Archive for the ‘Musings’ category
November 20, 2017
It is 2:15, and because I’m wide-awake, I figure I can get started.
My computer is cold to the touch. My nose too is cold as the house is chilly. The setting on the thermostat automatically turns down the heat at night. I just haven’t gotten up to warm the house, but I’m getting close. Neither Maddie nor Gracie cares one whit about the chill as both are asleep. Before I go to bed, I’ll have to disturb Gracie by moving her so I can have enough room. She tends to stretch out on the couch and take far more room than is her due.
My dance card is empty until Thanksgiving. I still need to catalog the gifts I’ve gotten so far as I expect to send boxes to Colorado around the end of the first week in December which is coming closer and closer so I need to get busy cataloging. My Christmas preparations are on the move. I ordered gingerbread houses for my grandniece and grandnephews in Colorado. It is a tradition that started when my oldest nephew was 3. He is now in his thirties and is the father of two. He gets to watch them decorate. My niece’s two boys get the other house to decorate, to showcase their artistic talents, just as their mother did.
The house is warming. When my fingers started to get cold, I gave in and turned on the heat.
There is one house that at Christmas outdoes all the other houses. They have every surface, tree or bush covered with lights. There is even a TV out front which always has a Christmas movie playing. I went pass the street the other day and noticed the house is ready. I figure Thanksgiving may be the big reveal night, to use a little HGTV term.
Tonight I watched mostly Hallmark. They were actually two movies I hadn’t ever see before, and they starred two different female leads than their usual. The happy endings, however, were unchanged.
Well, I’m finally getting a bit tired. It is late, after three, or maybe it is the start of early, hard to know. I have to take the dog out one more time. I hope she’ll be quick.
Categories: Musings
Tags: 2:15am, cold, cold fingers, couch, Gingerbread, House, sleeping cat, sleeping dog, wide-awake
Comments: 4 Comments
November 19, 2017
The rain started last night. That just added to the misery. Gracie wanted out every couple of hours. The second time we went out, around three, it was barely raining, but once we were outside, the clouds opened and the rain was heavy. Gracie and I got wet. She didn’t mind as much as I did. When I heard Gracie panting around five, I braced myself but was surprised to find the rain light. It was also quite warm. From then on, we all, Gracie, Maddie and I, slept until 10:30. Gracie was wedged between me and the back of the couch. One of my legs was hanging off the couch. It was then I got up and my morning began.
Sunday is game night, but the game is different tonight because the Patriots play at 4:30 so we’ll watch and cheer on Tom and the boys. My high school team, from the school where I graduated a long time ago and where I worked for 33 years, won big time on Friday. They are 11-0 for the year and have one game left: the state championship, the high school super bowl.
All the cooking shows are giving their slants on Thanksgiving. I save many of the recipes, but when I cooked Thanksgiving dinner, my menu changed little from all the other Thanksgivings we had when I was growing up. To me, Thanksgiving dinner is filled with family traditions. There’s my grandmother’s date nut bread, my Aunt Bunny’s squash dish, my Dad’s favorite creamed onions, my mother’s sage dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy. My mother also cooked another couple of vegetable dishes; sometimes it was green bean casserole and one of my favorites, turnips. There were always apple and lemon meringue pies. I was talking to my sister the other night, and she’s making a lemon meringue pie.
When I was driving home the other day, all of a sudden, the image of my Dad at Thanksgiving jumped into my head. My mother’s table was round but somehow where my Dad sat seemed the head of the table. His back was to the kitchen. In from of him on the table was a dish of asparagus just for him, canned asparagus. I remember the spears were like wilted flowers, their tops hung over. He’d fill his plate with mashed potatoes dripping with gravy, creamed onions and a turkey leg. I still can picture him munching on that leg. It is one of my favorite memories of Thanksgiving.
Categories: Musings
Tags: cooking shows, creamed onions, football, game night, getting wet, outside, Patriots, pies, rain, Super Bowl, Thanksgiving, tradition, turnips, warm
Comments: 10 Comments
November 18, 2017
The sun has disappeared. Nothing is moving. The day is warm and quiet. Gracie and I went out first thing. She went into the backyard and I got the papers in the front. When we came back inside, Maddie gave me her demanding meow, loud and annoying, so I fed her first. Gracie was next, and I, as usual, was last. It’s two cups of coffee and two pieces of toast later, one with grape jelly my friend made.
