Archive for the ‘Musings’ category
February 27, 2018
The sun is beautiful and warm today. It is in the forties and will get even warmer each day, into the 50’s, until Friday when it will be in the 40’s again, and a nor’easter may be making its way here with heavy winds and lots of rain.
My deck seems to have been the place to be for all the spawns of Satan. Over Christmas I had four strands of lights strung on the top of the deck rail. They were beautiful shining through the blackness of the backyard but then after Christmas the strands started to go dark, one at a time. I just left them there. Skip, my factotum, is here today to put the outside lights away and do a few more chores for me. He took each set of lights and tested it. Every one of the deck rail strands did not work. The spawns of Satan had bitten through the light wires and in a couple of cases had even taken a piece of wire with them as the plug ends were missing.
The cover for the barbecue is missing. We’re talking a large cover. It had a section missing as it had been chewed and taken away by a spawn, but the rest was still covering the grill. I had put a couple of bricks on top to keep it from blowing away. A few days ago, I was outside on the deck for the first time in a while and noticed no cover. I checked the yard, no cover. I checked under the deck, no cover. I am totally amazed by its disappearance. Perhaps it was a spawn army doing night maneuvers or a backyard thief who came through the gate and stole the cover then made his way through the darkness to his getaway car.
I have no neighbors on one side of my house. It is a summer rental. Across the street my neighbors have their shades down, and I seldom see them. Herb has Alzheimer’s and his wife is his caretaker. On the other side is the house of family whom I get to see every now and then. They’re always after me to visit so I sometimes do. I am up late. The rest of my neighbors are not.
I have just heard that my little library has a hole in the wood. It did one other time when a bird got inside but couldn’t ‘t get out. I’m hoping for nothing dead this time.
This is a slow week for me, a totally empty dance card. Today I’m staying in my cozy clothes and will go through catalogues and magazines then start a new book. It’s a lazy day, my favorite kind of day!
Categories: Musings
Tags: chewed wires, cover, lights, missing barbecue, Nor'easter, spawns of Satan, sun
Comments: 10 Comments
February 25, 2018
All I have to rely on is my memory of the sun. It was here for a short time yesterday then the clouds took over the sky. It is raining now. I can hear it falling on the roof and that was the first sound I heard when I woke up. It will be in the mid-40’s today and will probably stay rainy. I have a couple of errands including the dump. This is the second time in a row it has rained on dump day. I’d wait until a better day, but the dump will close today and won’t open again until Thursday.
I have a pile of boxes ready for the dump recycle bin. Most of them are small. They have been coming all week as I have ordered all sorts of stuff from all sorts of places. Some stuff is for Easter while other stuff is for Christmas and one is for me, a new shirt bought at an end to winter sale.
I remember when boxes were as much fun as any toy. Big boxes from appliances became forts or hideouts. We’d bring pillows, a flashlight and a few provisions inside and stay in our fort all afternoon. We’d make a window with a three quarter cut on the side. It was the perfect spot from which to keep watch. Sometimes I’d even decorate and use crayons to make curtains. For some reason they were always red.
Shoe boxes were the best of all. They held treasures and were hidden away, usually under the bed. I remember one of mine held those two Scotties, the black and the white ones, which were magnets. I used to put the dogs’ noses together so they’d repel each other. Shells gathered on a summer afternoon at the beach were in the box and so was a starfish and smooth flat stones. Marbles sometimes made it. My favorites were the clear ones with colored pieces in the middle which always sort of looked like parts of a feather. Birthday cards, pins and CrackerJack’s prizes were also in the box. Most times stuff was added and seldom removed. Often, I’d pull the box out from under the bed then sit on the bed and lovingly take my treasures out of the box one by one. I always thought them treasures of great measure.
Categories: Musings
Tags: boxes, forts, hideouts, marbles, memory, prizes, rain, shells, shoe boxes, stuff, sun, treasures
Comments: 10 Comments
February 24, 2018
Today is glorious. It is sunny and warmer than it has been. When I got the papers, I stood a while and listened. The birds were singing. I was thrilled at the sound. Nothing says spring more than birds welcoming the day. We will have showers later, but I’m okay with that. We have sun, if only for a while!
