Wed., Nov. 27, 2002
9:18 a.m.

Have I mentioned how grateful I am to be where I am? Sometimes I stop and look around me and remember “Oh yeah, I’m finally home! Lucky me.”

Last night as I made one of my many trips from the livingroom, which is in the basement, to the main floor, I glanced out a window in the large entryway and saw bright white glitter in the black sky beyond. I stopped to lean against the sill and look out for a few moments, tickled to be somewhere that I can do that -- see the stars when I look out a window -- as opposed to having to go outside and walk away from the house to see any at all.

If I do decide to do that, I walk out onto the road. From there, on a clear evening, the night really is “a starry dome” (Joni Mitchell) and absolutely spectacular. It’s the kind of view that reminds me how blessed I am, how lucky to be alive.

I wish I could take you with me as I tramp around the house this morning. There is a gentle fire burning in the woodstove downstairs, so the basement is toasty warm while upstairs, here in the livingroom/my office, the air is still and cool. Morning light is radiating into the windows to my left:

10:07 a.m.
I am trying to do a million things. My oldest son Don is home with a cold, so I have been in the kitchen cutting up canteloupe, pear, apple and banana to mix with grapes, mandarin oranges, and yogurt. He loves fruit salad, and what better way to fight off a runny nose?

Loverboy has gone 18 miles to haul home big round bales. It sounds like there will be at least half-a-dozen loads so he will be in and out of the yard throughout the day. He asked if I’d have something ready for him to eat at about 11, even if it was just a pot of potatoes. I’ve pulled a couple packs of Itchiban noodles off a top shelf of the cupboard, and brought a tin of salmon up from the room under the stairs. I’ll make some open-faced grilled sandwiches. It’s nothing fancy but it’ll fill the hole.

I am still in my not-dressed-yet getup -- a grey tank top I wore to bed last night with flannel pyjama bottoms, wool socks, and a cardigan sweater. Saved vegetable water is thawing in a container atop the stove to be put into a batch of bread sometime this morning. There is a bag of 10 or 12 green peppers that we won’t get through before they start to get ugly, so I want to chop, measure, and put them into the deepfreeze today. I want to make a Greek salad for supper, and have to figure out what to do with a couple blade roasts I got out of the deep freeze last night.

Sometime while there is still daylight, I hope to get outside for a walk.

A bowl of fruit salad is sitting here, needing to get eaten. Some editorial work needs to be done, too. I’d best get a move on.