thank goodness i can manage to get a bunch of daffodils into a vase these days.
below is a slightly revised excerpt from a letter i wrote to my great friend, jackie, in the uk. it describes how circuitous my path is now that i’ve hit 42. anybody else feel like this????
“i’ve decided i have some sort of peri-menopausal, hypothyroid brain fog that only lifts for sudden onset ADD flitting about. i swear. i’m constantly sloshing over the banks of my hastily scrawled to-do list. i’ll head into the kitchen to put those breakfast dishes in the dishwasher by way of my ibook. a quick pavlovian press of a button…and i’m suddenly writing someone who has posted on my blog about gardening and flowers. which reminds me i must water the pots on the back porch after i press send. i head out to the garden to water the pots only to find preston’s camouflaged sock in a fetal position on the lawn. and there’s another and another and another. collecting that clutch of soggy socks sends me instantly to the laundry room where i realize i never moved yesterdays now mildewy wash into the dryer. which i would do immediately if it weren’t for the smell of the garbage wafting from the bag left by the garage door to my left. out i go to pop the bag in the trashcan only to hear my beloved truly texan contractor, valentine gonzales, up in the studio. i must now pop up the stairs to see what’s new in the space… with my stinky bag of garbage in hand, naturally. while i’m supposed to be giving a quick answer about how many outlets i need on the north wall, that of course leads to a long discussion about the cost savings of putting a screen porch on the space now rather than later. of course, this mandates a trip out to the garden to stare at the back wall where said porch would go. the only reason the garbage made it to the can is that sweet val is a true southern gentleman and cannot bear to see a woman doing man’s work so he drops it in the can on our way out to the garden chairs. after marking off where the porch footings would be with huge rocks, we plunk down in the Adirondack chairs to ponder it all. “it all” usually includes theories about life and love and why our trusting old world val has recently come out of retirement. it has to do with his sweet disposition and the fact that someone drained his retirement savings for him. he is now back working at nearly 70. suddenly he asks me when i have to leave to pick up the boys and i realize it’s nowthisminute!! into the car i go for our hour long back and forth. after a quick stop at the gas station for candy we slingshot in the front door where homework begins while i put those g.d. breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. ”
i honestly don’t think i was ever this scattered before. amazing those daffodils made it to the vase. i was probably on my way to check email but before doing that i…..