Posted tagged ‘cold’

« home page
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

“She calls it “stick season,” this slow disrobing of summer, leaf by leaf, till the bores of tall trees rattle and scrape in the wind.”

September 20, 2011

The day is cloudy with the possibility of rain. When I woke up, the house was only 62°, and I was darn cold. Obviously Fern and Gracie were too as both of them were leaning against me in bed. I warmed up the house so I can take a shower when I finish here, but it still feels damp and chilly.

Life has gone back to the mundane. I’ve started my daily list of chores and was busy yesterday with the trash, the litter and the dump. Today I have wash. Just over a week ago I was a world traveler. Today I am a washerwoman.

The time is close to shutting down the deck for the year. I’m already lamenting. It was my morning spot for coffee and the papers and my afternoon spot for my books and an occasional nap on the lounge. When the sun was shining, the breeze blowing and the leaves rustling there was no more pleasant place to be. Now I’m sitting here in the den wearing my winter slippers and a sweatshirt and seeing a dreary day through the window.

I am sorry at the close of summer but here on the cape fall is the nicest time of the year. The tourists are gone except for those on buses as this is the bus tour season. The riders are always old, at least far older than I. The women walk together as do the men. They are the generation that sat the women in the back seat when couples went out to dinner so manly talk could be made up front.

Because we barely have a spring, we are rewarded with a long autumn with cool but beautifully sunny days: today, of course, being an exception. I love taking long rides down cape this time of year. The leaves are mostly red but they are striking. The farm stands are filled with mums and gourds and apples. I always stop. I can’t resist.

Categories: Musings
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Comments: 11 Comments

“Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative.”

May 23, 2011

No need for me to describe the weather. Go back and look at the opening paragraph of every entry for the last week. I am so tired of this, and I don’t care anymore that the rain makes everything so lush and green. It’s spring when everything is green anyway. Monday’s have always been ugly days-drag yourself out of bed and go back to work days. The weather just adds to the misery of the day though I suppose a sunny day might be a worse day to work.

When I woke up, the house was chilly and damp so I put the heat on for about 15 minutes, and it did the trick, but heat on May 23rd is just wrong. The weatherman better be right about tomorrow. My sanity depends on it.

I went to the garden shop this morning. The Welcome, Kat sign was a nice touch. I filled a huge push basket with deck flowers and herbs then filled my trunk with them. The garden spot was pretty empty this morning so I had a personal garden shopper answering my questions. My choices, again, revolved around colors. As I was leaving, the employees let more balloons go. After this batch is planted, I’ll see if there is any room left for more.

The commercials on TV are summer. I watch people barbecue, chase fireflies, sit on their newly stained decks, eat hot dogs and melt marshmallows on the beach for s’mores. Meanwhile, my deck is covered in tree debris, the hanging candles sit forlornly in a pile and the table, which I’ve cleaned a couple of times,  is back to disgusting. I swear I was outside by this time last year reading my book, drinking my iced coffee and watching the birds. Now I’m huddled inside wearing heavy clothes including socks and a sweatshirt trying to stay warm.

The weather makes me think I’m in the start of some science fiction novel. One day soon it will snow, and we’ll burn furniture to keep warm, but it won’t be enough. Marauding mobs will go from house to house looking for food. I’ll be the old lady with the gray hair hanging out the upstairs window brandishing a shotgun and warning them off. They’ll go, but they’ll be back.

Categories: Music
Tags: , , ,

Comments: 14 Comments

crotchety: grouchy or cantankerous

May 5, 2011

This has been a dawdling morning. The sun is in and out, but it’s cold. My heat has been left at 62° just in case, and it was on this morning. The house was mighty cold. I should have realized it when I woke up and found Gracie huddled right beside me. Last night it rained again and the day is still damp. I have little incentive to do anything. For the purpose of personal hygiene, I will shower and brush my teeth, but that’s about it.

