Rainy Monday aka WDIIA -Monday, May 18, 2020

Just another What Day is It Anyway post, inspired by Linda Hill.

Happy Rainy Monday. As the first tropical storm of the season comes in early, here in the foothills we are readying ourselves for several days of rain with the possibility of some severe storms. Predictions are we may see a month’s worth of rain in 2-3 days.

We managed to squeeze in a short walk this morning before the rain started. I snapped a few pics of the garden now that the plants are in. I am keeping my fingers crossed hoping the rain is not too intense and does not destroy all the beautiful vegetable starts we planted.

• purple kale
• several lettuce varieties
• cucumbers
• spicy peppers
• sweet bell pepper
• tomatoes
• dill
• cilantro
• basil

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Yesterday was the last day of “Writers of the Pandemic 2” with Patti Digh. This morning, with no assigned work to complete, I am welcoming the break. These past two weeks I have discovered a few things. I love to write, but poetry does not come naturally to me. I enjoy prose; It is more like sipping tea with a friend to me. (Do I really know the difference?) I have also learned I do not like to stay in darkness for long when I write. It has a way of taking roost that I prefer to discourage.

I wrote this piece after reading about the attack in the maternity ward in Kabul. If I share more writing from the class, it will be found on my ‘Writing in the Pandemic’ page.

If I Were a Poet

If I were a poet
Would I write about
the curl of a rose petal
or the sun sparkling on water
or lovers’ holding hands
walking down my street?

No, I am afraid I would
scribble out darkness
about roaches that crawl
out of the bellies of evil men
hurled at women giving birth
in a hospital far far away.

I don’t like the taste of the words
swirling around the heaviness
clutching at my heart
at night when the velvet shadows
choke the moon from the sky.

Instead I might write about
puppies
and kittens
and flowers
and puffy clouds
that taste like cotton candy.

I intend to sign-up for the third class. It does not start until early June. The break will be good, but I do want to continue on.

---

Hubby and I like British television shows but I have been frustrated of late. We were watching “The Great Pottery Showdown” on YouTube. I think we watched one season and then almost another full season when the videos disappeared from YouTube. Is there some issue when shows switch networks that make them unavailable in the U.S.?

We started watching “Doc Martin“ on Hulu where I think there are five seasons available. It took a few episodes for me to like this show, but I find myself rooting for poor old Martin hoping he gains some self-realization.

Television has been enjoyable these last couple of weeks. I lack focus to read and absorb much. I went out for the first real excursions last Saturday – masked and gloved, of course. It seems last week was a week of quarantine blues for a lot of people. I wonder if scientists will study our behavior after the fact and discover some timeframe in which something happens in our brain. It seemed to hit everyone at once.

Since I have more time on my hands, I have changed the way I drink my morning coffee. When we traveled to Portugal years ago, the breakfast buffet always had a huge urn of strong coffee (or perhaps espresso) and a large urn of warm milk. I drank it 50/50 and it was divine. So, now, I am leisurely steaming (I lied – I use a microwave) milk and making what I suppose is an Americano type beverage. Yummy!

---

Don’t forget to notice the beautiful things. They are out there!