Archive for the ‘Musings’ category
September 13, 2015
The rain started last night around 12:30. I could hear drops hitting the window air conditioner in my bedroom. I like the sound of a gentle rain.
It wasn’t a great night as I was up three times with Miss Gracie and her upset stomach. I had to go downstairs and let her out so she could graze. It was still raining, but when Gracie came back inside, she wasn’t too wet so the rain was light. We both finally fell asleep around 2:30. Fern woke me up about an hour later with her caterwauling, something she never does. I called and she came upstairs, got petted and then settled in beside me. Around nine she started her caterwauling again. That is so unlike Fern I was worried and got up for good wondering if something was wrong. I checked her and she seemed fine. I checked Maddie and she was fine. When I put food in the cat dish, Fern immediately chowed down and then daintily drank a lot of water. I guess the second round of noise was because she was hungry and thirsty. That is one entitled animal.
I wonder about people who don’t like animals. I figure they are missing an integral part of their DNA. All my life I have lived with a pet, even in Africa. I can’t imagine my house without one. It would be a lonely place. Who would I talk to? Gracie cocks her head when I talk to her so I know she’s listening. When she doesn’t get what she wants, she grumbles back to me, but I don’t really want to know what she has to say. She’s usually not happy. Cats meow at the slightest provocation. If my two talked, I suspect Fern would be pushy and aggravating. Maddie would be laid back but tough when she needed to be.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be like Doctor Doolittle and talk to the animals, but lots of times now I don’t even want to talk to people. I can’t imagine adding animals to the mix.
Categories: Musings
Tags: caterwauling, Doctor Doolittle, dog grazing, having pets, lonely without a pet, missing DNA, pets, rain, upset stomach
Comments: 4 Comments
September 12, 2015
Today is the finest of almost fall days. The sun is brightly shining, only a few clouds drift around the blue sky and the temperature is 71˚. The house is cool but standing outside in the sun is warm. I was on the deck for a while which partially explains my lateness. Sloth explains the rest of it.
I have nothing to do today. Even the dog laundry was done yesterday. That amazes me as usually my own laundry is moved from floor to floor and then sits around for a few days. Gracie jumped right into her crate and went to sleep on the fresh, still warm bedding when I put it back on the bottom of her crate. I could hear her snoring most of the afternoon.
In Ghana, Thomas who worked for me did all my laundry except for the unmentionables. I did those myself. I had to use a bucket and hand wash them. I hated it and after a while went commando. Keep in mind I wore dresses all the time as that was the custom for women. It presented a problem only when I had to climb up to get into a mammy lorry. The only way to get to the seats was to climb then swing one leg at a time over the side of the truck while holding on to the top. I made sure nobody was waiting below me for obvious reasons. There were a few advantages to going commando and the most important was the ease of going to the bathroom over a hole. Squatting was minimally involved, but I won’t describe the rest of the process; just use your imaginations. I was an expert.
Peace Corps gave me a whole new skill set. I had expected to learn new things about Ghana: its history, its culture and most of all its wonderful people. I never expected to learn to pee over a hole or go to the bathroom in the bush. Those were just extras.
Categories: Musings
Tags: 71˚, beautiful day, going commando, lateness of the hour, laundry done, mammy lorry, Peace Corps Ghana, sloth, sunny
Comments: 13 Comments
September 11, 2015
The rain fell and kept falling. It rained all day and most of the night. The morning is dark and has that damp chill which sometimes follows rain. The day is uninviting. Everything is still wet. The breeze is enough to blow the branches on the oak trees, and once in a while I can hear the swishing sound leaves make. Other than that the day is quiet.
In school, on days like today, the room was especially quiet. It was as if the darkness had spread a pall on all of us. I remember the sounds of papers being passed up and down rows. I remember heads bent over worksheets and the sounds of our pencils scratching across the papers and up and down. The nun used to sit at her desk sometimes working, sometimes just staring, maybe even daydreaming. None of us even whispered. We didn’t want to disturb the day.
When I got home from school, I had to change out of my school clothes. Most times I’d wear my play clothes, but on days like today I’d put on my pajamas and lie in bed and read. That last one was my favorite. I would grab my latest book, my Nancy or my Trixie Belden, and get comfy under the covers. The lamp on my headboard was the only light and it shined directly on the page. It was wonderfully cozy.
