Confessions of a Grandma

Mike left early this morning to go to an antique motorcycle meet in Eustis, FL.  Even though he is no longer in the business, he likes to attend a meet just to catch up with old friends and acquaintances.  I joked about his trip giving me a day off--even though it was of course a day pretty much like any other.  I had coffee and read the paper, did the puzzles, emptied the dishwasher, and mopped the kitchen floor.  Ususally I like to get all the housework done on Friday, but not if Mike is out having fun. So finished the book I was reading, The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue.  From the reviews I read, this is a book one either loves or hates.  I loved it.  It is based on an actual divorce case in 1860's London. Although it is a work of fiction, the stained yellow dress and the question of a woman having sex with a man while the man is not having sex with the woman were actually part of the court records from the time. ...

I am always paring down possessions, trying to simplify, but at the same time acquiring new possessions and hungering after new stuff.  This past year, I made many trips to the Goodwill and Salvation Army donation centers.  Really, I have lost count of the boxes and bags I hauled away.  It's a feeling of lightness that very soon leads to a feeling of "Oh!  That empty space needs to be filled!"  and off I go on a shopping trip. I bought a Himalayan salt lamp mentioned by Patti at the New Sixty on this post .  Eventually, as I meditate next to it, that void I try to fill with stuff will be healed.  That's how I justified that purchase.  That and they are really cool and I wanted one. My vacuum cleaner, the one that was supposed to pick up bowling balls with its powerful suction, but in fact did little more than push cat kibble around the kitchen floor, made its way to the scrap metal bin (even tho' it was mostly plastic as things are these days)...