybe dobermans don't go grey and this one was just a mutt mix with some other dog, but somehow he was intensely beautiful.