random thoughts – Day 1,645 – (Wednesday) – sandals and cigar

There was a walk in the sunshine this afternoon. Because I hate walking with no destination, I set LaLa Books as my target. I was barely around the corner from work when my feet were hurting.

Cute, but deadly.

The cause was my practically brand-new sandals, bought years ago, and recently discovered buried in the closet. They are tan and lace up the front and zip up the back and are cute. They are Aerosoles brand which claims to be comfortable, and the bed of the sandals is definitely cushiony, but dang, the uppers were not so comfortable this morning. Maybe this is why they were buried so deep in the closet. They look cute and friendly but they have a dark side. 

The walk from the garage to the office nearly hobbled me. Both feet were raw and one was bleeding when I arrived at my desk. Luckily, there were two bandages in my work bag – one for each foot.

There was cake at the office today after our monthly sales and marketing meeting for our quarterly birthday celebration. It was delicious because Market Basket bakery does a great job with cakes.

The walk to the bookstore got crazier when I crossed the threshold into the place and realized I had left my wallet at my desk. That’s certainly one way to save money. I took a quick loop through the bookstore and continued back to the office, mindful of shredding my feet any more than I already had.

The walk to the garage after work wasn’t as bad as feared. Or maybe my feet were just numb to the pain of the death sandals. I took a different route than usual, just for the change of scenery. On Lee Street, I noticed what seemed like a suspicious volume of gray, white, and gray and white feathers scattered on the ground.

Street cigar.

Across from St. Joseph the Worker Shrine, a decent size cigar, seemingly whole and still encased in its plastic sheath, peeked out from under a plant that seemed to be spilling out of a garden next to the sidewalk. It was next to a large gray feather. A few steps further away, some shattered peanut shells were scattered on the sidewalk. I see peanut shells and even whole peanuts all over the place, including my yard and deck. Yesterday, a blue jay with a whole peanut in its beak perched on the peak of the roof of my shed. 

While stepping carefully across the parking lot of the former Lowell Five Bank, a large brown bird was sitting in the shrubs at the edge of the lot. Before I could unlock the phone to get a picture, it spread its wings and flew up to a rooftop across the street. Maybe that was the reason for the feathers on the ground. The shrub was near the tree where I once saw a bird plucking the feathers out of its breakfast. The feathers were fluttering down from the tree like snow.

Back at home, the sandals were tossed back into the closet, safely away from my feet. I won’t be sad if I don’t see them again for a good long while. And I'm wondering about that cigar and its story.