Monday, Monday (ramblings)

Monday used to be my favorite day, back before my kids got old enough to get themselves off to school at ages nine and eleven or thereabouts, so I could get a job again.  Yes, they were pretty young to trust on their own.  I've been told we could have gotten in trouble for leaving two kids that age alone, but they lived through it, and nobody reported me.  We lived on the same property where we are now, in the old house.  There were friendly neighbors all around us.

Cliff worked days back then at the butcher shop, so after a busy weekend I loved the sound of silence after he and the kids were all out of the house.  The sound of the TV wasn't heard until evening.  It was great.

Now it's just me, Cliff, the dog and the cat.  The TV is off all day until an appropriate time in the evening for us to be entertained by whatever streaming app is showing our favorite programs, although Cliff likes to check the weather at 7 A.M. and noon on channel 4.  But once he's seen the weather, he turns it off.  I prefer to look at the weather on the computer, because I still enjoy quiet and I don't have to listen to five minutes of commercials before I know the forecast.  I still love the quiet times. 

Lately my knees have decided to let me down.  If the pain is here to stay, I won't be walking in the woods any more.  Perhaps when I'm not working in the garden so much, I'll be able to go on walks again.  I can still ride the recumbent bike, it's just not the same as being out in nature.  Also, it seems I'm always tired.  My age has finally caught up with me, I suppose.  I was never a real go-getter as far as getting things done, but now I really have to push myself.

I'm not complaining, although I know it looks as though I am; it's just my time to slow down.  I've had so many wonderful years when I could do anything I wanted.  I haven't lost my joy, I promise you.  I always feel Jesus nearby, more so than at any other time in my life.  I'm not preaching here.  I'm just being honest.  I have internet friends who are atheists:  Most of them are nice folks, although there are a couple who like to make fun of Christians, especially around Easter; it makes me feel badly, but I just unfollow them and go on my way.  I wouldn't think of making fun of anyone's religion on social media, if they aren't bothering anybody with it.  

We read a lot.  Cliff has trouble finding books he enjoys, his favorites being true stories.  He's read about all the founding fathers of our country and about every war the Americans were involved in.  Anyway, when he finished his last book, he asked me, as usual, to find him another.  For some reason, I couldn't find any appropriate non-fiction book, so I gave him a thriller/mystery author he's never read.  He enjoys a good who-done-it once in awhile, so I dug up William Kent Krueger; I think I've only read one of his books myself, but he is enjoying the one I chose for him.

As I write this, my husband has had his breakfast and is asleep in his recliner.  I may be the first one to ride the bike today.  There is another frost predicted for tonight, so I'll be going out this evening and covering my two early potato rows (most of the potatoes are up) and the four tomato plants I bought last week.  It looks like it's going to be a lovely day with temperatures in the low 60's.  We got an inch of rain Saturday night, and everybody is finding morel mushrooms around here.  The grandson gave us a good "mess" yesterday.  I'm letting Cliff have them; the fun of morels is in looking for for them more than eating them, and I haven't been able hunt for them in years.  I'll dunk them in beaten eggs, then roll them in flour and cracker crumbs mixed, so they'll be crispy.  Cliff has a strange way of eating them, in my estimation:  he puts them on bread for a sandwich and smothers them in ketchup.  Go figure!

Alrighty!  I'm going to brush my teeth and get on the bike.  Enjoy your day.  Here's a song from the year I got married.