Today is a lovely day. It is pleasantly warm. The sun is bright and glistens through the leaves on the backyard oak trees. The house has a bit of night chill, and my den is still dark. The dogs are napping.

The other night I was sitting with Jack. I had given him treats, filled all his bowls and cleaned his litter. I was reading, and he was getting pats. That was when I noticed the mouse. It came from under the bed across from Jack and me and went right to the snack bowl. The mouse looked as healthy as any I’ve seen. Cats snacks can do that. Jack noticed, jumped down and checked under the bed. He didn’t catch the mouse. I need another have a heart trap.

I grew up as part of the wandering generation. The world seemed so safe back then. I could go anywhere without fear. I’d leave in the morning and, if I brought my lunch, I’d be gone all day. I had no route, no idea where I’d go. I just went. My mother didn’t worry. I’d ride and keep an eye out for adventures and for treasures like the golf balls I’d find across the street from the golf course. I’d sometimes have my lunch on a bench under the trees by the town hall.

I had favorite places. I am a lover of trains, and it started back then. I loved sitting and watching the trains at the station the next town over. I imagined the trips I’d take. I’d ride across country on a sleeper train. I’d eat in the dining car. I’d sit and watch the world from the observation car.

I have had some wonderful train rides. My dreams came true. In Ghana, I’d go first class from Accra to Kumasi. I’d sit in a compartment with big easy chairs and a door which slid open. Usually I was by myself. I’d always sit and look out the window. I never wanted to miss anything. I was on a sleeper train in Ghana which derailed. That woke me up and I had to get off the train. No one was hurt, and, for me, it was an adventure, a tale to be retold. I slept in a couchette in Finland. It had six bunks, but there were only three of us, my friend and I and a Finnish woman. She and I spoke by using the Finnish-English dictionary and pointing at words. I woke up at a train station in the Arctic Circle.

I still want to go across country in a sleeper train. It is at the top of my dream list. It always been there.