Yesterday it rained again but on and off as I went home from my appointment. I drove down Route 28 and stopped at Jerry’s. I have history with Jerry’s. I started going there when I was in high school when the original Jerry was the owner and the cook. It had take-out windows, and Jerry screamed at us if we, in any way, blocked the windows. “Get out of the way. Get out of the way!” Jerry’s was open all year, a rarity in those days, in the mid-1960’s. It is still open all year, and the only difference from back then is there are no take out windows and Jerry is long gone. I ordered a shrimp plate and substituted the fries with onion rings. From where I was sitting, I could watch the cook. I watched him breading then frying my lunch. When he delivered my plate, it was full. I was delighted and snagged a shrimp right away. It was so hot from the frying, I grabbed my drink to cool my mouth. I waited a bit then dove into my onion rings and another shrimp. They were sublime.
I love hot dogs. I love to toast my rolls by slathering the sides with butter and cooking them in the frying pan. The rolls open at the top so the sides can perfectly toast. My hot dogs are usually fried. Sometimes though I steam them. When they are done, I add my toppings. Chopped onions, piccalilli, some sort of mustard and sometimes jalapeños are my toppings of choice. I always have a jar of sliced jalapeños in the fridge as I usually add them to my sandwiches and eggs.
I think I’ll go out later. I have no destination in mind. I’ll just keep moving until some place catches my eye then I’ll stop.
Categories: Musings
Tags: hot, hot dog roll, hot dogs, jalapeños, Jerry's, Mustard, onion rings, piccalilli, rain, Route 28, shrimp plate, sunny, take-out, warmer
Comments: 12 Comments
February 23, 2018
Earlier this morning the sun was bright and was set in a blue, cloudless sky. Since then the clouds have taken over and hidden the sun. I’m beginning to think Mother Nature is really upset with us and is being vindictive, but I don’t know why. All I can hope is the sun fights through those clouds.
Last night we must have had a few flurries as the deck chair cover still had a bit of white on top this morning. It may rain tonight or the flurries might return.
I have a doctor’s appointment today which will get me out of the house again. I’m thinking afterwards I’ll go the long way home and go down Route 28. Maybe an open store will catch my eye, and I’ll stop.
I get bored with winter around this time every year. I’m tired of hibernating. I sit around most days in my comfy winter lay around the house outfit and read, go through cook books, randomly dust or polish and sometimes nap. All my laundry is even clean, all three bags. I also look through catalogs and check out the winter sale items. I bought a flannel shirt for myself yesterday and a Christmas present for a friend.
A favorite fish restaurant is now open for the season. I’m salivating at the thought of fried clams and onion rings. I’m thinking that my Route 28 excursion could very well end at that restaurant.
I’m watching a really bad Japanese movie from 1965 called Invasion of Astro-Monster. The only non-Japanese cast member is Nick Adams. He speaks English while all the others speak Japanese. The movie is dubbed. I think by watching this I have sunk to a new level of bad movies.
Two things are missing. One is the cat’s ceramic dish. I put it away somewhere and can’t find it. I looked in all my usual places and a few crazy ones like the oven and the napkin drawer. I was actually glad the dish wasn’t in either spot. The other missing item is a decorative tin which was once filled at Christmas with peanut butter balls. It was on the top of a cabinet for weeks then I moved it. I have no idea where it is, probably with the dish.
Broken bones and memory lapses!!! I’d better print my name and address on the tags in all my shirts.
Categories: Musings
Tags: catalogs, clean laundry, Clouds, flurries, hibernating, Invasion of Astro-Monster, Japanese movie, Nick Adams, rain, sun
Comments: 42 Comments
February 22, 2018
For two days Boston has hit 70˚. We hit a high of 55˚. The sun has deserted us. It is cloudy again and damp and chilly. Last night it rained a little. I was lying in bed reading and heard what I thought at first was a mouse gnawing. It wasn’t. It was the patter of rain falling quite slowly at first then more heavily, but it quickly stopped.