I’m not sure why, maybe it’s the return of the gray day, but I have very little energy today. I even sat a while between cups of coffee, most unusual for me. Luckily, I have no plans for the day, no errands and no chores. I do have book two in the series by Elly Griffiths so perhaps the couch will be my spot for the day and turning pages my only activity.
I send cards for every holiday. That started when I was in college. My grandparents were around then, and one of my grandmothers was thrilled to get them. She was the one who wanted to be teacher so she loved that I was. I enjoy choosing the cards and lament my Hallmark store having closed. The closest one is in Orleans which always feels far but is only 12 or so miles away. When I was in Ghana, I made cards for every holiday except Christmas as I could find those. I used to go through magazines and cut out words and letters to make my cards, They looked more like ransom demands than cards. The Christmas cards I sent were wonderful. Some were hand-painted but even the ones commercially made were different. They had African nativity scenes, drummers, palm trees and even a camel or two. Each time I went back to Ghana, I was excited to find cards for Christmas. They went to family and special friends. I always send Edward Gorey cards to every one else for Christmas. I love his whimsey. The Edward Gorey house is in Yarmouth, and I go there to buy my cards. I remember last year I was afraid I had already sent all the available scenes but was glad to find one more. I’m hoping for the same this year.
I’ve started yawning which gives you a sense of today and the weather and today and me.
Categories: Musings
Tags: African cards, cards, Clouds, coffee and toast, Edward Gorey, feeding the pets, grape jelly, homemade cards, meowing, no energy, nothing to do, quiet, rain, warm
Comments: 8 Comments
November 17, 2017
The sun has decided to reappear and the blue sky frames it perfectly. The wind is strong enough to make the day seem colder than it is. I was out early this morning, at 7:50, when the wind was so strong it made me run to the comfort of the car to get away from the cold.
Gracie had her first acupuncture appointment at 8:10. She did quite well. The vet had some tasty, or so I assumed, dog food frozen in a small jar. Gracie kept lapping and was totally unconcerned about the vet and the needles. Gracie stood there until the very end when she decided it was time to sit down. The vet has the gentlest manner and she spoke softly and soothingly. Gracie gave tail wags. We go back in two weeks for another session.
When we got home, I went back to sleep as did Gracie, and the two of us just woke up. 6:45 is far too early to get up unless it’s Christmas or I have a flight to catch though getting up that early gave me time for one paper and a cup of coffee. I’m about ready for another cup. It is sort of my second morning.
I need to go through a few catalogues I’ve saved because I dog-eared some of their pages for second looks at possible presents. Making a list of what and for whom I’ve already bought gifts still hasn’t been done so it is the only item on my to do list. I’m figuring this weekend.
I watched the Celtics last night. I used to watch them all the time, but my interest had fallen back in the lean years. When I was a kid, I used to go to games at the garden. It was a quick bus ride to Sullivan Square then the subway to North Station and the old Boston Garden, the one which once fogged up during the playoffs. The last time I saw them live was about three or four years ago. Last night they won their 14th straight. It was against the Warriors, the world champion Golden State Warriors, and the game was jaw dropping. It was a test of sorts for the Celts to show how good they really are. They came back at one point from a 17 point deficit to win with a score of 92-88. Charles Barkley, never a favorite of mine, now an analyst for TNT, was all over the Celts before the game and at half time. I just hope when he ate his words they soured his mouth.
I’ve chosen today to be a quiet day with some music and some more of the mystery I’m reading, The Crossing Places, by Elly Griffiths. Gracie will have to fight me for the couch.
