Posted tagged ‘sun’

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“Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have traveled.”

August 3, 2012

I’m still hibernating. The air felt cooler when I went to get the papers, but the weatherman says 84˚ so I might as well keep the AC running. Usually I never watch the television in the daytime, but I’ve been watching the Olympics: the women’s soccer and track and field as well as men’s water polo. I think I’m addicted.

We’re in Puno and we’re boarding the hydrofoil to go across the lake. My friend and I could have chosen a cheaper regular boat, but a hydrofoil was on my list of things I wanted to try. The sensation was neat when the boat rose in the air and then flew off across the water. We made three stops on Lake Titicaca; all were on the Bolivian side. The first two were the Islands of the Sun and the Moon, del Sol and De La Luna. Both have Incan ruins. The Sun is a large island and is believed to be the birthplace of the Sun God. We got off the boat there to see some of the ruins, but the only one I remember is the Sacred Rock. The shores of both of these islands were filled with rocks, and we only saw de la Luna from the boat as there was little to see on the island. Our last stop was Copacabana, Bolivia where we went into the town and visited the Cathedral. I remember the statue of Our Lady of Copacabana was in a niche and it was the first time I’d ever since one dressed in real clothes.

As we got closer to Bolivia we saw a few reed boats and men fishing off them. One of the boats was small and had room for only one. It looked a bit like an oversized kayak. Those reed boats made me feel as if I had been transported back in time as their method of construction has never changed. When our boat landed on the coast, the Altiplano of Bolivia, we boarded a bus to la Paz. The Altiplano almost defies description with all its beauty. Mountains ring along the side and the landscape is stark. It looked a bit like the moon must when you’re standing on it. I think I hurt my neck swiveling my head from side to side to look out the windows. We rode for four hours or so; I don’t really remember. I just know it was dark as we got close to la Paz, the highest capital in the world. We came in from the mountains, and the city was below us built in a canyon. Lit up, La Paz looked like some giant Christmas decoration with lights spread across the canyon. The sight was mouth dropping in its beauty.

We found a hotel close to the bus stop and fell asleep in a heartbeat. But by this time I had a cold, a winter cold, and that hotel was so damp I woke up shivering. We decided to go plush in La Paz and got a room in a really good hotel. It had a buffet breakfast which I enjoy every morning but only for a little while. We explored la Paz. The streets were windy and seem to go higher and higher. Many were cobbled. We wandered all over not at all bothered by the altitude as we had been in the mountains since Venezuela. We went to the witches’ market and just stared at all the weird stuff on the tables. We saw pouches with what I think were potions, dried stuff I didn’t want to know about except I think I saw a few mummified frogs, not so great for souvenirs. We saw parks filled with statues and sat in a few. The hats had changed again. The women wore brown bowlers. The clothing was still colorful. We visited the Iglesias de San Francisco. The outside of the church had all sorts of engravings. Inside, we took almost cave-like stairs to the roof. The view was well worth the trip. La Paz was my second favorite city after Quito.

We decided to fly from La Paz to Asunción, Paraguay as we thought an overland trip, correct that to an over-mountains trip, would take too long. The La Paz airport was high above the city, and we got the view in the daytime which had astonished us at night. La Paz looked tiny below us, like a kid’s toy, but it was no less jaw-dropping.

I’ll always remember waiting at that airport. We were standing there when a whistle blew. Afterwards I figured it must have been lunch time because all of a sudden armed soldiers appeared from everywhere. They must have been hiding along the runways in the tall grass or behind structures. I swear there were at least twenty of them all carrying machine guns, but that only made us chuckle. They all went to lunch at the same time leaving us to our own devices.

The plane was making only a stop at La Paz, and when we got on it, there were already people sitting there sucking on oxygen. That was the first time I’d ever seen anyone actually using the drop down oxygen masks. I thought it a bit over the top as they had never left the plane. I had been in La Paz for four days and once I’d thrown up each morning I never thought anything of the altitude. I sort of snickered, a bit of arrogance I guess.

