There had been a fatality accident on I-75 southbound about 4 a.m. and they were still doing a criminal investigation (!!!) on it by the time I was driving to work, so I eschewed my usual route and took I-285 East instead. This gave me an opportunity to go through Windy Hill Road to the freeway, which a friend recommended to me as a good morning route. It's not too bad, although when you get across Cobb Parkway the traffic turns out to be slower than molasses in January because fast food places line the road on the right and everyone is turning in for their McBreakfast or whatever. Right now I like the other route better.

Every time I go down Windy Hill approaching Cobb Parkway, I always think of our former dog, Leia. (She got her name from her big ears, which, when she was a puppy, lopped down. We have a photo of her lying on the floor in what we called her "little princess" position, and those big ears just stood out, like Princess Leia's "earmuffs.") One Christmas Eve when James was working and I was off, I decided to go run some errands and deliver some gifts. The first errand was at Petsmart, where I was buying some goodies for the fids, so I took Leia with me.

For some reason, since I never go that way, I went through Windy Hill, intending to then turn east on Cobb Parkway. I don't think it's there anymore, but there was at one time near where the QT gas station is now an entrance to a boarding kennel and small farm. That year the owners had decided to do a living Nativity every night and had enclosed the area near the road off and placed a stable with some sheep and a goat, who stayed there during the day as well.

Leia's mother was a beagle, but Leia herself looked like a half-sized German Shepherd. At the beginning, we always figured the dad was a Shep, but later we noticed her face had some Corgi resemblance and she also had the "fairy saddle" markings on her sides. We did figure by some of her actions that whatever daddy had been, he'd been a herding dog.

It was the luck of the draw where I was in traffic that when the light at Cobb Parkway went red, my car just happened to be in the right lane, directly in front of the stable and the sheep and goats. Leia would always get up and look around when we stopped, and this time was no exception. She usually didn't pay attention to any other animals, however, except cats; she was always looking for her "sister" (they were raised together), Spot, who still lived down in Warner Robins. Except...it was so funny...when she saw the sheep and goats she got really interested. She put her paws up on the bottom of the window and just stared. (The light at Cobb Parkway is two minutes or longer, so she had quite the opportunity.) I kept looking back at her and laughing. You could just see the wheels moving in her head. "I...know what those are...I think...I'm supposed to do something with them. Not sure what it is...but I know what those are..."

Years later, I still can't pass that spot without thinking of Leia and all her little sheepdog instincts emerging at those long minutes at a traffic light...

Anyway, so I was traveling eastbound all this morning, which gave me the most wonderful view of a spectacular sunrise. There were rows of clouds in the east, in several separate layers, and as the sun rose the undersides of the clouds were rippled with various shades of orange, from pumpkin color to the faintest of pale oranges, while the tops of the clouds ranged from dark mauve to grey. Just as I turned south on I-85 the sun was starting to edge the horizon, turning the pale orange at the bottom to liquid fire.

Too cool. Memories and a beautiful sunrise as well.

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. . . . . noted and logged by Linda at 9:15:00 AM

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