Is it Friday yet??

It's been a bad morning - just in general. The alarm goes off at 6:00, but I don't drag my butt out of bed until 6:30, so I don't have the time to do more than shower and dress, since I want to leave at 7:00. Step on the scale, and it says I've gained 3 pounds overnight. Frick and frack. I don't think so. I think the scale is grumpy because it is cold and it needs new batteries. But I don't have time to deal with that today. I'll move it to the warmer part of the house tonight. Shower, dress, where's my freaking jeans to wear today? Finally, into the car and the battery is dead. Seems that those magic headlights that turn themselves off had a bad day yesterday and drained the battery. Back upstairs - Honey? Can you jump me? Lift the hood to find that "someone" has put some ABC gum on the battery and there's a half eaten acorn someplace there shouldn't be - concerned now that some rodent is making my engine a toasty home. But, just a jump will do. Get the car started and back on my way to work - it's only 7:30, so I should be there in plenty of time. 100 minutes later (1 1/2 hours!) I'm finally at my desk. WTF?!?!?! Good thing my 9:00 meeting was pushed to Tuesday at 2:00. At least I have my breakfast with me. Get my coffee, my water, put the oatmeal in the microwave for 25 seconds!!!! Explode in the microwave. Crap. Now I've got to clean out the company microwave, my oatmeal is all down the side of the cup and hot like molten lava in my hand. Start working - at least the computer is behaving today, unlike yesterday. Well, maybe not so much. I have a ghost version of excel running in the background and it is killing my essbase. Which is critical to the report I need to have completed today. Ticket out to IT. Very friendly and helpful IT dude walks me through the fix and we are back up and running. Is it noon yet?

(Picture unrelated to very bad day....)

SOLC 2

Still cloudy from sleep, I roll over to check the time.... Is it time to get up yet? When is the alarm going off? My husband sleeps next to me, little snoring chuffs in his dreams. I roll back over and look out the window next to me. The sky is deep blue against the red wood and green leaves of the Madrone trees. I don't have to get up. I'm not working right now. And the bed is warm from the three quilts piled on top of me. I pull the pillow closer to me and start to mull over what I want to get done today. I want to make sure the house is picked up. And I need to look for work. The garage wants to be cleaned. I guess I'm awake now.

I get up and head out on the deck. It's going to be warmer today than it was yesterday, thank goodness. The plants need water, and the Redwood tree is shedding on the planks. Sweeping the fallen leaves from the wood, the broom makes a soft "shuff-shuff" sound as the needles fly in front of the bristles. The hose is cold and heavy in my hands as it fills with water. I check the plants as I fill the pots with water. The rose bushes are starting to leaf out in red. The citrus trees are happy, lemons and limes weighing down the branches. The smell of coffee brewing brings me inside.

It’s a good morning.

SOLC 1

Today is a quiet day. I sit at the table watching the sun pass over the tops of the trees, wishing for more heat and more light. The shadows sharpen and fade as the time passes. The kettle whistles brightly, calling me forth from my huddle for a cup of warmth to wrap my hands around. A squirrel visits the bird bath, jumping from the roof to the railing to deep in the denuded apple tree. Daffodils, wrapped in twine and water and glass reach for the sun, spilling their sweet scent into the air. The sun tracks across the sky, barely clearing the tops of the trees, going early into the west and leaving the sky full of blue but the meadow full of darkness. The stars will be out soon and the temperature will drop. The cup is long empty, my fingers growing stiff with the chill. It is time... time to leave the words of others and time to create my own.