I drive a lot for work, but I love being in my car. I like being alone, the gentle vibration of the road soothing me,

Like the purr of a cat

Together my car Misha and I have explored the roads near my house, and watched birds of prey soar by.

Prairie dogs race madly across, daring us to do something about them.

There is a tree down one road, alive with scores of wild stuffed animals in bright colours. 

It is so happy to see us everyday, making me smile with it’s buoyant nature.

The other way we pass a pair of  palm trees, an island in a slough surrounded by Canadian geese,

Tail feathers high up on the water, bobbing cheekily up at us.

It’s incongruous, out of place in the thawing landscape, 

making me dream of summer and relaxation.

I remember as a child my Dad would tell us to get our noses out of the books, to watch and learn the areas as we passed. 

I’m not sure when it stuck, but once I was an adult I stopped reading pages and started reading the land as he’d instructed. 

I’ve travelled across Canada and the United States this way, seeing the breadth and majesty of North America and never once found it dull. 

Every road a different story, and I an avid reader. 

I’ve been locked down for awhile, raising children and working, but one day soon I will head back out to explore,

And introduce my children to reading the world the way my father did to me.