Here's Sleeping Beauty herself this morning, still tucked up after I was out of bed. Is it just me or does she look a little scary even so obviously cozy and sleepy? Perhaps you have to know her. She slept on my legs all night long which is fine although when she does that, I wake up with sweaty legs every time.
That's a great image, isn't it?
Just call me Old Sweaty Legs.
I just made myself laugh.
It was cold as hell again this morning but it did warm up considerably. I mean, I wasn't wearing a muumuu and flip flops but I didn't feel the need for a heavy coat, either. I've been wearing my mother's ancient camel-colored cashmere coat that she probably bought in the fifties when we still lived in Chattanooga because she sure didn't need one in Roseland which is where we lived after Tennessee. And I have to tell you- that coat has no rips, no holes and the satin lining is still glorious.
The hand-stitched label is still firmly attached. I do believe I've posted a picture of that label before but I do love a good label. The coat weighs about forty pounds but it's warm.
They used to make 'em to last, didn't they?
I went to town and got my Publix shopping done quick-quick which is quite unusual. My brain was working fairly well today and I had made sure to have my list and and was very careful about checking it frequently so as not to have to return to the produce section when I was already in the cleaning products section which is all the way across the store. This happens far more than I am comfortable admitting but it did not today. As I mentioned the other day, they are moving everything around in this Publix and perhaps that's why I'm paying better attention- I have to in order to find what I'm looking for. And that is not a bad thing. I'm not fond of change but change in the grocery store cannot be compared to changes which truly affect my life. Plus, and I may have said this before, I love the new style of handles on the refrigerator and freezer cases. I have thought about them frequently since I first encountered them. Is this an indication that I need to get a life?
Well, maybe.
They're just sleeker and more slender, more friendly to the hand. Great design, Publix!
I met up with Jessie to go to Costco and of course that was an adventure. As always.
Okay, okay. I DO need to get a life. But until I do, here's something that makes me quite happy.
We've been needing a new kitchen rug/mat for a long time now. The old one was about the opposite of non-skid and neither Glen nor I need to risk falls. And who could be morose, looking at those red cherries?
DO NOT BE AFRAID OF COLOR, I am telling you.
For a second, when I was picking out which of the four patterns Costco was offering these rugs in, I thought, "I should get something that goes with my kitchen," and then I laughed and laughed.
What WOULDN'T go with my kitchen?
We got to see Brenda and she is feeling much better than the last time I saw her. She gives the best hugs you can imagine. An embrace that leaves you feeling 94% (or more) better than you did before the hug. The sort of hug you can still feel hours later.
You know what? I think hugs are one of the best things that humans can do for each other. I know there are people who do not like to either hug or be hugged and that is fine and I respect it but I am so glad I am not one of them. I hug my kids, I hug my grandkids (even Levon and August are becoming more comfortable with them), I hug my friends, I hug people whom I am not really officially friends with but for whom I feel a great fondness and who appear to me to need a hug.
And I hug my husband. I swear, we must hug at least ten times a day, especially when the weather is chilly. Sometimes I feel like there is nothing on earth I need more or would rather do than hug and be hugged by him.
No husband hugs today, though. He called me a little while ago to check in and tell me he's going to be eating turkey soup from the freezer for his supper. I have no memory of making turkey soup but it might be from the Thanksgiving turkey seeing as how I think that's the last turkey I cooked.
I wanted to clear up some questions some of you had about Harvey, his whereabouts, and his property. The post I wrote about that a week ago can be found HERE.
In it I wrote about his being in jail at the moment and how I really do not have details but it seems as if he's possibly lost the thread here. If I had to live in the same circumstances as Harvey has for at least the twenty-two years I've lived in Lloyd, I'd probably be in jail too, if not dead. That is not hyperbole.
If I ever do get more details from a reliable source, I'll share them. In the meantime, please know that I really have no idea if he was the owner of the property he lived on or if someone else owned it and was allowing him to stay there. Fifty years ago I probably would have gone to the jail to see and talk to him but I am not that person now. I know there are situations in which I have nothing to add and this is one of them. And besides that, if I have anxiety just meeting someone for lunch, I am not sure I could even begin to handle a visit to the Jefferson County jail.
Pottery tomorrow so I'll be getting a poor night's sleep tonight. I swear- last night I woke up in the very early hours and my first thought was, "It's okay. I don't have to get up early this morning but tomorrow I will. Oh no!"
There really is something wrong with me.
As if we didn't know.
Love...Ms. Moon
I get that oh dear tomorrow I hafta (fillintheblank) dismay. Even if I like the thing. I'm told to reframe it as I get to (fillintheblank) so I'm trying that.
ReplyDeleteReframing. Yeah. That's using LOGIC which, logically, should help. Sadly in my case at least, logic is fairly useless.
