Archive for the ‘Musings’ category
January 6, 2015
I’m still waiting for the celebration. Bring on the balloons, the cake and the conical hats. I did it. I took down almost all of Christmas yesterday. Only the trees are left for tonight’s lightning, for the celebration of the Epiphany.
I carried empty boxes up the stairs and filled boxes back down the stairs to the cellar. Some boxes were so heavy I couldn’t carry them so I slid them down the steps one step at a time. The block Christmas tree was the scariest to carry downstairs. Given my history, I was afraid of falling and scattering all those blocks, but I didn’t. It is safely secured until next year. The special ornaments went into individual small boxes then into the ornament box. The snowmen are still around the house and will stay a while longer. With the tree lights, the house still has a bit of the festivities about it. Wednesday will be a dark day. I miss Christmas.
I am not good with numbers, never have been. I counted on my fingers until at least college. If I hadn’t worn shoes, my toes would have extended my math ability. Words are my strength. When I first learned to read, I read everything I could at the Dick and Jane stage. I got to know their animals and their little sister. The more I read, the better I read so Dick and Jane were left in the dust. I read real books, not the ones filled with pictures. The books in school were boring so I went to the town library. That began my love affair with libraries. The college library was for studying and research though I often ran into friends who convinced me it was time to grab a drink or two after all that academic effort. My town in Ghana, Bolgatanga, had a wonderful library. It was designed by award-winning American architect J. Max Bond Jr. The design of the library always made the inside feel much cooler than outside. I was a frequent visitor.
I still go to the my local library and am on the board. I used to buy books all the time, but now I borrow most of them unless I just can’t wait to read the newest book from a favorite author.
I’m tired today, and I have PT which in this case,. after yesterday, might just mean physically tired.
Categories: Musings
Tags: boxes to the cellar, Christmas lights for one more night, counting with fingers, counting with toes, empty dance card, falling, J. Max Bond Jr., libraries, local library, math, numbers, ornaments protected, putting Christmas away, snowmen, tired, words
Comments: 18 Comments
January 5, 2015
The sun is shining, but it is cold, and the strong wind makes the day feel even colder. I need to fill the bird feeders, and that will be my only outside venture. I have plenty to keep me busy here as I have vowed to clear off the couch filled with Christmas decorations from all the other rooms. That will leave only the trees which will stay through tomorrow, a feast day with so many names: Little Christmas, the Feast of the Epiphany and Three King’s Day. It is the last official day of the Christmas season and the day to send,
“On the twelfth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
12 Drummers Drumming
Eleven Pipers Piping
Ten Lords a Leaping
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids a Milking
Seven Swans a Swimming
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
I never liked that song. I think of it as the 100 bottles of beer on the wall song of the Christmas season. I don’t how much all that costs now, but the paper seems to have the need to tell me year after year.
January is, after New Year’s, quite the boring month. I miss the hustle and bustle of the holidays. I was busy most of those days, but it was fun busy. Now I stay home because it is easier and warmer. I clump my errands into a single day so I’m not running around days at a time, but I find my errands are even boring. Buying bread and animal food just doesn’t give the day much pizzazz.
Well, I need another cup of coffee, and I need to close the back door. I can feel the cold coming in through the dog door. Gracie is asleep and probably doesn’t care. Besides she can always ring her door bells to go out. I think I’ll add some toast to that coffee.
What a day! Even my last paragraph is boring!
41.709749
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Categories: Musings
Tags: boring errands, cold day, humdrum, January, last official day of the Christmas season, Little Christmas, On the twelfth day of Christmas, the Feast of the Epiphany and Three King's Day, windy
Comments: 14 Comments
January 4, 2015
Happily it isn’t snow. Last night it poured, and it’s still raining. Dreary is the best description for today and most of last week. The sun appeared one day but brought no warmth, just light, though I was thankful for the light.
