“I have to find that silver lining around the dark cloud looming over all of us.”
Posted February 22, 2021 by katryCategories: Uncategorized
Today is yesterday. I am not being metaphysical here. I’m talking about the weather and the ever present clouds, but today there is a tiny difference. The air feels warm. It will be in the 40’s today and the next few days. Rain is predicted for this afternoon, and, what a surprise, clouds are predicted for tomorrow.
My dance card is empty today except I have an hourlong session of strumming and uke playing tonight. Last time there were 8 or 10 of us playing St. Patrick’s Day songs on Zoom. I enjoyed the evening. I expect I will again.
My house is clean, but, nevertheless, I always see clumps of cat hair lying on the floor or swirling in the air when I walk, especially upstairs. Gwen doesn’t come downstairs, but she is quite active upstairs. I can hear her walking and jumping, and I do find balls of hair on the stairs, in my room and in the bathroom.
When I was a kid, we always had a dog, mostly Duke, our boxer. When I was in high school, we got a cat. Duke loved the cat. My father didn’t. He told us the cat had to go before he came home on Friday. Back then he was only home on weekends because he was working in Presque Isle, Maine, our next destination. Well, that cat loved my father from their first meeting, and the cat was going nowhere. He was home. Gideon used to ride in the car with my dad and would lie behind him on the seat top. Once, Gid gently bit my father in the nose while my father was driving. It was pretty funny, even my father thought so.
I have to fill the bird and suet feeders. Skip was here yesterday and shoveled a path across the deck to them. That is my entire task list though I am toying with making my bed. The dreaded laundry is tomorrow.
“Patience is to wait for the ice to melt instead of breaking it.”
Posted February 21, 2021 by katryCategories: Musings
When I first opened my eyes, I saw sunlight through my bedroom window. I turned over and went back to sleep, but I should have gotten up then because when I finally did get out bed, the sun had disappeared. I was bummed. I need a bit of sun. It is cold, 29˚. There will be more snow flurries today. I did see a few earlier but they have since stopped.
Lo and Behold! The sun reappeared, and I could see a bit of blue behind the wispiest of clouds, but in this second go-around, the sun stayed only a while before it disappeared again, and I was bummed again, but it came back. I’m figuring the sun will do the same all day, be here then gone then here again. I’ll take it, this bit of sun.
When I was a kid, I loved the way the sunlight glistened on the top of the crisp, unsullied snow. It looked like tiny diamonds shining, but sometimes the snow tops were so bright, I had to block my eyes. I couldn’t see at first. It took a little time for my eyes to adjust. I remember thinking I’m blind.
I remember taking swimming lessons at the pool on the other side of town. My swimming technique needed a bit of polishing so I was happy for the lessons. I was attending girl scout day camp, and they bussed us to the pool. Bathing caps were required. I hated wearing one. It seemed to squeeze my head and voices echoed. I don’t think anybody looked good in a bathing cap except maybe Esther Williams.
When I was in Ghana, we swam in the ocean. I remember being with a few friends one Easter at a swim resort right on the water. We stayed the whole day. We ate, we swam and we explored. On a walk on the wet sand down the beach, one of us found a hard piece of a palm tree. We used it for a bat and played a bit baseball, but the fallen coconuts were a bit big for throwing so we tossed underhandedly. Baseball became softball. I remember I got the worst sunburn of my life that day. I also remember how great lunch was.
Henry has alerted me to an interloper. I opened the door and found Skip, my factotum. He is shoveling my walk which really doesn’t have much snow, but I worry about ice on the bricks and on the steps. He’ll do the car and then the back steps for Henry who walks gingerly up and down the stairs when he goes out. Right now Henry is still barking. He’ll settle down in a bit. I just have to patient.
