I have never claimed to be a good driver because I’m not. But I am a cautious and conscientious driver. I rarely go beyond the speed limit., and except for that one time I was listening to the Red Sox game, and got a little heavy on the pedal – have only gotten the one speeding ticket.  I don’t text and drive or talk and drive, always pulling over and putting the car in park before I even look at my phone. I will drive 30 miles out of my way to avoid driving  on a major highway because traffic makes me nervous. I don’t drink and drive – always mindful of that. So I sound pretty safe, right? Well, technically. But I am still a distracted driver. And the reason for this? I am far more interested in what’s in peoples yards than where I’m going. In addition to being the seasonal police, I have an unusual obsession with what flowers are growing, what kind of curtains are in peoples windows, the cute arbor on the side of the house, and so on. And then there are the berries, the birds nests, and the wildlife! With so much going on around me, it’s hard to focus on the boredom of pavement. You would think night driving would offer less stimulii, but when it’s dark you can see what’s going on inside the houses with the lights on. Thankfully I drive pretty slowly, and even more so when I am making one of my observations. I have noticed though that whenever I offer to drive somewhere, Steve responds with a resounding NO. I wonder why that is?