My muse is gone for the day. I have no idea where she went, but I hope it’s warm. I started reading last night, but I just couldn’t get interested, started another book hoping it would grab me, but it didn’t either. I’m thinking it’s me, not the books. Cold, rainy days are starting to get to me. Even the Red Sox got rained out last night. My deck is ready, but the weather just isn’t. I want dinner and a movie outside in the warmth of a summer night. Crotchety is how I’d describe myself today. Good thing I’m not expecting company.

This may make a record for the shortest post ever.

Categories: Musings
Tags: , , ,

Comments: 8 Comments

“Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again”

April 5, 2011

My patience is wearing thin. It’s another gray day with rain expected. If April showers really bring May flowers, this entire area should be covered in lovely, colorful flowers with barely an open spot for walking. The wind was heavy all night, and this morning even the biggest pine trees are rocking back and forth. Later I have a few errands so Miss Gracie and I will be heading out.

With all the rain yesterday I didn’t get the feeders filled so that is a definite chore for today. I miss seeing the birds through the window as I write this. They always perk up my morning. I feel bad that I have neglected them.

Gracie got on the lounge the other day, the only day with any sun, but it was too cold and windy so she got off and came into the house. I know she wants, as I do, to nap in the sun. Her two favorite spots are the small patch of grass in the backyard and the lounge on the deck.

I always feel as if I’m hibernating most winters. I get out a couple of times a week but mostly the cold keeps me inside warm and cozy. The first sunny day is like a magnet drawing me outside. I sit with my face to the sun, my eyes closed and let all that warmth surround me. I know it’s coming but this year, for some reason, I am just so tired of the cold and the lack of  spring here on the Cape. I know it has been the same all the years I’ve lived here, but this year seems somehow worse. Maybe it was missing three months after the first surgery or that I haven’t really gone anywhere of late. I just know the sun and the warmth better come soon and chase away the winter blues.

Categories: Musings
Tags: , , ,

Comments: 13 Comments

“Nothing burns like the cold.”

March 27, 2011

I am very late today and have nothing but sloth as an excuse. I went out to breakfast as usual, came home and read a bit of the paper and then decided to go back to bed. My little nap was for 2 and 1/2 hours. Gracie and Fern joined me. It was delightful and both warm and cozy.

The sun is shining for all it’s worth and is producing light but no heat. It is still in the 30’s, and I’m getting darn tired of winter. I want to put away my sweatshirts for the season and nap on the deck with the sun on my face. I’m tired of bare trees and empty gardens. I want fresh herbs I grew myself and a small vegetable garden. Nothing better than movies on the deck.

I imagine by August I’ll be complaining about the heat. I figure grousing is part of the human condition unless you’re somebody like Mother Teresa or Gandhi. If truth be told, I find grousing cleansing in its own way. Once all the complaints are out there, there’s nothing left but abiding.

I saw two walkers this morning, actually I could have called them trotters give their paces. They were bundled in winter coats, hats and gloves. I was not all all enticed to join them. Besides, they really didn’t seem to be enjoying their walk. One was far ahead of the other who was trying to catch up. I figured they were so cold they were hurrying to a warm home and hot cups of coffee.

My mother used to keep her house so hot the rest of us wore t-shirts all winter when we visited. She wore long sleeves in all that heat. Now I understand. I used to keep my house really cool, in the mid-60’s, and wear a long sleeve shirt. It was more than enough to be comfortable. At night I’d put the temperature down to 58° not because of the cost but because I was under the covers and have always had a dog to keep me warm. I’d turn the heat up to 65° when I woke up. That, I now realize, was a long time ago.

I wear a sweatshirt all day and the temperature is 68° in here. At night 62° is where the thermostat stays. Age is the reason, and now I know it was also my mother’s reason. Back then, I didn’t understand that. I imagine that if I reach 100, the house will be as warm as the dog days of summer.

It never occurred to me that growing older takes so much energy.

Categories: Musings
Tags: , ,

Comments: 7 Comments

“Grin like a dog and wander aimlessly.”

March 26, 2011

Last night it was in the 20’s. Today it should get as warm as 39°. If I’m sounding facetious, you’re right. Even the sun and the blue sky aren’t inviting. I’m glad the feeders are filled so I don’t have to venture to the deck. From the window, I can see a few goldfinches munching. Their colors are still winter muted. My friends the chickadees are also here. They are such lively birds I love watching them. In summer they zoom over my head as I sit on the deck, and they let me stand close to them as they eat. I have tried feeding them from my hand, but I get impatient. Maybe this summer I’ll learn to wait.

