Keep the Coffee Comimg

My morning started early, at 8:30. I don’t remember the last time I woke up at 8:30. I am best at 2 or 3 in the morning, my bedtimes of late, so 8 is alien to me. I suppose I shouldn’t complain as I woke to a beautiful day, a warm and sunny day, but, since then, the sun and the blue sky have gone. Clouds are left and maybe even rain.

I need to stay in the den because every time I move around the house I find something to do. I just tee-shirt dusted the tavern table in the living room. I also brought deck trash to the car. Mind you, that deck trash has been sitting on the deck box for a while, for a few months even, but all of a sudden, this morning, it had to go. I think I am suffering from the need for immediacy. Walk by a plant. Water that plant. Rearrange those pillows. Rearrange them again and again. Check out the expiration dates of stuff in the cabinet. Dust mop the floor covered in puffs of fur. I have to slow this down. I am happiest when I am a sloth.

I’m in my disaster movie mode. I have excluded movies like Outbreak and its ilk so I’ve watched just plain old disasters. I’ve seen our part of the world freeze, burn up, flood, break in half, be attacked by birds and finally disappear, covered in lava. I have seen most of Tubi’s science fiction movies. Some of them were really bad, but I watched anyway. I am easily amused.

Just a thought, why is cabbage so underrated? I like it, but I only eat it at St. Patrick’s Day, seldom any other time. I have had Golumpki, Polish stuffed cabbage, and I like it. I never make it. Maybe I should give it a try.

The afternoons are lovely this time of year. The front of the house is shadowed. The sun has moved to the side of the house, the south, on its way to the backyard where it will set.

Today I had a bit of nostalgia. My background is a photo of the inside of one of the buses taking us to the airport for our flight to Ghana. I don’t know whose picture it is, but I am in the shot. I can tell by the top I’m wearing what the skirt looked like. I wore it a lot. Also in the shot are people I’d get to know well and whose names I still remember and others I don’t remember at all. The back of the bus is filled with luggage. I can’t believe how young I look. I was twenty-one.

The morning went quickly. The sun was here then gone for a long while but it has since returned and brought the blue sky with it. The day is

Henry hasn’t avoided me. That’s a huge step for my boy. Usually if I do something he’s not happy about, he avoids me and won’t let near him or even pat him for a couple of days, but not this time!! He survived the car ride, being in the vet’s without me, getting weighed and examined and having to endure shots and a blood test. They also cut his nails. The second big step for Henry was he did not poop or pee on the back seat.

When I was a kid, a dime was a small fortune. We’re talking penny candy time and sometimes two for a penny. Popsicles were a nickel from the ice cream man. A dollar was in my birthday card. Once in a while there were two. I was rich beyond measure.

I have a five dollar bill in my wallet. It has been there since March. I can’t remember the last time I paid for anything with money.

Today I’ll just hang around. I have a few things to put in the car in preparation for my dump run tomorrow or maybe Monday, but that is my only plan for the day, except for my shower of course.

I find myself getting bored easily. I hunt through all the TV channels, sometimes twice hoping to find a movie which doesn’t need my complete attention. I find one and then watch for a half hour or so before I get bored and look for another movie to ignore. All of this confirms the Einstein didn’t say it quote, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Henry and I are back from the vets. Neither one of us, including Mr. Henry, is any worse for wear. A tech came to the car, took Henry and brought him inside while I waited outside. The vet came out later and gave me a run down of Henry’s health. He is wonderfully healthy. He lost 4 pounds which pleased the vet as the last time she saw him he was at his top weight. Henry got a rabies shot, a flu shot, Bordetella oral vaccine, a heartworm test and a complimentary nail trim. On the bill, under breed, Henry is listed as retriever, Labrador mix, good to know. Henry is a handsome boy.

Today is warm, a bit of summer. The sunlight is slanted in the way it always is in fall. It’s sharpness is highlighted through the leaves and branches. My street is so quiet I can hear only the birds. I filled the feeders yesterday, and the birds noticed.

When I was a kid, I remember trips to Boston. I remember sitting in the Public Garden by the pond. I held peanuts my mother had bought for us to feed to the spawns. I was an innocent. The spawns surrounded me in a well-coordinated attack. One even put out his paw, a sort of Oliver Twist I want more moment. I gave him a peanut. I swear the rest looked frenzied and right at me. I stood up. They ran away.

