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| My German supper |
You’ll know what
kind of a day I had when I tell you the two highlights: one was watching the
ferocious storm that hit just a bit before noon, with some light hail. I have
been apprehensive about hail ever since the great hail storm in the spring of
2016. The roof on my house had been replaced, all except the back add-on which
we used as a TV/family room. That flat roof was temporarily covered.
When I woke up
that morning, I smelled wetness—you know, like the smell after a good rain,
only it shouldn’t be in the house. I woke Jacob who was with me, and we
ventured through the kitchen into the family room—which was ankle deep in
water. Because we were downsizing my library, there were books spread out all
over the long, wrap-around couch, and cookbooks lined one very long bookshelf.
All ruined. The couch had to be sent out to be baked, though it is fine today.
Within minutes it
seemed, the roofing contractor and my contractor were on their hands and knees,
mopping up water. Neighbors formed a chain to transport books to the front
porch, where Jordan separated salvageable from throw-away. I was by then using
a walker and not very mobile, so not much help. And it was Jordan’s birthday,
though definitely not the way she wanted to celebrate. I think I stood around
and wrung my hands. It was surely one of the most dismal days of my life.
Having lived in old
houses all my life, heavy rain always makes me a bit nervous. I am grateful
that my cottage is tight and dry. And after that storm three years ago, it’s
natural that I’m apprehensive when hail begins. Today’s though was small and
brief, but the wind was high, and rain blew in sheets.
The other
highlight and the only human I’ve seen today: my accountant brought my tax
returns for me to sign. Although he was quite cheerful, it was not a cheering
visit. I wrote two large checks—one for 2018 and one for the first estimated
quarterly payment for 2019. I posted about this on Facebook, because I am glad
to pay my fair share of taxes, grateful to live in this country, but not happy
that my taxes enrich the wealthy and support a mega-military presence that
could be more efficient, slimmed down, less wasteful, and less costly. I want
my money used for the poor and sick, education, infrastructure, environmental causes,
care of our veterans, etc.
Otherwise I spent
the day re-reading a manuscript I wrote thirty years ago. Yes, it had a public
life—serialized in the Fort Worth
Star-Telegram—but I was worried that my writing would seem immature,
clumsy, you name it after all this time. It’s not as bad as I feared, if a
little over-written and sentimental. In fact, I’m sort of enjoying it. I’m
doing this for research and not quite sure how to wrap my head around what I want
to come out of it.
Tonight I made
myself a German dinner—what my mom called cottage potatoes, fried kielbasa, and
kraut with caramelized onions (okay, I burned them a bit), white wine, brown
sugar, and a pinch of thyme. I fried things in batches—only one skillet—and kept
them warm in the toaster oven (in retrospect I’m amazed I didn’t blow a circuit
breaker). But the neat thing was that I ate out of the small pan I put in the oven,
so I had very little clean-up to do.
Apparently, the
storms are gone but we will have high winds for a couple of days. Spring in
North Texas.
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