Popping corn

May 22, 2013

Dreary day and I am feeling imprisoned and unhappy flying solo with the dog again today. No goats running around upstairs, no neighbors walking by to chat (though I did spot a what I believe was a woman and her dachshund wearing matching awful brilliant yellow raincoats,) no stream of visitors, and no laptop to watch films. Stuck with my own insatiable thoughts of discontent and soul searching. What to do with that.

Made my way down the two levels of stairs to the basement to rescue the clothes from the dryer, after another hour on the timer they had to be hung over doors, chairs, shower curtain rods, and couch back to dry creating a steamy and moldy smelling house. Smoke spewing from the microwave took over the damp smell in a jiffy, burnt popcorn (I swear I just turned my back for a second and it was in flames) so I had to choose another item from the menu for a late lunch. It is a blessing in disguise not to have smoke detectors (what??) in the duplex since I would have a hard time banging on them to turn off the alarm hopping on one good leg. Mentioned it to Milktoast the other day when he was here yet he didn’t seem too alarmed that his rental house is most likely in Code violation and he could go to prison for a time over it. Not really but I could talk with him again. It’s one thing to have burnt popcorn to air out, yet another to have the entire house up in smoke, under the circumstances.

Aim to get over to the houses on either side of us to introduce myself and bring a plate of brownies though I will have to ask them to fetch the platter off our sun porch themselves or haul the delectable sweets sideways in a container with my postal carrier bag. I know there is an elderly couple on one side and at least one woman on the other. Only other people I see out and about from my Mrs. Kravitz’ window is a woman and her daughter who tend to hover around the front of their house and stare at me in longing..the girl doesn’t seem afraid of Tyrus but not courageous enough to cross to our side of the street. Another man working on his yard and meticulously sweeping the sidewalk in front of his house doesn’t even glance up from his labors.

Zipping through my stack of books and finding alternative styles to choose from. Authors from the 1800’s to metaphysical, romance, science fiction (my least favorite) and biographies. An interesting mix since I hauled many of them from Washington state, gifted by my Sorted Affairs clients who were downsizing their eclectic libraries. Many of the families had books stored in basements, attics, garages and extra bedrooms that were not conducive to unstable paper and mold-attracting environments. A few are falling apart at the seams due to poor gluing and age related disintegration. And, they are clearly gifts for me which I can pass along. Will build or buy a box to shelve pre-owned books and magazines to place out on the side of the street, a lending library is something I have wanted to create for some time.  I haven’t seen one in my immediate vicinity so if you would like to drop by and take a look, feel free!