the storm before the lull

[gurdonark]

Sometimes I think it is the day before a holiday day which is the real holiday. One gets work done, has meetings, thinks great thoughts, and feels relief, all knowing a day off is just ahead. Even the bliss of the day off work is not equal to the bliss of the day before the day off work. The sound of the tea pot whistle always tastes better than the tea.

We have our third day of rainy weather. Apparently, central and south Texas are in deluge. In north Texas, we're just in pleasant overcast skies. It's as though I fell asleep and awoke in a particularly pleasant San Francisco rainy Spring day, in an El Nino year. Tomorrow is to be warmer again, but I'd rather savor this weather than think about tomorrow.

My favorite "overlooked" lake, Lake Ray Roberts,
was featured in the local newspaper as "the local great overlooked lake". It has great hiking and biking trails, natural woodlands, the zebra longwing butterfly (found essentially in a little strip of Texas and in Florida--I don't know why such a distribution), and a really uncrowded ambience. When I see an article "discovering" it,
I feel at once that warm glow that I was already in the 'know' (I am a bit silly) and the fear that now everyone will know. I'm not sure people read the paper, though--that's my last best hope for peace.

I notice that I read the birthdays section of the newspaper far too often. Who really cares how old celebrities are? I suppose I must, or I wouldn't read it. It's funny, the three reactions--"I thought he died years ago, but he's only 70", "I never realized we were essentially contemporaries--I've been a fan for ages", and
"oh my goodness, I could have been her father!".
Note to self: acquire weighty looking tome to accompany raisin bran.

I started a novel by old Baja hand Harry Crosby.
As near I can from the first fifty pages make out, it's a first person narrative about a February-December relationship, only February is a charming paid companion. Everything is of course bathed in foreign travel and witty, meaningful conversation. Nobody ever stops by the convenience store for a "hit" of beef jerky, or hankers for a quarter pounder with cheese or discusses John Grisham novels.

The "duality" of the love story v. the mercantile transaction seems to be the theme. Some days I wake up and wonder if life is too short for reading silly novels. It's engagingly written, but I have to wonder if another book, say Scorpions of Baja, might not have been a more profitable pursuit. I'll finish it, though, I suppose.

I need to put batteries back in that shortwave radio, whose batteries I "robbed" for some other appliance. Then maybe I can go to Copenhagen
or Lisbon...in my mind. But I'll refrain from mercantile transactions, if I can.

Comments

[cathla143.livejournal.com]

What's the title of the book you're reading?

There's nothing wrong with "silly" novels... Sometimes mindless reading is good for the soul; it can take your mind off *stuff* and doesn't take too much concentration... I think I need something along those lines right about now.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Paloma, by Harry Crosby.

The author says he was trying to figure out a realistic way for a 68 year old man to romance a 24 year old woman. His solution? well, therein lies the tale....but it is a good read....I think it's available on amazon.com

[cathla143.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

Enjoy your holiday!!! (and the rest of the day before)

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I didn't even think...would you like me to send it to you once I finish it? It's definitely not a permanent addition to my library.....have a nice 4th.

how nice!

[cathla143.livejournal.com]

If you'd like to send it, that'd be wonderful... Is it a paperback? I wouldn't want you to spend a lot on postage...

Should I email you with my snail mail address?

Re: how nice!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's paperback, so it will cost nearly nothing
by media mail. When you're finished, perhaps you can send it by media mail on to voodoukween.
Then we'll have a land mail art object comprised of one unaltered book :)

It's no problem at all. E mail me a snail address, and I'll send it out next week as soon as I've finished it.

[marstokyo.livejournal.com]

Too bad it's not a 68 year old woman romancing a 24 year old man--but I guess that would fall into the Science Fiction category. :-(
I'd still read it, though.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Here, I must say that Crosby's solution would probably cross genders...if one paid for a 24 year old man to travel with, one could undoubtedly find one.

another note

[marstokyo.livejournal.com]

I ALWAYS read the birthdays section too! I usually play a game with Jon-- guess how old so and so is? Too frequently though, he's so damned close that there's no *punch* when I tell him how old. I also like to contest that a lot of these folks are lying about their age because I can remember when I was 20-- they were the same age as me-- now suddenly they're 6 years younger!

