Soothing an irritation

     For the past month the phone has worked only spasmodically.  The phone guys were here 5 or 6 times, all nice guys but our wiring was old and funky.  I was very irritated.  In fact, that hardly seems a strong enough word though it wasn't
a crises, really.  I guess I just hate to miss a call.  Now I'm not a person who displays anger and irritation very well.  I found it very tempting to eat.  Food has always been my great panacea for emotion. Biscuits mostly, tempted me.  In fact several times I planned to make biscuits for breakfast and only squeaked by with tiny toast instead.  I could hardly think of anything to sooth myself.  Eventually I fell to organizing my clothes.  They are all hung in matching sets, color coordinated in my closet.  I did a lot of laundry while I was doing that.  Then I undertook to re-read all my Victoria Magazines, which I love devotedly.  I have 46 and now they are all catalogued and Bill is ordering the ones I don't have.  All except the first one, which seems to be going for $125.  I have some early ones though and could sell them on E-bay if I could bear to part with them.  When I explained to a daughter about all this she said "OCD as a calmer of emotions"?  But of course that's exactly right!  At least order is a desirable effect, in this case!

     While I was rearranging magazines, I got out some other of my favorites and among them was a volume of poetry written by another daughter and given to me as a present.  This is a treasured gift! 


 Here is one of my favorites:

Little Deaths

The trails of moths in velvet cloaks

Grow scarce in October's funeral rain;

The frost that fringes the shawls of oaks

Will hem my Mother's windowpane.

For little deaths she will not grieve,

But occupies these last warm hours

Simply;  pulls her heart from her sleeve

Look:  her arms, full of flowers!

 Elizabeth Heichelbech

     Eliyah went with us to Spring Mill Park last week and we had a grand time.  We cooked Southwestern on the grill and he doused his with hot sauce.  I didn't use the ice chest as I thought it wouldn't fit in his Mother's car.  Instead I used an insulated bag that came from Kroger years ago.  Despite being full of holes, it did the job but I thought I would buy some new ones when we went to the store.  However, I came in $2 over budget as it was and declined to spend any more.  Rather I came home and found that I could mend the two bags. Even the one with the broken zipper allowed itself to be pieced together.  Bill went through the house singing "Mighty Ana with her needle, here she comes to save the day"!

I'm afraid all our menus are very monotonous these days, although the shish-ke-babs with pineapple, onions, green peppers, mushrooms and chicken chunks went over big last night.   I am continuing to spend about $70 a week on this low carb diet and we are not hungry and I have my old energy back, for which I am very grateful.