Monday, February 6, 2012

Ordinary Days

I love three-day weekends, even if I don't "do" anything. I live a simple life, an ordinary life. I'm one of the lucky ones, because if you've ever received bad news, your life turns upside down and there is no such thing as an "ordinary day".  So I am thankful for all the ordinary days.

Puttering
On Saturday I putter around the house. It rains most of the day, a repeat of January's weather. The weather is cool, but mild. I go about my housework, washing the sheets, taking out the trash. I empty the dishwasher. I make a second pot of coffee. Finally, I grab my umbrella and drive to the nearest Barnes and Noble, 25 miles away. For over an hour I browse to my heart's content, spending my gift card from Christmas, with enough left over to buy a White Chocolate Mocha.

A Quiet Evening
On Saturday evening my daughter, her husband and the two older children go to a hockey game. I baby-sit Mae-Mae (her nickname). Bath time...bottle...baby is soon asleep in my lap. When they return from the game, the older girls go home with me. One goes right to sleep. The younger one thinks that she is a grown-up ( she is going on five) and stays up until midnight. I give them my bed and the cat and I share the couch.

Mae-Mae

Sharing Popsicles
Sunday morning and the younger one is up early and already dressed. She hits the floor running. I am rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "Can I play with Play-do?" "After breakfast," I reply. Today the weather is gorgeous, bright and sunny. We go outside after lunch and the children (including my grandson, who came over) help me pick up broken branches in the yard. I rake up dead leaves while they play hop-scotch, kick the soccer ball, and climb trees in the backyard. They make friends with the two little boys who live across the street. The kids want popsicles, so my granddaughter asks me how many to get of the freezer, while she counts on her fingers. "Five?" "Yes, five", I tell her. While she goes inside for the popsicles the little boy across the street comes out with a handful to share with everyone. At five o'clock the kids go home. I am exhausted, but it's a good tired.

An Ordinary Day
It is Monday and I treat myself to a movie from my collection, "The Painted Veil." It is based on a book by W. Somerset Maugham and is about a doctor and his unfaithful wife. The story takes place in China, where the doctor is fighting a Cholera outbreak. It is a fascinating story. Later, I run errands, mail some cards, pay bills, balance my checkbook, put a pot roast in the oven, bake cupcakes, call my sister and a close friend; ordinary things on an ordinary day. I am blessed.
Blackberry Cobbler in a cute casserole dish





4 comments:

lil red hen said...

Sounds like a wonderful time for everyone! One of my granddaughters turned 16 today, and when I talked to her on the phone, I asked her, "Where did that little girl go, who used to clomp around in big shoes, and hang doll dresses on a clothesline?" And she told me, "She's still here, just hidden." They make memories just the same as we adults, and will pull them out now and then to remember what a good time they had with us.

Janet, said...

Sounds pretty good to me. There is a movie that has been shown on Hallmark called, The Magic of Ordinary Days. It's a real good movie, I think you would like it.

Anita said...

@Charlotte..that is a sweet story about your granddaughter. They do grow up too fast.
@Janet, I have seen that movie on the Hallmark channel. It was a very good movie.

Aliene said...

ANITA, Thanks for stopping by. Sometimes thing are the same around here. We don't have a farm, just one acre. My husband uses almost all of it for garden, chickens, fruit trees
etc. He loves to work outside since he retired.
Your grandaughter is precious. Our grand children are grown but we do have great grand children. We have one 2 week old that was born 10 weeks early. She is a little over 2 1/2 pounds in ICU but doing fine.
Will just be there a couple months.
Have a good day and come again.