Perfect days come along every now and then. They are usually any day, not Thanksgiving or not even Christmas. Today is shaping up to be one.

It’s dark and it’s started raining, a quiet rain. I needed a rainy day. We’ve had sun for a while, and I missed the rain. The sky is the gray color of a snow pile too long beside the road. The day has some light. I can see the pale green leaves of the maple tree by the deck. Rain water drops from the eaves.

I woke early this morning and took an outside shower, my first of the season. It was amazing. The hot water sent steam into the air and into the backyard. I stood under the shower and let the water keep me warm. As I was drying and dressing, quickly in the chilly morning air, I could hear bird songs. I recognized the chickadees. They were all around me. I was a part of their morning for just a bit.

My sister gave me some peat for Christmas. The pieces were small and used like incense. I had one left, one I’d been saving. It is burning now and filling the room with the memories of a cold spring night in Ireland when my mother and father were fellow travelers. I can’t think of anything more pleasant than a day of sweet memories, especially about people we loved.

I toasted a Portuguese roll for breakfast. It was nicely browned. On it I put amlou, a Moroccan peanut butter made with argan oil, peanuts and honey, which I had had in Marrakesh every morning for breakfast spread on fresh flat rolls of Moroccan bread. This morning I didn’t have the Atlas Mountains as a backdrop or a basket of fresh bread, but it didn’t matter. It was the indescribably delicious taste of the amlou which made the bread. When I had finished spreading it, I used my finger to clean the top of the jar like a little kid might. I didn’t want to waste even the smallest taste.

I have had an amazing day already, and it really only just started. I can’t imagine what the rest of the day will bring, but I can hardly wait.

This entry was posted on May 3, 2010 at 10:31 am and is filed under Musings. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Both comments and pings are currently closed.