Yesterday a rabbit was munching on the grass out front. I think it was a different rabbit than the one we usually see. It was bigger. Henry didn’t even notice.

Yesterday I roasted a chicken and some carrots. I felt quite accomplished. It has been a while since I’ve last cooked a real meal, one defined by my father as meat and potatoes, veggies optional.

My dance card is quite empty. I even checked two weeks ahead. Nothing is scheduled. My life has come down to this, nothing scheduled!! Sigh!!

The sun was bright when I woke up but has since disappeared. We have clouds but no rain is predicted. It is is warm, back to the mid 70’s. I have declared today a stay at home day, sort of what most days are anyway, but now it’s official, a grand statement of purpose.

Boxes are filling my dining room. Henry has a vet appointment tomorrow so I didn’t put the boxes in the car. The appointment is a little scary. Henry is afraid of the car so every other time we’ve gone to the vet’s I’ve had to wrestle the poor dog to get him into the car and hold him off from running through the open door when we get to the vet’s. Now, they’ll come to get Henry. I’ll wait in the car. I have given the warning to the vets about Henry’s escaping. I do have halter number 4. He chewed through halters 1 to 3 so I’ve been reluctant to use it. I will bring it tomorrow hoping they’ll put it on him.

I talk out loud. In the time before, I yelped and swore out loud if I fell or injured mysel. Now I make observations out loud when I’m out and about, and I chit chat with Henry or Jack when I’m in the house. Henry wags his tail and seems to listen. Jack totally ignores me.

I kept seeing what looked like small, round, black bugs on the floor. I’d grab Kleenex, gently capture the bugs and free them outside. I never looked at the bugs once they were in the Kleenex. This morning I noticed one of the black bugs on a kitchen plant. It seemed to have legs. I looked closer. I’m an idiot. The small black bug is cat fur. What looked like legs were actually hairs. I don’t need a Kleenex anymore.

I have stopped watching politics for a bit. Nothing I’m currently watching is in color. My meals are sporadic. Sometimes I make a sandwich while other times I just grab cheese and crackers or even just cheese. I wear my cozies all the time. I hate staying in all the time, but I also hate going out. I’m betwixt and between.

Today is wonky. It was cloudy when I first woke up a bit after eight. I looked out the window. The day was uninviting so I turned over and went back to sleep. Besides, eight is the crack of dawn for me. I woke up around 10:30 to a bright sun. When I went to get the papers, I was surprised at how warm it felt outside, warmer than I expected given the cold house. Okay, back to wonky day. The sun has now totally disappeared. The sky is filled with white clouds, empty white clouds as no rain is predicted.

I have sworn off the news channels. I am watching disaster movies again, disasters like atomic tornadoes, lava in Los Angelas, earthquakes and the disappearance of the moon. Those I know have weird happy endings. Currently a family is trying to reconnect and avoid the lava consuming everything.

Today is the first day of fall. I think this is my favorite season of all. We have color. We have warm days and perfect nights for sleeping. We have apples and pumpkins and gourds. The garden is alive with fall flowers. The asters are blooming. The clematis is covering the whole front fence in white flowers. The bees love them. It’s time for soup. Nothing tastes better than hot soup on a crisp fall day. Add a loaf of fresh bread, and dinner becomes a feast. Fall is the opening act for the best times of the year, for Thanksgiving and for Christmas.

When I was a kid, piles of leaves would fall on the street and lie against the sidewalk berms. I’d walk all the way to school kicking the leaves into the air. I remember the bottoms leaves were sometimes sodden. They had a weird odor, one of wet and mold.

I have often mentioned how much I miss the aroma of burning leaves. Every Saturday, when I was a kid, small piles of leaves would be burning in front of just about every house. Fire was a man thing so each fire was tendered by a neighbor standing out of the smoke and holding his rake to keep the fire in check. My father too tendered his fire. The men and the smoke up and down the street were worthy of a Norman Rockwell illustration. It would be called Saturday Mornings in Fall.