We flew to Paraguay and left the Andes behind us. We had been in the mountains for over six weeks.

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“Summertime is always the best of what might be.”

June 28, 2012

There is something wonderful about summer mornings. The house still has a nighttime cool, the birds are singing to welcome the new day and the lawn’s grass blades glint in the sunlight their tips still dewy damp. I love to walk across that cool, wet grass with bare feet when I go to collect the papers. I leave footprints on the driveway.

This room is in the back of the house and is always cooler and darker in the mornings. The sun rises at the front of my house, stays on the backdoor side all afternoon then wends its way to shine on the deck before setting. My yard is natural with plenty of trees and weeds which get their comeuppance a couple of times a summer. I planted a dogwood over where Shauna is buried and two fir trees over my Siamese kitties. Poor Maggie still needs a tree which I’ll plant this fall. Those animals lives enriched mine so much that I want them commemorated and something growing seems perfect.

Gracie woke me up early this morning and I was not happy. She jumped from the bed to the floor, started scratching at the mattress and whining in my face so I’d wake up. I did and came downstairs and opened the backdoor so Gracie could go out her dog door. She didn’t. She followed me back upstairs, jumped on the bed and fell asleep after a giant sigh of comfort. I wanted to break at least one paw. She fell back to sleep. I didn’t. Right now she’s out napping on the lounge on the deck. Life is tough if you’re Gracie.

I went to my first Wednesday play last night, and it was wonderful. 1776 was the play, and I think the men’s voices were the best they’ve had in a long while. The crowd gave them a standing oration, something I don’t remember seeing at that playhouse before this. Tomorrow night is my second Friday play; it’s As Bees in Honey Drown which I knew nothing about until I read the review, an excellent one so I’m looking forward to the play. So far I’ve seen only two movies this summer: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom. Both were at the Cape Playhouse Cinema which presents movies not shown in the usual theaters. This time of year I only go to movie theaters on beautiful sunny days. On rainy days there are few parking spots and fewer seats. Even the Cape Cinema fills though its audience is older than those at the regular theaters. Sometimes when I go there I feel young in comparison.

Today is an agenda less day. They are my favorites of all no matter what time of year.

Categories: Musings
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“If you know something can go wrong, and take due precautions against it, something else will go wrong.”

June 7, 2012

We actually caught a glimpse of the sun this morning. It was a fleeting glimpse but still heartening.  It seemed a perfect day to get out and clean my deck for about the tenth time, but clouds have appeared   so I’ll wait a bit hoping for a return of the sun. Last week I bought a new pump for my fountain. I couldn’t connect it because I needed new tubing so I went to the hardware store, one of my least favorite shopping spots, and bought some. Now I can’t find where I put the pump. I have checked the usual spots and come up empty. I hate getting older.

The bird feeders need filling so that’s a good task for today. I saw a cardinal pair the other day, and I’d like to keep them around so I’ll bring out the seed and get busy.

A fly is buzzing around me and the house. I hate flies. I like to whack them with rolled up newspapers. Fern also likes to catch them, but she is sleeping on the couch and has no interest in any activities. When I was a kid, we had a Woolworth’s turtle which lived for years in a lagoon on the kitchen counter. The lagoon was plastic and had a resting spot in the middle with a tiny fake palm tree. That turtle loved live flies so we’d stun them and put them in the water, and the turtle would go right after them and scoff them down. We’d always watch. When the turtle went to his reward, we buried him in the small grove of trees just below the last duplex on the street. We used a metal box to put him in. On that spot where the trees were is now apartments for the elderly, a place my father always called wrinkle city.  I’d like to think the turtle’s tin survived and is still buried somewhere under the grass.

I will make a concerted effort to find that pump because I know if I buy another, I’ll find the first. I consider that one of Murphy’s Laws because it happens to me all the time.

