I Tried

I conscientiously decided when I started this writing, going on twelve years now, to stick to farm life, to what I could view from my hill, as it were.  There's been enough beauty, drama, sorrow verging on tragedy, humor, good times and bad, to keep the words flowing...sometimes a trickle, sometimes a gusher, but always something.  I also decided to keep my political views to myself, not that I am a woman of no opinion, but wanted 'The View' to be as apolitical as possible.

Yesterday changed all that.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt, on December 8, 1941, spoke of it as a "day that would live in infamy."  January 6, 2021, was another day of infamy as we were again attacked, not by a foreign country, but by citizens of the United States.  I fear we are no longer a united country.  I watched in disbelief as Americans...Americans not worthy of the name...broke into the citadel of Congress, destroying and defacing as they went through the halls, sitting with their feet up on desks, hanging like grinning gargoyles on the outer walls, tearing down our revered national flag and replacing it with the name of one I find repugnant.  Those people have taken up the cause of one who thinks himself to be a demigod, but is, in fact, nothing but a demagogue.

There have always been disagreements when it has come to politics.  America became America as we know it when the time came to split with royalty in England.  It's to be expected, but it's possible to disagree without destruction.  That didn't happen yesterday.  I applaud those congressmen and women who returned to the business at hand after the rioters were removed and announced the vote of the people, that which we knew, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be inaugurated on January 20, 2021, as President and Vice President of what hopefully can become once again, the United States of America.

You may agree or disagree with my viewpoint.  I tried to keep it to myself, but current circumstances intervened.  I tried.

And life goes on.  Helper Dude came and spent the day tending to two big(!) burn piles in the west field.  I was so glad he was able to do that before birds used the dead branches to build and hide their spring nests.  Missy came and went several times throughout the day.  She'd rather snack than gorge.  HD was kind enough to haul a wagonload of wood to the porch and I splurged and put Stove to work.  Celeste and Ralph stretched out in front of the hearth and Michael relaxed on the couch.  The warmth might seem a small thing, but here, it's a luxury.  Frozen taquitos were as much as I could manage for a meal, not wanting to leave the TV to cook.  Life goes on.

Stay safe.  Be well.

Day Late

When one day is just like another, it's easy to lose track of what day it is.  Story of my life.  Sometimes (only sometimes) I miss having the regulation of a job.  A weekend is a real event with a job.  Lunchtime is scheduled when you're working instead of, "Gee, I think I'm hungry," be it 10 a.m. or 2 p.m.  Knowing you have to get up at a certain time dictates bedtime, instead of napping here and there whenever, waking up before the sun.

As you might guess, I have no job and I missed the fact that yesterday was Trash Day...the one day of the week when I have a real task.  I didn't get the trash down to the big road...again.  I must have remembered at some point because I remember telling Michael we'd be going for a ride later, but when you have a Teflon brain that thought just slipped away.  How am I going to keep that dog's trust if I fib to him?

If yesterday was Trash-Day Tuesday, this must be Wednesday.  Whoopie-doo.  I'm only a day late.

Stay safe.  Be well.

They Said

They said we were due for rain yesterday.  They did not say we were going to get one helluva storm, but that's what we got.   A howling wind kicked in well before dawn.  Helper Dude and I connected and agreed to postpone his work until further notice, possibly tomorrow.  With first light came the rain, lots of rain, and the wind didn't stop.  Michael and I cut our walks short throughout the day...he took care of business and we hot-footed it back to the house, dripping wet.  I kept expecting the power to cut out, but we were lucky.  Everything calmed down about sunset (I was guessing about sunset as no sun was seen all day).  I don't know what they said about today.  I'm not sure I trust what they say anyhow.

Michael has lived here about a year and a half now and I think he's decided to stay.  I was used to Bessie Anne being my constant shadow.  When he came, Michael didn't seem to care where I was unless it was time for a walk.  In addition to the more frequent kissies, he has begun following me from room to room.  I think (hope) that means he likes my company.  From such a reserved dog, I'll take what I can get.

I do not hear any wind this morning.  Maybe we'll catch a break.

Stay safe.  Be well.

Dudville

It's really hard to write about a day in which absolutely nothing of interest happened, and that was yesterday.  Chilly, yes, but not cold enough to light a fire.  Overcast all day, even the vultures abandoned their posts in the morning.  I was able to postpone the dreaded trip to town (again) with a quick run up to Gray's Corner.  That counts as a success when you're desperate for points, even though I know there will come a day of reckoning.  It was neither sunny nor warm enough to sit on the deck with Michael.  He thought about it when we headed out the door, but stamped it 'reject' when we got to the turnoff to the steps.  Smart dog.  Rummaging in the freezer, I was able to find something to heat for dinner, not being in the mood to cook.

