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EyedTulip of Bliss
Apr. 29th, 2021 10:11 pmOn this day in 1429, Jeanne la Pucelle rode into Orleans. It was a cloudy and damp morning, not conducive to working in the yard, which is what I feel I really should be doing. I took the curse off it by making some jam muffins for the Sparrowhawk's First Breakfast. I had exactly one cup of the cranberry sauce that I made when the freezer died, so I used that. The muffins came out very tasty. Then I thought it would be a good time to take up my unfinished dusting project. The next step involved moving the bedside stands and vacuuming behind them--and it must be understood that they are both stuffed full of books, thus HEAVY--and then doing my best to vacuum behind the bed, via the long extension on the vacuum cleaner. What would really help is if it would go around corners. I cannot move the bed, because it's too massive even for my powers. It would be like picking up a Volkswagen. I made a considerable improvement and was going to move on to the next step, when I was suddenly overwhelmed with a wave of ineffable sadness. I tried sitting down and sorting some books, but that wouldn't do either. I had to go downstairs and distract myself by putting together some more pieces of the Raphael's School of Athens jigsaw puzzle. Lots of philosophers in different-colored robes, standing around in tableaux on different-colored floor tiles. Very calming. Don't think of a white horse. Don't think of ANY of the white horses.
Normally, the Sparrowhawk goes to the gym on Thursdays. Tonight, his coach called to cancel, because the rest of the class had canceled, and she wanted to do some prep work for next week. Yesterday, when I went to the store, they were selling spiral sliced ham for a ridiculously low price, so I had an 11-pound ham stashed in the refrigerator. Recently, the Sparrowhawk bought us a new and larger cast iron Dutch oven. It turned out it was just big enough to bake the ham in. We had a couple of slices for dinner, with green beans and mashed potatoes, and then I disassembled the rest of it into various different packages to be used later.
Since there was no gym, we had time for a walk after dinner. A couple of hours before sunset is really the perfect time for a walk, especially when the sky is pure blue and the sun is out for the first time all day. A neighbor's multi-colored tulip garden in her front yard looked like the crown jewels with the sun shining through them. Irish's daughter Aster walked down the block behind us, dribbling her basketball, and the Sparrowhawk turned around and threw a few passes with her. In the woods, the path was paved with tiny golden-green flowers fallen from the maple trees. The lily of the valley spikes have unfolded into leaves, and the buds are forming like pale green beads along the stalks. The ferns are uncurling too. Best of all, the three apple trees at the top of the hill have burst into bloom! I wait and watch anxiously every year, because it doesn't last long, and I don't want to miss it. They're spectacularly snow-white agaainst the blue sky, and the scent is like a sweet breeze blowing through a window that someone left open in heaven. It's one of my very favorite smells, partly because it's here so briefly.
Normally, the Sparrowhawk goes to the gym on Thursdays. Tonight, his coach called to cancel, because the rest of the class had canceled, and she wanted to do some prep work for next week. Yesterday, when I went to the store, they were selling spiral sliced ham for a ridiculously low price, so I had an 11-pound ham stashed in the refrigerator. Recently, the Sparrowhawk bought us a new and larger cast iron Dutch oven. It turned out it was just big enough to bake the ham in. We had a couple of slices for dinner, with green beans and mashed potatoes, and then I disassembled the rest of it into various different packages to be used later.
Since there was no gym, we had time for a walk after dinner. A couple of hours before sunset is really the perfect time for a walk, especially when the sky is pure blue and the sun is out for the first time all day. A neighbor's multi-colored tulip garden in her front yard looked like the crown jewels with the sun shining through them. Irish's daughter Aster walked down the block behind us, dribbling her basketball, and the Sparrowhawk turned around and threw a few passes with her. In the woods, the path was paved with tiny golden-green flowers fallen from the maple trees. The lily of the valley spikes have unfolded into leaves, and the buds are forming like pale green beads along the stalks. The ferns are uncurling too. Best of all, the three apple trees at the top of the hill have burst into bloom! I wait and watch anxiously every year, because it doesn't last long, and I don't want to miss it. They're spectacularly snow-white agaainst the blue sky, and the scent is like a sweet breeze blowing through a window that someone left open in heaven. It's one of my very favorite smells, partly because it's here so briefly.
