And if yesterday's Madison weather made you prickly and cross, then today's will have really ruffled your feathers.
At midnight (to the minute), a piercing clap of thunder shook the farmhouse and instantly we were without power. An investigation (by Ed) disclosed tripped circuits and several fried electronic devices. Ed, ever the problem solver, set about to repair and replace. By early morning, all was running smoothly once again, even as thunder continued to be our companion throughout these hours and will return for the next several days, along with record breaking high temperatures. I told you: ruffled feathers for us all.
No one had a good night's sleep.
More importantly, it struck me that I have completely abandoned playing any role in household repairs. Ed is a fantastic fixer of things and so my meager skills are completely unneeded. This is a change. When my kids were growing up, I was the one who tracked furnace issues, WiFi problems (in those days, there were many), roof leaks and gutter cleaning. (Indeed, I climbed up on the roof and cleaned the gutters myself.) Now I do none of it and as a result, I am clueless as to what it means when, say, the WiFi stops working. (Ed's set up here is nothing short of complicated. And of course, we're on well water and have our own sewage system, which adds a layer of complexity for us.) I'm going to have to learn. This past week, when Ed's vision was greatly impaired, I crossed my fingers that we would muddle through. We did, but going forward, I need to perk up and learn what's what.
* * *
As I noted, we're getting a blast of warm air and so today, we have breakfast on the porch once more. But it's not one of those pleasant autumnal warm spells. It's sultry and Floridian rather than of the upper Midwest. Still, a moment over a morning coffee is always sweet.
Afterwards, we both have appointments and so we scatter hither and yon (he went hither, I went yon) and reconnect again about the time Snowdrop is due to come to the farmhouse.
Despite a disrupted night, the girl is in great spirits. I dont press her about the details of her school day. She gives a one sentence synopsis and unless I smell trouble, we move on. Later, at home, she'll often go for the details. Yesterday, for example, her mommy asked her what she talked about at lunch time with her new friend. Snowdrop was assigned a seat at a little table with a new girl and she has taken seriously the duty to be a good friend to this younger child. Snowdrop is a verbal kid and it's doubtful that they ate in silence. She reflected for a moment and answered -- "we talked about what is interesting about grownups and what is complicated in our hearts." Of course, one is deathly curious about what she finds interesting about grownups, but there's only so much that you can find out on any one day.
(More Ramona reading...)
* * *
In the evening, I have dinner with former work friends. We tend to return to the topic of work, which is understandable, I suppose, even as I feel more and more removed from those years of deciphering difficult materials in a class packed with anxious law students. They were good years, but I am in a different orbit right now.
* * *
More storms tonight, tomorrow, the next day. May they signal a transition to a beautiful next season. I think we're all ready for Fall.
At midnight (to the minute), a piercing clap of thunder shook the farmhouse and instantly we were without power. An investigation (by Ed) disclosed tripped circuits and several fried electronic devices. Ed, ever the problem solver, set about to repair and replace. By early morning, all was running smoothly once again, even as thunder continued to be our companion throughout these hours and will return for the next several days, along with record breaking high temperatures. I told you: ruffled feathers for us all.
No one had a good night's sleep.
More importantly, it struck me that I have completely abandoned playing any role in household repairs. Ed is a fantastic fixer of things and so my meager skills are completely unneeded. This is a change. When my kids were growing up, I was the one who tracked furnace issues, WiFi problems (in those days, there were many), roof leaks and gutter cleaning. (Indeed, I climbed up on the roof and cleaned the gutters myself.) Now I do none of it and as a result, I am clueless as to what it means when, say, the WiFi stops working. (Ed's set up here is nothing short of complicated. And of course, we're on well water and have our own sewage system, which adds a layer of complexity for us.) I'm going to have to learn. This past week, when Ed's vision was greatly impaired, I crossed my fingers that we would muddle through. We did, but going forward, I need to perk up and learn what's what.
* * *
As I noted, we're getting a blast of warm air and so today, we have breakfast on the porch once more. But it's not one of those pleasant autumnal warm spells. It's sultry and Floridian rather than of the upper Midwest. Still, a moment over a morning coffee is always sweet.
Afterwards, we both have appointments and so we scatter hither and yon (he went hither, I went yon) and reconnect again about the time Snowdrop is due to come to the farmhouse.
Despite a disrupted night, the girl is in great spirits. I dont press her about the details of her school day. She gives a one sentence synopsis and unless I smell trouble, we move on. Later, at home, she'll often go for the details. Yesterday, for example, her mommy asked her what she talked about at lunch time with her new friend. Snowdrop was assigned a seat at a little table with a new girl and she has taken seriously the duty to be a good friend to this younger child. Snowdrop is a verbal kid and it's doubtful that they ate in silence. She reflected for a moment and answered -- "we talked about what is interesting about grownups and what is complicated in our hearts." Of course, one is deathly curious about what she finds interesting about grownups, but there's only so much that you can find out on any one day.
(More Ramona reading...)
* * *
In the evening, I have dinner with former work friends. We tend to return to the topic of work, which is understandable, I suppose, even as I feel more and more removed from those years of deciphering difficult materials in a class packed with anxious law students. They were good years, but I am in a different orbit right now.
* * *
More storms tonight, tomorrow, the next day. May they signal a transition to a beautiful next season. I think we're all ready for Fall.
Nina! Your little girl. In all my years of pre-K teaching, and talking, and listening, to those hundreds of kiddos of mine who grew up to be doctors, physicists, Stanford lawyers... I have never heard a sentence so thoughtful and well framed as S offered up :) My goodness! This is one to watch! Whatever wonderful contribution will she make to this world!
ReplyDeleteEach child has his or her gift, of course. Snowdrop's certainly has been an unusual perceptiveness about the human condition, including insight into her own little soul. :)
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