Usually this is the time of year to start hunkering down, but I don’t have to this year. I have been hunkered for months. I was with my friends the other night, and it was my best night since last summer on my birthday. Sunday was my friend’s birthday. It was dinner and games afterwards, the best nights, like Sunday nights used to be. I made my friend her chocolate cream pie, a standing request.The chocolate was tweaked because I had forgotten to buy milk. How dumb! I told my friend who said I needed to keep the tweak, to add it to the recipe. That was a great endorsement. The evening was fun. I have missed my friends. I suspects most of us can say that. We miss our friends most of all.

Today is not a good day. I just don’t feel it. Most mornings I stand on the deck to take in the day, and I watch Henry run through the yard. This morning I let Henry out and went and sat down on the couch. I didn’t even start the coffee. I am just tired.

I did get up, forced by Henry who was whacking the dog door with his paw to let me know he was impatiently waiting to be let into the house. I let him in, gave him a dog biscuit and started my day. Coffee, splendid coffee was first. I am trying a new coffee from Mexico. The ground beans smelled wonderful in the grinder. I next poured the water into the coffee maker. It burbled when I turned on the machine. Like Henry, I impatiently waited.

Last night I put an afghan on my bed. Today is still cold. The wind is a strong one. My house is only 63˚. I am torn between warmth and September. It seems far too early to turn on the heat, but I should be comfortable. I’m wearing my sweatshirt, and I think I’ll add socks to my ensemble.

The two cats and Henry are all upstairs having their naps. The cats are on the same bed in their room while the dog is stretched across my bed. They do live the good life.

When I was a kid, once cold weather arrived, we seldom went outside to play after school. It got dark early, and being cold wasn’t inviting. The television went on instead. I remember watching everything and anything. TV had mesmerized us from the beginning. Queen for a Day is one I remember. The show centered on housewives in need who told their stories. The audience applauded to choose the queen who would have her wishes come true. We’re talking wishes like a clothes dryer or a vacuum. I found this program recently and watched a couple of women become queens for the half hour anyway. The show is awful, but I did enjoy pieces of it. The clothes alone are worth the viewing. Any one of the ladies could have been my grandmother in a hat. The dresses were all flowered. The hopeful queens for a day were dressed to the nines.

Coffee is late today. I talked to my sister for an hour then I had to make a chocolate cream pie for my friend’s birthday. She has a standing order for one every year. It is finished and in the fridge chilling. It will get its crown of whipped cream just before the event.

Jip, Doctor Doolittle’s dog, taught the doctor animalspeak. Sometimes I wish he’d drop by and teach me dog. Henry and I would converse constantly. I think he’d talk breathlessly as he always seems to be on alert. He jumps off the couch and runs to the door at any random sound then comes back only to jump again. I’d explain in dog-talk his responsibility when it comes to noises on the street.

Last night Henry was asleep on the couch beside me. I went to pat him. He didn’t seem to be breathing. His paw was cold. I shook him, probably a bit too vigorously. He had been dead asleep and my shaking him scared him. He jumped up and ran into the kitchen. When he came back, he went to the far end of the couch, away from me. Poor boy!

When I was a kid, I enjoyed school which was a good thing considering the amount of time I’d spend in some. I loved to read. Any day could pass unnoticed while I was in my room reading. That still happens. I had great friends, some of whom I still see. I was a Girl Scout for the longest time. It was great fun. I marched in a drill team and still see all those wonderful friends from St. Pat’s Shamrocks. Long ago pieces of my life are still important parts of my today and every day.

When I was a kid, we had Duke, the boxer, and a turtle from Woolworth’s which lived in the plastic oval with the palm tree, also from Woolworth’s. We kept the turtle’s tropical home on the kitchen counter. Any flies we swatted went to the turtle. He preferred his flies with a bit of life but not enough to fly away. I’d put the fly in the water and watch the turtle. He played with his food.

Today is sunny but chilly. My house was cold when I woke up so I snuggled under the covers hoping to stay cozy and warm and maybe even to fall back to sleep, but that was not to be. Henry got up so I dragged myself downstairs after donning a sweatshirt and warm slippers, my late fall, early winter ensemble. Henry wanted out, and I needed coffee. After he came in, Henry sat beside me and watched me drink my coffee, something he does every morning. He likes his tablespoon of coffee with his biscuit. He sits beside waiting somewhat impatiently. I ignore him.