My adventures have been limited. Actually, they have been non-existent. Staying inside warm and cozy is pretty much my whole day. You’d think I’d be busy putting away my Christmas stuff but it is still sitting on the couch, and my usual obsession with putting things away has been buried, deeply buried. I did get out of the house yesterday to do my errands. I even found a parking spot near CVS, but that should have been a red flag. When I got inside, I became the 9th person in line at the pharmacy. It got as long as 12. The dump run was the same as it usually is with its three stops, the last being the trash, though I didn’t meet anyone I know, an unusual occurrence. Agway was the last stop, and I filled my trunk with huge bags of pine litter and dry dog food, canned dog food, canned cat food and dog and cat treats. These animals eat better than I do.
When I wake up, I have to remember which day of the week it is as they are all pretty much lumped together with little to differentiate them. By the time I get up, I’ve usually figured out the day by remembering the day before. I have PT sessions twice a week and plan my errands for the same days. I guess I’d have to describe myself as half-hibernated or to use the rhyming names: semi, hemi or demi-hibernated. I’m still working on the name but leaning toward semi. Maybe I’ll give it more thought just before my afternoon nap.
Categories: Musings
Tags: Agway, CVS, day of the week, dog and cat food, dump run, long lines, nap, no adventures, parking spaces, PT errands, rainy day, semi-hibernated, warm and cozy house
Comments: 20 Comments
January 3, 2015
No new experiences can be had sitting in my den. I haven’t been outside for a few days except to get the mail and newspapers and fill the feeders. Last night I noticed two strings of lights on the deck rail were no longer lit so I went out and unwound them from the deck. It was cold, and I wondered why in the heck I was doing that. I didn’t have an answer but once I started I needed to finish. Now only half the rail is lit, and I’m wrestling with the half full, half empty concept.
We, Gracie and I, have to go out today. She is out of canned food, my trunk is filled with trash and I need to go to the pharmacy. It is an ugly day, cold and cloudy. Rain is expected tonight. It is a perfect day to hunker down, but that will have to come later.
I diligently read two papers every morning. When I write that here, I always get comments about reading on-line and why aren’t I. That’s easy to answer. I like the feel of the paper, the sound of the pages and all the small pieces of content. It takes me a while to read both papers. I skip over international news in the Cape Times as I had already read it in the Globe. I pick and choose what to read on the sports pages. I am first and foremost a baseball fan, but I have a while to wait before it resurfaces. I read football stories if they are about the Patriots. I am not such a football fan that anything else is of interest except I did read about Rex Ryan cleaning out his office even before he was fired on Black Monday. In college I seldom missed a home hockey game, but I don’t like hockey, never have. It was the pre-game festivities which drew me in college. I do like basketball, but I haven’t followed the Celts the way I used to.
The last thing I do in the Globe is the crossword puzzle. The last thing I do in the Times is the cryptogram. The puzzle gets finished. Sometimes the cryptogram doesn’t and that drives me crazy and frustrates the hell out of me. I tend to ball up the page and toss it. That makes me feel just a little bit better.
This morning I finished both of them.
Categories: Musings
Tags: Baseball, Boston Globe, burned out lights, Cape Cod Times, cold night, crossword puzzle, cryptogram, dog food, errands, football, international news, newspapers, Red Sox, sports pages
Comments: 10 Comments
January 2, 2015
Using Gracie as a barometer, I figure the day is a warm one, more inviting than the last few. When she goes out, Gracie stays a good long time. The spit on her face is another indicator. It’s disgusting I know, but it tells me she’s been running, a joyful exercise for her. She hasn’t even had her morning nap yet. She’s back outside.
I started the sad task of putting away Christmas. It was a small first step.
I don’t remember celebrating the New Year my first year in Ghana. Christmas and Thanksgiving I remember and over Easter I traveled, but I’m thinking I was in bed at my usual time on that first New Year’s Eve. The only place in town where I might have gone was the Hotel d’Bull. It was the hot spot and even had a bar with an air-conditioner but you’d never know it, too many people were squeezed into what was called the cold room. The hotel had a courtyard, the scene of many jumps, dances to us. It was an easy walk downhill to the hotel from my house. We used to go see movies there, from the roof seats. The movies were always old or bad or both. I remember there was a jump on Good Friday so I’m guessing there must have been one on New Year’s Eve.