I’m reading during the day, but I find myself house bored. I’m almost thinking of cleaning out cabinets but I don’t want to go too crazy. My back feels good today after yesterday and a day of nothing so I suppose I could give it another day. I want to be out and about with dog and camera taking a ride, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

My imagination has always been the favorite part of my mind. When I was a kid, I’d read books and picture the characters and where they lived. I’d visit ancient lands and foreign cities. I’d dream of places that have long been gone and visit places I never imagined I’d actually see. My geography book was almost like a novel to me. The pictures were of cities, mountains, rivers, statues, and camels in long lines crossing the desert. I think I made that trip several times and slept in a tent decorated with bright colors, pillows and beads. I shopped in bazaars and markets. I never shared my dreams, my imaginings, with anyone.

When I was 12, my girl scout troop went to New York. We climbed the stairs at the Statue of Liberty, and I saw the city from the top of the Empire State Building. We walked through Greenwich Village, and I took in everything. The city had come alive from the pages of my geography book, and it was the most foreign place I had ever visited. I was hooked.

I knew that my dreams were now a list of places I was going to visited. They had left my imaginings and become part of my real world.

Categories: Musings
Tags: , , , , ,

Comments: 9 Comments

“To myself I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me.”

March 3, 2011

The sun is shining, the sky is blue and the temperature is 22°. Tonight we’ll dip to 13°. I’ve had enough. I’m asking for only one day of warmth, deck weather warmth. That would hold me for a while.

Two of my travel magazines arrived in the mail this week. Their pages were filled with advertisements showing pictures of people enjoying the beaches of some tropical isle surrounded by water so blue it didn’t look real. All along the seaside were houses painted in bright colors and market wagons selling baskets and vibrant clothing trimmed in reds and blues. I felt like one of Pavlov’s dogs.

We played our weekly trivia game last night at the Squire in Chatham. It is a fun night we look forward to every week. We have dinner, a few drinks, a lot of laughs and a few friendly arguments over possible answers. Generally we’re in contention every week. Two weeks ago we won, last week we were third and even though our team was smaller than usual last night, only four of us, we won again. Other than the first round, we were ahead all night. We won a $50.00 certificate to the Squire and bragging rights for the week.

When I read the paper or do crossword puzzles, I see potential trivia questions. On Sunday, the capital of the gem state and the first chimpanzee in space were two of the crossword puzzle answers. I knew neither but figured them out from the clues around them. I won’t forget them now, and I won’t tell you either.

We used to play Jeopardy. One of us would be Alex giving the answers while the rest of  us were the contestants with clickers instead of buttons. That worked for only a little while. My father was a clicking maniac and often answered even though he hadn’t clicked first. He drove us all so crazy we got rid of the clickers, and Jeopardy became a pencil and paper game. We still had fun.

Categories: Musings
Tags: , , ,

Comments: 10 Comments

“Spring, summer, and fall fill us with hope; winter alone reminds us of the human condition.”

March 1, 2011

This is my latest post ever, but I had a busy morning then I had to do some errands and then I needed to rest up from the morning drudgery. The sun is still among the missing. I saw my doctor today for my annual physical, and she put me on vitamin D pills; instead, I should wear one of those light hats the people in Northern Exposure wore during the winter to stave off SAD. I’m beginning to envy the bears who sleep through the cold, sunless days of winter though I have noticed the days stay lighter longer now. That helps to lift a bit of the pall of winter. I know that better days are coming, but I’m impatient.

The birds were back in full force this morning. I watched them for a while and was glad to see my chickadees. Their usual spots had been usurped by the goldfinches. All four feeders were busy. Only one spawn of Satan dropped by, and he didn’t have any luck. I had left a few seeds on the deck, but the spawn missed them.

