Two things about today make me happy--it's payday and the sun's out. I'd be just as happy if it were cold, the fact that it's warm too is a bonus. Did you have a good weekend? I did. I got a bit of writing work done and worked on my knitting projects. I also went out in the backyard and picked up the trash that Friday and Saturday's wind blew into the yard (no $100 bills this time, tho), and I took out the crowbar and twisted the flamingo tie-downs out, then I got the hand clippers and cut down the rose canes and any other tall stems that survived the winter. It was so great to be out in the sun and soft air for a bit. Durwood wants to hire someone to rake our lawn and the rental side too. Anybody know a kid?
March 14--Maldives. It looks like a tiny white smear on the blue. Malia crosses the room to look at the framed photo. She thinks it has to be computer generated or at least enhanced; no place on Earth is that perfect. The pale clear blue-green of the sea that ripples just a bit as if the viewer has dropped a pebble draws you in, pulls you toward that sugar sand beach. The islet, too small to be called an island, is maybe an acre in size and barely six feet above sea level. Malia is certain that waves wash over it most of the time. The tuft of three palms that spurts from a clump of greenery in the center look fake they're so exactly right, and the wispy white clouds in the dark blue sky are also too perfect to be real. She stands there angry at the picture for its taunting serenity, her arms wrapped around herself, tears coursing down her cheeks. The receptionist clears her throat and says, "Ms. Gallagher, the doctor will see you now."
Hmm, wonder what's got her in a twist? Is she seeing a shrink or an oncologist? Maybe a vet. I don't know, but perhaps I'll look into it later. Enjoy your day.
--Barbara
P.S. Guess I'd better explain about the $100 bill. The first spring we lived back in the duplex I went out after work one evening to pick up the blown-in trash from the office building dumpsters behind our block. In the garden I saw Ben Franklin looking up at me. Thinking I'd find an ad for a carwash or something on the back I picked it up. On the back was Independence Hall just like it's supposed to be. It was a REAL $100 BILL!!! We live a block from a bank so I wondered if it had sprung a leak. There was no way for me to find the owner so I kept it. I resolved not to use it for paying bills or buying groceries, I took it with me to the outlet mall in Oshkosh and bought myself a couple of leather purses that I still use 6 years later. Not a bad haul for a half-hour's stoop labor, eh?
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