Random Thoughts

Random thoughts as I recline on my couch recovering what must be the flu, or some other virus that causes one to cough and sweat.

1.  The winter storm seems to be over.  I watched it out my front window.  Yesterday, during the 3:00 pm cough and sweaty time I felt such deep feeling for my windows.  Today, that feeling is gone, and all I can see is the ever present fog between the panes of glass.  We need a new window.

2.  Notice the small basketball and even smaller soccer ball in this picture?  There has not been a child here since Wednesday.  Some how, there are always balls in my living room.  There are also two timers, which I cropped out of the picture because, well, even I cannot explain those.

3.  I've been getting at least 10 hours of sleep a night since Sunday.  Apparently, I've needed that.  I've also cut waaay down on coffee.  Not for any other reason than it seems to taste yucky.

4.  Today I missed Jonge's first basketball game of the season.  THGGM went, so I was filled in on the details.  But it isn't the same.  Famke also started a class this morning.  A new trampoline place opened up just a few blocks down the street from her house.so today she went to jump and tumble in a class.

5.  I have managed to remove some of my Christmas decor.  At least out of the living room.  Presently we have a very festive looking breeze-way.  And my dresser in the bedroom?  That is holding many precious Christmas items all stacked up willy-nilly in a pile that resembles an avalanche about to happen.  This morning I required an article of clothing that was trapped underneath.  But by pulling it out really fast, I was able to free it like a magic trick.  This made me happy, in a clown-worthy sort of way.

6.  Last week Saturday, before I fell ill, I loaded up multiple bags of clothing which THGGM kindly took to the thrift store along with his own multiple bags of clothing.  I think we came up with a hundred hangers after it was all done.  It felt good.  But then, I don't like clothes.  I'm happiest in a pair of jeans and a long sleeved tee-shirt.  Don't even get me started on socks...

7.  I had read good things about a book on "Tidying" written by a Japanese woman who has made a lovely career out of it.  I thought I needed something different than the usual fare that I'm drawn too so I bought it for my Kindle.  This week I finished it.  I laughed A LOT.  This book was NOT FOR ME. The main point that I took away was that we should only keep the things that bring us joy.  This made me laugh.  I get joy from EVERYTHING.  Seriously.  I'm supposed to dump EVERYTHING I own of one category onto the floor,  touch it all, see if it still gives me joy, and if it doesn't, thank it and either throw or give it away.  First, I resent when my clothes wear out, so I don't see me giving thanks to my actual clothes.  And second, where would we live while all my stuff was on the floor?  There were a few very good take-aways from this book, so for the VERY serious "tidier" I'm sure the book would be quite helpful.  One more thing.  She did try to tell me that my socks are unhappy being wadded up like potatoes in my sock drawer.  I asked my socks just how they felt about that, but they haven't gotten back to me yet.

8.  Of course, I always have several (dozen) books going at one time.  So I'm also reading C.S. Lewis's "A Grief Observed".  It amazes me that books can be timeless.  This one certainly is.  And so far anyway, Lewis hasn't asked me to talk to my clothes.

9.  Did I already share this?  The little grand kids favorite play things of December 2014 were five little tin houses that I found at different times and places for 50 cents or less.  I am not kidding.  Some were tea tins and one at least held 20 year old potpourri which smelled just as disgusting as the day it was packaged.  These houses were lined up as a neighborhood, run over by rolling logs, and moved around by the pick-up truck with the magnet attachment.  A fairy even tried to move into one, but the roof wouldn't go back down.   I'm going to keep looking for these.  Because I need less things and all that...

10.  It is snowing again.  Big beautiful fluffy white flakes right outside my window.  My large fog-filled window.  Sigh.., it is winter, and I am hibernating like a champion.