Well now, if you don’t call this a tough, tougher than nails
posting day, I don’t know what would qualify. First of all, to give myself time, more time to write and also to align myself a tad more with the person at home who scorns neatness, I have switched to a
biweekly (rather than weekly) farmhouse cleaning schedule (with spot checks for
cat hairs and such in between). That bi-weekly cleaning moment fell on today. The still sore back made scrubbing the shower stall to a shine a challenge.
But wait, it gets more boring than that. I put on a
ridiculous outfit of tight sweats and a petticoat type thing (because it was
there, okay?) and set about to listen to hours of tapes. I had to do it and I
had the time today to do it and so I listened and took notes. These tapes are only somewhat
useful in that they let me do some fact checking in the text of my writing
project, but I would be negligent not to listen to them (again – I’d already
heard them some years back). So I listened. From the porch.
In between there are the usual computer skirmishes and
searches. (It’s very easy to misplace tapes when they’re actually not tapes at
all but files on a computer and who knew which computer – turns out not this
one, nor that one and not on the
back-up hardrive and if you haven’t searched for stuff on your back-up hardrive
lately, you haven’t lived!)
And Isis came and went and the sun came and went and
sometimes Isis and the sun came and went together...
And then I wrote some more.
And then I wrote some more.
In the evening, we had a pleasurable hour with my daughter
and her fiancée and that’s always a sweet way to interrupt a Sunday. They're tired, but don't let that fool you. They are happy.
We eat out on the porch and it storms, briefly but violently and that makes me want
to put down the (eek! metal!) fork and go right back inside, but I am surrounded by
braver (and more realistic) types and so we persevere and here I am alive to
tell you about it.
Eventually the sun does shine again.
(Ed scrapes the bottom of the pan when the food is to his liking.)
After, he and I are settling in to an evening of writing, watching,
reading and listening to the animal upstairs (in the attic?) move around.
Can it chew through a wall? I ask.
I don’t know, Ed tells me.
I sometimes think that he’d like these things to happen, just so he can learn how to fix the damage.
It's a beautiful night out there on the porch. Inside as well.
I sometimes think that he’d like these things to happen, just so he can learn how to fix the damage.
It's a beautiful night out there on the porch. Inside as well.
I was hoping for a picture of you in the tight sweats and the skirt thingy. I'm visualizing it as somewhat like a tutu and tights.
ReplyDeleteIsis looks beautiful approaching among the flowers.
Ohh shower cleaning is such a painful task...last time around I tried Kaboom and it really works, I mean really really works....if you ask me its the best invention ever :)
ReplyDeleteHave a fantastic week ahead..
love all things from the porch...flowers, Isis, daughter, fiance, and the best one, of Ed cleaning the pan. But as Lee said, I think the best one is missing, so you are leaving it to our imaginations!! Another grand day at the farmhouse, I love every one of them. ox
ReplyDeleteLee -- I almost obliged, but the moment passed. There is a lot of necessary imagery for me that goes well with writing. Dressing oddly is one component of it! :)
ReplyDeletePriyanca -- So Ed actually did research (Consumer Reports) on the most effective cleaners (in part to make fun of my preference for the 'natural,' whatever that means, alternatives). Turns out that cheap old Comet outperforms all. So because the shower is white faux marble and because there's barefoot boy Ed using it, I occasionally reach for Comet. At other times, my enzyme based whatever makes me feel happy (and, too, an enzyme based one for the toilet which really smells fantastically awesome). For chrome -- nothing beats vinegar. Always one to try new things, I'll look at Kaboom.
Diane -- always the kind words! Thank you! Looking at your most recent post made me realize that taking self portraits is an art in its own right! Way harder than taking a photo of another.
Many years ago, upon first arriving in DC, I was house sitting. At night I thought dogs had broken in above (my room was in the basement). The noise was so loud. Turns out mice are tiny, but make a huge amount of noise. Hopefully the critters let you sleep without interruption!
ReplyDelete