There is still a lamp on my headboard, but it took me a while to find one. When I was a kid, the lamps were plastic and pink. Mine used to melt when I read under the covers. The one I have now is white and the plastic is covered by fabric. It has a Victorian look about it.
I keep a stack of books by my bed because I still love getting cozy under the covers. Most times I read myself to sleep.
Categories: Musings
Tags: breezy, chilly, damp, headboard lamp, Nancy Drew, pall, papers, pencils, play clothes, quiet classroom, rain, reading in bed, school clothes, Trixie Belden, uninviting, worksheets
Comments: 4 Comments
September 10, 2015
The thunder shook my house, and I can still hear rumbles in the distance. The rain is heavy. There are no individual drops, no pitter-patter on the windows. It is a pounding rain, a raining cats and dogs sort of rain. I hope it stays this way the whole day. The summer was dry so every bit of rain is welcomed.
I never had rain boots, only snow boots. My shoes always got wet and most times my socks did too. I always thought it was funny when my socks left wet footprints on the floor. My mother didn’t see the humor. I never had an umbrella either, but I didn’t care. Carrying one in case of rain seemed too big a burden. I already had my lunch box and my school bag. Besides, only the prissy girls seemed to have umbrellas.
I hated having to stay inside during recess on rainy days. That we were allowed to talk and walk around just wasn’t enough. After sitting all morning, we really needed to be able to be outside to play a while, to jump rope or chase each other.
The second half of rainy days were dreadful. I remember clock watching and daydreaming and losing track of the lesson. When that final bell rang, I grabbed my stuff and happily ran outside into the rain.
I saw my first bus yesterday so the season has begun. but I was so taken at the sight of that first bus, I forget to take note of where it was from. Now my life list won’t be complete.
Well, it has stopped raining. The weatherman did say intermittent showers, and he was right. The day got brighter for a bit but it is getting dark again. It will rain soon. I hope this shower stays around a bit longer.
Categories: Musings
Tags: inside for recess, rain, rain boots, raining cats and dogs, rainy school day, snow boots, thunder, umbrellas
Comments: 8 Comments
September 8, 2015
Yesterday Boston set a new record for the day’s high temperature at 92˚. Happily we were much cooler thanks to the sea breeze. Yesterday’s leave the cape exodus of tourists was backed up for 6 miles to get over the bridge. I think I would have gone crazy sitting in my car for that long.
Nothing outside is moving. The air is thick with humidity. My street is so quiet it could be an after shot in an apocalyptic movie. The breeze we had yesterday is gone. Today feels more like a day in August, a dog day. It was already so hot in the house, 78˚, that I turned on the AC. When Gracie came inside, her whole body seemed to be panting, but the cool air now has her quiet and sleeping.
September is a neither nor month. It is neither summer nor fall but can be either. Last week it was in the 50’s at night. Last night was close to 70˚. Boston may have another heat wave, three straight days in the 90’s, but by the weekend it’ll be back to the 50’s at night. The temperature doesn’t really matter. September is still my second favorite month.
I had two whole paragraphs written about people who drive me crazy because they are ill-mannered and impolite, but I ditched them as they made me sound like some old lady. I imagined myself stooped, carrying a cane and wearing generic frame glasses. I’d be wearing flowers on my clothes and smelling like lilac. I’d have expectations for other people and mumble when they didn’t meet them. That’s why those paragraphs disappeared.
Nothing much to do today. I think I’ll just read and do a couple of chores to make me feel accomplished. I have already cleaned the two cat boxes, a gross chore. I do need to wash the dog’s bedding and today is as good a day as any. I’m going to order in for dinner. I’m thinking a sub, maybe sausage parmesan. That will be the big decision of the day.
Categories: Musings
Tags: AC, apocalyptic movie., cat box, chores, dog bedding, hot, humidity, long wait over the bridge, nothing is moving, old lady, stir crazy, sub sandwich
Comments: 6 Comments
September 6, 2015
Sorry for today’s late start but it was one of those mirror under the nose mornings. I slept until 11, but as my mother always said, I must have needed it.
It is another beautiful day with lots of sun and no humidity. I have no plans except for doing a few house things like water plants, fold laundry and oil my old desk. It is an antique children’s desk and needs periodic oiling as it gets quite dry. With no humidity, it’s a great oil the desk day.
