We were walking this evening. Dear Husband asked if I would like to go, and I said….”Maybe after dinner.” Well, the light fades fast these days, and even though we had an unusually early dinner tonight, the sun had dipped below the houses to the west as I changed my shoes. I try never to say no to an invitation to walk. We both need the exercise and I want to encourage this effort.
We got onto the path, and the first thing I noticed was that the black walnut trees were bare of leaves, but there were still clusters of nuts here and there. DH told me that I had to watch out for them. They hurt when they land on you. I had a vision of the scene from the “Wizard of Oz,” where the trees are throwing their apples at the walkers. I could just see that black walnut tree sizing up the distances and waiting to bomb me.
Whew…….I made it past without an incident. Then we came to a patch where the nuts lay thick on the ground. You had to walk looking down or risk doing one of those Dick Van Dyke prat falls.
Our walk was uneventful despite the dangers along the way. It seems that it’s a metaphor for my life. I’ve walked down the path, through the dangers, and made the trip safely so far. I hope the future will be as pleasant and safe as the past has been, and that there will be time for many more walks.
General Dogsbody
For some reason I chose this weekend to begin organizing both personal and company data. It might well have to do with the fact that the CPA’s assistant will be here tomorrow, and I’ll need to be able to find things. It could just be the “nesting” impulse that comes over me in the Fall. It could be that things have needed to be tidied up since the hard drive had to be reprogramed, or it could be that I have let months of filing slide because I HATE FILING!
Whatever the reason, I’ve sure gotten a LOT done this weekend. What worries me is that in the process, I blew off a gorgeous day when I could have been outside working on putting the gardens to bed. Saturday, I cleaned out half of the sidewalk gardens. I need to cover that area with compost and mulch. My biggest problem has been that the plants are still blooming, and I refuse to kill off living plants. I dug out the dahlias and readied them for storage, but the rest will have to wait until we get a killer frost.
I washed clothes, and emptied out the dishwasher, and washed dishes. I cleaned the kitchen counter and made the bed. I’ve organized some of the stuff that’s come in from the Arr!! I have receipts organized for the first ten months of 2003, so tax season should be a lot easier. I might even get things cleaned out so that we have more space!
What is there about this kind of work that makes you feel self-righteous?? This is almost as bad as having to listen to a person who has given up cigarettes!
The Pilot’s Wife
This week I finished “The Pilot’s Wife,” by Anita Shreve. It’s an exceptional book, not the kind I usually choose to read, but a very absorbing story. Normally, I pick up a book and try to read it from cover to cover in one sitting, or perhaps two. With this book, I read a chapter, or sometimes a paragraph or page at a time. I needed the time to think about the unfolding story, and chose not to push the reading.
Friday Five
1. Name five things in your refrigerator.
Minced garlic, Cran-raspberry juice, lots of Romaine, green olive tapenade,
and herb-coated goat’s cheese
2. Name five things in your freezer.
Blue plastic ice packs, pot roast, shrimp, Squirrel ice cream (vanilla fudge swirl), seven pounds of butter.
3. Name five things under your kitchen sink.
Canola oil, Lamp oil, dishwasher detergent, sponges, silver polish
4. Name five things around your computer.
An antique coffee grinder, two pictures of polar bears, three candles, a
picture of DH standing next to a stuffed Alaskan moose, a glass dish of
potpourri.
5. Name five things in your medicine cabinet.
I don’t have a medicine cabinet. Most of our medicine cabinet “stuff” is kept
in drawers under the counter: Floss holder, Allegra, razor,
Aspirin, Q-tips.
There’s No Joy In Mudville…
Well…..perhaps a little joy…
I didn’t intend to dress in black today, but I realized late in the morning that from head to toe, I was swathed in black. Black shoes and socks, black slacks, a black silk shirt….everything is black. It must have been because I felt the need to mourn.
I had such incredibly high hopes for the Cubs. They have had the most amazing year. We’ve been so used to them loosing that they set a fire under us and sparked the rush to rejoice: WE COULD WIN!!!
As true Cubs fans, we will now focus on the fact that we have a competitive team who brought us great joy this year. And we’ll pat each other on the back and say…..”There’s always next year!
Congratulations CUBS! Thanks Dusty Baker for and incredible year! See you next Spring.