For my second New Year’s Eve I was in Ougadougou in Burkina Faso, called Upper Volta in my time. The ambassador from the US had invited any volunteers in town to his house for a party. The real guests, the diplomats, wore tuxedos or long dresses. Volunteers at that party were easy to recognize. We were the ones wearing dresses or shirts made of native cloth, and we didn’t mingle feeling just a bit out-of-place; regardless, that was the best party I ever attended in Africa. There was champagne, and the servers with white jackets and white gloves never let glasses get empty. The food was unbelievable. It was all the food I had been dreaming about and missing: ham, mashed potatoes, turkey and so many vegetables. I think I filled my plate at least twice, maybe more. I know my glass was never empty.
I have no long-range plans for 2015 except maybe winning the lottery. I just have to start buying tickets.
Categories: Musings
Tags: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Gracie in the yard, new years eve, Ougadougou, Peace Corps Ghana, putting away Christmas, warmer day
Comments: 6 Comments
January 1, 2015
Happy New Year, my friends.
I was still awake to say goodbye to 2014 and to give 2015 a hearty welcome then I stayed awake longer and watched Twilight Zone episodes, several of them. I woke up close to eleven this morning and took my time with coffee and the papers. The morning doesn’t feel any different from yesterday’s morning. A new year always begins with parties, noise, funny hats and midnight celebrations then settles back to the usual day by day stuff. The cats and the dog are having their morning naps oblivious to the importance of the day. As for me, I’ve nothing planned, and that makes me glad.
Winter has settled in. Today is cold. It even looks cold. The sky has a pale blue color and some scattered clouds. The dead, brown leaves at the ends of the oak branches are waving in the breeze. Lots of birds are at the feeders. The red spawn was here earlier but has since gone. I haven’t seen any cars on my road. I can’t think of any reason to go out or even to get dressed.
Christmas will begin to disappear tomorrow. It’ll take at least a couple of days and several trips up and down the cellar stairs. I’m never happy to say goodbye to Christmas. It is the one bright spot in a drab, cold winter.
There is a sense of accomplishment left over from yesterday when I actually did two loads of laundry. The basket had sat in the hall for a few days, and I just walked around it. Finally I decided it was time. I even put the clean laundry away, but I’m going to change my bed later and start a new pile of laundry.
Thank you for having spent another year with Coffee. I cherish you all.
Categories: Musings
Tags: cold, drab winter', goodbye Christmas, Happy New Year, Laundry, quiet day, seasonably cold, sense of accomlishment, staying home, The Twilight Zone
Comments: 13 Comments
December 31, 2014
Tonight is dark and cold, really cold. I am staying home and am quite content. I expect to be awake to greet the new year.
It’s difficult to predict what will happen in a year. 2015 has a mystery about it. All the regular stuff is there, the everyday stuff, but something will happen, something always does. It doesn’t have to be bad, just memorable. We’ll know it when it happens.
I like that we say celebrate the new year. That makes me think we are hopeful the new year will, in some ways, be better than the old. We’re happy to welcome it with horns and hats, the clinking of glasses and kisses at midnight.
Happy New Year to you all, and thanks, as always, for dropping by to visit.
Categories: Musings
Tags: cold and dark, great year ahead, Happy New Year, hopes
Comments: 10 Comments
December 30, 2014
No mistake about it. Winter has us in its clutches. It’s darn cold now and will go even lower tonight, to 19˚. The Christmas warmth must have been a gift from Mother Nature who is back to her old self again. As for me, I have to go out for an hour or so then I’m hurrying home to get cozy, nestle under the afghan and read. The laundry will sit in the hall another day.
This is the lame duck time of the year. Christmas is over and it’s not yet the new year. I guess it’s the week of reading new books and eating Christmas cookies. The weeks before Christmas were busy. There was baking, wrapping and decorating. The cards had to be addressed and they and the packages had to be sent. Every day had a bit of frantic about it. Christmas Day was making dinner then everything was over; everything was finished. I believe I heard a collective sigh of relief.
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day demand no preparation. My days of partying, wearing conical hats and blowing noise makers are over. I have no need to join the revelers. In my younger days, I would have been at a party with a drink in hand and a silly hat on my head. Now I’ll be home wearing my pajamas. If I have the celebratory spirit, I can still wear a funny hat and have a drink in my hand. I will definitely watch the Times Square ball fall and I’ll yell Happy New Year.
