I don’t remember writing Coffee this late on an ordinary day. Blame a restless night. I went upstairs about 12:30 followed by the parade of animals. We settled in, and I started reading. At the end of each chapter, I’d check the next one and see how many pages it had and tell myself that the next one would be the last. This went on until 3, chapter by chapter, as I just wasn’t tired. Thinking I could drift off, I finally turned off the light but just couldn’t fall asleep. Gracie was snoring at the foot of the bed and Fern was nestled beside me. I couldn’t get comfortable. I moved so much Gracie got up and settled to get out of my way. I didn’t check the time, but I was still awake when the birds began to sing, and when the first light of morning appeared in my window. I don’t know when I fell asleep, but I know I woke up at 10, still tired. Right now I’m the only one awake. Gracie is in her usually spot on the couch, Maddie is beside purring like crazy and Fern is behind me on the cushion curled in a ball and in a deep sleep. I envy them.

Today is dark and rainy. I love my house the most on days like today. It always feels warm and cozy like a hug. I light the candles and the strands of lights in the living room. They cast a gentle glow through the dark of the day. I can barely hear the rain. The birds are in and out of the big feeders; the smaller feeders need to be filled as does the thistle feeder. Maybe later when the rain stops.

When I was in Ghana, I missed so many events, didn’t even hear of them until long after they’d occurred. The moon landing we knew about so we sat around the radio and listened to the description of what everyone at home could see on their televisions. I didn’t know about Woodstock until I after I had gotten home, two years later. It was the music I heard first then I went to the school library and looked up magazines about Woodstock and devoured every article. I bought the album and listened to it  several times. Richie Havens’ music was jaw dropping. When the film appeared, I finally got to see what I had missed, and he was riveting. Yesterday I was saddened to read of his death and felt the huge loss. Anyone who loves music has to feel the same way.

The reason I’m not posting his music today is because once when I posted it on Blogger, the song was removed, and I got a message from Blogger, a reprimand, that I had violated copyright laws. Later when I had three strikes, three violations, Blogger erased Coffee. I don’t want to take the same chance again.

Here is Richie Havens at Woodstock: