Sunday, October 29, 2006

Fall back

I’ve not only fallen back, I’ve fallen behind. Due to Blogger problems, real world interference, personal energy deficits and a three-hour electrical power outage, writing a blog entry is one of many areas of my life that have been neglected lately. I'm looking forward to checking at least this one thing off my list.

The power outage happened today, when I’d promised myself I’d clean the house. My plan was to set the kitchen timer for 30 minutes, clean until the bell rang, then do something pleasurable for the next 30 minutes, alternating until everything was nice and tidy. Unfortunately, the power went out midway through one of the pleasure increments. In the absence of either a working timer or a working conscience, I read for the better part of three hours.

Backing up to this morning, I knew the moment I opened my eyes we'd have a beautiful day. The sun was higher in the sky than it usually is when I rise, and the light was so pretty I couldn't even wait to brush my teeth before taking photos. I loved the way the light shone through my windows and through the trees. I loved the random patterns of the dog-trails through the dew. Most of all, I loved getting up at a time that felt natural.

Last night, I put the extra, end-of-Daylight-Saving-Time hour to good use by reading in bed a lot longer than usual. It felt almost hedonistic to read as much as I wanted without worrying about shortchanging the day ahead. I could get used to that.

Continuing to fall back, my daughter called late yesterday afternoon and suggested a movie night. She went to find us a DVD, and I went to pick up Nachos Bellgrande. The movie was fun: American Dreamz. It’s a lightweight comedy, nothing with award-winning potential, but just right for the frame of mind we were in.

Earlier, while I sat in Taco Bell’s drive-thru lane, I noticed a crape-myrtle tree at the corner of the building. Sunlight was behind the tree, silhouetting what appeared to be lots of leaves blowing and twisting in the breeze. In fact, there was no breeze, and there weren’t many leaves left, either. The shapes I saw moving were dozens and dozens of tiny birds, each about a third the size of a sparrow. They were difficult to see in the sun’s glare, but I think they may have been finches. So much energy in bodies not much larger than my thumb.

Still earlier on Saturday, I worked at the office, catching up on things I’d let slide earlier--things that, left undone, would have made for a chaotic Monday. It was such a pleasure to work alone, quietly, uninterrupted by phone calls or client visits, and to be able to work on one thing at a time to completion. I accomplished more in five hours yesterday than I did in two days earlier in the week. And I did it all in plaid flannel pajama bottoms.

Friday night I had a home-style dinner with my daughter at the local Cracker Barrel, courtesy of a gift card passed along to me by my boss, who’d received it as a thank you from a client. Sometimes we like to eat elegant food in fashionable surroundings, but Friday was the kind of day I just wanted to schlump in and mainline country fried steak and white gravy. My cholesterol count might be slightly more elevated than previously, but that meal was exactly what I craved.

Thursday night was TV night, so many good shows on that I had to record two hours of primetime shows and watch three hours of others. Lucy and Winston slept over on Thursday while my daughter had a much-needed night out with friends. Heavy rains during the night kept Kadi awake. She, in turn, gave minute-by-minute weather updates to the other dogs and me. None of us got much sleep, but I was the only one who had to get up and go to work.

Which brings us all the way back to Wednesday night, when I last posted. There’s something about completing a cycle and "falling back" at the end of October that just feels right.

Blog posting? Check.

10 comments:

  1. WOW, that is nice. The pics are great too. It sounds like such a spiritual day…a lot of senses and emotion with motion...pretty neat.
    This is my first year in Indy with day light savings time. I had to get used to the hour difference. It was odd. It seemed to be a bitter Hoosier fight to get day light savings time. It just seemed to throw everybody off. It’ll probably feel more natural next year.

    Austin

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  2. glad you had a good day even if electric was out. i like the photos.

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  3. I know just what you mean about working after hours. Insomniac me will often go to office in the middle of the night and accomplish piles of things. I'm wickedly misbehaved though, with no public in the public building I smoke while I'm doing it. This post was lovely, a nice start to my day.

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  4. We've had similar situations this week Velvet, sometimes life just intervenes with its own plans. Glad you made the most of it, souns like you enjoyed yourself; your falling back made good reading made good reading.
    Love the photos, the first two look very *arty* did you paint them?
    Sandy

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  5. Glad you are back - and that you caught your blog up - I wondered about you! Sounds like a nice day. And life is too short not to read all you want to, I say. LOL

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  6. Thanks, everybody, for your nice comments.

    Austin, you'd think after all these years I'd be used to the DLS time change, but the "spring forward" part of it still gets me every year.

    Patsy, I had a nice day because I couldn't use the vacuum (and pretended I didn't think about using the broom instead).

    Kat, your smoking in the office must be like my wearing pajama bottoms to work, i.e., we do it just because we can.

    Sandy, the top photo is my bedroom window, and the second one is a corner of my den. The only painting involved was that done by the sun.

    Jackie, I don't know if it's possible to read all I want to, but God knows I try!

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  7. Velvet, I think your week was a delicious one - what with sleeping in after reading late, getting work done without interruption, noticing birds moving like leaves in trees, seeing dog trails in the grass and sun in the sky . . . you write about it beautifully. I was almost there.

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  8. Then its my eyes Velvet, lol That window looks like a rather slinky body-hugging black dress on a headless woman.
    (a dress-maker's manequin perhaps :p)
    Hmmm o k a a a y! :)
    They are still geat photos, I can see what you mean now. Just once you get an image in your mind its hard to ignore it.
    Sandy

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  9. Annie, now that you mention it, it was kind of delicious.

    Janet, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one trying to catch up.

    Sandy, "...a rather slinky body-hugging black dress on a headless woman"??? Are you messin' with my mind? ;-)

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  10. LOL!!!!!

    Can't you see it? :p
    Sandy

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