Nicks Americana

When I first arrived in early September, my future seemed uncertain. It appeared that before me lay a torturous life of neglect and disregard. Upon arrival, the Captain immediately opened my box, tried me on, and appeared to admire my full red-blooded Americana-ness. But then abruptly, he boxed me back up and turned out the lights. For weeks, I lay in total darkness battling the terror of the thought that the remainder of my days would be spent in this torturous state. I clung to the hope found in the brief moments when the Cap would crack open my box and peer inside with a look of awe and wonder. Though fleeting as those moments were, I clung to the hope that they foreshadowed a promising future. One day, the Captain once again opened my box. This time he wore a new and thrilling expression. Today was different and I knew it immediately. Like that first day, Cap tried me on, but it didn’t stop there. We went OUTSIDE. For the first time. The damp grass, cool air, fall colors, and brilliant red apples were almost too much to bear. I had begun my life’s adventure with my Captain. That first fall day in the PNW was an introduction to unimaginable sights and wonders. We are now six months into our journey together. In this short time, our travels have taken us from our home in the northwesternmost corner of Washington state to the halls of the US Capital. Meandered the beauty and filth of Seattle. We have forged paths through the snow in the North Cascades and trudged through the sand along the coastal waters of the Pacific. We have endured numerous rain showers and showers of saw dust. And now we are waiting with eager anticipation the warm green beauty of Spring as the PNW slowly sheds its grey winter. All in all, the last six months have been exhausting and thrilling. I could use a rest. When the Captain lay me down on a nice bed of selvedge denim and set his hat on my head, I knew what he meant. We have done well, and he was proud of me.