“You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you.”

Lately I have been a bit bored with the outside world. Nothing much is going on. I stayed around the house yesterday, chased the spawn a few times and watered my plants, the highlights of my day. I also read a while and took a nap. The weather has settled into the 50’s every day, some days cloudy, some days sunny and some days both. Today so far is a both day. I woke up to sun and now it’s cloudy.

When I was a kid, I’d go for a bike ride to while away some time. I’d ride up town and check out the lobsters swimming in the tank in the window of the fish market. I’d watch the cobbler tapping the soles of shoes with his little hammer. He always wore an apron. I’d look through the window of the bakery and wish I had some money. They made the best lemon cupcakes. I’d stop at the pet store and check out what was for sale. They never sold cats or dogs but mostly lizards, chameleons and fish. Next store was the sub shop, and I could smell the stuff of subs like the meat and condiments. Mr. Santoro, the owner, spoke English with a heavy accent, and if he made my sub, I didn’t always understand what he was saying. Sometimes I pointed.

I always rode in the same direction on my bike, toward the zoo. I don’t know why I seldom headed the other way, toward Reading. I just never did though once I did ride to Reading with some friends to my seventh grade teacher’s house. She wasn’t happy to see us but pretended she was. We all agreed on that. She was a bit of a cold fish, a description my mother would use. Her name was Mrs. Cochran, and even before the ride wasn’t a favorite of mine. She was the one who told me girls shouldn’t play basketball.

I guess I should take the hint from my younger self and go for a ride, a car ride this time as I suspect Gracie would love to join me. I’ll do back roads, and they’ll be a bit like my store windows with stuff to see. I’ll go slowly so I don’t miss anything.

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10 Comments on ““You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you.””

  1. Hedley Says:

    Everywhere I look today I see dragons. I wish a very happy St George’s Day to you and all your Katniks.

  2. olof1 Says:

    This is the last day with very warm weather, it is nice outside even if the wind has started to howl. Tomorrow will be sunny but not even close to how warm it has been these few last days. I’ll miss it.

    I too almost always headed the same way whenb going for a ride. Almost always to the big park, that more or less is a forest and has a small zoo with animals from Scandinavia and some horses and goats too 🙂 The pet shop was close to the harbour and I usually walked to it. The neighborhood wasn’t the best and one never knew if the bike still would stand outside when leaving 🙂

    I think it always has been forbidden to sell dogs and cats in our pet stores and we had laws against selling reptilians until just a few years ago, so they mostly sold fish, birds, hamsters, guinea pigs and other small rodents. I loved watching the salt water aquariums and I always wanted one myself but them I realised how difficult it was and thought it best to never get any 🙂

    Have a great day!
    Christer.


    • Christer,
      You have had such amazing weather so you are due a bit of a chill. We have had chilly weather and are still waiting for a warm day, a shirt sleeve day.

      I never worried about my bike. I’m sure some were stolen, but I never knew anyone whose bike was taken. They were the big, clunky bikes i those days.

      The pet shops here can sell dogs and cats, but people are trying to close that down as the dogs are often ill and are from puppy mills. All my dogs come from breeders so I know they are healthy and have had their first puppy shots. I did buy hamsters once but they finally died.

      Enjoy today!

  3. Birgit Says:

    I thought to just celebrate World Book Day and national Beer Day today but just in case I think I should also celebrate St George’s Day. Our blackbird laid her first egg this afternoon and she won’t be amused when suddenly dragons appear at her nest.
    Have a nice ride. Or book. And day. I’ll take the beer.


    • Birgit,
      So much to celebrate. I am not a beer drinker so no celebrating the day for me. I like World Book Day so maybe that will be my choice. I haven’t gone out yet but I will in the late afternoon. My couple who clean are here, and I like to be here as Lee unloads the trunk for me of the heavy litter and dry dog food. I missed them the last time and killed my back bringing in the stuff myself.

      Enjoy the beer!

      • Hedley Says:

        Birgit,
        And what would be a special beer from Bochum to celebrate National Beer Day ?

      • Birgit Says:

        Hedley, I celebrate this day with a bottle of Moritz Fiege Gründer Export, my favorite Bochum beer. Cheers!

  4. Caryn Says:

    Hi m,
    I can’t remember having a special place that I biked to regularly. I rode all over indiscriminately, I guess. 🙂 I had my favorite tree to sit in or under and a favorite rock to sit on but they were in or near my yard so I didn’t have to travel.
    My recreational drives were almost always the same one, though. Up 95 to the Hampton tolls, across the highway of death to Manchester NH, back down 93 to home. My therapeutic triangle. 🙂

    Today started as a “both” day here as well. The wind came up later in the day and the clouds won out over the sun. It’s chilly now.

    Enjoy the day.


    • Hi Caryn,
      I used to go to the pool and the zoo, uptown and all over the neighborhood. Reading was close but there was nothing to see there.

      I drive up or down 6A or Route 28. Sometimes I go way down Cape to the French bakery where I always reward myself or I stop in Orleans for a sandwich and maybe go buy some chocolate from The Chocolate Sparrow. I like those rides.

      Chilly here too.

      Have a great evening!


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