Posted tagged ‘leaves and pine needles’

[expletive deleted]

December 2, 2013

The dreary day is becoming commonplace. It rained earlier, and the air is still damp. The sky is dark. It’s a turn on your inside lights sort of day. I went to bed late but the sound of blowers woke me up early. My landscaper and two of his guys were doing the final fall cleanup of the leaves and pine needles in the front yard, on the deck and the driveway. Gracie watched from the front door and then greeted them in the backyard. They know she’s a runner so they are careful going in and out the gate. They always smile and give me a wave.

Yesterday I did four errands, changed my bed and brought up, folded and put away laundry which has been in the dryer for a week or more. Today my back has moved from painful to stiff, a definite improvement. I have to do one errand today then I’ll just take the rest of the day easy.

Last night I watched All the President’s Men Revisited and was reminded of the summer of Watergate when I stayed inside glued to the television. I was pasty white that summer, the same color as prisoners long interned in solitary.

The retrospective followed the Woodward-Bernstein trail depicted in the movie then moved on to the Watergate Committee’s investigation. I watched clips of John Dean testifying, his wife sitting behind him, and heard again about the cancer in the Presidency. Rosemary Woods and her supposed contortions in erasing the tape are as unbelievable now as they were then. The Watergate Committee, gentle at first, became more and more aggressive as information came to light. “What did the President know and when did he know it?” It was a time of country over party, when law and truth were more important than partisan politics. Too bad we’ve forgotten that simple truth

“I’d rather be a little weird than all boring.”

November 2, 2012

The morning is nearly gone. I slept in and then took my time reading the papers and checking my e-mail. All of it was a delaying tactic as I knew my mind was empty, devoid of original thought. The idea of filling a blank page was scary. What’s to say? The problem is I’m bored. I even thought about going through the cabinet hunting for my apple slicer, corer. The whole absurd idea of cabinet foraging is indicative of how far gone I must be. I remember summers when I’d whine to my mother there was nothing to do in the whole town. This is one of those moments. Sure, Gracie and I could go for a ride but what’s to see?  Maybe we should shop: the use of maybe tells you how really bored I am. Never do I use maybe and shopping in the same sentence. I suppose I should change my bed. Whoopee!! (which must be read with a tone oozing sarcasm). Maybe I should read those catalogs: the pile is high enough to be dangerous should it fall on one of the cats, but I know that won’t work. I’ve tried it before. The catalog ends up on the floor as soon as boring rears its ugly head. The house is dusty and, given my mood, will stay dusty. Cleaning is never the solution for anything.

My landscaper cleared the yard yesterday. I can see my grass, the driveway and the deck. All the leaves and pine needles are gone. I watched out the front door. Looking back, I realize that was the first indication of creeping ennui. Leaf raking and blowing will never be interesting yet I stood and watched.

TV last night sent me reading. I’ve started Stolen Prey, a John Sandford. I read three pages then put it down. Even mass murder couldn’t hold my interest.

The last two Walking Dead programs are on my DVR. I suppose I could watch zombies eating live people and live people killing zombies. Such fun is almost overwhelming to contemplate.

Well, this is it. I’ve finally run out of words.