Yesterday I went to the deck and did a bit of cleanup. I also filled the bird feeders. The cover for the barbecue has disappeared. I checked the yard from the deck but didn’t go under the deck. My first thought was an army of squirrels has set up camp somewhere close and my cover, which already had a huge section chewed off, was perfect for their tents. Two bricks were on the top to prevent the cover from blowing off. I found those on the deck. Maybe a spawn of Satan will be back to get the bricks for their camp walkway.
I actually cleaned most of this room. I polished and washed all the curios on shelves. I did such a good job I need sunglasses now because everything shines. I also caught up with the laundry. I feel accomplished.
When I sleep, I look a bit like a question mark as I still make room for Gracie to sleep beside me.
When I was a kid, my town was my world. I never thought it was small. Uptown had wonderful stores, and the library and the post office anchored the beginning and the end of the square. Some days the square smelled like fresh bread from Hank’s Bakery or popcorn from the candy makers behind the square. O’Grady’s Diner was across the street from the library. Once in a while, my father took me to breakfast there. We sat at a booth with red vinyl seating. I used to beg for dimes or a quarter to play the juke box. Every booth had a small box, and I’d turn the pages in our booth to find a favorite song. On Saturday mornings seats at the counter were mostly filled with all men. Saturday was their errand day with stops at the Chinamen, the barber and maybe the drug store or the Redmen then finally the diner. I loved my little uptown
Categories: Musings
Tags: 55˚, Barbecue, booth, cleaned, cloudy, deck, diner, dust, dusted, juke box, Laundry, rain, spawn of satan, squirrels, tents, washed
Comments: 6 Comments
February 20, 2018
The morning was a busy one for me. Alexa woke me up at the ungodly hour of 7:30 because I wanted time for coffee and the papers before my doctor’s appointment at 10 in Hyannis. It wasn’t raining, but it had rained last night, and everything was still damp. And again, no sun and lots of clouds.
The fog hadn’t burned off so the tops of the the trees were missing. The sun tried twice to break out of the clouds. Even though I was rooting for it, the sun disappeared again and hasn’t been seen since. It is much warmer than it has been but not as warm as I thought it would be.
The doctor looked at new x-rays and said my bone was knitting correctly. I just have to keep it in the splint. That was the good news. The bad news was it will take around 10 weeks to completely heal. That means I have six more weeks wearing this ugly black velcro splint. I go back to see him in four weeks.
I went to the bank this morning and the ATM didn’t work for me. I wrote a check then went to the window. A breeze took my check and it blew onto the car’s windshield behind my car. I got out and fetched it. I told the teller the ATM was on the fritz. From there I went to get my haircut. It was the longest it has been in years not due to fashion but laziness. My last stop was a reward for me for all I had done before noon. I went and got coffee and a Boston cream donut at Dunkin’ Donuts. The donut was messy but so tasty.
It’s official, spring is on its way. We have gained over an hour of sunlight, and yesterday I saw two shoots breaking through in the front garden. I actually cheered out loud.
Rolling around in my memory drawer are fragments, lines from books I’ve read. When I think of Treasure Island, “Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest. Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!” comes to mind. From a book my mother read to me when I was little, “I think I can. I think I can,” has always stayed with me. A huge favorite is still, “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit,” but my all time favorite children’s book begins, “The Mole had been working very hard, all morning, spring-cleaning his little home.”
I have been reading in bed lately. I haven’t been tired enough to fall asleep. It does take some maneuvering to hold the book in my good hand and turn the pages with the same hand. There is a lot of putting down and picking up. I’ve been reading at least an hour. I always tell myself I’ll stop at the end of the chapter, but I seldom do. I go one chapter then on to another. When I finally turn out the light, I fall asleep right away.
