“For many people, music is here to let them forget the daily chores of life.”
The back of my house still has the coolness of the night chill so it is comfortable, but outside is already hot, 77°. It will get just a bit hotter, a couple of degrees. Tonight will be in the 60’s, perfect sleeping weather.
When I was a kid, my mother kept the house dark. She covered the windows in the living room to keep out the sun. It was as if we were living in a sort of a cave. The kitchen was the brightest room. Upstairs always got hot and stayed hot even at bedtime. I remember a bit of tossing and turning before I fell asleep. I kept flipping the pillow to find the cool side.
I had what I called my visor summer. I wore it all my waking hours. It was white, and when I wore it, I felt somehow older. I don’t think it did much against the sun, but I thought it the perfect look, even fashionable. I think I was around eleven or twelve.
When I was a teacher, I used to travel to Europe every summer. I carried a backpack. One summer I even carried a sleeping bag. I used it a couple of times. One time was in Helsinki, Finland. We got in town late and didn’t find a place to sleep so we slept in the brush among the trees somewhere in the city. The next day we found a hostel. I bought street food for breakfast. My friend, with whom I was traveling, warned me not to eat street food. I just laughed. I ate it in Africa.
We used to take overnight busses and trains. That saved us money because we didn’t need a place to sleep. I remember looking out at the houses long the tracks. It was dark so the houses were lit. I found it intriguing to wonder about the people living in those houses. I could see them from the train window. I could sneak a peek into their lives.
I still have that list of chores. The only thing I did was go to the dump, and it wasn’t even on the list. Today I have a couple of errands. It is my only uke-less day of the week so I’m torn. Do I finish some of the chores on this my free day or do I embrace the life of a sloth on this, my only free day? Such a dilemma!
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June 18, 2024 at 5:35 pm
Hi Kat,
Today is partly cloudy with a cool breeze and a high of 92°. Perspective is everything. You write, “outside is already a hot 77°”, and I write a cool breeze and. High of 92°.
Even with good air conditioning it still helps to keep the blinds and curtains drawn.
My only experience with trains has been in the U.S. and my experience with Amtrak was terrible. It’s a shame we let passenger train travel go to hell in a hand basket. Amtrak trains have to give way to the freight trains who own the tracks.
My son wanted to check out the Washington D.C. area and he wanted to travel by train. The first part of the trip to Chicago was okay, but on the way to D.C., the train got stuck in Huntington West Virginia because a freight train derailed in front of the Amtrak train.
After sitting for 12 hours in the station the Amtrak personnel told them that buses were on the way to take them to Washington. This turned out to be a lie, and they only fed the people fast food pizza that they bought in Huntington. Eventually, they turned around and went back to Chicago. They would be stuck there for several days. Instead, I bought my son an airline ticket to Washington which was about the same amount as the train ticket.
Then I tried to get a refund from Amtrak. They wanted to give me vouchers. I told them, not only no, but hell no. Finally, I said to the supervisor that Amtrak failed to fulfill their contract of carriage and I was going to report them to the department of transportation. They then refunded the entire fare.
My son got to spend a day in Chicago and decided he liked it better than Washington D.C. Now he lives on the north side near Lincoln Park and is doing okay.
June 18, 2024 at 7:07 pm
Hi Bob,
I’ll take my weather every time over yours. We seldom get into the 90’s here. 77° is hot for June.
I have no blinds and few curtains, just in the living room and the bathrooms.
Everywhere I can I take the train. Ghana had a wonderful train service which they also let go to hell in a hand basket. They are trying to bring it back. I would take a couple of train rides here like the Sunset Limited from New Orleans to Los Angeles and the California Zephyr. It is a three day train ride through prairies, deserts and mountains. I read an old mystery series where the main character was a zephyrette, sort of
like a stewardess on the train. It was so wonderfully descriptive.
One of the overnight trains I took in Ghana derailed. I was jolted out of bed. We had to walk cross a trestle bridge to get to the train they sent.
I once took the train from Boston to D.C. it was the worst ride of my life. I flew back.
In the end, your son had a worthwhile trip in finding where he wanted to live.