A pleasant day

Hi. We went to a neighborhood flea market today, one which is held every year on Labor Day weekend. It was fun meeting all of our neighbors and wandering around among the tables to see what was for sale. We didn't buy, as we have everything we need, but there was yarn being given away, and I got some to finish a blue blanket I am knitting. The sun was shining and the atmosphere was pleasant and relaxed. My daughter took us there and it made a pleasant little day trip.
We had a little fun last night discovering a tiny shrew on our deck, which is something I have never seen before. Our dog kept sniffing at it, and at first we thought it was a ball of fluff, and then we saw its tiny white feet and realized that it was a shrew. It was only about two inches long, and scuttled along at quite a fast pace. I looked it up on Google and read that they are everywhere, under the leaves of the ivy and low brush. It was nowhere in sight this morning.
My husband just brought a bowl of hot buttered popcorn, which tastes especially good since we had TV dinners which we didn't like at all, and though he will eat anything put before him, I am picky and went away from the table hungry. This will fill the bill for me for the evening.
Well, so it goes. We have drifted into quiet waters and are floating in a calm haven. Night all.

A couple of lost days

I haven't blogged for the last few days because, due to new medication, I have been laid low by side-effects and felt as though I had been poisoned. My husband had to do all of the housework and cooking, and even though he is a good cook, I could neither eat nor drink coffee and could hardly walk around. Finally, on the advice of the pharmacist, i discontinued the pills and drank gallons of water to effect as much of a recovery as possible. I am much better today and will return the pills to the pharmacy, as we are no longer supposed to flush them down or throw them into the garbage.
We had a little drama here in our little community, when my neighbor came home from work and discovered her Bird of Paradise plant was missing. It shook all of us up as we have had no problem in this neighborhood for years. Then we found that her husband had moved it to another location and had forgotten to tell her about it.
We are going to have a whale of a campaign this year. I am elated that Senator McCain chose such a controversial running mate as he did. I was beginning to be bored with the whole thing but this has livened everything up nicely.
Time is flying by. Before we know it, we will be facing another year. Wonder what the future holds for us all. Take care and keep in touch.

My spoon was just scraping up the last of the oatmeal when the telephone rang. Feeling a stab of apprehension, I rose to answer it, but felt relief to find that it was my older sister calling to relay the latest family news. "Hello, Dorothy," she said in her calm voice. "I thought I would give you a call and tell you the latest news." Again that little thrill of fear. Who was it this time? My relatives and friends had been dropping like flies. Had another one gone to his or her reward? But first she gave me the good news, and I was filled with joy to learn that my little niece was expecting a long-awaited and longer-for daughter in May. But then came the bad news. My childhood friend, my partner in many an escapade, had been found dead on her bedroom floor. I was saddened to realize that after all of her work in raising and educating six children, she died alone in her dark and cold bedroom. But then I felt a little stab of fear, when I realized that we were almost exactly the same age, and it could have been me. And I was ashamed at the little prick of satisfaction that although she had been taken, i was still here.
And so went the day. Fond affection for the dog, irritation at the cat, frustration at the sticking patio door, disappointment at not receiving an expected letter. i worried over paying the bills, obsessed over swiffing the floors, and felt a burst of energy, followed by a desire to take a nap. All in all, emotion-wise, it was a pretty pallid day. One might almost say a vallium day.
Where was passion? Where was the agony and ecstasy? I had experienced no anger, no rage, no jealousy, no triumph, nothing whatever to stir the soul. I felt disappointed that I had no more to record than my few moments of pleasure. But i determined to fulfill my commitment and consign what little I had to paper.
But as i was starting to boot up my computer, my husband came up behind me and began to massage my neck and shoulders, and run his hands over my back. I felt a little quiver of pleasure up and down my spine, and began to tingle all over. My heart began to beat faster and I began to blush. I had felt this way before, but i couldn't remember what the feeling was. "Oh, that feels good," I said. "Do that again." He did and then i remembered. The big guy was turning me on. I was feeling ________ well, you know.

But how do you feel?