Yup, Dudville.

I doubt Helper Dude is going to keep his appointment here today.  We're due for rain, and all his work is outdoors.  Sigh.

Stay safe.  Be well.

First Mistake

Yesterday was cold, gloomy, and damp.  Coming in from our first walk, I thought, "This is ridiculous, woman.  Light a fire!"  So I did.  I had things to do, places to go (aarrgh), but Michael had curled up in a tight ball, wrapping his tail over his nose, so I knew I needed to clean out the ashes, bring in an armload of wood, and put Stove to work.  Yeah, well.  That was the end of the day as I knew it.  As so frequently happens, when I get warm I sleep.  (Michael and I are kindred spirits.)  We would wake up when he needed to go outside, come back in and fall asleep again.  At least Michael kept our circulation going.  All that I had planned is still waiting.  I won't light a fire today until we get back from town.

Stay safe.  Be well.

Where You Find It

Two days in to 2021 and it feels like the script has been written by Aldous Huxley ('Brave New World' 1932), the New Year's Eve ball dropping into an empty Times Square, no Rose Parade (only the fourth time since 1891).  This is definitely not the time to ask, "What next?"

I'll take peace and joy where and when I can find it.  This is the time of the full Cold Moon, also known as the Long Night Moon.  The earth has turned just enough for me to see the full moon rising behind the hills and pines to the east from my living room chair, and it's framed perfectly in the picture window.  It's breathtaking.  There I sit, lap loaded with warm fur, and take in the spectacle Nature has provided.  That's joy.

Sitting quietly in the sunlight with Michael in the afternoon is peace personified.  For that period of time, there are no worries, no concerns.  In the past, friends have come up with the express purpose of sitting alone on the deck, needing and allowing that peace to fill their soul.  No one could understand better than I (and Michael).

Michael, undemonstrative dog that he is, has taken to giving me those small licks known as kissies more frequently.  Getting an Academy Award could not mean more.

Our morning walk is a litmus test for how the day is going to go for me.  There are those days when the joints creak and the back is hunched, but they're outnumbered by the "My gosh, nothing hurts today!" days.  So far, so good.  I'll take it!

Money has nothing to do with peace and joy (and that's a good thing!)  They're in the smallest things in life.  Huxleys' apocalyptic viewpoint aside, you just have to know where to look.  Make the most of your 2021, and go outside and look at the moon.

Stay safe.  Be well.

Backward And Forward

Alternate title:  War And Peace (oops, that's already been taken).

Twenty-twenty, for me, was an emotional roller-coaster of 'Don't care' and 'Care too much.'  Normal (there's that term again) life ended for me with Christmas twenty-nineteen, the last time my mainland family was all together, laughing and loving.  We didn't know what was coming.  How could we, how could anyone envision the disaster just over the horizon?  Then the news started trickling in...a case or two of some new flu bug here and there, starting abroad and then coming to America.  That's okay, we're strong, we can beat anything, always have.  Not.  Between the pandemic, the chaos in politics, and the clash of growing protests, I became obsessed with the news, watching in growing horror four and five hours a day, vacillating between tears and anger.  It seemed the world was falling apart in front of my eyes.  It wasn't healthy.

At the same time that I was emotionally distressed, I withdrew, separating myself from life here.  Yes, I had the deck replaced because I had to, but the multitudinous flower pots moved are still in stacks or in the front yard.  The house is a disaster, inside and out, because I just didn't care.  What difference would it make?  A little dust between friends is one thing, but no one has been in my house for a year and it shows.

There have been other times in my life that I've had to make a decision to either go down with the ship or make some drastic changes in my attitude...the only thing over which I have control.  A month or two ago, I started limiting my TV time in general and the news particularly.  Michael and I are spending more time outdoors.  Helper Dude is coming next week to take care of long-neglected outdoor chores, and I'm getting a grip inside.  Procrastination is one thing...not doing anything is another.  (I still don't want to go to town.)

Saying Happy New Year is one thing, doing what I can to make it one is up to me.  St. Francis's prayer is about the best I can do..."God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."  Happy New Year, and I mean it.

Stay safe.  Be well.