Categories: Musings
Tags: 6:45, acupuncture, blue sky, catalogues, Celtics, Christmas, couch, flight, frozen dog food, Gracie, North Station, presents, reading, Sleep, sunny, tail wags, windy
Comments: 8 Comments
November 16, 2017
Last night was a long one. I wasn’t at all tired so I watched a movie, Sink the Bismarck. At around 2:00 I turned off the lights. At around 3, Gracie’s panting got my attention. I have learned to move fast and get her out the door when she pants. I didn’t even stop for my sweatshirt, and it was cold. Gracie decided to walk around the yard to find the perfect spot. Finally, she squatted and the two of us went back inside to bed or at least I thought that’s where we were headed, but Gracie stood right beside and stared. When I didn’t move, I got the paw. She wanted to eat so I fed her. Gracie has me totally trained. Well, we went back to bed, but at 8:00 the panting began so out we went. When we got inside, I went back to sleep and slept until after 11. Gracie did too. When we woke up, we finished the usual morning routine. Gracie and Maddie are back asleep. They live stressful lives.
I have hit the wall, not the famous yet to be built wall, but the news wall. When I turned on MSNBC, I swear it was a repeat. I heard about another Moore victim, Trump’s triumphant trip to the Far East, in Trump’s words, of course, the best trip ever by a US president and the tax bill. That was it. I would have screamed, but I didn’t want to wake Maddie and Gracie. I turned to YouTube and am now watching a Yeti like creature, the Snowbeast, mauling and killing skiers. I find it more optimist than the news. At least you know where you stand with a murderous beast, not so with the tax plan.
I stayed inside yesterday but have no choice today. I have to go out. I need a few groceries and I have to stop at the pharmacy.
Today is bleak and rainy. It was raining at 3AM so I knew what to expect. Luckily, it is warm, in the 50’s. We are in a weather pattern of cold nights, warm days and no sun. I just can’t conjure energy amid the clouds. I need to treat myself out of this weather induced funk, but I’m sure how yet. I just know it will include chocolate.
Categories: Musings
Tags: 8AM, bleak, cloudy, dog panting, eat 3 AM, feeding the dog, go out, late sleeping, long night, MSNBC, out to pee, rainy, Snowbeast, tax plan, the wall
Comments: 6 Comments
November 14, 2017
I was awakened at five by Gracie’s panting so I got up and opened the front door. I didn’t go with her but did check a couple of minuets later, no Gracie on the grass. In a panic I ran barefooted outside to the wet, cold lawn then noticed the lights, the motion detector lights, were on in the backyard. I had left the gate open and Gracie saw it, went in the yard and did her business. She showed up a bit later at the front door. I was thrilled. That means on the coldest nights Gracie can go alone while I stay inside and man the door. During the daytime, though, I’ll go with her.
I had an early morning meeting, early for me anyway, at nine. Alexa’s dulcet tones were set to wake me, but I beat her to it and woke up on my own. That gave me a chance for coffee and a tiny bit of the paper. I was meeting ready.
Dismal is still with us. The sky is cloudy but not as dark as it has been. It will get down to the 30’s tonight. I am not enthused.
This time of year, my mother and I used to buy just about every issue of the Christmas magazines. We’d talk on the phone discussing the recipes and the decorations and then we’d decide what new recipes to try. My usual Christmas goodies to make were two or three kinds of cookies, one being orange cookies, my mother’s favorite, date-nut bread, fudge and toffee. My mother made mostly cookies, one kind was always sugar cookies. They were my favorite. She made great sugar cookies. My father was thrilled this time of year. All the goodies were in tins on the dining room table. He’d make several trips every day. Every morning he had date-nut bread slathered with butter. I used his mother’s recipe, about the only good thing she made. To say she wasn’t an inspired cook is an understatement, but the weird thing is the date-nut bread recipe is the only recipe handed down from my grandmothers.
Every Wednesday both newspapers have food day so I cut out recipes I know I’ll probably never make but want to have just in case. I also cut out recipes from magazines for the same reason. Under my table here in the den are three huge baskets. The middle one is overflowing with recipes. Every now and then I pull them out and go through a few piles in case one inspires me to action. I keep telling myself the recipes need to be organized but that’s as far as I get.
I have a couple of house things to do but none are pressing. That might have to do with my having three new books to read from the library. They are right where I can see them, and I swear I can hear them calling my name.
Categories: Musings
Tags: 30˚, backyard, cloudy, coffee, dew, dismal, dog outside, five o'clock, meeting, newspaper, recipes
Comments: 10 Comments
November 13, 2017
Drab is the perfect description for the today. It rained during the night, and the clouds and the dampness have hung around, but the day is warm enough to keep the cold at bay, at least for today when the high will be 54˚. Starting tomorrow the cold weather is moving in mostly at night. The days will be in the 40’s while the nights will dip to the 30’s. The sun will make an appearance on Wednesday.
