In the fall of the year clouds lying flat and high cast their nearly imperceptible shadows over the gently rolling hills of Loathsome Stepford. Slightly overcast today my spirit not troubled but dull like awakening in borrowed quarters the morning after arriving by night, thus disoriented.
Paddling should have been my priority today. I weighed-in at Weight Watchers, instead. Seems I continue to lose weight even on maintenance points. My current weight is less than it was when I was in my early thirties. With some joy I received the advice to increase my points by one daily.
I drove out after to look at a street of houses where two are being sold by owner. I stopped and wrote down the house and telephone numbers. Stopped at my mom’s house and had a cup of coffee with her on the patio, phoned the numbers I’d written down. No joy. Nearby is another house built in about 1978 by an aged kinsman and another man (well-built with a livable floor plan) and sold to people who have now died. A rental truck was in the driveway. Feeling like a soulless cad I stopped, introduced myself, mentioned my people by name, and asked what the family intends doing with the property. Gave the bereaved daughter my card. There is a hell for people like me, and it is Stepford, but it is not forever. In the neighborhood of the house upon which we made an offer, the association had apparently declared Yard Sale Day, so I stopped at a few, but nobody was selling anything I wanted, except four old, stout dining room chairs we don’t have room for. I bought nothing, and returned home.
I ate a big lunch.
I’ve neglected the house too long, and must see to scraping, glazing, calking, priming, and painting the window trim around the sides and back. But first I had to trim away some of the shrubs growing up around the window frames. I trimmed other brush, too, because I was out in the yard working, anyway. Foul white flies and other winged pests flew up around me as I worked. I found a nest yellow-jackets in a hole by the apple tree, and killed them.
I took a shower, then took a nap.
Caution-Lady requires me every year to accompany her to a Western Day Shindig at Stepford Central Elementary School. This year we took little 76. With her class, CL tie-dyed T-shirts, and while she was making one for herself, she tie-dyed a “onesie” (pronounced wun-zee) for the bambino. They dressed alike today. Cute. I wore the same thing I wear every day I’m not working – dark blue Dickies T-shirt, gigantic cargo shorts (if I could find some durable plus-fours reasonably priced, I’d probably wear them), and hiking boots. The boy and I spent most of the hour or so walking about outside, looking at inflatable kids’ attractions, the pony ride, the small red Japanese manufactured tractor pulling a long, low flatbed trailer carrying hay bales and children. The little guy loved it. Temperatures were in the upper 70s, and breezy. No bugs to speak of. He chattered, laughed, gazed rapt at other children and babies.
Afterward, we three went to a Mexican restaurant – the parental units overate while the infant unit drifted off to sleep in his Volkswagen-sized car seat.
Maybe I can paddle tomorrow afternoon.
Christov_Tenn 