What's left of last summer's geraniums. They were so much happier when they could live outside.
Allegedly I am "of peasant stock," at least that's what my mother always used to tell us. It was her way of saying, You're strong and hearty. Get out there and change the world! Hmmm ... does everyone have to translate what their parents told them in order to get the underlying message? I know I always had to.
Peasant stock or not, this super cold snap (the high temperature today will be well below freezing) is making me feel like a blue-blooded wimp. How do my blog friends and family who live in the midwest do it? Wow.
Last night I dreamed that my roommate brought all the dogs indoors - not just our dogs; they are of course always inside at night. But we have neighbors who leave their dogs outside for hours, even when it's this cold. I find it heartbreaking and confusing. What are they thinking? What, if anything, should I do about it?
Eventually the dream shifted from the fantasy of protecting all dogs from their stupid owners. What I remember is a scene in which I am eating the most delicious sandwich made with thick slices of sourdough bread.
I don't even like bread, but apparently I'm used to having wheat in my system. Whoa. Detox is a bitch!
23 comments:
wimpy wimpy wimpy and thinking that i'm proud of being wimpy--how smart is it to love 30 below? how smart is it to go out in it?
Mama used to tell a story of neighbors who built a heating system in under their sidewalks in Colorado--in the morning their, clear of snow, sidewalks were covered with all the dogs in their neighborhood and dogs from blocks around.
loved that story and love you
There's a guy in our neighborhood that keeps his German Shepherd out all the time in this cold. Drives me crazy.
My mom always tells my sister and I that we are "of peasant stock" I can't figure out if she is referring to our body type or the fact that we can make a delicious feast out of flour, water and an onion...?
Today is my final day of detox/cleanse. Thank the universe!
"Peasant stock" I love it. My mom says things like "You are so smart but nobody would ever know it". I love this so much because I know her meaning - that I don't put on airs, can fit in with anybody, etc. - but on the surface or to a casual observer it could 'read' as an insult.
I may be a wimp in the cold but I can certainly withstand hot temps that would make our northern neighbors melt.
I don't like the heat, either. I really am a wimp.
Jennacide you are so funny!
Gary - your mother is wise and fabulous as we know from your blog. The apple does not fall far from the tree!! xx
Literally for years after I stopped doing cocaine, I used to dream that I was snorting huge amounts from a soup spoon dipped into a baggy full of coke.
Then I would wake up relieved that it was just a dream. Had similar dreams of smoking gigantic doobies when I quit smoking pot.
But I didn't know I was addicted to bread. I don't miss it in my waking life at least. Weird.
LOL. I addicted to water and air. I can't live without both of them. Hehe.
reya - i've spent a bit of time unpacking and sorting through the real meaning of all those comments, phrases, snarky remarks and uplifting inspirational speeches that my parents gave me and i figure they all boil down to this. please be a good guy, don't embarass us, and become independent of us as soon as possible! it's freaking cold out today and i don't mind it because the sky is absolutely blue. deep blue at the middle of the sky and pale at the fringes. have a peaceful dc day. steven
"peasant stock" sounds like a hearty soup. I dream of eating tubs of my mother's fudge- and breathing under water- I enjoy both and do not have diabetes nor have I drowned. LOVE dreaming!
I would have to call the spca on the owners of dogs left outside- how cruel indeed!
Hi Reya,
You could always come out here for a visit again. It is in the high 70's and the sun is shinning like crazy. I personally would like it to be in the low 60's which I know would be a heat wave for you, but for us that is fairly cold.
And still hard to believe that my tomato plants are still making tomatoes and continue to grow. I keep thinking it will be time to plant new ones in a few months and the olds ones have not passed on. Usually by now they have moved on to plant heaven. This year they are like little robots.
Those are wonderful dreams in that it is showing that you want to protect and care for helpless creatures. Sorry your neighbors are just unthoughtful bastards. They should truly be reported. Isn't it against some law to leave animals out if the temps reach a certain degree. Have you called the Animal Control or the Police Station to check. Just a thought.
I really liked the story about the sidewalk heating system. That was cool of Deborah's Mom.
I hope you are feeling better today. I read something about where oregano is good for what ails ya. So I hope you add some to any soup you make. Take care.
Healing prayers being sent your way.
God bless.
Here in central Texas it was 12 degrees on my patio at 7 AM... and then the electricity conked out before I could get the coffee made... talk about being a wimp! Struggled with getting the garage door open & off to Starbucks for a cuppa joe. Back home (with coffee for the G-man) to build a fire (good thing we have a fireplace & plenty of wood) & finally it's getting warm. Electricity on at 11 AM. Brrr.
Dog & cat are warm, but where is the hummingbird? Hope he & his mate didn't freeze last night. Sigh.
I, too, hope the hummingbird couple found a cozy spot for the night.
Just like you, I would have headed out directly to the cafe before trying to figure out how to handle a freezing morning with no electricity. Oh yeah!! Stay warm Lizzy.
Steven the sky here is clear beautiful blue, too. It's so sparkling!!
Peasant stock soup. Love that!
now that the cold is officially here..i'm cool with it, but adjusting to the seasons kills me...going out for a run today and a walk with Toby...who btw doesn't mind the cold at all...if anything he wants to be outside more now than ever....some of our furry friends deal with it OK...but how many hours are you talking, and how furry are the chillydogs!?
They're tiny dogs - Boston terrier types with hardly any hair at all. It breaks my heart!
Now I've got this image of you sitting Tony Montana style in Scarface, falling face first into a mound of cocaine. I've been having death and invasion dreams, so we can swap. I'll take wheat.
I had the best tiny tomato from Whole Foods today, and the best greenest freshest Boston Lettuce, ditto. They tasted like tomato and lettuce. So much food is...not good.
And I met a Freedom Fighter in Jiffy Lube. What a day.
Cube - Glad you're out and about again, recovered from "It," the virus that must not be named.
That's exactly why I shop at Whole Foods. Real food! Yum.
We brought one geranium inside this winter - we used to "winter" about four, but we don't have room in our house for that now. It's looking kind of puny - but I know from experience that it will be happy again next summer when we put it out again.
My dad always tells me "for such a smart person you sure are stupid." Said with affection - his way of being annoyed at choices I make :) And he's right - I definitely do some things that make me go "wha?"
an anonymous call to the pound or animal police might be in order...in my experiance, talking to the offenders or leaving anononymous letter usually do little or no good, but you might try. Short haired dogs like that are very affected by this cold weather.
The weather has been a shock to many folks this year. I feel for the Southeners who are not used to this cold spell.
In Britain someone who left their dog out in the cold would immediately be reported to the RSPCA. The practice of leaving animals outside all the time just isn't accepted here.
Detox is indeed a bitch. Good luck! And don't worry yourself about the parcel!:)
love the geranium shots - mine are peering out the window at the snow, dreaming spring dreams judging by the angle of their lean...
we had two dogs on our northern Vermont homestead that preferred the outdoors, even at 40 below, but they were massively furry.
my mother was pretty forthright. I don't remember having to figure out much of what she meant. "pretty is as pretty does" is pretty clear ;)
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