Shadowing

Here's a picture of Woody and me on one of our walks! Just in case you can't tell us apart...I have the crooked elbow (up to take this picture!) and Woody is the taller shadow!

This picture brought to mind one of my favorite childhood poems by Robert Louis Stevenson:

My Shadow
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,

And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.

He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;

And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow--

Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;

For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,

And he sometimes goes so little that there's none of him at all.

He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,

And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.

He stays so close to me, he's a coward you can see;

I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,

I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;

But my lazy shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,

Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

Woody got up early, went to work, took another cold walk at lunch (but he was more comfortable today since he had on a heavier coat), worked some more, and then came home to rest and relax with TV and a book. Last night he, again, had trouble getting to sleep due to pain. He did take something for the pain, but it didn't aid him in getting to sleep very quickly.

I had a busy day working a good part of the morning on a book order for the church library. I also ran an errand. I'm in a "getting ready for a party" mode...so spent the rest of the day in that mode. We are having guests for lunch on Saturday...there will be a passel of us...19 if I have counted correctly...10 adults and 9 children!