A Change Of Pace

We got up this morning and had our coffee on the veranda. The sun was warm but the air was still cool as a refrigerator. We usually go about our Sunday chores after breakfast but I suggested we do something different today so we cleaned up and headed up Interstate 65 north to Cracker Barrel. We ate more than we should and then drove on up to Lacon flea market which is a strange and wonderful place. It is a hodge-podge of buildings (I use this word loosely) that resemble a third world shanty village. It has junk and treasure and everything in between. You can buy puppies, kittens, chickens and other critters. You can buy tools, tires, and a Velvet Elvis. Some places sell books and it's hard to get away without buying some. They sell the best roasted peanuts I've ever had.
They people you see there range from the young and upwardly mobile shopping to people who look like they might not be able to eat if they don't have a good day selling their stuff. I find myself becoming a little melancholy if I stay too long.
We bought a book, some peanuts, a flute and some plants. It's only by the Grace of God that we didn't buy all the dogs and bring them home. Jilda is like the pied piper...every dog in the universe wants to live with us.....many of them do.
We left Lacon and drove Highway 31 south instead of taking the interstate. It meandered through Vinemont, Cullman, Hanceville, Garden City and Blunt Springs. Somewhere before we got to Cullman we looked off to the east and saw about 10 skydivers drifting earthward like colorful feathers.
We passed a sawmill/lumber yard that sells rough lumber which is exactly what we were looking for as we are about to build a new barn so we stopped long enough to write down the phone number.
We ambled on towards home with the sunroof open enjoying this beautiful spring day. There is a small community near Blount Springs called Mountain Brook. It gets its name from a small mountain brook that rushes through the limestone rocks on its way to the Locus Fork River. We pulled over to sit on rock and listen to the sound of rushing water for a long while. I shot a photograph but it does not do justice to this little brook.....photos rarely do.
Today was a really good change of pace. I think I needed it.