I was up until after 3 this morning so I slept in and Gracie joined me. When I woke up, my legs were off the couch as Gracie had moved to the middle, and I had no room so I compensated. The vet called this morning and will keep Gracie on pain pills as they seem to help. I scheduled Gracie for her first acupuncture session. The vet explained it is mostly exploratory to see if Gracie will co-operative. Good luck to the both of us on that one.
Okay, I have dropped to a new low. I am watching Killdozer. The machinery is possessed by an alien presence. It starts itself and chases its victims, a crew building an airstrip on an uninhabited island. First, it destroyed the only way of communicating off island, a two-way radio. After that, the killing rampage began. So far we have two down and four to go. The movie has familiar faces. The big star is Clint Walker who was Cheyenne Bodie in the western series Cheyenne during the heyday of TV westerns. Carl Betz, Donna Reed’s husband, is still alive as is James Wainwright, the sort of actor whose face you recognize but not his name. Robert Urich was the first to die. The dozer does stuff like hide in the bushes at night, bulldoze tents and supplies, chase a man to death and follow the crew riding in their jeeps. It is a canny opponent.
I already can tell today will be a nothing day, a day when I hang around in my cozy clothes, eat whatever I don’t have to cook, watch comically bad science fiction and probably join the animals in taking an afternoon nap. To me that sounds glorious.
I love that I have the option of doing nothing. Before I retired I was a bit nervous about filling my days. Since then I have come to realize that filling the day has all sorts of meanings, including doing nothing. Time passes no matter what.
Categories: Musings
Tags: 54˚, acupuncture, bulldozer, canny opponent, Clint Walker, damp, Dog, drab, Killdozer, pain pills, sun, vets
Comments: 10 Comments
November 12, 2017
The sky is cloudy again, and it’s chilly, low 40’s chilly. My heat is on almost constantly. Nothing is moving. I can see the backyard through my den window and not a branch, even the smallest, is moving. I’m glad for the stillness. It helps to keep the cold at bay. There is a chance of rain later.
Gracie and I have to go to Agway. I am out of canned dog food, and that’s a calamity. I also need to buy biscuits, dog and cat treats, cat food and bird seed. Shopping at Agway is, for me, never an inexpensive stop. My animals expect and do get the best. Gracie is pickier than the cat and drives me crazy when she turns her face away from the treat I’m offering and holds out for something better which she usually gets. It is too late now to alter the behavior I have fostered in Gracie, the spoiled dog.
This morning I enjoyed biscotti with my coffee. It was, of course, chocolate biscotti. My mother wasn’t a coffee drinker except with biscotti which she loved. When she came to visit, I’d give her a half cup of coffee purely for dunking purposes. One Christmas she even made her own biscotti, and it was delicious. She kept a few but sent most of it home with me as the rest of the family didn’t eat biscotti. What fools they were!!
The cloudy days make me feel languid. I need a bit of sunlight, a natural pick-me-up. It is so easy to love a sunny day and feel like conquering the world; instead, I just sit here hoping for a sudden jolt of energy.
Having lived here for so long, I am familiar with all the quirks of my house. I can identify the sounds. That’s the ice maker adding water or dropping cubes in the tray. I can hear the clicks of the furnace before the heat blasts. The thump is Maddie jumping off the couch or from one step to another. I used to hear the scurry off the mice in the eaves, but the exterminator took care of that. Just a few minutes ago, I heard an unfamiliar sound. I stopped typing to listen. The sound had a rhythm, a rat-tat. I knew it had to be a woodpecker. I banged the wall, but the sound stopped for only a minute. I had to go out to the deck to scare the bird away. The sound has stopped.
Tonight is game night and football night as the Pats are playing the Broncos. We’ll all be watching. My sister in Colorado is working on her football game menu. The Pats never do well in Denver, but this year Denver is not doing well. They are last in their conference with a 3 and 5 record. The Pats are first in theirs with a 6 and 2 record. The Pats are favored. I hope that comes to fruition.
My dance card is not empty for a change thanks to game night.
