I had an American Beauty moment this afternoon. No, I don't mean a naked teenager in a bed of roses kind of moment. I mean a plastic bag dancing in the wind kind of moment.

I was walking to the post office to mail some t-shirts and noticed a small twister of yellow leaves swirling in a plaza. Something about the configuration of the buildings and such caused the slight breeze to form a funnel. Cool, I thought, but my errand was waiting on me.

After doing my duty and mailing said t-shirts, I walked past the plaza again the the yellow leaves lay in a lifeless, scattered drift. Oh well. Since it was a warm day, I decided to treat myself to an iced-coffee drink. After placing the order, I looked out the window and the leaves had spun to life again. They circled fast and furious near the ground, like a cat chasing its tail. (Yes, I know most of you think of a dog, but you've never seen my cat, and she is much faster than any dog.) But a few feet above, the movement was softer, more like a caress. Little yellow leaves, playing in the breeze.