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“The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind”

May 24, 2012

The day is brighter than the last few and the sun is just biding its time behind a cloud. It’s expected a bit later. It’s a long sleeve day which I found out when I investigated Gracie’s intruder bark. She was standing on the rail by the deck stairs, and the hair on her back was raised from her neck to her tail, never a good sign. I looked but saw nothing. It must have been the rabbit which just stands and stares at the dog. While Gracie was standing on the rail, I noticed the border along the side of the rail is in pieces held together by only a single wire; the bamboo has seen its last. I got her inside before she leapt that rail. This time she’d have hurt herself as the rail borders the holly bush. I put wire across the spot for the meantime as I do have a woven screen I bought yesterday. While I was attaching the wire, I noticed a spot near the driveway where she’s started digging under the fence. I put a board across it. Gracie is an escape artist, and when she’s on the run, she’s quick and won’t come to me. Neighbors come out, and she goes right to them. My yard is huge but obviously Gracie prefers the wider world.

When I was a kid, there were no leash laws. Dogs roamed. I never saw one hit by a car as the dogs were wary on the streets and car smart, and I think the cars were slower on local roads back then. Duke, our boxer, was quite the traveler. He’d follow us to school or follow the neighbors to their school. My father would yell for him, Duke would turn around to acknowledge he’d heard my father, then he’d keep going. My father got so angry he’d jump in the car to get the dog. My mother had a different  strategy. She’d hold out a piece of bologna and call Duke. He’d come and eat the bologna leaving a small piece in my mother’s hand then he’d run on his way. Duke and his son Sam were notorious for prowling the neighborhoods. Sam was my aunt’s dog, the aunt who gave us Duke, and he lived three or four blocks away. The two would meet up and travel together. They looked fierce but Sam was the gentlest of dogs. Duke was stubborn and protective. They scared people.

We moved to the cape and their days of roaming together were over. I swear the entire town let out a sigh of relief.

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“The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind”

May 24, 2012

The day is brighter than the last few and the sun is just biding its time behind a cloud. It’s expected a bit later. It’s a long sleeve day which I found out when I investigated Gracie’s intruder bark. She was standing on the rail by the deck stairs, and the hair on her back was raised from her neck to her tail, never a good sign. I looked but saw nothing. It must have been the rabbit which just stands and stares at the dog. While Gracie was standing on the rail, I noticed the border along the side of the rail is in pieces held together by only a single wire; the bamboo has seen its last. I got her inside before she leapt that rail. This time she’d have hurt herself as the rail borders the holly bush. I put wire across the spot for the meantime as I do have a woven screen I bought yesterday. While I was attaching the wire, I noticed a spot near the driveway where she’s started digging under the fence. I put a board across it. Gracie is an escape artist, and when she’s on the run, she’s quick and won’t come to me. Neighbors come out, and she goes right to them. My yard is huge but obviously Gracie prefers the wider world.

When I was a kid, there were no leash laws. Dogs roamed. I never saw one hit by a car as the dogs were wary on the streets and car smart, and I think the cars were slower on local roads back then. Duke, our boxer, was quite the traveler. He’d follow us to school or follow the neighbors to their school. My father would yell for him, Duke would turn around to acknowledge he’d heard my father, then he’d keep going. My father got so angry he’d jump in the car to get the dog. My mother had a different  strategy. She’d hold out a piece of bologna and call Duke. He’d come and eat the bologna leaving a small piece in my mother’s hand then he’d run on his way. Duke and his son Sam were notorious for prowling the neighborhoods. Sam was my aunt’s dog, the aunt who gave us Duke, and he lived three or four blocks away. The two would meet up and travel together. They looked fierce but Sam was the gentlest of dogs. Duke was stubborn and protective. They scared people.

We moved to the cape and their days of roaming together were over. I swear the entire town let out a sigh of relief.

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“Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.”