Deleteno, I don't believe there is anything *wrong* with you. You are human...like the rest of us, with all that this entails. Your kitchen mat/rug is to die for beautiful.... and yes, a good solid *real* hug is the best medicine EVER. Wimpy hugs and limp handshakes are two things I have difficulty tolerating! And Harvey....I think of him lately since he is not in his place and I hope he will be cared for...whatever that takes....by whomever can do that for this seemingly kind but wayward soul
ReplyDeleteSusan M
In pottery today I said, "What is WRONG with me?" and then I said, "Where shall we begin?"
DeleteI thought it was hysterical.
Harvey is a conundrum to me. If he has become a relatively different person in the last period of time, I can understand why. How anyone could hang on with a decent attitude in a situation like his is beyond me. But up until recently, he's always shown himself to me to be sweet, even if a bit odd.
I LOVE the cherry mat! And what's not to love about customer friendly handles on anything? A 40 pound coat? I'm pretty sure I could never wear that, it would feel much too heavy. The warmth would be great though. I hope Harvey is okay.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the customer-friendly handles but I have to wonder how many people have even noticed them and how many people have spent even a minute thinking about them after a trip to the store. Maybe far more than I realize!
DeleteOkay. The coat probably only weighs about twenty pounds. I don't know. But it is heavy.
I hope Harvey's okay too.
I'd love to see the outside of the coat.
ReplyDeleteI should hang it up and take its picture.
DeleteYes you should.
DeleteHugs were what attracted me (second probably) to the Unitarian Universalist churches. The first reason is another matter to be covered elsewhere. Yes to hugs, though I think COVID did a real limitation on them.
ReplyDeleteI HATED the fact that I could not hug my grandchildren during Covid. That was probably the hardest part for me, personally.
DeleteI'm not sure I'd feel the same about hugging a lot of people I didn't really know. Does it lose its meaning? Maybe not!
My mother had a cashmere coat, and I own one as well. The warmth of cashmere is superb and fortunately you held on to your mother's coat. It's coming in handy for the FL cold.
ReplyDeleteLiving in one place for 20 years and then suddenly and out-of-the-blue gone...to jail? We'll never know exactly what went down.
Have fun at pottery!
No, we probably won't know exactly what went down although I got my information from someone who truly should know the truth of the matter and I am not discounting what they said.
DeleteMom's coat may have been way too heavy for the winters south of here but it does indeed come in handy up here in N. Florida.
Maurice is perfect in that photo. I feel badly for Harvey. Seems like he's had such a hard road. I hope he'll be OK. -Nicol
ReplyDeleteI think Maurice looks so sweet(ish) and cozy under the covers.
DeleteI feel bad for Harvey too. I have for a long time.
Thanks for filling us in as much as you know about Harvey's situation. Being in jail is a lot better than freezing to death. But what happens next - one can only hope he receives whatever kind of help he needs/can accept. Not holding my breath, but I too hope he'll be OK.
ReplyDeleteGlad your weather is beginning to warm - winter is upside down when it's colder in Lloyd than in Boise (Idaho)!
Chris from Boise
PS Agree about hugs, and looking forward to pottery news. So glad you're enjoying the class.
It's funny, isn't it, how we can become somehow involved in a person's life we have never met and will never meet?
DeleteIt was colder in Lloyd than in Boise? Yeah, that's weird.
I'd give you a hug if I could.
I am having a bit of a wakeful night, most likely caused when we(myself and my fiancé) went to be on our horse farm at 6:30 pm. Yup....Nothing is so wonderful ... However I'm wide awake at 3 a.m.I jumped on to see what Ms. Moon was doing....I always gleen insight into the human condition and certainly did this morning. Knowing if you will add or detract from an interaction....meeting.....lunch.... In my case I review my day, thinking...Well, That was a ramble....or I could not figure out what the heck is going on ...My goal for 2026 is to be more insightful. That can be a tall order ...but Its my mission. Thanks Ms. Moon.
ReplyDeleteWell, Socrates did say that the unexamined life is not worth living and I've always thought that if this is true, my life is extremely worth living! I believe I over-examine. I think too much, always have, and usually for no real advantage.
DeleteThank you for your very kind words about visiting here. I'm glad you do!
SG gets a poor night’s sleep when he knows the housekeeper is coming in the morning. Go figure. I love cashmere. That coat must feel and look so luxurious. Not enough hugs in my life since we moved. Cheerful kitchen rug. I, too, would get excited about the fridge and freezer handles.
ReplyDeleteSG and I have a great deal in common, I believe.
DeleteThe thing that feels most luxurious about the coat is that satin lining.
I think you will make more friends which will result in more hugs. I hope so. They are important.
