{Close to Home} Slowly But Surely

Coffee seems to find its way into so many of my posts, and pictures. It occurs to me that it plays a significant part in my day. Today it was a central figure. I'm not sure why (maybe a late game of cards last night?), but this morning I could not get moving. And when I did it was not with great speed.

The house I grew up in has a fabulous back porch. We spend much of our time back there, eating and lounging, swinging and rocking, talking and sipping, snoozing and dozing, playing and laughing... it is by far the most used room in the house. 

So the narrow, tiled patio hemmed in by wrought iron fencing that overlooks the apartment building behind us has to stand in as a distant second. But stand in it does. I like to sit out there, especially as the air grows cooler, and listen to the sounds of the neighborhood. It's where we hang our clothes to dry, where we indulge in small bits of gardening, where the kids play slip n' slide on a hot summer day, where I inhale strong blends of Uruguayan beans and click away at this project that seems never ending.

So often in those hours before noon, when it's just my little Scout and I bringing the house back to order or running about town doing our shopping, I stop for awhile just to sit and do something calming on the floor. Sometimes it's folding laundry, or knitting a few rows, but whenever I do this I notice the calmness seems to seep its way into little energetic bones too. She rests on my lap, or lays across my legs; she'll squat down and peer through the porch railing and watch the birds or a worker, or point our airplanes in the sky.

 And yet, if I did something equally still, say sit in front of the computer, her reaction is far from calm. Begging to go outside, or crying for a snack, or climbing over my back, she never seems to enjoy my activity on this slick flat screen, and I don't blame her. It's a striking observation to see her making value judgments on my activities. Whether or not she is right is something I'm not sure of, but I doubt she is far from the truth, which is why on mornings like this one, choosing the tiles and wrought iron view seems best.

And then of course we have to get out there and play.

And watch more airplanes fly by.