Categories: Musings
Tags: Agway, biscotti, Broncos, canned dog food, chilly, cloudy, coffee, Denver, dunking, house sounds, languid, Patriots, still, Sunlight, woodpecker
Comments: 8 Comments
November 11, 2017
Last night was bitingly cold. When I took Gracie out around 1:30, the cold took my breath away. Gracie didn’t like it any more than I so she peed as she walked. It was not squatting weather. Today is much warmer in comparison. I went into the yard with Gracie and didn’t mind waiting. She roamed a while then picked her spots. She squatted just fine.
I have all these patterns of movement every morning. I take Gracie out and fetch my papers then we both go to the backyard. Once Gracie’s finished in the yard and we’re back inside the house, I make the coffee then get Gracie’s dish. That’s kitchen to hall to den. On the way back from leaving Gracie’s dish, kitchen to den, I get the cat’s dish. That’s den to living room to kitchen. I fill the cat food dish then pour my first cup and head back to the den. That’s kitchen to living room to den. I read the Globe first then it’s back to the kitchen where I put the toast in the toaster oven and wait. Once it’s done, I fill my cup for the second time and walk back down the hall to the den to read my second paper, the Cape Cod Times. That’s where the usual pattern ends. The rest of my day is free form.
I didn’t make it to the dump yesterday. Even on warmer winter days the wind rips across the recycle center, and it’s cold. Yesterday the dump would have been freezing, frozen tundra like. I won’t be able to go until tomorrow as it is closed for Veteran’s Day.
Today I have an empty dance card. I’ll go through my recipes to find appetizers for game night tomorrow. I expect to get the laundry done. I’ve hit my breaking point. The pile is high enough to have my full attention and merits a sign: beware of falling laundry.
Categories: Musings
Tags: bitingly cold, Boston Globe, Cape Cod Times, dance cards, feed cat, feed dog, kitchen to hall to den, Laundry, patterns of movement, squatting dog, Toast, warmer, \exploring
Comments: 6 Comments
November 10, 2017
Last night was a strange one. Around 3, Gracie woke me with her loud panting. Because she doesn’t use the dog door anymore, panting is her way of communicating. I understand Gracie’s panting and knew I had a few options. I mentioned food, no response. I mentioned out and she perked so out we went. It was cold and windy. She was quick. I was glad.
A pelting sound against the window jolted me awake. I’m not sure if it was before or after Gracie. I just remember it was loud. I knew it had to be rain, heavy rain, though I did venture and quickly discard the notion that hundreds of BB’s were being throw at the window at the exact same time. I figure we can chalk that absurd idea up to my drowsiness and the sound of the rain and the window.
Today is chilly, in the high 40’s, and windy but sunny. There is a freeze warning starting tonight at seven through 8 am tomorrow. Already, the heat keeps cranking. This is our first freeze.
I have laundry to do. Of all the household chores, this is the one I dislike the most. I think it has to do with the two sets of stairs and carrying the clean laundry up both of them. I keep putting it off and the pile just is getting bigger and compounding the problem.
My mail box is overflowing with catalogues, tis’ the season. I actually look through most of them and have had some great finds, some odd finds and some perfect Christmas presents. Yesterday, I finished my gift shopping for two people on my list.
Right now I’m watching a scientist freeze to death in the movie Gog. The woman scientist found him, and guess what, she raised her hands in front of her mouth and screamed. The door to the freeze chamber just mysteriously closed and locked with her in it. She’s next. Who will scream for her?
A note: I got notified that two of my posts, one from 2012 and the other from 2013, violate copywrite laws, both are Procol Harum. The links no longer worked, but that didn’t seem to matter. I wrote an answer to WordPress explaining that the songs in question could be heard only, but I think that too may be a violation. I further explained that any posted videos came from youTube. I don’t know what might happen. In case I am shut down, you can find me at a familiar place, Blogger. I have taken possession of the old blog destroyed by Blogger. The URL is different than it was. Here it is in case: https://keepthecoffeecoming.wordpress.comspot.com
Today is dump day!
Categories: Musings
Tags: 4 am, BB's, freezer, Gog, Laundry, locked door, outside, panting dog, pellets, pelting sound, rain, Science fiction, screaming woman, Window
Comments: 22 Comments
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