Tuesday, March 22, 2011

recovery



i've been down sick with a terrible cold for a week and a half. i caught it from the grandkids who seemed to spring back much more quickly than me. being under the weather has allowed me time to ponder a few things about life -- not just my life in particular but life in general.

sunshine improves everything! my coffee tastes better while sitting in a spot of sun. the need-to-do list seems shorter and the desire to do anything at all is stronger when the sun is streaming in my windows!

perhaps forcing a cat to be an indoor cat is not a good idea. i decided that i wanted to shelter willow and keep her inside all the time. since spring has sprung, she has been plaintively meowing at the doors and windows. yesterday i broke down and let her come out on the porch with me while i read in the sun. even though she wandered off the porch to explore the bushes in the neighbor's yard, she never wandered far and ran right back to me when i called or if a loud noise scared her.  we will continue our short supervised forays into nature as i know how special outdoor time can be.

my camera is at the center of my recovery. during cough-free moments i've traveled out into the neighborhood with my camera. seeing the world thru a lens focuses all my energy away from me and my miserable cold. it lets me transcend the physical world and enter a magical world of make-believe. that dead leaf is really a magic carpet dancing in the wind. the feisty squirrel in the tree is telling me to please go spy on someone else. each photo i capture tells its own unique fairy tale of mystery and lore.

 i'm off to my mom's to hang my sheets and blankets on the clothesline, a task i really, really love to do!

"we should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry.   -- e.b. white --
  


4 comments:

RNSANE said...

We have been deluged with rain in northern California...have even had a couple of small tornadoes which is almost unheard of in this area...and a waterspout was seen at Ocean Beach....such bizarre weather...but, of course, how can we complain with a snowless winter!!

I do remember the long ago smell of sheets, dried in the snow. Blissful.

Glad you're feeling better.

Tracy Nuskey Dodson said...

Hi Julie. i hope you're feeling much better!
I agree, growing up we had indoor cats but when we moved to a house that was sort of out of the way, we let them out. They absolutely LOVED it. So I am torn between having my own cats live a safe life indoors or living a happy natural life outside.

tracy

chiccoreal said...

Dear Julie: The weather here in Canada is still cold and gray! I only got to see the Supermoon on the second day! So it was pretty Super! Anyway, wishing you are feeling much better soon! Love your art; pure whimsy!

Christine said...

lovely quote, words to live by! Hope you feel better soon, bummer.