A few years ago, I attended a writing class, taught by a sincere and well-meaning young teacher. He used to exhort us to insert more of our emotions into our writings. "Make your story come alive," he would urge his students. "Include your emotions into the narrative. Tell how you FEEL."
With this in mind, I determined to note my feelings throughout the course of one day, just to make sure I do actually have feelings, and when and how I feel them. So, dear reader, please take note.
I woke up feeling cranky, which is not at all unusual for me. I never wake up feeling cheerful, or hopeful, or glad to be awake. So I lingered under my electric blanket for as long as I dared. I felt rebellious, wondering why I had to get up at all. But then I became aware of the wonderful aroma of freshly brewed coffee, wafting into my room. It was my husband's secret weapon. Try as I do, i can never resist the chance to have a cup of his wonderful brew.
So I arose, and staggered out into the kitchen. I felt sleepy and groggy, and not a little depressed. But when I dropped gratefully into my chair, and began drinking that delicious, hot, strong coffee, i began to feel better. By the time I finished the first cup, I was ready to face the day. I was, of course, feeling hungry, but my husband, jewel that he is, had for my consumption a hot bowl of oatmeal. I ate it with pleasure, being glad that it wasn't lumpy and had been fully cooked. I felt gratitude that the powers that be had provided me with a husband who not only brewed delicious coffee, and made good oatmeal, but also brought me my pills and stood by while I swallowed them. Not to mention protected my from myself by hiding the chocolate candy.
My spoon was just scraping up the last of the oatmeal, when the telephone rang. Feeling a stab of apprehension, I rose to answer it. (continued)

A quiet day

Today was a nice, warm day, with soft breezes stirring the branches of the redwoods. I went down to the meditation walk and watered the hydrangeas and dichondra and enjoyed the chirping of the birds and squirrels. I don't go down there as much as I should, as it is getting a little hard to walk back up the stairs. Then I watered the roses and watched the hummingbirds feed at the feeder. We used to do a lot more work on our flowers but lately we have slowed down. Time has taken its toll.
Next month I will be 86, a venerable age for anyone. But I expect to put on a little more mileage before I shuffle off. I have already down everything I had hoped to do but who knows what will turn up next? Something thrilling and exciting perhaps. I may even travel again, although it will not be by airplane.
My dear husband cooked dinner tonight, and made a very delicious spaghetti meal, with enough for left-overs tomorrow. Why does food always taste better if someone else cooks it? I watched television while he was slaving over a hot stove and only came out when he had everything already on the table. What luxury!
Well, as my blog shows, today was a quiet day but very satisfying. Night All. Keep in touch.

A pleasant day

To blog or not to blog? It has crept into my routine until now I feel guilty if I don't make an entry, even if a small one. Today was such a pleasant day that I hate to end it, and will probably find some excuse to stay up late, perhaps watching TV. We are all waiting to see who Barack Obama chooses as his vice-president, but that will not be announced until tomorrow at the earliest, and I for one am hoping it will be Senator Biden.
The Olympics are fun to watch, and I have been watching the story unfold about little Caylee Anthony, although I feel quite strongly that she no longer is alive. But like JonBenet Ramsey, the full story may never be known.
Few people are alive today who remember the famous trial of Bruno Richard Hauptman, who was accused of kidnapping and murdering the little son of Charles and Anne Lindberg. Arguments raged back and forth for years, and there are some who never lost their belief that he was innocent. He went to his death declaring that he knew nothing about the crime, and it is still said to be the crime of the century.
My family has a mystery in its background, one which was never solved. It seems that my great-aunt Kate fell in love with the family chauffeur (her husband was a wealthy businessman) and she and the chauffeur ran off together. They were never seen again and although her husband offered a reward, and published a public forgiveness letter in the paper, her fate was never known. We think the two drove to California and managed to start over under assumed names. She was said to be an exceptionally beautiful woman.
Good-night all. Keep in touch.

The forum

This was a very interesting evening. I made sure I watched the forum for Obama and McCain and was surprised at how well McCain did. Not that he is the thoughtful and compelling candidate that I find Obama to be, but he did give quick and decisive answers to the questions. Of course some of the questions were pretty loaded ones, such as the question regarding the infant that survived the abortion. What did they expect the answer to be? To strangle the infant? I know that some doctors and attendants would just cover it up and let it die, but no one wants to countenance that. This is sometimes done to severely deformed and damaged infants, but we are not supposed to know about that. It is a cruel world.
I was amused to see that the Bigfooted creature is pretty universally judged to be a hoax. They went to a lot of trouble over that, anyway. If it did weigh 550 pounds, that would be some load to haul out of the woods. But it probably only weighed about fifty pounds, maybe even less.
We had quite a bit of dry leaves and debris blow down out of the redwoods today, very early in the season for that to happen. It will be an early fall.
Take care and keep in touch. My blog is my window to the world.