Archive for February 2011
“Old age is the most unexpected of all the things that happen to a man.”
February 12, 2011The sun was here earlier but now it’s gone. Somehow its presence made the morning seem warmer even though it is still the winter sun. Only a gray sky with a small of patch of blue is left. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 40’s. It will seem like summer.
Saturday, when I was a kid, was always the best day because Sunday, another day off from school, was next and Saturday morning TV was spectacular. When I got older, into my teens, Saturday was sleep-in day and still the best day of the week. When I became an adult living on my own, Saturday was chore and errand day. Its only saving grace was I could still sleep-in. It was about then Friday started edging Saturday as the favorite day because it meant no work for two whole days. I have no favorite days now, but I still harbor a tinge of dislike for Mondays, leftover from so many years of working.
The other day I had to do a quick errand, a one stop errand. It only took me about 15-20 minutes. When I got home, I realized I had left my slippers on. Granted, a quick look would say clogs but the edging most decidedly said slippers. I was shocked beyond belief. For that one errand, I had crossed a line. I had jumped to old age where stripes and plaids matched and slippers were the preferred footwear. Would aprons with bibs be next? How about tied shoes with clunky heels? I was struck to the quick by the implications of one errand and slippers. I vowed never to let it happen again.
Chelsea Morning: Joni Mitchell
February 11, 2011I still remember the first time I heard Joni singing. It was from this album, Clouds, which remains my favorite. It was with me in Africa and was played so often the heat wreaked havoc on the tape, but I didn’t mind. I’d patiently rewind the cassette using my Bic pen. It was always worth the effort. Okay, I’ve played this before, but I feel like playing it again. I just love the imagery in this song. The oranges are always green to me, as they were in Africa.
Game of All Fours: Kate Rusby
February 11, 2011This is a cut from The Girl Who Couldn’t Fly. Have you noticed any day is a good Kate Rusby day?
“Games lubricate the body and the mind.”
February 11, 2011The day is pretty, at least from the window. It’s warmer than last night but still in the low, very low, 30’s. A brisk breeze makes it feel even colder. I’m late today because I was up too late last night and slept in, way in, this morning. We went to our usual Thursday night trivia, and I swear the questions played to the our strengths. My team won, first time all season. We were third going into the final question and decided to risk the 25 points, the highest amount you can risk. As soon as I saw the question, I wrote down the answer. I knew it in a heartbeat. The answer is one of those weird pieces of information my brain deposits in some memory drawer just in case. Which state was admitted to the Union as a direct result of the Civil War?
We used to play Go to the Head of the Class when I was a kid. I’m thinking that’s when my brain started to save all those pieces of information that are seldom needed but stay around just in case. The board was filled with rows of desks, each row was a grade and you moved from the first to the eighth. I still have our game. The box is in rough shape, but all the pieces are there, and the board is perfect. The pieces already have names like Sis, Cowboy Joe, Butch and Susie. I’ll have to pull it out so my friends and I can play it some night. I’m guessing the game was a Christmas present because there was always a new game under the tree. I still give my friends and family a game for Christmas. It is just one of those traditions I love to honor, and it keeps our childhood alive.
I am almost caught up with Christmas, finally. I have two boxes ready for my sister and her family in Colorado, and tonight my friends and I will exchange gifts, eat Chinese food and play a few games. I might even put on Christmas music. I know I’m bringing up the small aluminum tree my sister gave me. I love it for its ugliness. Nothing says Christmas more than a silver aluminum tree!
It’s Love Baby (24 Hours a Day): Erbie Bowser, T.D. Bell, and the Blues Specialists
February 10, 2011It’s been a long while since I’ve had a Smithsonian-Folkways day so I decided to remedy that. This song is from Down Home Saturday Night which you’ll find here:
Lafayette: Lucinda Williams
February 10, 2011This cut is from an album called Smithsonian Folkways American Roots Collection. You’ll find it here:
“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”
February 10, 2011It’s cold, mighty cold. I let the dog out, made coffee then stood looking out the window as I waited for one or the other to finish. The sun is wan, barely giving any light. The breeze is slight but even slight adds to the cold. I don’t see any squirrels. I figure they are comfy in their nests. There are no birds as I need to fill the feeders again. I’ll bundle up, wear my ear muffs and my mittens then brave the cold, all for the birds. When I finally got the newspapers, the cold almost took my breath away.
I have a list of places and errands. Gracie and I need to go to the dump, one of her favorite places, but on a day like today, the dump has an arctic wind blowing across all its emptiness. I’m rethinking that chore.
The weather has me in a reading mode. Staying inside wrapped in a quilt and reading a book is about the coziest way I know to spend a winter’s day. I finished Tick Tock and The Inner Circle this week. Both were quick reads, deep thought not required. My mother always said that buying books for me was a waste as I finished them too quickly. I couldn’t help it was always my answer. Once I get hooked on a book, I read and do little else. If I have a necessary chore, I’m on it and it’s finished in a heartbeat so I can back to my book. I hate it when I’m close to the end of a book I’ve really liked.
When I was a kid, I used construction paper for all sorts of projects. Around this time, I’d be behind a closed door in my room with paper, scissors and crayons so I could make my parents their valentines. It never really took all that long to cut, fold, paste and compose, but my parents always acted as if I had given them a valuable piece of art. One year, a long while back, I made valentines for my mother and sister. I cross-stitched a heart and a Happy Valentine’s Day then used red construction paper to make my card. I cut a space then glued the cross-stitch so the message was in the space. Inside the card was just love and my name. The card didn’t really take long to make, but my mother was thrilled with a home-made card. I was proud in the same way I had been as a kid. I still keep construction paper in the house.
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