Get up late. That's a good thing, no? It means I stayed in that dreamy morning sleep later. No cats bothered us. One went out, the other kept to herself. Wonderful.
In those last minutes of half-slumber I thought about two things: first, about arguments I've read this week, jostling for prominence, all addressing the issue of why we have the president-elect that we have right now. Why the Democratic party lost. Many arguments in the weekend press are focusing on condescending speech. The turn-off that comes with being talked down to. Of course I agree with this -- no one likes a wagging finger pointed at them. And yet, listening to the rallies and speeches, weren't condescending words coming from the winning side? How does that work exactly?
I remember a friendship I had when I was still teaching -- with a colleague, a fellow blogger who encouraged free expression on her political blog. Those who read Ocean then will nod their heads, remembering it too, I bet. We blogged side by side -- me avoiding politics, she jumping straight in. She and I may not have agreed on politics, but it didn't matter. We were friends anyway.
Until I could not read her posts anymore. Because they incited a hatred toward one side that was so in your face ugly that it made me shake. If this was free speech -- fine, but it wasn't for me. I stopped reading her work and slowly our friendship fizzled.
Is it condescending to think hate is vile?
It seems to me that speech is just a smokescreen. Labels insult disadvantaged communities (communities of color, economically depressed communities, LGBTQ+ communities ) not because of some fragility felt by those addressed by them, but because of their unrecognized disadvantage. And openly hateful speech? Can we all agree that this insults everyone? That no one should ever use it, not in a blog comment or on a political platform?
So that was one thing I thought about in my half-sleep this morning. The other? Well, that Thanksgiving was around the corner and there would be lots of family here and that I haven't really bothered to dust, or tidy, or organize, or clear out the kids' playroom (or more accurately play space) in months. Perhaps years. The two big kids come here every day and they settle into their favorite play area and I let them at it. On Sundays, when all three are here, I am almost always left with a mess afterwards, which I do sort of organize, but in a haphazard way, pushing play foods in one corner and lego pieces in another. And some spaces I don't even bother with. I figure the next day it will all be messy again.
It's time I took action! That I dusted, vacuumed and sorted. That I removed stuff they hadn't played with in a long time. That I neatly organized that which they still returned to.
And so, right after animal care...
(three trees -- the maple, the crab and the willow -- talking to each other, and a silo, silent)
(wow! my climbing sweet pea, in bloom still in mid November!)
And breakfast...
I attacked the play room.
This took FOREVER. I did not finish until the later afternoon. And to you, it may still look imperfect, but to me, it looks gloriously in order.
And I thought how on a daily basis, I do not want to tidy in this way. I love order, minimalism, empty spaces. But the work that it requires is just too much for me. [One reason why I like a nice fresh hotel room is because it represents the kind of neatness and order that I cannot grant for myself back home. And so I luxuriate in it when I travel. You should see how beautifully I arrange my toothbrush and face cream in the bathroom then! It's one magazine picture worthy set up! At home? Well, you can't have it all. I strive for cleanliness. And if you run your finger over a picture frame, you might argue that even that effort is sometimes lacking. Time is precious. You have to set priorities.]
In the very late afternoon Ed and I head out for a walk. Do you know how long it has been since we walked?? November proved to not bring with it a new era of healthy movement. Quite the contrary! But, I can do better! Maybe in December.
He wanted to show me a new path he'd discovered on one of his lengthier bike rides. It crosses a state Wilderness Area, hugging the Bad Fish Creek, maybe twenty minutes south of where we live.
It was okay. On the upside, in the near evening, the light was just sublime,
The creek was a nice asset, until you were reminded that this is the same creek where Madison dumps its sewage. Not on the weekends, but still, every once in a while, if you took a very deep breath and if you are sensitive to smell, you'd notice. And here's another issue that might detract some (us!) from hiking here in the fall: it's hunting season. We wore blaze orange, but still, the hunters, shooting for pheasant were both audible and at least once, visible. Rifles and all. You lose your connection to nature a little when you're distracted by gunfire.
Nonetheless, it was a lovely time of day to be out and we did our three mile loop briskly, enjoying the walk and the newness of the trail.
And then we sped like mad to get back home before it was totally dark. The chickens must be locked up by 5 these days. We were a tiny bit late, but luckily, so were any evening predators.
Speaking of chickens, isn;t it time to scramble up their eggs for supper? It is. With stirfriend local spinach, and a few squares of chocolate for dessert. Perfection!
with love...
