Different days call for different words

                                                                      Winter 2018

    The word today is NEGATIVE. Two things I’ll never buy again: toaster strudels and Hot Pockets. Three: single-ply toilet tissue.

     One thing I’ll never do again is freeze a cherry pie. Make Christmas goodies that still, on Valentine’s Day resided in the freezer. Marry again. Believe in “fate” again.

   The word today is PERSISTENCE. Since I live with only a gray cat, I am the one who must put-together, figure out, try and fail, try again and succeed. Thus, persistence. Case in point: As tax deadline looms closer, I needed a space for only tax papers. That precluded the dining table, the office table, the “greenhouse” table, the piano bench and the sofa. Aha! On the back porch was a rectangular folding table I bought for the bell choir back in the day. I’d used it once before for this very reason, but it had lain folded up for several years.

     With a new week and warmer temps—even though it rained for two whole days and nights and was still raining as I wrote—I decided to bring that table in, set it up and begin the tax task. I chose to add it to the dining room area, which would leave a path to both the kitchen and the back rooms.
    After dusting the black plastic top, I lay the table down with bent legs visible. It reminded me of the many times I lie down and immediately fold my legs at the knee in cross-legged fashion. I opened one set of legs. Where the ball popped into the leg I could see they were too short for my needs. Pushed in the ball, extended the leg but the ball wouldn’t pop into the lower hole. Twist, turn, jiggle—nothing worked
.
   So I went to the other legs. They cooperated beautifully. Now back to the recalcitrant one. I could feel the hole with my fingers and could see the ball on the stubborn leg. On the fifth try, CONTACT. VOILA!

Now to find a lamp. DONE: In the corner bedroom was a small one with a measly 15-watt bulb. I didn’t have a 40-watt, only two boxes of 60-watt LED ones. Would that size be too hot for the lampshade? I tried it, and later checked the shade. Nah, no extreme heat at all.

Unable--at first-- to open cans, even with several implements

 The next pressing task was to go through FIVE MONTHS of unreconciled 2018 bank statements. Until nap time, that is. The odd thing, my usually-two-hour nap, thanks to many and active dreamscapes, turned into FOUR HOURS! So now, I was bound to stay awake till midnight. Why? Surely I could handle six hours of activity, even if it was sitting at the computer or at the table with a meal and the newspaper.

 Today’s word is BLESSED. Friend Sally who was in the neighborhood, dropped by. We were close neighbors in Arkadelphia in the waning years of the 20^th century. Then, two children checked in with gifts on Valentine’s Day—one in person, one by Tipton and Hurst of Little Rock. One son had called the night before. After my nap, I returned a 501 call to hear another longer-time friend, Evelyn, who was moving to Fox Ridge at her children’s urging. That she—a choir member from my years at Bryant FUMC during the 1970s—would share it with me was thrilling. Hence, BLESSED.

 I wonder what tomorrow’s word will be.

c 2019, PL, dba lovepat press, Benton AR U.S.A.

Different ideas about “things”

New windows, office, sans blue glass

On Facebook last week, I saw a post about needing something to give impetus to tackling the things that needed doing. Coffee was the answer. Someone commented about wishing there weren’t things to do. I reacted: “No, without things to do, it would be awful.”

Seated in my office, I had only to look around to see several “things” that needed attention.

One was updating the CALLIOPE scheduling since the general editor gave me leave to add two more poems to each issue. Only then can I answer the poet submitters about when their poems can be scheduled.

Another was revising my latest submission to the writers group for critiques

A third was to prepare my 4th book manuscript–incomplete as it is–for viewing by the editor who agreed to publish it.

Filing is always a thing to be done now that I’ve bought more card boxes. Oh, wait. I bought those way last summer. Geez! Where has the time gone?

And in this same room, the frames of the new windows need painting. And then I can rehang the hardware for the horizontal shelving which will hold the remainder of the blue-glass collection I had to take down (and wash) before the windows installation.

By Sunday evening my weekly newspaper column wasn’t finished. That was one ‘thing’ I had to do before anything else. The second thing was to email the minister next Sunday’s service music for the bulletin.

Monday’s “things-to-do” list included notifying poetry submitters about whether their poems were accepted, and if so, when they would be scheduled (see above).

While the weather was spring-like, I hoped to work more in the yard raking the myriad oak leaves thus re-animating the recently-burned brush pile.

Daffodils are blossoming, japonica is pink with blooms, and the pansies dare the cold weather to bother them. Mr. Groundhog predicted an early spring, and for a few days, he was right. But, understandably, he doesn’t keep up with climate change or even the calendar, so what does he really know? Only we know that more winter is in our forecast.

 Here's a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Do the thing and you will have the power." Where's my coffee?

                                                           Before - a year's worth of detritus

                                                               After---- son Eric supervised

c 2019, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA