Movin' Right Along

Life moves along. Some days go by slowly. Others are a blur. Such is the progress of a week. Or a month. Or a year. Or, so I've been told, a lifetime.

Some nights I crawl into bed so weary I cannot bear to think of another day. Other evenings I lay sleepless for hours, my mind alert to every psychic or physical whisper.

Life progresses. It is truly a rollercoaster: long, grinding upward motion. Then, a period with nothing but thrills. My daughter Sabrina might draw it best as the looping strand of curly hair in her latest rock-star drawing. Or perhaps Jack could do it justice as a track for the Line Rider.

All this sounds like a great set-up for a deep metaphysical discussion. And boy, I sure would like to go there. But I have worked hard today and frankly, the idea bores me. I would rather thumb through my three new books (Anne Lamott's newest "Grace (Eventually)", "The Painted Veil" by W. Somerset Maugham, and Maureen Corrigan's "Leave Me Alone, I'M READING.")

Having just returned yesterday afternoon from two weeks in Seattle , our house was a bit "dry" this evening, so Bruce enticed me to make the sojourn to Value Liquor on the Old Seward Highway by the enticement of two new books along the way.

The reason I ended up getting three was because Borders was having an "educators sale"; 25% off the total purchase for "educators." With suspicious eagerness, the cashier accepted my reluctant explanation that I only "volunteer teach", and I got the discount! Happy day! A bit of corporate grace - unmerited favor dispensed from the boardroom! I took to heart Pastor Jeff's exhortation from this morning's church service about the important of receiving grace. In this case, I was MORE than willing to receive it. Besides, three is my favorite number.

Later, at Value Liquor, I purchased the typical alcoholic trinity of beer, wine, and ginger ale (for the previously-bought J.D.) I treated myself to a six-pack of Moose Drool, as a memorial to the recent inabsentia ungulate hauntings of our front yard. Also, the last thing I saw before I turned out the lights last night was a moose dining in our neighbor's yard. Welcome home!

Anyone reading this already knows we are selling our house to downsize and hopefully cut living expenses (to fund our Borders and Value Liquor habits, obviously). So I don't want to go into that in any detail. Suffice it to say that upon the plane touching down in Anchorage yesterday afternoon, Bruce found his sanding-machine and spent the remainder of the weekend sanding and staining the staircase handrail and kitchen-counter trim. With the new carpet, the house smells all chemical-ly and fresh. We will list by the end of the work-week.

It was a brisk 3 degrees this morning, but warmed to 27 or so later in the afternoon. Despite remaining below freezing all day, the potent spring sun is evaporating and melting the snow. I traversed the back deck in bare feet to remove some thawing dog poo, and figured I'm only a few degrees from the first sunbathing of the season. Time to shake the dust out of my shorts and sandals. Beautiful beautiful beautiful! Sun so bright that I had to wear sunglasses to dust the windowsills and blinds.

What about Seattle, you ask? Seattle was a hoot. Our family and friends are fabulous, and it was a gift to see those that we did. What more can I say?

How about this?: thank God for valium and functioning airplane stabilizer-motors.