If we were having coffee: Sunny day

A winter’s day on Assateague Island.

All our time disappears on us.  This is an incredible fact.  You are so knitted into a day.  You are within it; the day is as close as your skin.  It is around your eyes; it is inside your mind.  The day moves you, often it can weigh you down; or again it can raise you up.  Yet the amazing fact is, this day vanishes.  When you look behind you, you do not see your past standing there in a series of day shapes.  You cannot wander back through the gallery of your past.  Your days have disappeared silently and forever.  Your future time has not arrived yet.  The only ground of time is the present moment.

In our culture, we place a great and worthy emphasis on the importance and sacredness of experience.  In other words, what you think, believe, or feel remains a fantasy if it does not actually become part of the fabric of your experience.  Experience is the touchstone of verification, credibility, and deep intimacy.  Yet the future of every experience is its disappearance.  This raises a fascinating question:  Is there a place where our vanished days secretly gather?

~ John O’Donohue, Anam Cara

Munching on grass.

If we were having coffee, I would be happy to see you again.  Come on in out of the cold!  Brrrrrr!  Because it is so bright and sunny, it looks warmer than it feels.  The wind is playing its part in keeping down the temperature.  Even so, it’s great to see the sun again.  We’ve had another week of grey and gloomy weather.  I was so thrilled to see the sun that I washed some laundry and hung it out on the line to dry.  When I first put it up, the clothing stiffened and froze.  Then the sun found its way over to the clothesline and thawed things out.  The wind will help with the drying, too.  One of my favorite scents in all the world is that of clean laundry that has been infused with sunshine and fresh air.

Winter light.

Let’s have a seat in the kitchen today.  The sun warmed the room up nicely this morning, and we can watch whatever might be going on around the pond.  I haven’t seen our Great Blue Heron lately, but the Kingfisher is sure to be out there chattering and diving for fish.  The Bald Eagles have been visiting a lot, and we might catch a glimpse of them.  There is also a small doe who has been venturing out during the day, eating something that’s growing at the front of the pond.

Breakfast by the pond.

We have the usual assortment of coffee (leaded or unleaded, as they say), teas (black, green, and herbals), and sparkling and still water.  We have plenty of snacks to nosh on, too.  There’s a Chioggia beet borani (roasted beets, yogurt, and feta cheese dip), hummus, vegetables, pita, chips, and salsa.  If you would like something more substantial, we have leftover spicy cauliflower curry with basmati rice.  I made it for dinner last night, and I think it tastes even better today now that all the spices have melded together.  I could also heat up the pizza stone and make you a pita pizza.  We have all the fixings for it.  I think that’s what we’ll be having for dinner tonight, along with a tossed salad.

Looking for the good stuff.

How are you?  What have you been up to this past week?  Have you traveled anywhere?  Seen anything new?  Have you visited any museums?  Listened to live music?  Read any good books or seen any good films?

Grazing by the road.

If we were having coffee, tea, or some other beverage, I would tell you that I am still reading Neal Stephenson’s The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer.  The story is becoming quite interesting, and I am so glad I stayed with it.  The key, for me, has been to stop being concerned about whether or not I understand the techie stuff.  Somehow or another, I do get the meaning of most of it, and even if I didn’t, it wouldn’t detract from the story.

Following directions.

As for movies, M and I watched Mr. Holmes last week.  It’s a film about an ageing Sherlock Holmes (played by Ian McKellan), his relationship with Roger (the housekeeper’s son), and the mystery of lost memories.  Mr. Holmes, sliding into some form of dementia, is having difficulty remembering things, and searches for clues to help him remember his last case, the one that forced him into retirement.  It is not a typical Sherlock Holmes story.  I thought it was quite good, and highly recommend it.

Working around the post.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that up until today it has been a quiet week here at the ranch.  The Great Bathroom Renovation continues although without the folks from the company we hired.  They will be back when the top for the vanity is ready to be installed.  In the meantime, M is working on removing the old sink and toilet, and the wainscoting on the wall today.  You probably heard him in there banging around.  I will be glad to see the wainscoting go.  I didn’t like the pattern on it, and it was all the worse for wear and mold.  I won’t miss the old sink and toilet, either.  They are an ugly shade of beige.  I suspect Mr. and Mrs. B, the folks who built the house, picked those colors because they were not treating the well water which has a tendency to leave rust stains on everything if it is not treated.  If you’ve been following me since we moved here, you might remember that M built a little hut to house a filter and water softener so we would not continue to have that problem.  The water will still leave light rust stains over time, but that’s easily taken care of by keeping up with the regular cleaning of the sinks and toilets.

On the Life of the Dunes Trail.

If we were having coffee, tea, or something else to drink, I would tell you that I have been out walking every day, no matter what the weather.  I’m on my own pilgrimage of sorts, seeing how far my feet will take me.  I used to wear the barefoot (or minimalist) type of shoes (Vibram), but have switched over to shoes with a bit more support in them to see how that goes.  It’s too cold to wear my Vibrams, especially now that I have Raynaud’s.  Maybe I’ll go back to the Vibrams when the weather warms up.

Grasses and heather and myrtles.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that it’s time for me to go for my daily walk.  You are welcome to join me.  Be sure to bundle up if you do.  Or you can stay here in the warmth of the house.  You might want to move to the living room since M just fired up the wood stove.  I’m not sure where my walk will take me today.  Maybe out to the bridge that spans the creek, or perhaps out towards the Point.  It depends on the wind.  The road to the Point tends to be the least sheltered way to go and if the wind is making it too cold, I’ll want to stay near the woods and on a road that is a little more sheltered.

Goodnight, Sun.

Thank you so much for visiting today, and joining me for another coffee chat.  It looks like we should have a nice sunset this evening.  It’s scheduled for 5:30 PM.  We can go out to the dock or to the Point to watch it.  If you decide to stick around, I’ll leave it to you to make the decision about where to watch Mother Nature’s and Father Sky’s show tonight.

Evening reflections.

Be good, be kind, be loving.  Just Be.  🙂

Blue on blue.

This post is in response to Part Time Monster’s #WeekendCoffeeShare.  Thank you to Diana for hosting it. Put the kettle on, start the coffee maker, open a bottle of wine, or whatever your preference is, and join us.  I’d love to hear all about what you were up to this week.