Categories: Musings
Comments: 8 Comments
February 19, 2018
When I got the papers this morning, I expected a warm day, but I was disappointed. It’s a chilly day. The sky is cloudy and rain is predicted for tonight. I do have a couple of errands to do later.
This morning, while my coffee was brewing, I had a surprise burst of energy. I polished a shelf, swept the kitchen, washed the cat dish and cleaned the sink and counter. That’s the most housework I’ve done in a few weeks. I’d like to think this burst of energy will be a rare event.
I treated myself this morning and had two lemon biscotti with my coffee. I love the taste of lemon so much I could live on lemon squares. Lemon meringue pie tops my list of favorite pies. I think we were one of the few families where a lemon meringue pie was traditional for Thanksgiving. I even learned to cook a few dishes with preserved lemons.
I’d never turn down anything made with pineapple except maybe pizza. In Ghana I ate pineapple just about every day as part of my lunch, always a bowl of fresh fruits. I like Thai food with pineapple. I almost don’t care about the other ingredients. In my cook book from Peace Corps Ghana was a recipe for pineapple upside down cake. I always wanted to make it, but I had no oven, only a charcoal burner. A couple of old cook books from the 50’s have pictures of a finished pineapple upside cake. They are perfect and have a cherry in the middle hole of the pineapple.
When I was kid, only a few fruits were available all year. My mother bought bananas, oranges and apples. The apples were always red. The oranges had seeds. In the summer we had watermelon and grapes, green grapes. At Thanksgiving we had tangerines, our parade snack. I didn’t even know fruits likes mangoes and papayas existed. Coconuts were on tropical islands in the books I read. We were fruit deprived.
Categories: Musings
Tags: apples, biscotti, cloudy, coffee, cold, energy, housework, lemon, lemon biscotti, lemon squares, oranges, Peace Corps, Peace Corps Ghana, pineapple, preserved lemons, rain, Thai food, upside down cake, watermelon
Comments: 8 Comments
February 18, 2018
The predicted snow stayed north of us. My sister who lives 14 miles from Boston got 5″. We got rain. The rain storm started around eleven and was still going strong at 12:30 when I fell asleep. Today is bright with sun. The blue sky is almost cloudless. The breeze is strong, and the pine branches are swaying and bending enough to make noise. It is a chilly day.
Tonight is game night, and we’ll also celebrate Chinese New Year. One year we did origami and folded the different color papers into dragons and kites and other symbols. I was horrible at it. I thought I had folded the papers just right according to the illustrations, but the finished produces had no resemblance to the pictures of them. It was frustrating, but I knew it would be as I had learned from experience I can put almost anything together by following the word directions and not the picture directions. There’s that old left brain in action.
When I was kid in elementary school, we had art every couple of weeks. It alternated with music. There was no music teacher and there was no art teacher. The teacher or the nun I had did it all. Sister Hildegarde, my eighth grade teacher, had music class more often than once every other week. She had a keyboard which one of my classmates played. She also had pitch pipe which was round and had the keys listed next to the hole to blow. She’d blow the note then start us off with the first line. She sang so badly we had to hide behind our music books so she wouldn’t catch us laughing at her. I think it was also in her class I learned Gregorian chant notes. We even had tests of reading and writing chant.
I don’t remember much about my art classes. The only one I remember is when we made paper mâché puppets. We also had to write a small play and team up with classmates. I made a devil, and it was the best thing I ever created in any art class.
As I grew older, I found out that words strung together in the right way created beauty, a beauty of language which conjured images and memories and feelings. It was my talent.
Categories: Musings
Tags: art class, chilly, chinese food, Chinese New Year, game night, Gregorian chant, left brain, music class, origami, puppets, rain, sunny, windy
Comments: 10 Comments
February 17, 2018
This morning I had a home visit from a woman and her boxer. She was from Boxer Rescue and was checking to make sure both my house and I were perfect for one of their rescue dogs. We are now on the list for a dog. She said puppies were coming from Puerto Rico, and I was going to get one. Her two boxers had also come from Puerto Rico. I had put Maddie in her crate because of the dog but it didn’t lock it so Maddie came sauntering out, looked at the dog and just kept walking. That was perfect. Even Maddie passed the dog test.