Re: another note

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I see so many folks who shave time off their age, it seems to me....and too many folks I think have died already....

Re: another note

[marstokyo.livejournal.com]

Yes, there are definitely A LOT of them that come back from the dead!

Re: another note

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

those are much more comforting than the people who died a decade ago and I didn't realize...writers, especially, who do not have PR, are slipping away on me all too often....I read something nice by Laurie Colwin last year...turned out last month she's been dead for most of a decade...and I was looking forward to something new.

Re: another note

[kenmora.livejournal.com]

Or how about the memorial part of the Academy Awards. There's always the celebrity I thought already died, the one I hadn't heard of dying - or maybe I did and forgot, and the celebrity I never thought to think of until now, and how I remember a great scene they were in, or a string of movie characters for which they became the archetype, only I never knew their name until now.

Re: another note

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Yes. It's so sad that I only learn some character actors who are geniuses by name when I see those Oscar clips.

I wish the Emmys did the same as religiously.

[voodoukween.livejournal.com]

i like the remembrances on what used to be my favorite Tv show "CBS Sunday Morning" with Charles can't recall how to spell his name suddenly guess that's because he's dead, too, but on the first show in January they would depict the inventions, fascinations and images of more than just celebrities but people of import to our life and the quality of it.

i used to like that show when they only showed Good News

now, they show the dark and tramautic just like everyone else so i don't wathc it religiously if at all

now i want to read that book "Paloma", wanna trade? i can send you "The Blue Diary" or perhaps Steve Martin's "Shop Girl" which i love and want back maybe

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Great! I'd offered it to cathla143, and she's going to read it and mail it on to you. Do you mind if I give your addy to her, or would you rather it come back to me and then mailed to you?

As for exchange, I'd like a baseball cap from the
Quail Botanical Gardens :), or one of the books you suggest!

[voodoukween.livejournal.com]

sure, you can give her my addy, save on postage

hey! i used to have a membership to the Quail Botanical Gardens! it's about two blocks from where my brother Kenneth lives in Leucadia. i used to take my niece Alex there from the time she was about 4 months old and wander quietly through the trails, she loved the waterfalls and ponds the most and me the giant bamboo forest.

my brother still goes by their annual plant sale and one christmas season i took alex to see the big clydesdale pulling the sleigh and Santa Claus and the roasting of marshmallows over open fires listening to carolers

there was a guinea hen named Pete that showed up one day and he would walk around and talk to everyone like he owned the place, then he just disappeared one day

i will see what they have in the way of baseball caps as i'll go right by there on Friday and send you "Shop Girl" next week. i really liked it

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Cool! But if it's any real expense, let me know so I can reimburse.

Re:

[voodoukween.livejournal.com]

ohhhh i will let you know *wink*

Re:

[voodoukween.livejournal.com]

p.s. is there a limit to what you will pay for the hat....i imagine it will be $20 or $25, that's kinda the range here

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

yes, somewhere in that range would be upper limit.
Sometimes I forget that the dollar works differently in CA than it does in TX.

Re:

[voodoukween.livejournal.com]

it's quite anorexic here in comparison

[voodoukween.livejournal.com]

re: Quail Botanical Gardens ....do you care at all what color the cap might be? i cannot imagine there's a large selection. i'm envisioning a pale khaki......but who knows?

i will go there when they open tomorrow and let you know later what i may have found

anything else while i'm there?

for your wife?

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I assume it's a limited range of between one colors and none, so khaki or whatever is fine. thanks for asking whether my wife wants one, but she assures me she feels like she has too many things already.

If this is an imposition, though, I hate to impose upon you.

Re:

[voodoukween.livejournal.com]

no imposition, i'm looking forward to going there this morning before showing up to be auntie lynn to little Alex and Ian

it will be some peace and quiet

and i love to shop with other people's money

heh heee hehe

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Cool. You know, my favorite baseball cap is one from Huntington Gardens in San Marino. As I also loved Quail, I think it will be fun to have one from there, if they have them.