Posted tagged ‘reading’

“Everywhere water is a thing of beauty gleaming in the dewdrop, singing in the summer rain.”

August 7, 2011

The rain is steady but gentle so I can still hear the single drops as they fall on the leaves by the deck. Every now and then a bird calls. The house is dark, the sort of dark which feels safe and lends itself to contemplation. I have no plans for the day except maybe doing a wash. The laundry bag of clothes has been sitting and waiting for two days by the cellar door.

Gracie sits by the back door and watches the rain. Soon enough it will be her morning nap time. What a lovely way to fall asleep: gently lulled by the drops of rain. She’ll sleep in her crate. She loves it on days like today.

I am in a reading mood today. I see myself lying on the couch, quite comfy and cozy. I don’t have a book to read, but I figure I can download something. When I was young, I used to lie in bed with the headboard light on and read all afternoon when it rained. Even then I’d leave the windows opened so I could hear the rain fall. In a house filled with people, I always felt as if I were alone, as if I were the only person in the house. It was always the most peaceful time I can remember.

I loved riding my bike through puddles. I think it was a bit like Moses parting the Red Sea. On each side of me a giant wave was whooshed into the air by my tires as I rode through. My sneakers and the bottoms of my jeans always got soaked, but I never cared. Puddles were far too much fun for such small considerations as wet shoes and pants.

Rain in Ghana never stopped the world. Everyone was always out and about their business as if the day were sunny. I did the same thing. Before I left, I was given a fold-up umbrella as a gift. My first week there, when I had used it in the rain, I left it in a room, and it was gone when I went back a short while later. That didn’t really matter. After that, I just walked in the rain the same as everyone else.

“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”

February 10, 2011

It’s cold, mighty cold. I let the dog out, made coffee then stood looking out the window as I waited for one or the other to finish. The sun is wan, barely giving any light. The breeze is slight but even slight adds to the cold. I don’t see any squirrels. I figure they are comfy in their nests. There are no birds as I need to fill the feeders again. I’ll bundle up, wear my ear muffs and my mittens then brave the cold, all for the birds. When I finally got the newspapers, the cold almost took my breath away.

I have a list of places and errands. Gracie and I need to go to the dump, one of her favorite places, but on a day like today, the dump has an arctic wind blowing across all its emptiness. I’m rethinking that chore.

The weather has me in a reading mode. Staying inside wrapped in a quilt and reading a book is about the coziest way I know to spend a winter’s day. I finished Tick Tock and The Inner Circle this week. Both were quick reads, deep thought not required. My mother always said that buying books for me was a waste as I finished them too quickly. I couldn’t help it was always my answer. Once I get hooked on a book, I read and do little else. If I have a necessary chore, I’m on it and it’s finished in a heartbeat so I can back to my book. I hate it when I’m close to the end of a book I’ve really liked.

When I was a kid, I used construction paper for all sorts of projects. Around this time, I’d be behind a closed door in my room with paper, scissors and crayons so I could make my parents their valentines. It never really took all that long to cut, fold, paste and compose, but my parents always acted as if I had given them a valuable piece of art. One year, a long while back, I made valentines for my mother and sister. I cross-stitched a heart and a Happy Valentine’s Day then used red construction paper to make my card. I cut a space then glued the cross-stitch so the message was in the space. Inside the card was just love and my name. The card didn’t really take long to make, but my mother was thrilled with a home-made card. I was proud in the same way I had been as a kid. I still keep construction paper in the house.