May 14, 2012

My deck is now ready for summer. All the candles are in the trees and the furniture uncovered. I just need a warm day or two to get out to my favorite spot under the umbrella with book in hand. Right now it’s 65° which is considerably cooler than yesterday, and the sun which was so bright earlier this morning is popping in and out of the clouds. Gracie has had her morning run and is now in the midst of her morning nap. I have a few house chores to do then a bit of shopping, but I’m in no rush. I have the whole day ahead of me.

I like week days here on my street. The mowers are in the garages, the leaf blowers beside them, kids are in school and most parents are at work. I hear dogs barking, sometimes answering each other, sometimes just barking for the sake of it. Gracie, though, seldom joins the chorus of barkers. She mostly ignores them. They are familiar sounds and Gracie only acknowledges the barks of strangers.

I’m thinking of having my living room repainted. It is red right now, and I figure it will stay red, but there are some chipped spots which are driving me crazy. The bathroom too could use a make-over, and I might change that color. It’s pink now, a bright wear your sunglasses pink. A few years ago all the rooms but this one were repainted. They had been white for 25+ years, and I went with color, bright color, in all the rooms. I don’t even know why. I just know I wanted color and I still do.

My doctor once told me our systems change every seven years, nothing drastic, no extra toes or fingers or limbs but more subtle changes. According to him, that’s why my allergies and asthma developed. I would have preferred an extra toe, but I wasn’t given the choice. I wonder where in those seven-year cycles I might be now. I’d check my feet but that would be futile.

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“To him whose elastic and vigorous thought keeps pace with the sun, the day is a perpetual morning”

May 12, 2012

68° already this morning. It is another lovely day. Skip, my factotum, is here and has a huge list of jobs. First is to fence in my small raised garden. Gracie has already been digging in a corner, luckily not where I’ve planted my peas. Next, Skip has to make the rail pretty where we stuck some posts to keep Gracie from jumping off the deck. He also has some painting and some deck cleaning to do. I expect he’ll be here all day today and maybe a bit of tomorrow. By the time he is done, my deck will be ready for summer. I can start to lounge outside instead of inside.

Gracie is out watching. She takes her around the horn run, the entire backyard, then drinks a little and goes back to watching Skip. This is a great day for her as she has company in the yard; however, the big jobs are anti-Gracie. She’s a pip, that one!

Much as I love the rain, days of it drench my spirit, and the last few days I haven’t felt like doing much, but today I feel energized, ready to take on the world. Having a brilliant sun with the most amazing blue backdrop does that. It makes so many things beautiful, and I notice all of them on a day like today.

I need to buy some spray paint so Skip can paint the deck window boxes and the fountain, and I’m already running late as I’ve been in and out helping Skip so today will hve to be a short post. Besides, I don’t want to waste any more of that sun. It’s a wonderful gift

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“Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy.”

May 6, 2012

Yesterday, poor Miss Gracie missed her dump run. I remembered the new stickers were in effect, which we didn’t have, so we were out of luck. She’ll just have to wait until Wednesday as the dump is closed Monday and Tuesday. Good thing I hadn’t loaded the truck yet!

We have SUN! The day is perfectly lovely though still a bit chilly at 55°, but the temperature doesn’t really matter much. It’s the sun shining so beautifully in the deep blue sky which takes center stage. Many of my neighbors were cleaning their gardens in anticipation of planting. My garden is all ready and soon enough I’ll be at the garden center filling my cart with this year’s plants and herbs. I can already taste the fresh basil!

If I could choose the ideal job, I’d be the person who sets up each leg of the Amazing Race. I’d get to travel to so many countries, meet all sorts of people, learn local traditions and have fun deciding the tasks, some of which are really gross while others take your breath away. Tonight are the last legs of the race, a two-hour program. I’m guessing during the first hour one team will be eliminated as there are still four remaining then the second hour will decide the winners. The cry baby lady drives me crazy. I’d have punched her a long time ago if I were her partner. It is like when I was a kid crying and my father would tell me to stop or he’d give me something to cry about. My favorite team, the guys from Kentucky, were eliminated last week. The remaining teams are among the least likeable I’ve ever seen. I sort of wish all of them would lose. The team with the pilot and the blond have won more legs but they carp at each other too much.

