Day three of being
housebound by the weather. Today was one of those cold wet days that chills you
to the bone—seems like I’ve said that a lot lately. But even my cozy cottage
was chilly, and I went around in a sweater all day. And it rained all day,
sometimes a drizzle but other times steadily. Praise be that we missed the ice
storm to our west though in some areas surrounding the Metroplex the rain was
so steady that flooding was a problem. I do hope this nasty winter means a beautiful
spring.
I found I can be
quite social staying at home. Yesterday, Jean came for a most welcome coffee
visit, and I cancelled any thought of dinner plans—too nasty to go out. The
same reason caused me to cancel tonight’s standing Wednesday night dinner with
Betty. But Lewis, the contractor who keeps both our houses in running order, came
to install my new kitchen shelf and provided some human company this morning.
When you have
limited space, as I do, a new shelf can be cause for rejoicing. This one is
over my butcher block/cutting board/rolling table. The shelf let me clear off a
lot of junk from the cutting board—sugar, salt, pepper, garlic keeper, etc.
Looks ever so much neater. The picture above it is deliberately off-center, at
my request. But the picture is original artwork from my friend Barbara
Whitehead for the cover of The Gilded
Cage. When we used the InstaPot the other night, I realized the art was
about to get steamed into oblivion and quickly moved it.
Lewis’ visit—and we
did chat a bit—was followed by John, the landscaper who is going to put in my
tiny, tiny garden for lettuce and onions. We chatted a bit too, mostly about
wilted lettuce and the salad his mom made that sound similar but with cabbage
instead of lettuce. I’m waiting to hear an estimate from him. I’ve no doubt it
will be the most expensive lettuce I’ve ever eaten, but once installed, I hope
I can keep the small space full of vegetables, even after the lettuce dies out
in June.
This morning
Jordan said it was a day to have chili for supper. I volunteered to cook, but
Christian wanted to do it. A little after five, Jordan came out with a basket
of groceries—Christian would be late and couldn’t cook. So we made hurry-up
chili. She makes a great sous chef.. By 7:30 we served a credible pot of chili,
but I laughed at the “service” and told Jordan her grandmother would have
thrown up her hands in dismay. Saltines in their wrapper and sour cream in the
carton. I think I’m a casual person, but sometimes my mom comes to mind
reminding me of manners. When I was a kid, we had linen tablecloth and napkins
for dinner, and nothing ever was served in the store contained. Ah, but it’s
only one of the many ways life has changed—and a minor one at that in the overall
scheme of things.
I anticipate one
more housebound day, and I’m almost looking forward to it. I’ve got my routine
down. But I will be glad to get out of the house and into the world. Friday,
grocery shopping. Saturday, a funeral. Sunday, church. Life is pretty exciting.
Jordan said today
she had a moment of reflection and thought how lucky she was to have such a
good husband who, when it seemed necessary, uprooted their lives and moved into
my house—and believe me, it was a big upheaval for all of us. Then she said,
she thought about the scary days when my kids feared I’d never get back to
being myself, and she realized how grateful and happy she is. All of us are
well and flourishing. Her question was, “Now who can I reach out to and help?”
That’s my girl. And a big hug of gratitude to Christian for being who he is.
I too am blessed…and
happy.
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