Rounding out my year of dwelling in the Athens of the North, as Edinburgh was called during the Enlightenment, I have experienced the shortest night of my memory. Around eleven o'clock last night, I closed the curtains to a sky streaked with the dark blue of a finally setting sun. I fully intended to drop off to sleep immediately after, but as I usually do, found myself still putting around after two in the morning. Between the curtains, which I had not closed as well as I should have, I noticed something unusual. There was unnaturally natural light streaming through. I opened them wide only to find the sky streaked with the same blue they had been filled with but three hours before. Had there been any night at all? If so, I had closed my curtains to it, only to find morning rising just as sleep found me - morning in the middle of the night. Long live Scotland.
Dear Nathaniel, I am microwaving pie that Mom bought up in Oak Glen this week on her way home from the orthodontist. As I put it in the microwave, I was full of sadness that I was not in Oak Glen with her. Why did I not go? I was working. I want to see the trees turn. I want to wander slowly through autumnal gift shops. Under the water, you cannot sense the approach of the seasons. Even here it is difficult because, after all, it's California. But I can still sense it. After three seasons in Illinois and one in Scotland, it must be with me for good. Or at least for a while. Because I am all abuzz with eagerness for fall and winter, for turkeys and dried leaves and Santa. I should start cooking again this fall. Fall foods are my favorite. Baked squash dripping with melted butter and brown sugar, pumpkin soup... this year, if I have enough money, I will put together a holiday dinner for my friends. And we will drink Scandinavian mulled wine, which is the most wonderful thing I have e
Wow! That's so cool!!!
ReplyDeleteI remember when I went to Canada a few summers ago - it didn't get dark until quite late. But I was sleeping when the sun came up and don't think the night was quite as short there as it was last night for you in Athens of the North.
Oh, and I have News, so if you're around on Wednesday, pop onto gmail and let's chat!!
Why is it that whenever you say anything about unspecified 'news', or if you mention a headache or feeling tired, my first thought is always 'preggers!!' - when of course that is just presumptuous. :)
ReplyDeletemy goodness. no, it is not PREGNANCY!!! if you want to be an aunt so badly, talk to your brother or other sister. sheesh. i'm not the ONLY one who can bear children in our family!!! :-P
ReplyDeletelove you!
yes, but since you have a JOB now, that makes you the most stable member of the family. :) and parents should be stable people. at least, they should have some kind of stability... vocational, mental, all of the above...
ReplyDeleteRight. Ok. Whatever. :-P
ReplyDelete