Saturday, March 15, 2008

I've got you, under my skin

And a very happy Saturday to you all. Why on earth am I awake? I would love to be the kind that can sleep my troubles away, but even when I have no troubles, there is little sleep. The truth is, I have always found sleeping to be a wasteful and time consuming habit. I have always had too much to do, too little time. I have often thought that if I could only clone myself, one of me could sleep while the other was accomplishing things that need accomplishing. (Yes, I know how stupid that sounds.) Now, when I really would have the time to sleep, I find that there are too many unanswered questions rolling around up there, and it's much easier to get up and get busy with something than listen to all of that happening in my head.

The computer issues have been handled here, thanks to my oh-so-talented and oh-so-smart daughter. We are now a house of two desktops, and one laptop that goes along with said daughter, and damned if they aren't all connected to the Internet at the same time! (Thank you Al Gore, for this glorious invention...and while I've got you on the line Mr Gore, let's chat about this global warming thing, shall we?) Oh sorry, I got a little distracted there. But anyway, we are all hooked up, and I am certain this will make life easier for both Mark and I, looking for work has apparently become an Internet activity, gone are the days of knocking on doors and looking employers in the eye. That's a sad reality, and one I still struggle with-I am good at selling myself for employment if I get the opportunity to meet someone, letting a piece of paper do the talking is rough for me. I am currently looking for something rather half-heartedly, as right now, I have no idea what to look for or where to look for it. Mark's job will be the one that will support us, mine will be the one that will supplement what he does. I still have the Ice Cream Store to consider and I don't know how any of it will fit together. Ah...see why I can't sleep?

The weather has been really nice - in the fifties at least, and I have yet to get out and enjoy it. Today, I am going to get on my bike. Period. Unless of course, it snows, and I have heard some rumbling about that from the weather guys, although it couldn't be too much a problem - the ground is too warm. I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to spring, and it will be late arriving this year, there are still snow piles in some places. Everything is so wet, the spring rains will surely cause problems. You gotta love Iowa...

My house is slowly shaping up, although I still have so much to do. I am going to take down the curtains in the bedrooms and kitchen and get them washed in the next couple of days, and that is a big job. It has been way too long. My living/dining area/office is one giant-huge-enormous room, and each end is nearly floor to ceiling windows, which means I have floor to ceiling draperies on the ends, and a couple of windows along one side with the same. These are ten foot ceilings, so you know the weight and bulk I am talking about in these drapes. I have never been a drapery fan, but in this house, the look really does work, and frankly, I have no idea what else I would do there. The drapes need cleaned in the worst way, and I am stumped how to go about it. We live in a tiny, tiny town, a couple of hours from any metro area, and having a professional cleaner in to do the job is like no-chance-in-hell. We have vacuumed and spot-cleaned them many times, but they really need the whole deal this time. I don't think Mark and I could ever get them all down, and put back up with any kind of success, we are talking about miles of heavy fabric here, and I don't even want to think about the cost of such an endeavor. Since we will be selling this house this spring, I have got to figure something out.

Yesterday, I had the most wonderful moment, and it brought up a feeling that I haven't felt in many, many years. My house was quiet, Mark was at the computer typing away, the windows were open, the birds were singing, and I was sitting on the couch with my eyes closed...there was no sound other than the keys on the keyboard tapping away, and the birds. My mind was temporarily quiet, the room was peaceful, and smelled like early Spring; it was heaven. Then the phone rang, and two of my kids arrived, but for a minute there, it was wonderful.

Wishing you all a moment of peace today. I'm out.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad that things are settling down a bit...thank god for kids eh? They manage to sort out all those cable things... ha ha... and it has a lot to with the weather..it is DEFINITELY spring-ish here too...made me feel a lot better...hope you're feeling it too!

CRUSTY MOM-E said...

This post isn't boring, it was filled with Spring cleaning thoughts, and imagine how amazing you'll feel when it's completed!
I'm off, but have yourself a great day. WHy can't it be as nice today as it was yesterday...oh the art of Spring..
Always,
Elizabeth

Mary said...

Computers are like cars in my book. Meant to be useful and used. They either work or they don't. There's no in between.

Jamie I'm praying that in the near future you have many, many returns to that moment of peace. You're long overdue.

Golden To Silver Val said...

Jamie, have you thought of checking out your local town hall to see if they need any help...maybe the Clerk's office or Treasurer's Office..sounds like you are knowledgeable along those lines. They don't always advertise in papers...sometimes they just post it within the building itself. This is just a thought that came to me...and sometimes that's how good things happen...so just passin' it on.
Have a wonderful weekend. Its 41 here but snow still covers 95% of the ground. I'm sure that if this keeps up, we will see grass again in a couple days.
Today is my birthday so I'm hoping to pig out on some CAKE while I'm humming that old Beatles song.."will you still love me when I'm 64!"

Cheryl said...

I'm having that kind of moment now. Sunshine and chimes on a windy day. I put those times in my pocket for times when I'm, oh, hurt by my daughter's words.

I wish I had advice for your curtains. Do they really need to be cleaned? Will they stay with the house? Will they be a deal-breaker? It seems like such a great effort to clean them.

Happy Sunday!

desert dirt diva said...

Gosh i love moments like that.. and they are to be treasured for sure.. but then i also think.. with my crew when they are grown and gone i will miss the noise and constant of kids... hopefully when they grow up.. and of cousre have good jobs ect.. they will have lots of kids so i will always have those treasured moments.. then send them home and have those peaceful moments you speak of.. hm maybe i should move to the country first.. just to get the great sounds of the birds...

Portia said...

i hear ya on the drapes. one of my favorite parts of my house is the huge windows, but lately i've been looking at the huge curtains covering them and wondering what the heck i do with them now that they're dirty. i think they would fit in my washer 1 at a time, but then they'd wrinkle and there's no way i'm ironing them! i'll try the vacuum, thanks:)

Rebecca said...

Gotta love mud season...begins in March, ends in May. And you know, with the job situation what it is, Spring cleaning can be awfully damned cathartic.

Glad you had a moment of bliss. They are to be savored!