A quiet life

I suppose I should be lonely and I guess sometimes I am a little, like yesterday during the Preakness. Normally I would have gone to the bar formerly known as City Cafe and paid five bucks to get into the silly pool that I never win and cheered the horses with my friends. It wasn't quite the same being alone.

I still enjoyed watching the race though and wasn't it astounding? I had my imaginary money on Closing Argument but Afleet Alex is a hell of a horse. When he went to his knees I thought I was going to watch a tragedy but instead witnessed a near miracle. It would have been nicer to share that with other people.

Nonetheless, with the cyberworld at my fingertips, I don't feel isolated and living in the country again suits me. When I have my coffee in the morning on the screen porch and watch the squirrels eat my strawberries or have a beer there in the evening, listening to the frogs and watching the moon rise, I feel a peace I couldn't find in Northampton at the end.

A lot has to do with the neighborhood. If Noho was a throwback to the 60s for so many years, then I'd have to describe this place as a throwback to the 50s. It's a quiet little neighborhood of mostly older couples in brick houses with tidy yards. Nothing at all like the family's hood which is very contemporary. They probably have rules against the stuff I do here.

I did some handwashing today just I could use my clothesline, which I hadn't done yet. How long has it been since you've had one of those? We always had one when I was a kid and I love hanging clothes outside but I was sorry I scared the bluebirds out of the garden when I went out to do it.

I also had a most satisfying bonfire and managed to finishing cleaning up the whole front yard of the old debris, and the new, that came down in the last storm. I had a huge pile of hot coals and just the elbow of the giant limb that fell last week when I came back inside. I left it smouldering because there's no wind again tonight and it's in a very safe place. I hope to find just a pile of ash in the morning.

I'm such a pyromaniac. I really do love a good fire.