My speakers have bitten the dust. My computer is mute. I went hunting and found out it is really a frayed wire so I’ll try to get another one tomorrow; of course, while I was hunting for the wire, my printer ceased to be recognized and now I also have a cord without a home  and an HP adaptor connected to nothing.

My Prince Charming would be a computer superman who rings my doorbell, raises his crown in greeting and says, “I’m here to solve all your computer woes.”

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“The Sun, with all the planets revolving around it, and depending on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as though it had nothing else in the Universe to do.”

April 27, 2012

When I opened the front door this morning, the sun came pouring in then just a little bit later it disappeared. It’s appeared again, and Fern is lying straight out on her back basking in the sun. A breeze makes the day seem colder than it is and is strong enough to sway the bird feeders, but the birds don’t seem to mind. Male goldfinches with their bright yellow chests, a pair of cardinals, my friends the chickadees and the nuthatches and titmice are all dropping by for a late breakfast.

I have nothing planned for today. I’m thinking a sloth day. I’ll make my bed, brush my teeth, feed the animals and that’s about it. I see an afternoon nap in my future.

There are leaves on the top of the oak tree near the deck. The leaves are tiny, but I don’t care. They are the first stirrings of spring in my yard beyond the blooming of the bulbs I planted last fall. Some of my neighbors’ trees are already leafy, but those trees sit where the sun warms them most of the day. I think it won’t be long before my trees are leafy enough to hide the deck, and I’ll be back to sitting in a tree house high above the ground.

When I see movies where one of the characters is told to pack a bag, grab her passport and leave on the next plane, I always wish I had a job like that, one where exotic places become almost commonplace, and I know the best restaurant where the locals eat, probably a small place on a side street that only a discerning eye could find. I guess I’d have to be a spy for such spontaneous flight as a job in business would be far more planned. No question about it: I’d be better suited for being a spy than a businesswoman.

My trunk is filled with the week’s trash, litter and recyclables, but I’m not going to the dump. Last week I went on Friday and upset the fragile balance of my world. Gracie and I will wait for tomorrow and all will be right with our world.

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“Childhood smells of perfume and brownies.”

April 15, 2012

Today is beautiful with no breeze and the brightest sun hanging in the sky. Fern is so relaxed lying in the sun shining through the front door that I had to check to make sure she was breathing. Gracie is outside sitting in the sun. She has a favorite spot on the back side of the yard where she sprawls on the grass. When she comes in to check on me, her fur will feel hot to the touch.

Yesterday I heard dogs barking, including my own, mowers and kids playing but not today. My neighborhood is Sunday quiet as if there was reverence still left for the day.

I have favorite smells. The every day favorite smells give me a sense of comfort and continuity like the smell of coffee brewing first thing in the morning or the smell of the ocean borne this far by the wind or the fog. Other smells transport me to different times and places. Last week I smelled leaves burning and saw a man tending his small fire, rake in hand. I slowed down and lowered my window when I went by him and his leaves. All of a sudden I was a little kid again watching my father tend to his fire burning on the street beside the sidewalk. The smell of wood burning brings me back to Ghana. During the harmattan, when the mornings are chilly, the family compound behind my house had smoke whirling into the air from fires lit to keep everyone warm. The smell of that burning wood was almost sweet as it filled the air. Food in Ghana is still cooked on small, round charcoal burners, and the charcoal is still made from wood. Last summer when I smelled the cooking fires I was transported forty years in time to when I lived in a small white duplex and behind my house was a field with a family compound. I can still see and smell the smoke from that compound as it rises into the air. My mother and the smell of sugar cookies baking are forever linked in my memory.

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