I remember when I was little, I wanted to be awake for the New Year. My parents agreed, but only because they knew I’d never make it. Midnight was way beyond my usual bedtime. I sat on the couch wearing my hat and holding my noisemaker which I was not allowed to blow because the noise was driving my father crazy. I drank ginger ale and felt adult. I also fell asleep and missed wishing every one a Happy New Year.
I made no resolutions. I liked last year, and I’m happy. I am content with who I am.
Categories: Musings
Tags: 19˚, end of Christmas, hats, lame duck, New Year's, new years eve, noisemakers, really cold, resolutions, revelers, sigh of relief, staying awake, staying home, Times Square ball
Comments: 13 Comments
December 29, 2014
I no longer consider myself a loller. Yesterday I went out and did my errands and even brought my laundry downstairs, but I admit it got no further and still sits in the hall waiting for its final journey. I am in no hurry to move it. I just keep adding to it. Doing laundry demands a particular mood or a frantic need for specific clothes like underwear. Maybe tomorrow I keep telling myself.
It’s chilly today. We have sun and a blue sky, but it is pleasing only to the eye, best seen from the warm house through a window.
Getting ready then celebrating Christmas made for an exciting week. It was filled with anticipation and neither Christmas Eve nor Christmas Day disappointed. Now, however, there is a lull. I don’t even have a dance card. I take naps. I still light the Christmas tree every night, but its days are numbered. Soon the house will be boring, bereft of light and color, a perfect reflection of winter.
The ocean in winter looks dark and foreboding. The beach is sometimes so windy and bone chillingly cold you fear you’ll never get warm. The car heater on high makes your fingers tingle as they start to feel again. Your feet seem to take a bit longer, but taking off your shoes and putting your feet by the heater helps. Soon enough hands and feet are back to normal, and it is time to lower the blasting heat and move along.
I always hope no one comes to my door on a winter’s afternoon. I am never dressed for company. Even now I’m in my winter uniform. I’m wearing a sweatshirt, a Celtics sweatshirt, my around the house pants and a pair of new slippers. I haven’t even brushed my hair, but I don’t care. I am comfy and happy, and I’m thinking that’s all that counts.
Categories: Musings
Tags: anticipation, busy Christmas week, chilly day, comfy and happy, cozy clothes, drab winter', Laundry, lolling, post Christmas lull, sun and blue sky, taking down the tree, the ocean in winter
Comments: 14 Comments
December 28, 2014
The rain is back, but it’s a light rain, a tolerable rain. The day is warmer than expected. Gracie and I are going to the dump later. I also need to hit the store for a few essentials like cream for my coffee and bread. Gracie has only one can of dog food left so I’ll stop at Agway. I am not in an errand mood.
Decorating the house for Christmas is fun, filled with anticipation and memories of Christmases past. Cherished ornaments take their places in the front of the tree, and I move them around until they are just right. The tree is most beautiful at night with its lights brightening the room and reflecting in window panes. Soon enough, though, it will be time to take down Christmas. I usually do it all in one day as I don’t want remnants of Christmas hanging around, too much regret at its passing. Once I’m finished and Christmas is back in the cellar the rooms look bland. The only lights which stay all year are in the windows and in the kitchen where the shell lights and the pepper bunch light up the whole corner. After New Year’s is take down day.
I love the syfy channel, and I love comically bad movies, but sometimes my suspension of disbelief just can’t fight the absurdity. Cars chase running people who stay in the middle of the road. Veering toward a sidewalk between parked cars is never given a thought. Standing and watching a car flying right at you in a storm is common. The next shot is always the car and a body underneath it. Storms and strange prehistoric creatures bring out the silliness more than most plot details. A creature appears. Some idiot standing in a field stays there and the next thing is he is being flown away with his legs dangling from the creature’s mouth, sort of a take-out dinner. As for me, I admit I watch anyway. I really do love the absurdity.
Categories: Musings
Tags: Accra, boring house, errands, rain, silly people, Suspension of disbelief, syfy movies, taking down decorations, warm day
Comments: 10 Comments
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