When I was a kid, our dog Duke sat under the table when we were eating. He was waiting for whatever dropped, and Duke was never disappointed when my sisters were young and less adept with utensils. He also knew we’d sneak food to him under the table, a NoNo we ignored. My sisters and Duke used to eat Oreos together outside on the steps. My sisters ate the cream and Duke ate the cookie. It was a win-win.

Saturdays in fall were always my favorite days. School was done for the week, and I could fill Saturdays with whatever I wanted. When the Saturday matinees started, I usually went. I remember walking outside after the movie and finding it getting dark at 4:00. I was always surprised, maybe even disappointed. The day was gone. In the winter, though, once it got cold, I liked the matinee. It was my sole reason for leaving the warm house. On other Saturdays I walked the tracks or window shopped up town. I was never bored, not even by repetition.

Today I’m venturing out. It is dump day, and I need a few groceries. I also need dog treats and cat food. I count three errands though the dump is iffy. I have to be in the mood to haul trash and recycles. I am currently not in the mood.

When the rain started, I heard the first drops then fell asleep. It was still raining when I woke up, but the rain has since stopped. Today is rather ugly, chilly and damp. All the doors and windows are closed. It is only 63˚, and it won’t get much warmer. Today is a lantern day when the lamplight is too much and small lanterns keep the mood. I could go out as I do need a few groceries, but I’ll wait until tomorrow. My car is filled with boxes, and my trunk is filled with newspapers, magazines and trash, but that too can wait until tomorrow. Today is not a day to be out and about.

When I was a kid, I had to walk to school every day. I hated walking in the rain most of all. My mother would force a hat on me I usually took off when I was out of sight. I had snow boots, but they were too much of a bother for a little rain so I wore my shoes exposed to the elements. I didn’t have a raincoat so my coat always got wet, sometimes even drenched. The cloak room outside my class had a wet wool smell on rainy days. I sat down at my desk with wet hair and shoes both of which dried during the morning, my shoes slower than my hair. We didn’t go out for recess so I stayed dry until the walk home.

My dining room has been emptied of boxes. My new deck box is filled. Yesterday was a good day. I had help in putting the deck box together. It is now at the end of the deck near the back stairs. I had bought new cushions for this summer, but I never used them. They stayed in boxes in my dining room. That bothered me for a while then I stopped noticing. During this extended homestay, I started moving stuff, little stuff, not furniture, from place to place, room to room. Because I had to work around the boxes, they became a bother again. I found the right deck box and ordered it a few weeks back but the box just sat until I had help. Yesterday afternoon, the dining room was back to itself, no more a storage room.

Yesterday I took a bit of a ride. I noticed a few lawns with political signs. My favorite was, “Don’t forget Belarus.”

Today is cloudy and damp but no rain is predicted. The clouds will hang around most of the day, but I swear I saw the sun for just a minute a while back, call it a glimmer of hope. It is 76˚ and may get a bit warmer.

I have spurts of energy. Yesterday I spent a huge amount of time rearranging my living room particulars, things like lamps and pillows and the doo-dads on the tables. After I made a move which meant more moves, think domino effect, I went into the hall, closed my eyes and walked into the living where I opened my eyes to see the brand new. Weird, I know, but I needed to see how fresh each reiteration looked. Finally, I was done in that room. It all sounds so easy but it wasn’t. I had to get over centering. That was huge.

I moved into the dining room and gave the table particulars a whole new look. The dishes from Morocco are now on the table. The change was easy, and it passed the closed eye test on the second try.

I have so many choices for TV watching but, of late, I haven’t found anything to hold my attention. I have turned into a channel switcher. Give me that remote.

My mother used to go to the catalog shop up town. It was where you ordered clothes and such from J. C. Penney. I guess it was remote shopping without a computer.

The breeze is kicking up a bit. The leaves are rustling. Everything else is quiet. I don’t even hear cars. Days like today, early fall days by the calendar, are favorites of mine. The days are warm while the nights are chilly, perfect for sleeping. The air has a freshness you can feel and even taste. The rain is seldom gentle. I love sitting under the umbrella on the deck when it rains. I get to see it all and stay dry. I love having four seasons, but I wish one was a rainy season.