Blackberry Ridge

Aptly named, the blackberries bushes are thick and heavy with berries. I am in Calais, Vermont spending the weekend with my lifelong best friend. Jo-ann lives on top of a hill down a long dirt road. There is a sweeping vista of rolling green hills and farmland from the deck, and the peace and quiet is almost palpable. It's evening now, and a thunderstorm just passed by to the west. The mist is rising from the valley below, and it is beautiful. Like a visual tranquilizer. Nothing seems very urgent here. Work seems very far away... in fact, it's a four-hour drive away tomorrow. I'm out of cell range here, so my isolation is complete. I am sure I'll be at my desk tomorrow afternoon staring blankly at the screen, thinking about picking blackberries.