My neighbors are on their deck. I can hear them talking. I can also smell their dinner cooking on the grill. I think today is probably universal cook on the grill Sunday. Both my sisters also mentioned a barbecue. Some meat, fresh corn and a salad is the perfect menu. The local corn is now in the farm markets. It is so sweet you’d almost want it for dessert. Adding homegrown tomatoes raises the salad to culinary heights. The meat is secondary; anything will do. I’m partial to cheeseburgers but won’t turn my nose up at ribs or the lowly hot dog. I best stop now. I’m making myself hungry!
The summer has passed quickly. We might have one or two movie Saturdays left before it gets too cold. The last one has to be a blockbuster, but I haven’t yet decided what it will be, maybe The Adventures of Robin Hood or North by Northwest. I do have a couple I can’t wait to show as they are both so very bad, The Terror of Tiny Town (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pehsws6QYEo) and Chopper Chicks in Zombietown. That last one doesn’t even rate as a B movie.
It has been eleven years of being retired, but I still have a lingering distaste for Labor Day. It used to mean back to work and it was the symbolic end of summer. It wasn’t a day to celebrate. It was a day to mourn.
Categories: Musings
Tags: Barbecue, beautiful day, Chopper Chicks in Zombietown, corn, fold the laundry, homegrown tomatoes, household chores, local corn, Meat, no humidity, oil the desk, on the deck, salad, sleeping late, sunny, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Terror of Tiny Town
Comments: 11 Comments
September 5, 2015
Today is cool and beautiful with lots of sun. Mother Nature is garbed in her best for this weekend. Tonight, though, will be cold, in the high 50’s. I figure it’s a dress rehearsal for what’s coming.
My street has close to a million kids 10 and under. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but this morning that’s what it sounded like to me. They woke me up before eight yelling to one another, and I think I heard one crying. I drifted back to sleep only to have them wake me again. That went on until 10 when I decided I’d get up. Every day the kids ride their bikes up and down the street mostly for the fun of it. The street is a good one for kids on bikes as it has little traffic. I’m just wishing the bikes came with muzzles. Now, of course, the kids are gone so the street is quiet. I guess they figured everyone’s awake now so their jobs are done.
Learning kids’ names was always one of the first items on my agenda when I was teaching. I wanted to address each kid by name instead of using the proverbial you or the pointed finger. I had five classes of names to learn each semester and I did. In Ghana the learning was complicated by the names and how to pronounce them. Abibata Abdulai and Bintu Liman were a couple of the more difficult names to remember. Fatima was pronounced as fa teem ah. Old-fashioned names were popular. Faith, Hope and Charity were common. Florence, Beatrice, Agatha (a ga tha) Rose, Grace and Regina, pronounced the Canadian way, were also common. It took me a bit longer to match names to faces.
My dad was great remembering business names and details but was never good at other names. I figure his head just didn’t have the room with everything else he remembered. I had two friends with Polish last names, and he never got those names right. One he called the Pole, and the other he never called anything except she or her. I don’t even think my friends noticed.
Categories: Musings
Tags: Abibata Abdulai and Bintu Liman, beautiful day, cool day, faith, Hope and Charity, kids on bikes, learning names, muzzles for kids, noisy morning, Peace Corps Ghana, waking up again and again
Comments: 16 Comments
September 4, 2015
The morning has been a strange one. Gracie’s constant swallowing woke me up at 6. Figuring she wasn’t feeling great we went downstairs and she went outside-right to the grass and did a bit of mowing. When she came back, I read the papers and had coffee, but at about 9 I decided I needed to go back to bed. I did and was awakened at 11 by the same sound as earlier. Gracie went right out to the grass and munched. Meanwhile, the up and down the stairs gave me the opportunity to find a treasure trove: Maddie had been sick twice. Last night it was Fern on the bedspread. I’d call that a hat trick and wonder how long until it’s my turn. My pets drive me crazy sometimes.
The day is much cooler than it has been, and the breeze is much stronger. I went out on the deck at six and was surprised how cool it was. According to the paper it should be 60˚ tonight and in the high 50’s tomorrow night. The sun has not deigned to appear today. I don’t mind. We’ve had plenty of sun. A little rain would be nice.
