Sunshine and a Few Birds
The ice fishing folks have finally abandoned the slushy lake, and even though it's still cold, the air smells alive and green and damp. I want to roll in it.
I work in the middle of a marsh, which, although kind of depressing (there are a bunch of tall buildings invading this lovely land), is one of my favorite things about work. I'm on the third floor, and yesterday, a pair of Sandhill Cranes flew right by the window. It was like being at the zoo, but backwards. Red-Winged Blackbirds are singing from the tops of naked bushes and the street lights. There are ladybugs! And no snow! And pavement. (I wish there was an opposite of an exclamation point...)
In addition to the sheer joy of being alive to see everything coming to life, I've been overwhelmed by dust and work and no-sleep and the strong desire to write and the strong desire to have enough energy to think, let alone write. But, the days are shifting: it is lighter, and warmer, and I can feel my whole self respond to the shift. I spent one full day cleaning last week. Floors, ceilings, packing things away, washing sheets. A clean slate. A do-over. Time to pretend winter never existed. Time to wash the salt from the floors and dress the house in flowers. A deep sigh.
It is almost my birthday-- it really snuck up on me this year! Every year on my birthday, I think of Lucie Brock-Broido's "October Seventh, Nineteen Eighty-Three," and I start reading EB White's essays. There is maybe a relationship between these two readings, but I'm not sure. Mostly, the weather makes me read them. But, as I was saying, it's almost my birthday, which is fantastic. This year, I'm getting together with a bunch of friends for dinner and drinks, and the next day I will go to the Half-Pint Resale half-price day and eat brunch at El Dorado Grill, which is the best place to eat brunch. It'll be such a happy weekend! Hooray! Sunshine! Food! Etc.!
I work in the middle of a marsh, which, although kind of depressing (there are a bunch of tall buildings invading this lovely land), is one of my favorite things about work. I'm on the third floor, and yesterday, a pair of Sandhill Cranes flew right by the window. It was like being at the zoo, but backwards. Red-Winged Blackbirds are singing from the tops of naked bushes and the street lights. There are ladybugs! And no snow! And pavement. (I wish there was an opposite of an exclamation point...)
In addition to the sheer joy of being alive to see everything coming to life, I've been overwhelmed by dust and work and no-sleep and the strong desire to write and the strong desire to have enough energy to think, let alone write. But, the days are shifting: it is lighter, and warmer, and I can feel my whole self respond to the shift. I spent one full day cleaning last week. Floors, ceilings, packing things away, washing sheets. A clean slate. A do-over. Time to pretend winter never existed. Time to wash the salt from the floors and dress the house in flowers. A deep sigh.
It is almost my birthday-- it really snuck up on me this year! Every year on my birthday, I think of Lucie Brock-Broido's "October Seventh, Nineteen Eighty-Three," and I start reading EB White's essays. There is maybe a relationship between these two readings, but I'm not sure. Mostly, the weather makes me read them. But, as I was saying, it's almost my birthday, which is fantastic. This year, I'm getting together with a bunch of friends for dinner and drinks, and the next day I will go to the Half-Pint Resale half-price day and eat brunch at El Dorado Grill, which is the best place to eat brunch. It'll be such a happy weekend! Hooray! Sunshine! Food! Etc.!
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