Archive for the ‘Musings’ category
January 10, 2015
Today is sunny, but I don’t care. It does me no good. The day is still cold, and outside is uninviting. My mood now reflects the cold. I yelled at Gracie this morning because she was driving me crazy sitting beside me and staring. That’s not new. She does that most days when she wants something, and I usually ask her what she wants, and when her ears perk, I accede to her wishes but I didn’t today. The cold has undermined my good humor. All I ask is one warm winter’s day.
The house is cozy but staying inside day after day has made me far too productive. I can’t walk into a room without doing something. I’ve vacuumed, changed my bed, put things away, done laundry and swept the kitchen. I even watered the plants and did some polishing. I’m thinking possession, an evil spirit bent on making me clean the house, a cruel and hideous spirit. While I work, while I’m in a frenzy, the dog and cat ignore me. The dog sleeps on the couch and Fern sleeps curled in a ball. The dog snores. Fern sort of whistles, a cat’s version of a snore. I envy the both of them.
I do have a reprieve. My friends have invited me to watch the Pats play the Ravens. I can put my dust rag away for just a while and silence the madness.
A few of my Christmas presents are decorative, and I’ve been walking around trying to find just the right spots. A couple are hanging, but a couple more still wait. The hall upstairs has a new rug. The table in the living room is where the new pottery from Ghana, a gift from my sister, has found a home. The woven lamb, from my other sister, is still waiting. I have tried several spots but none were right. There I was walking from room to room holding up the weaving and then shaking my head and moving on. There is a cascade effect here. I find a spot and what was there needs to be moved so I look for another spot and on and on. I have become the Diogenes of interior decorating.
Categories: Musings
Tags: bad mood, cleaning the house, cold again, evil spirit, hideous possession, ill humor, polishing, possession, sleeping pets, snoring dog, too productive, vacuuming
Comments: 21 Comments
January 9, 2015
I should be out on the deck replenishing my vitamin D except I can’t. The sun has gone. One day here, the next day gone. It is, however, warm, 32˚. That may sound cold, but it was minus 1 yesterday morning. Today is almost tropical.
Late again I suppose you’re thinking. Well, I had PT this morning then did a couple of errands. I figured I was out anyway so why not. Yesterday I got the tree down and outside by myself. Only a few needles fell on the floor when I dropped the tree. Using one hand on the trunk and the other to move the base to get at the plastic bag was like juggling. I have been productive this week in stark contrast to being a sloth the whole of last week.
One of today’s errands was really self-serving. I bought my all time favorite sandwich for lunch: a panini with avocado, cheddar, tomato, bacon and spicy mayo. It was a reward of sorts.
Last night I thought I heard a noise coming from the living room so I muted the TV to listen. I heard it again. Neither Gracie nor Fern the cat stirred from sleeping beside me on the couch, but I went to investigate anyway. The sound came from the chimney and sounded like an attack on the flue. A raccoon one time tried to get in by pulling at the flue but the chimney has since been capped so I couldn’t imagine it was anything but the wind. Just in case, though, I banged the fireplace screen a few times. When I went out today, I checked and the chimney was still capped.
I have no weekend plans. I’m perfectly happy being comfy in the warmth of my house. My friend Peg sent me a tin of cookies and an ornament of Elvis singing Winter Wonderland. I’m all set. I have food and entertainment!
Categories: Musings
Tags: 32˚, chimney noises, cleaning living room, empty dance card, errands, favorite sandwich, panini, PT, putting tree outside, sloth, Wind
Comments: 8 Comments
January 8, 2015
I’m running late. I changed my bed, showered, shopped a bit on line and watched CNN. There was no urgency in getting things done. In due time I thought. The tree is still in the stand, bare of Christmas and sitting in the middle of the living room. I tried to get it out of the stand myself, but I couldn’t. It is the only glimmer of Christmas left, and later today it will be gone. My outside lights continue to be lit each night. I am loath to return to darkness.
It was so cold yesterday I brought the bird feeders into the house to fill them. My sister thought it strange and said I should have bundled up and done it outside. I fear the cold has warped her thinking. There I’d be out on the deck layered and wearing mittens and fumbling to get the seed into the feeders. Getting dressed to go outside would have taken longer than the task.
Today is sunny, but the light is muted, even chilly looking. I am not going out. This will be the second day in a row of my self-imposed exile from the world. I have all of life’s essentials: books, TV and Christmas cookies.
Last night I cooked chicken. I rifled through my herbs and spices and found one I hadn’t used, Caribbean Calypso Spice. It came from Penzey’s Spices, an occasion of sin for me. I’m sure a few of you are shaking your heads and wondering what in heck is an occasion of sin. I’ve known since childhood as the nuns were diligent in teaching us to avoid an occasion of sin, “Any person, place, or thing that of its nature or because of human frailty can lead one to do wrong, thereby committing sin.” When I was younger, the list was long. Now that I’m older, I don’t even think I have a list. I live life with abandonment and am better for it.
I am wearing my new sweatshirt. It says Doctor Who and has a picture of the TARDIS. I am also wearing new slippers. I am warm and comfortable. I just ate a couple of cookies. I’m thinking this is a bit like paradise.
Categories: Musings
Tags: bird feeders, changing the bed, Chicken, Christmas lights, Christmas tree, cold, darkness, herbs and spices, life with abandonment, mittens, occasion of sin, Paradise, Penzey's Spices, self-imposed exile
Comments: 10 Comments
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!
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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
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