This is it: the big weekend, the Labor Day weekend, but it isn’t like the old days when most places closed for the winter. On Sunday you’d drive down Route 28 at night and see everything was lit up: all the restaurants, motels and tourist gift shops. On Tuesday night it was like a ghost town. The lights had been turned off and everything was closed. During the summer, Main Street in Hyannis was one way. On the Tuesday after Labor Day it went back to a two-way street. Most movie theaters were closed. From Hyannis to Chatham only 4 were open, one in each of the four towns. The traffic disappeared as if by magic. I remember driving to the cape in the dead of winter at around midnight. From Plymouth on I saw one other car.
Columbus Day weekend is now the end of summer and right after that the seasonal shops, restaurants and motels will close until next year. The busses will disappear. The problem, though, is there will still be traffic, still be people in all the stores. The difference is they live here now.
Categories: Musings
Tags: cats throwing up, cool nights, cooler day, dogs eating grass, getting sick, Labor Day, Labor Day weekend, no sun', the old days of summer
Comments: 15 Comments
September 3, 2015
The judge has nullified the four game suspension of Tom Brady. The league will appeal. Enough said!
The hot day today is no different from the last few hot days. A breeze? Nope, not even a small one. Last night we had enough of a breeze to ring the chimes hanging from branches in the back yard. Not today. Everything is quiet. I can hear only Gracie’s snores.
After the first couple of days, school became routine. The fun of a new lunch box and new pencil case wore off quickly. The school day never really changed from year to year. Classes, lunch, recess then more classes was the order of the day. Once a week we had art and music, and they were the only deviations from the traditional subjects. I remember in music we learned how to read the lines of the treble clef: EGBDF: every good boy does fine. That has stayed with me all these years. I also still remember the clef spaces: FACE. That I remember has proven to be totally useless as not once has either come up in conversation. I’ve used mnemonics for so many things but these two and HOMES seem to have lives of their own.
We learned songs in music. My Grandfather’s Clock was one of them. I knew all the words but didn’t really understand what they meant. I would have asked all sorts of questions if the nun ever called for a Q&A. How did the clock know? What did the old man die of? What’s a pennyweight? Who was watching the clock when the old man died and why is he called the old man? How come he’s not called Grandfather? Instead, I remained ignorant of the intricacies of the story and sang along anyway. I really only liked the song because you got to pause at the line. “It stopped short – never to go again,” We all waited just for that line. The only other song I remember is Up on the Housetop. Because we all still believed in Santa Claus, it was etched in our memories. I’ll never forget:
“Ho, ho ho! Who wouldn’t go? Ho, ho ho! Who wouldn’t go?
Up on the housetop, click, click, click
Down through the chimney with old Saint Nick”
Read more: Christmas Song – Up On The Housetop Lyrics | MetroLyrics
Categories: Musings
Tags: EGBDF, FACE, hot day, lunch box, My Grandfather's Clock, pencil case, routine, snoring dog, Tom Brady, traditional subjects
Comments: 6 Comments
September 1, 2015
It will be warm and humid today, no surprise there, but the morning is still cool. It has become a ritual of sorts for me to open the doors and windows in the morning then close them to the heat of the afternoon when I turn on the AC. It is nap time for all the animals. Fern sleeps in the sun streaming through the front door while Gracie and Maddie are comfortable on the couch.
The day is pretty quiet right now. The birds aren’t singing, the leaves aren’t blowing and none of the kids from down the street are outside playing or riding their bikes. Today is their last day of summer. School starts tomorrow. Tonight will be bath night and then early to bed.
The first load of laundry is done and needs to go into the dryer. I gave in finally.
When I was a kid, the washing machine was in the cellar right next to the deep sink. It was a white wringer, the same as everyone else’s washing machine. My mother did several loads a week of laundry. It was a process. The clothes were spun in the soapy water in the barrel-like part by the agitator and then my mother put the clothes through the wringer, sometimes twice, to get rid of the excess water. Finally the clothes went hung to dry on the outside lines no matter the season. I used to like to watch my mother wring the clothes. Our machine was electric so she just fed the clothes to the rollers. I had a déjà vu moment when I first made pasta. My mother and her washing machine jumped into my head when I put the dough through the rollers. It was the same process. You even had to dry the dough.
I have it easy and I still procrastinate.
Categories: Musings
Tags: Accra, agitator, Laundry, making pasta, rolling dough, school starts, warm and humid, Washing machine, wringer machine
Comments: 6 Comments
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