Talismen
Do you have a keepsake that you keep near you, even when you travel? Is there something you need to have nearby at all times?
I haven’t experienced this as an adult, but as a young child I had a blanket that had to be available to me or the uproar would be unbearable. It was a thin child’s quilt that was a faded pink. I’d leave it on the floor until bedtime to chill it. I’d form a circle with my thumb and last three fingers and draw the blanket through the circle to chill my cheek, and I bent my index finger and sucked on it.
Mother says that I used to stand next to the washer and dryer when I was forced to give the blanket up to be washed. She couldn’t pry me loose. I was probably about six when my father used Blankie as a rag. They tried to find all sorts of substitutes, but it was never the same. I could never get them to admit that it was a conspiracy to get me to stop sucking my index finger.
Today, I discovered what happens when your parents aren’t successful in weaning you from your childhood talismen. You become a 25 year old who carries a blanket and a teddy everywhere you go. Can’t you see having to explain about the blanket to your boss? Worse yet…..how to you tell your lover to “GET OFF MY BLANKIE!”?? Or when your four year old reaches for your teddy….”Touch my teddy and DIE!”
All I can say is……”Thanks, Mom and Dad, for helping me give it up!”
What we think…
Today I was reading “Dear Abby” in the Chicago TRibune. A reader sent in the Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do from Rotary International. The four questions to be asked are:
1. Is it the truth?
2. Is it fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned.
Normally, I’d choose to follow these guidelines. I think they have a lot to say about good citizenship, and empathy for others.
But tonight, there’s not a chance I can put them in place. Did you see that jerk interfere with play last night at the Cub’s game? I’m astounded that Alou was able to control himself. I wouldn’t have! I’d have been climbing the wall to take him out!
The Cubs have gone SOooooo LONG without a winning season, and a FAN interferes with play. It doesn’t matter that he’s a good man, that he does wonderful things for kids, or that he’s a friend to all. He distrupted the play, broke the Cub’s concentration and opened the door to the Marlins wiping us off the field. He KNOWS the game, and should have known better! Asshat!
The best thing for all involved is for the Cubs to win tonight, and put this behind us!
Sports??
Yeah….who would have guessed they’d see ME talking about sports!? It’s been a lifetime endeavor to avoid all things sporting, because most of the teams near me have been the pits!
I know….the Cubbies lost last night, but we’re not out of the running yet. And to be a Cubs fan you have to take the “hope springs eternal” pledge. For years we have said “There’s always next year.” So the headline in the Trib a week ago was…..”Next year is here.” I have faith that the Cubs will go on to the World Series.
And that brings me to what I actually wanted to say. I assume that the World Series is played on the home fields of the competing teams. If that’s the case, and if the Red Sox beat the Yankees to get to the World Series, we (The CUBS) need to get the field crew busy creating a kick-ass design for our infield!
Did you see how they mowed the infield where the Red Sox play?? It’s a jazzed up version of a variable star….a pattern any quilter would recognize! I swear they must use GPS to guide the mowers! I’m really impressed, and feel that we need to prepare our own field so that we can stand the comparison.
Quilters, e-mail your suggestions to Ron Santo and Pat Huges at WGN, right away!
And while I have your attention, if you are a Sox or Yankees fan, plan to be on your best behavior when you come to Chicago. We want to win MORE than you do, but that doesn’t mean fighting during the game is okay.
Here endeth the sports report for the day.
Rants
To rant, or not to rant, that is the question. Every now and then it just bursts out of me. Most times I can manage to maintain my cool. I believe it’s healthy to rant, and I’m not sure why I don’t rant more, since it feels Sooooo GOOD!
Reflection
Defer and I were out walking this afternoon. Remember that tree that I described a week ago Sunday? I was sitting in the kitchen as the sun rose, and it set the top of the tree into a golden fire? Well, in just one short week the tree completely turned to flame and then dropped all it’s leaves. All that is left is the skeleton.
Our lot is bordered by a walking path, and the path is edged with trees. There are a lot of black walnut trees that hang over the path. Usually in September they drop their leaves, and then you see the black walnuts ripening on the bare branches. This year the leaves and the walnuts fell about the same time, and the path is littered with husks and leaf trash.