Chronicles Continued

began an article” the last 5 days have been full of exciting new challenges and beautiful views”.  i thought it was about me, until i read further and it is a local climber – sort of –  describing his ascent of Everest.  So back to my life:

After the car repair, as I was more than half way to the Big-local city, decided to go.   Wanted to see if TJ Maxx had boxes of drawer liners. I have had two boxes for 8 years, two moves, and having just used them up, need more. One of those hit-or-miss items.  Had asked another female customer who popped in, did have an appointment, and was expected, if there was such a store, further north.   She said there was.  Drive there, park half way across the lot and inside find one box. I was as surprised as the clerk I asked, if they had more. This one I found in a random section of the store. No, she said, that was the only one, but she too had expected they would get more. It was a mother’s day-sort-of-item but alas, they had only received that one box. So I bought it, and two rolls of reversible wrapping paper. Figured that would work. [It did. – it’s heavier than normal wrapping paper and the back side is a check].  Box purchased and walked the half mile back to my car – it did take me a while to find it.   As I was driving away from the mega shopping mall,  I saw a big box store that I knew would have plants. Plants! Garden! Dirt under the nails! Unplanned,  I headed straight for it. In the eight years since I last gardened,  the cost of the materials has increased. I was astounded at the price for 4 inch pot of geraniums. But sticker shock aside, it was like being in heaven. However, immediately I desperately missed Bob. my dearest friend and gardener.  Bob, who knew definitively what went with what and what was new, what was tried and true and what would bring years of delight and and.  But Bob is no longer and it made me sad.   Sad that it was three moves ago, we had last gardened,.  But oh what he taught me.   What I have learned, gathered, witnessed from his bountiful knowledge and love of plants. My thoughts were lost in his world while I loaded my cart. I had a double window box to fill, a couple of planters and could not resist the citronella geranium.

The prices kept me from letting it get out of hand.   I was now an hour from home….

50 minutes later, as I am driving onto the short lane to the house, I see the porch light. The porch light is on. On means I have electricity. It is Wednesday afternoon and I have power. I unload the car, plant the window box, and come inside. One learns to appreciate the small tokens of greatness in life, quickly. Electric means I can run the vacuum, make a cup of something warm, turn on the refrigerator, bake bread, have water flowing in the pipes because the electric pump is working. I finish lining the draws for which I bought the paper, finish the other small jobs and vacuum. As the evening comes I call it a day, and decide to stay downstairs. That was a restless night. All night the air in the water pipes swished and gurgled to their heart’s content.  I fell asleep to the sounds of the sea

The electric returned, made the audition tape, but could not send it via email. Late as it was, asked if i could upload it to Vimeo.  That was acceptable. According to Vimeo, my upload from where I am living, for a 2 minute video would take seven hours.  That’s right.  7 hours.  I believed it after 18% loaded in 80 minutes.  So i cancelled the upload.  This morning headed into ‘town’ to the coffee shop.  Asked if they minded, if over a cup of tea, I used their wifi.  No problem.  In 5 minutes it was up and running.  And then I remembered the popovers they sell…. The owner and I discussed all sorts of great ideas for food, destinations and schemes.  My new ‘hangout’

When the electricity came back on, albeit briefly, I fired off a note to the CD of the film for which I had been asked to tape an audition and explained that not only had I moved out of the City, but that the place to where I had moved had the next day lost all power phone and electric.  That I had a tape, but the tape was too big for email and could I post it to Vimeo.  They said yes!~  So this afternoon, I began the uploading.  it will take seven!  yes seven hours.  After 18% upload after more than an hour, I aborted it and will head into town to ‘another automotive service with whom I have a relationship and ask to use their wifi.  This life style is a riot!

Drop in the forest, one match, or a cigarette and a fierce forest fire ensues.  In my fireplace with dried, seasoned wood, it takes a box of kitchen matches and the Sunday edition of the NYT to get a fire started.  I don’t get it.

Where did I leave off…if I miss a day, a world of events happens and I don’t know if I can catch up.   I’ll go back to the moment of sitting in the warm waiting room of the automotive repair place.  I am enjoying the heat, the resident puppy  access to emails and my second cup of tea  [ brought with me tea bags, milk in a lidded jar; Scott, the owner provided hot water]  when the front door opens and a woman blows in. She is ‘around my age’ and she blows in, not because she is late for an appointment but rather,  in a tizzy.  She has pulled up to the shop, in her car that just started making funny noises.  She has another 20 miles to go and has already driven – I realize later 35 miles.  She is scared and overwrought.

