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Today’s rain is welcome. The last of the snow went this week, a sorry pile of whitish ice crystals beneath streaks of brown dirt and sand that had been shoveled along with the snow into the bank. After drying out nicely, the earth needed a long cool drink, which is exactly what it is getting at the moment. Attila and I are gearing up to tackle the repair job on the house, where the north deck was sheared off. I will be providing moral support, liquid refreshments and food, while Attila takes care of everything else. First he will remove the screen door from atop his ladder. Then carry on to remove the exterior steel door from inside the house, and finally to building a wall, insulating, installing the window and vapour barrier and finishing the opening off so that the whole thing is ready to accept siding at a later date. Attila has Saturday afternoon and Sunday to accomplish this feat. I have my fingers crossed that it is feasible, but we will not know until he tries. I had the happy experience of meeting an old friend for a cup of tea yesterday afternoon. We became friends when our eldest girls were in Grade 2 at the elementary school, where we volunteered to assist with hot dog lunches. She has changed very little. I am another person. The connection remains intact. I spoke little of my life over the last twenty years, of which she knows little, seems to accept on faith and shows little interest. It warmed my heart that she was aware of a few of the many situations that I must deal with, without my having to actually mention or describe them. Bless her soul. The meeting has led me into reverie. Today I am experiencing a deep, deep sadness, at the disappointments, and the maliciously shattered and abandoned dreams scattered along the path I have walked. I will stand and honour these truths that are part of my experience. I will allow the grief to wash over me in waves that catch at my breath and break my balance. At some point during the day I will walk in the cold rain, and let it wash the pain and the past into the earth. I remain committed to my own life. The daily bread has been set to knead in the machine. I am preparing to pay bills and clean up a few odds and ends lingering on my desk. There are dishes to be done. I will apply marine varnish to the new end tables, allowing them a coaster-free existence. I might even make time for an excursion to the library for reading material. Other people’s stories have a way of lightening the load. |
RECIPES :: Cast Worldly Distractions  Arms Open to the Rain By the Easy Chair Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts (LOVE this book!) Quotes "what are we to make of the view of a contributor to the Al Franken, Air America radio show, who said, in response to the Bolton situation, "Wake up call: The vast majority of managers at every level in American business and government are mindless thugs, abusive kiss up kick down morons who have not the ability to lead. Welcome to the culture that is the United States of America!"" Source/Link The mindless thug problem is much deeper, wider and older than just business ethics, I think. "Why did you cut out your slave's tongue, Ponticus, and then have him hung, Crucified? Don't you realize, man, Though he can't speak, the rest of us can? Martial: The Epigrams (40 A.D.) Selected and translated by James Mitchie apparatchik "Russian colloquial term for a full-time, professional functionary... the term was usually associated with a specific mindset, attitude and appearance of the person; when used by "outsiders", it often bore derogatory connotations... " Weather Heavy Rain Temperature 9°C Pressure 100.5 kPa Visibility 3 km Humidity 100 % Dewpoint 9°C Wind SE 13 km/h |
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