Oh dear, why do your posts always inspire me to reminisce? Other blogs don't have this effect on me, but I guess you have a natural ability to draw people out. Anyway, as a junior lawyer, I sometimes had to interview clients in jail. It wasn't too bad getting into the pre-trial lockup facility, but going through security at a provincial jail was daunting, what with all the layers of intimidating security and big heavy barred doors. I never went to a federal penitentiary where the security would be even heavier, although I was scheduled once to go give a talk to some prisoners about family law (custody and access to their kids always being a big issue, understandably, with incarcerated criminals). However, there was a prison riot right before and the whole place was locked down for months afterwards, and they never rescheduled my talk. Just as well, actually.
ReplyDeleteOh my. A prison riot prevented you from having to go to prison. So to speak.
DeleteYeah. Any place that has bars and big thick doors with serious locks is soul-crushing. My main experience with anything like that was when I was doing a clinical rotation at the state mental hospital. That place was scary as fuck but we soon became more used to it and far less freaked out. There were moments though...
I only had to deal with a client in a mental hospital once. Social workers were trying to get her involuntarily committed. We went to court and got her released from the psych ward on a writ of habeas corpus. Turned out later that she wasn't mentally ill, just pregnant (unbeknownst to her) and her hormones had gone haywire which is why she was not being cooperative with the social workers. Social workers don't like it when clients aren't cooperative.
DeleteMy family did not hug but when I had my children I decided to become a hugger and I'm glad I did. Hugs release oxytocin, endorphins, and dopamine, all hormones which help us feel better and connected. I learned that not all people like to be hugged though and I now ask those I don't know if I can hug them. Sending more hugs.
ReplyDeleteMy mother always called us a hugging family but for the life of me, I can't remember us hugging a lot. What does that mean? My own now-family is a ridiculously hugging family. It takes us twenty minutes to tell everyone good-bye and give everyone hugs before we part after a gathering.
DeleteI sometimes ask people if I can hug them too. Sometimes even some of the grandchildren. Their boundaries deserve to be obeyed.
I sure would hug you, sweet woman!
Very cheery cherry mat. My kitchen mat is a turquoise nubby bathroom mat from IKEA. It likes to migrate towards the right so obviously not not-slip. I have two coats. One ankle length coat I borrowed from a friend three years in a row when we went to Chicago for SOFA in the middle of winter. The last time she told me to just keep it. I haven't worn it since. The other is a heavy car coat my mother gave me that I also haven't worn in forever. What I do wear is my green polartec fleece jacket.
ReplyDeleteYes! A cheery, cherry mat! If I had a green polartec fleece jacket, that's what I'd probably wear too. But sometimes putting on the long coat is just what I need.
DeleteI've never had a kitchen mat. Now I'm wondering about that. Should I? Why haven't I? Am I supposed to?
ReplyDeleteI've had a dress coat in my closet forever and think of it as my funeral coat (only if the funeral is in winter) so I can never give it away.
You don't really NEED a kitchen mat. I like them because they catch things that may fly off the cutting board when I'm chopping and are good at absorbing whatever water finds its way out of the sink. Easier on the legs, too, but I could certainly live without one.
DeleteFuneral coats are probably a good thing to have. You never know...
The grocery store we visit less often has handles on the fridge/freezer cases that I frequently pinch my hand on in that webbing between my thumb and fingers. Quite painful, and sometimes there is actually a blood blister later. Fortunately we aren't there often and I am trying to be more mindful and not just reach out carelessly. So yeah, if they got less biting ones I'd be thrilled!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Harvey background - you have made him come alive for so many of us.
Ceci
Now see- that grocery store needs to check out the design of Publix's new handles. It's a design flaw for sure if you manage to pinch that sensitive area of your hand frequently.
DeleteHarvey is definitely part of my world and as you know, I do write about my world a great deal.
Love the cherry mat! Very colorful and cheerful.
ReplyDeleteIt's so funny how all of us had so many questions about Harvey. I guess we feel a bit like we know him too. :)
I'm impressed your mom's coat is in such good condition after all these years. My mom had my grandmother's coat when she died but it was only from the '80s. We gave it to Goodwill, but it was a pretty coat.
Hopefully, someone who needed and appreciated your mother's coat was able to buy it at a good price.
DeleteAs to the mat- of course since it's been there for 24 hours now, I already hardly see it. Why is life like this?
Not just you — that cat totally looks scary even cozy and sleepy!!
ReplyDeleteSleeping Beauty's photo is precious!!! So, perhaps No Man Lord was a Squatter all this time? I still think of him by the Old Nickname you gave him, which I always found to be a fascinating one, per his unusual Sign, he did seem to be a very unusual fellow, living like he did. Jail may actually be an improvement of his Living Conditions based on those Photos of the Property he was occupying... really rather Sad.
ReplyDelete