“Dawn-giddy birds chirp as if every morning is a special occasion. Wise, wise birds.”
The sky is covered in whitish gray clouds. It rained during the night and will continue raining on and off all day. The breeze is chilly, but the air is warm, 50˚. There is a fog warning. I need go to the dump today so I’ll go in between rain drops.
When spring is poking its head through winter, mornings are my favorite time of the day. The birds are back and singing to greet first light. A warmth breaks through the cold. Everything feels lighter. The air smells fresh. This morning I saw the first green shoots of the dafs in my garden. I did a happy dance.
I buy flowers when I go shopping. I put them in every room. Tulips and dafs make me smile. They bring color. They bring spring even on the coldest days.
The dogs are out a long time in this weather, even when there are no possums. Nala keeps busy with the stuff she steals. Yesterday she stole a stick of butter I thought was safe. It was far back on the counter. Later, she brought in a dog food can from the yard, a can she’d stolen earlier. I hope that’s a trend: Nala cleaning her own mess.
Last night, I put one of the cat’s food dishes near the gate so I’d remember to take it downstairs to wash. I was playing with Jack when I heard a sound I didn’t recognize. I looked and saw Nala had her head through the hole in the gate and was licking the dish which was clattering against the floor. I moved the dish, the path of least resistance.
I loved my mother’s brownies. She didn’t use a mix. She baked them in a square metal pan. When they were cool enough, she’d frost them with chocolate frosting then sprinkle the top with jimmies. It was a chocolate overload for which I gave great thanks.
My overloaded laundry basket still sits next to the cellar door, and I’m finally tired of seeing it so I’ll haul it downstairs to wash. Nala follows me to the cellar. It is a new space for her to explore. That worries me.
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March 6, 2022 at 6:40 pm
Hi Kat,
Today was a cloudy version of yesterday. The high reached the upper 70s with a strong southerly breeze. A cold late tonight will bring some thunderstorms and cold weather in the morning. My daughter and I had Chinese food for lunch at the authentic Chinese restaurant, The First Chinese Barbecue. The place was crowded with all Asian people. That’s how you know it’s good when you are the only Caucasian customer.
I hadn’t heard the word cellar in a very long time. We don’t have basements in our houses. And, the word cellar is used even less around here. Cellar invokes thoughts of creepy cobwebs, dark corners, damp odors, and creepy critters. Is your basement a cellar?
March 6, 2022 at 7:38 pm
Hi Bob,
We don’t call it a basement. Everyone calls it the cellar. We go down cellar, a common New England phrase. My cellar is actually half above ground. I have four regular size windows and a regular door facing the backyard. In the house where I lived with my parents, we didn’t have a cellar. We entered the space through a bulkhead. It was what used to be called a dug cellar. It had a small open space with the furnace and water heater. The rest was a crawl space. The washer and dryer were in the kitchen as there didn’t fit into the cellar.
It stayed windy and damp all day. Tomorrow will be in. the 50’s again and no rain is predicted.