She immediately starts talking:  doesn’t know what is wrong, pulled off the road, doesn’t recognize the sounds. Oh dear, what a day.  On and on.  While she is diatribe-ing, I have noticed what a terrific head of salt and pepper hair she has and the attractive a cute pale pink tunic sweater and pink jeans she has on; don’t remember the shoes.  Find it all very urban.  She continues to lament her situation, when Scott appears.   She tells him again what she has told me, that she heard a lot of noise and in looking for a place to pull off, came to this exit – didn’t even know the name – it’s Damacus – and voila! a garage.

Scott takes her keys asks her to remain where she is and leaves.  She sits down.   Learning the craft of acting creates a good listener, and listen I did. She has stories: personal, professional, and when she made it to telling me the little town she lives in, south of mine I exclaimed how much I love it. [I stop there to buy gas. It is the last Mobile on my way west and I need Mobile Exxon for my Plenti points].

Her stories are intriguing, colorful and by the time Scott reappears to tell her that her car is one foot from the engine seizing up, we have exchanged cards, names, addresses and promise to see each other again   She was born and raised Brooklyn, but moved Upstate 15 years ago.  In her despair she asks Scott for a cup of coffee.. That he makes for her, but when she asks him for milk, he has none. So I offer my TJ”S  goat milk, which she is delighted to have. As she makes cheese, mozzarella and other varietals, suddenly, she thinks the idea of using goat milk would be novel. She said she would have a City friend bring her some from TJ’s next time they visit.

And so the world got a little smaller and a little friendlier for each of us. She called for her daughter-in-law to come and get her, [she was on her way there originally] and as she waited, drank her coffee with milk she shared more of her life. I asked a few questions, but she didn’t need a prompt. It just spilled out.

So next time I’m heading south,  I’ll give her a call and we’ll meet for coffee….

Here I am in the beautiful Catskills.  The move was like greased lightning, as smooth as butter in other words, there were no hitches.  One would think it a no-brainer moving from a 1 bedroom City apartment to a house.  A house with terrific furniture, bedrooms and bath rooms and closets and a basement.  I had only 4 chairs, a desk, table and chest.  [and shoes!  They killed Imelda – I’m on notice]  This place is luxury.  Returned by car from the City to take up residence on Sunday night.

Monday!  The house was temperate inside, but outside, it felt like a steam bath.  Noted it, but didn’t really give it much thought.

Then the storm blew in.  Lightening. Really close-by lightning.  Rain. Wind. But I have lived in the country before.  The lights flickered, but stayed on.  They flickered a few more times until: They Went Out.  Out.  Like done.  Schools are cancelled, nothing works, except those homes with generators. Luckily I had unearthed candles and a flashlight earlier.  My first candle light ‘dinner’ in my new digs.

At this moment I am sitting in the waiting room of an automotive repair service where I had a repair scheduled for some time.  I brought milk and tea bags for my first cup of tea in two days. May be my last for another two.  The ground has been very wet, and the ferocity of the storm, blew the trees over, taking the power and telephone lines with them.  The only thing that works is a cellphone but of course it has to be charged.  And charge it does on those long distance drives.  Have used a coin-operated laundry in a village ten miles away – which is situated ironically across from a bank.  [A quarter gets you 6 minutes of dryer time and it takes 14 of them to make up a wash load].  Last night drove 50+ miles each way to attend a showing of Requiem for the American Dream.  I am really appreciating warm venues where drinks and warm bites are served.  And the stunning scenery. I can not exclaim enough about what the natural world looks like here.  Paradise to be sure.

Today; eventually I must return to the non-burning home fires. But a big fireplace I do have and wood, so yes, a fire today is in order.  Just thinking about it, will try to cook an egg.

Yesterday, two of my unknown-to-me  neighbors stopped by to introduce themselves , because I was outside drying some of the bedding I had washed in the-10-mile-away- town.  So every thing has its positive point.

All in All I’m delighted to be here.  I will park my car at the far end of the store lots to get in exercise walking to the store.  And those many trips up and down the house stairs are exercise too.

A side note: was asked to submit an audition by tape for a great role filming in June, but have no wi-fi to send it.  Have asked them to extend it until I have some power. Hope they will.

Purchased some gardening tools yesterday, am eyeing the landscape, wondering how to eliminate some of the ‘lawn’.  Who needs that much grass.

So there you have it.

Thank you for reading along on this journey.  It has been a joy to Chronicle this City.

A warm day in April and she is wearing a ski jacket with the tow ticket still attached.  This isn’t Colorado, this is 42nd Street, the City.

What is the story behind a wheelchair standing all by itself on the street.  Did a miracle happen, and someone walked away?  There are other less pleasant scenarios that come to mind.