Today is a beautiful day with lots of sun. It is a bit chilly but warmer than it has been. I think that winter makes the coming of spring all that more delightful. The first warm days pull us all outside to have a bit of sun on our faces. We exult in the changing of the seasons. About this time of year when I was a kid, I got rid of winter and wore my spring jacket. I never admitted how cold I was.
I finally got to that wash from a few weeks back. I had moved it to the cellar thinking out of sight out of mind, but I couldn’t take it any longer. I needed some off those clothes. It was three full loads with lots of sweatshirts and flannel pants, my stay at home outfits; however, with my bad arm, I couldn’t move anything upstairs. All that laundry is sitting in the basket in the cellar. I’ll ask Leandro, half of my cleaning couple, to bring it upstairs when he comes on Thursday. Until then, the cellar will be the annex for my closet and bureau, and I’ll got down and pick from the pile.
When I only had a little money, I used to buy comic books at the 5&10 or at the drug store. Each had racks of comics in the fronts of their stores. Classics Illustrated were the best comics of them all. They had these great covers, and inside, I got glimpses of novels I couldn’t wait to read. I knew all about Moby Dick before I even turned the first page. I had seen all the action in the panels of my Classics Illustrated which left out the boring part, the chapters in the middle about the kinds of whales. I read Hamlet and Les Miserables, both in easy to understand English. Kidnapped was another favorite comic of mine, and it led me to read the book. A few years ago, in her stocking, I gave my sister the Classic illustrated Treasure island, one of her favorite books. Of course, I read it first.
I have a few errands today, but I don’t mind. I love riding in the car on a sunny winter’s day. It seems to lift my spirits above the cold and thoughts of snow.
Categories: Musings
Tags: Boxers, cat and dog, Classics Illustrated, comic books, flannel pants, home visit, Puerto Rico, spring, spring jackets, sweatshirt, wash
Comments: 21 Comments
February 16, 2018
Last night it rained. I was still watching television so it was early. The rain was intermittent. It was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep.
I have had a few false starts this morning. First I wrote about obituaries. The one of the woman described as loving to shop had caught my eye. I wondered if she’d approve of that legacy. I wrote about the man who bowled, his favorite pastime, and wondered about my own obituary, but then I got stuck so I stopped, thought a bit then went on to another subject. Yearbooks were next. I always felt bad for the kids with nothing under their pictures. They spent four years of high school being phantoms. From there I jumped to still waters run deep, the classic description of the shy kid no one knew well. At that point I stopped and deleted what I’d written. I began again.
Today is still. Not a branch is moving. Even the dead leaves on the oak trees are still. The sky is white cloudy. The bare pine branches stand stark against the light sky and look almost like fingers grasping for something. It will be a warm day, the last warm day before the cold comes back tomorrow. Snow is possible at the beginning of the new week.
My broken bone has been the perfect excuse to do nothing. I still can’t lift anything if it has any weight. The downside, though, is trying to read a hardcover book in bed. I rest it on the bed and hold it with my left hand but then I have trouble turning the pages. I gave up after a short while.
I thought I was at the stage of my life where I didn’t really need anything new. Old clothes are comfortable and old shoes fit my feet best of all. I wear a sweatshirt during the day to stay cozy and most of them are so old they’ve lost their shape. I do save a few good ones to wear in the world at large mostly because I don’t want to be the eccentric old lady wearing tattered, misshapen clothes who mumbles to herself in the grocery store. Now I can add a new shirt to my ensemble. I bought two flannel shirts on sale. Both have patterns in muted colors. They are warm enough for days like today, in the 40’s; however, they don’t help with the mumbling.
Categories: Musings
Tags: branches, broken bone, cloudy, flannel shirts, oak trees, pine trees, rain, still, sweat shirts
Comments: 10 Comments
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