Years ago I met an Australian woman whose husband’s company had transferred them to the U.S.A. for one year. It wasn’t until after she got talking about how much she had disliked experiencing Christmas in the wintertime here, that I got thinking about how people in the Southern Hemisphere celebrate Christmas. For them, Christmas is a summertime, outdoorsy holiday.
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I think of this woman every June 25th– and pause in her honor to reflect upon how much more I, too, would enjoy Christmas if today’s weather was our typical Christmas Day.
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Sunny skies. Warm temperatures. Colorful flowers. Green grass. Games on the lawn. Easy outside living.
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So today, just for the heck of it, I have decided to put this red poinsettia* in the middle of the dining table on the deck. Sure, the calendar may not say that it is Christmas Day, but I think that I’m going to go ahead and pretend that it is. Care to join me?
* Yes, this is the same poinsettia, previously featured here & here & here, that I’ve had growing inside the house since November of 2011. Best. Christmas decoration. Ever.
Another rainy morning here. Unlike earlier this Spring when the rain made me cranky, this rain is soothing. Now that bushes and flowers are in bloom the different colors outside combined with the rain make the scene look serene. Funny what a few weeks will do to a person’s perspective.
Seeing as the forecast says that this rain will continue most of the day, I’ve gathered my favorite electronic gadgets* and am thinking that I’ll make a nest for myself on the TV room sofa. We’ve got lots of pillows in there and with the window blinds up, I’ll be able to watch the subtle changes in the trees in the Forest Primeval [aka our back yard] without getting damp.
Only five years ago a Summer day like this one would have made me irritable. But today, thanks to wi-fi, I can sit anywhere in the house and not feel lonely or put out by the weather. Thinking about it I realize that this development might be one of the biggest changes in my lifetime. Used to be that a rainy day meant only reading a book sitting in a corner all by myself.
However, now in addition to reading a book I can: connect – research – catch-up – enjoy without going outside in the muddy, wet world. This is progress, my gentle readers. Oh yes it is. Don’t try to tell me otherwise.
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* On deck sofa for today are:
my [new] Kindle – reading a book
my [relatively new] iPad – watching a TV show or a movie, tweeting on Twitter
my [ancient] Motorola clamshell wireless phone – chatting, texting with whomever about whatever, as usual
my [almost new] Nikon Coolpix camera – observing the world in case there’s a photo opportunity
my [old] MacBook – reading + commenting on blogs, writing a post should the muse strike
As part of my attempt to live a more balanced life in 2013, I have given myself the assignment to watch 2 movies and to read 2 books each month. Here is my May report.
2 Movies
Small, Beautifully Moving Parts – Clever + truthful. A pregnant, techie-oriented woman, who lives in NYC, goes to LA so that her sister may give her a proper baby shower. Once on the west coast, the mother-to-be decides to visit her divorced parents. Her father’s reaction to seeing her is delight, but her off-the-grid mother’s reaction is alternately hilarious or sad. Recommended if you like honest characters + quiet triumphs.
Jesus Henry Christ – Tedious + confused. I wanted to like this movie produced by Julia Roberts, but I didn’t. The premise is that a brilliant 10-year-old boy, whose mother had in vitro fertilization, decides to find out who his biological father really is– and he does. But the plot dragged on and the characters were of the over-the-top-but-supposed-to-be-endearing variety so that nothing in the story seemed interesting or plausible or worth caring about. Not recommended.
2 Books
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Extraordinary + compelling. Rebecca Skloot tells the true story of how one woman’s cells, taken from her without her permission, came to be first “immortal” human cells grown in a medical lab at Johns Hopkins University. Plus, Skloot tells the story of Henrietta’s life, her children’s lives and all the subsequent injustices done to all of them. Recommended if you like medical history + family stories that span generations.
Too Much Happiness – Well-written, but forgettable. I know that Alice Munro is a writer with an enthusiastic following so I decided to read one of her books. This book of 10 short stories was, perhaps, not her best effort– or maybe I don’t get her. I found the stories to be depressing &/or mundane; so much so that even her smooth writing couldn’t overcome it. Recommended if you like glimpses into the darker side of human nature + need something to read that’s easy to put down and pick up as need be.
1 Complete Blank
In this spot I like to share something clever or funny that I saw/read/heard during the month, but I’m coming up with a blank here. Oh well, whatever. If anyone has something inspiring or cheerful that could be in this spot, just let me know & in it goes. If not, I suggest that we all be like Quakers at a Sunday meeting and sit here silently reflecting upon the Divine. The choice is yours, gentle readers.
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[As promised above, I’ve added your ideas to inspire or cheer thus filling in my Complete Blank.]
1) From Polly at caughtwriting, an Emily Dickinson quote:
“Forever– is composed of nows.”
2) From Zazzy at zazamataz.com, an e.e. cummings quote:
“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”
“Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.”
~ Benjamin Franklin
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My energy this week has been scattered. Some moments I’ve been focused + productive. But other moments (most moments) I’ve been angsty + worried. Then add in the fact that this is a 4-day work week– and I don’t know what I’m all about.
While it is true that I am more comfortable than most with the vagaries of life, this week I’ve felt out of sorts about my lack of progress or connection or accomplishment or whatever. Scattered, I tell you.
So yesterday afternoon I decided that the best thing for me to do was to see what I could see outside around the house. I thought that a distraction would be good. Naturally I took my camera with me.
It was a hazy sunny day which meant that most of my photos weren’t clear– just kind of a fuzzy, glare-y mess. Rather like my week. And with the sun in my eyes, those photos that were clear tended to have lousy composition– off-kilter or scattered. Still a few of them turned out okay.
And so on that positive note, I’m off to enjoy a summer weekend where being scattered is a plus. On the agenda we have a walk in a county park [on the other side of town]; a meal at an English pub [in another part of town]; an art show [in an entirely different direction]; and a cocktail hour on the terrace next to the woods [out the back door]. Life may be scattered for me now, but it is good. Happy Weekend everyone!
THE SPECTACLED BEAN 