Other than school days in winter when it was too dark or cold, we used to play outside all the time. We had this boundless energy from being cooped up all day in a classroom, and my mother was forever shooing us out the door. She wanted peace and quiet, and it didn’t include us. My younger sisters stayed closer to home. Often they played dolls on the back steps. I was on my bike roaming or playing games with kids in the neighborhood. We played red light, hide and seek, kick ball, tag and red rover and so many more I don’t remember. We never needed much equipment, just a ball would do for most games.

My neighborhood was teeming with kids of every age. It was quiet only at night after bedtime. In winter a barking dog might break the silence of the night, but in summer you could hear TV’s from the neighbors’ living rooms and people talking. I still remember lying in bed and falling asleep to the murmur of voices. It was a comforting sound.

Categories: Musings
Tags: , , , , , ,

Comments: 6 Comments

Winter is the season in which people try to keep the house as warm as it was in the summer, when they complained about the heat.

February 22, 2011

The day has been a busy one with me running all over getting blood tests done in two places and a tire checked and filled. The errands meant going across from one side of the cape to the other. The worst  of it all was no morning coffee. Blood letting I don’t mind but missing my morning coffee makes me grumpy.

The cold just doesn’t seem to want to leave. It’s 27° now and last night was in the single digits, but I didn’t care. I was inside, warm and cozy. Gracie made a pit stop on the run last night before bed. She wasn’t enjoying the cold.

When I was a kid, on the coldest mornings, frost gathered inside on the bottom window panes. To me, the frost always looked like mountain ranges spread across the pane with the summits all different heights. I used to take my fingernail and draw or write on the windows. I never remember being cold, but I suspect the house was not well insulated. Radiators were the source of the heat. The one in my room was on the floor at the foot of the bed. I remember my father fiddling with the silver control on the left side of the radiator. On really cold days, when I got home from school, I’d lean against the hot radiator to get warm. After playing in the snow, we used to put our wet mittens on the top of the radiator so they would dry faster. I loved the sounds of the radiator: the hissing of the steam and the banging of the pipes.

I know my house is warmer and there is never any frost, but I miss that old radiator. It is one more thing gone.

Categories: Musings
Tags: ,

Comments: 6 Comments

“You can’t teach people to be lazy – either they have it, or they don’t.”

February 20, 2011

Here I sit wearing a sweatshirt, flannel pants and socks with my slippers. It’s cold out, 28°. Earlier, Gracie and I braved the elements so I could get coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts. I like my coffee with cream, and I had none so we bundled up, Gracie and I, and made the trek. Newspapers read best with coffee in hand.

The air is clear, the way it is on cold days in winter. The sun is shining and the sky is the bluest of blues. Goldfinches are at my feeders. The wind is blowing, and one of the feeders is swaying. The birds sway with it. Brown leaves at the end of branches do their own winter dance and blow in all directions. Today is a day best enjoyed inside the house with a book and some music.

Some days I’m lazy. I don’t make my bed because I already know I’ll take a nap. The only cleaning I do is with the sleeve of my sweatshirt. Dinner is often crackers and cheese or a melted cheese sandwich. Often I spend most of the day curled on the couch with a good book. Once I start reading a book which grabs my attention, I can’t stop. I resent any intrusion such as a phone call or a knock at the door.

At Border’s, I bought a couple of books, an old scifi movie, a CD, a game and a few stocking stuffers for next Christmas. All of them help define me in some way. Reading has been one of my greatest pleasures since the words finally made sense to me when I was little. The scifi movie is from the 50’s, The Invaders from Mars, one of my all time favorites. I bought the most recent Carolina Chocolate Drop CD, the one which won the Grammy for most traditional folk album. The game is a word game, Pairs in Pears, a game similar to Bananagrams. I love word games and have for as long as I can remember. The stocking stuffers I won’t mention as they are destined for the stockings of some of my family and friends who read Coffee every day. Each year I start my hunt for the best stocking stuffers right after Christmas. I’m behind this year because of the surgery but I’m working on catching up. It was from my mother I got the Christmas shop all year gene, and I always think of her when I buy a stocking stuffer in January or February.

Well, I’m done. I have a book waiting.

 

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: , ,

Comments: 16 Comments

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »