Little Wonders

Our plans for Saturday didn't go as planned. Unfortunately the gentleman we were to interview fell ill. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to interview him when he is once again able. So Donna and I were unexpectedly free to follow our noses and do a little exploring of Gaines County. Beyond the vast horizons, the quiet untold stories of abandoned houses, the variety of flora and fauna, one of the things (of many) that I enjoy on these outings are the small wonders. Wonders that make me wonder. Like the tree stump above. It's not the stump of one tree, but of two, grown right next to one another. I don't know what it might have looked like growing together like that, or if it they were purposely planted together, but its stump was a beauty to me. Or like the tracks in the sand. Donna is quite good at identifying tracks, but the creature that left this lop-sided diminutive track was a mystery to both of us. Or like this '29 nail found in a railroad tie; that's 1929, y'all. I had heard of these before and was delighted to see a lot of them for myself along the tracks in Seagraves. (I even found one loose -- a 1939 one -- lying beside the tracks. Of course you know that one is now at home with me!) According to this expert, Jeff Oaks, "date nails were driven into railroad ties, bridge timbers, utility poles, mine props, and other wooden structures for record keeping purposes." And of course there are people out there that collect them. At least once during any given outing, Donna will say, "We are so easily entertained." It's nice to have a like-minded friend, to wonder at little wonders with me, even if she covets my '39 nail.