Magical Walk

The other day I took Lily for a walk and bumped into my neighbor who was on the way to pick up his car. We walked to Blackstone together. We talked about the neighborhood, and the impact of the slumlords. I told him I was thinking of starting a neighborhood list of all us home-owners on this end of the street so we can stay connected. Maybe we can talk to city officials or state reps about our concerns. He loved the idea. We parted, and I took a walk up a road that I wasn't familiar with. I got sort-of-lost, and I found a dairy farm that I never knew existed called Green Acres. The people living across the street gave Lily water, and further down the road was a stream where she could lie down and cool off. We passed through woods for a while and came across a modern Italian villa surrounded by a black wrought-iron fence with gold fleur-de-lis caps on the posts. There were statues everywhere, including two giant gold lions and the Venus de Milo. There was a bubbling fountain under an arbor surrounded by red tile and a circle of chairs. It was like a surreal movie set. I kept walking, finally approaching a string of cemeteries and roads that I was familiar with. I came to Harris Pond and could see Lily's favorite swim spot on the opposite side. We crossed over on the railroad grade, and Lily had her chance to drink and cool off. We walked home the usual way. It must've been a 6 or 7 mile walk over almost 3 hours. We were happy to be home. I was glad to finally have lunch! We both slept well that night.