Piddlin' Around

The garbageman's truck awakens me as it grinds past the house. I rise and greet my day with a grin; Richard Nunn gives me his cheeky weather updates as I walk on my treadmill for my self-imposed mile. I sip my morning cold carbonated caffeine and savor a fresh grapefruit. As I rinse my dishes, the phone chimes. (Do phones really "ring" anymore?) 22 minutes later, I am all caught up on the news from my book club and have a lunch date for later in the week. I head back to the sink to put the dishes in the dishwasher, when the doorbell calls me. It's my UPS man, I trade  him my package for a glass of iced tea and we both go merrily on our ways. The dishes finally in the washer, I pop open the garage door and put the load of clothes I washed last night into the dryer, which vents into the garage. (That's another story.) The mangy, flea-ridden dog from next door is out AGAIN and has crapped on my driveway, so the hose and I clean it up as well as spray him to get him back in his own yard. John, the mailman and former student, honks and drives into the yard since I am out, hands me the mail - no chat today as he's running late.

Back in the house I open the mail while finishing my Diet Coke. A letter from Mom (who must be the only woman left on Earth who still puts pen to paper as a method of major correspondence.) prompts me to flop into my comfy chair in the Florida room and listen to birds while I read. I get ready to call her but then remember she's teaching her journal class right now, so later. The dryer rings, I fold and put away. Treze shows up, announcing Bill has asked her "Will you run an errand for me in St. Augustine?" Do I want to keep her company? Bill should know better! We take our time, lunch at Monk's Tavern, wander a bit and meander home hours later, mostly prompted by three increasingly irked phone calls from Bill wondering "What the Hell are you two doing? It was a simple errand!" 

I catch up on computer-communications as the rain splashes down. (I wish it would stay for a while; we are so fire-hazardy as we're 7 inches below normal rainfall over two years.) I have fun e-chatting with a former student who works at the Pentagon and just had a great conversation with an admiral about Howard Roark and Ayn Rand's novels. She wanted me know that 26 years later, she is still enthralled with Rand's concept of "second-handers" which is what prompted the conversation she had; she had made a reference to the idea and he had asked for more details. 

Talked to Mom before she went to wine and cheese, she sounds fabulous - lively and enthusiastic as always. Lord, I love that woman. Made myself a new chicken/mushroom/onion dish for dinner. Took longer than I thought to cook, but I have discovered my wok is temperamental. As I was putting stuff in dishwasher, Joe called to chat and ended with did I want to see the new Imax movie coming out this Friday and afterward try the new freshwater fish restaurant at World Golf Village. 

I curl up on couch with my latest knitting project (a lap rug for Pierson), turn on the tv and am elated - back to back Leverage re-runs. No matter that I own the dvd set and have seen them all, this shows delights me. I finish my knitting section, channel surf for a bit. Nada. I write in my journal. I head for bed.

Nothing extra-ordinary happened today. I had a good time, though I accomplished nothing huge. I piddled around and loved it.