XYZ

The cross the fork the zigzag—a few straight lines
For pain, quandary and evasion, the last of signs.
—Robert Pinsky

O.K., I get that X is the cross (pain), Y is the fork (quandary) and Z is the zigzag (evasion). What does the author mean by "the last of signs?" Such short lines and they are giving me a headache!

All the world's a stage . . .

And, at the Cheney's, all the house is a staging area . . .


In honor of the Bard. Happy Shakespeare's Birthday!

We Sold Our Soul to the Home Depot Store

It started out as most remodeling projects do. We had some leftover ceramic tiles from our Family Room renovation and we wanted to replace the old linoleum in this tiny water closet. Twelve tiles. Lee measured, drew his plan and concluded that twelve tiles is all that it would take. Simple enough, and it would be done before David's graduation. Hah! This has become another "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" project. In order to lay the tile, we had to remove the toilet and vanity. When we took out the vanity, we discovered mold growing on the wall behind it. The vanity was rotted and we now needed to replace it. The previous owners had glued a back splash to the wall, which had to be removed before the vanity could be pulled out. Now the wall had to be patched up before the new vanity is installed. The existing vanity style has been discontinued so we had to pick out a different style. Naturally, we also needed a new sink top and faucet. And it would be a real crime to put all of that back together without painting the room, don't you think? Twelve tiles. Don't you believe it!

Here's a picture of the new tile. Right now the glue is drying. Lee will probably grout tomorrow. John was very happy that we found a red flange for the base of the toilet. Good feng shui. It keeps the chi from going down the drain.


The beautiful faucet that will go on our new vanity. The vanity is due to arrive in late May, hopefully before David's graduation.Our Living Room has become the staging area for this latest project.


The new sink, patiently waiting its turn to be installed.

And is this the end? No, no, no! We have a linen cabinet in that room which will now need to be replaced to match the new vanity. A new mirror and new lighting also lie in wait. But one thing at a time - there are plenty of books to be used for future analogies: "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" . . . "If You Give a Pig a Pancake" . . .

I love daffodils!

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils . . .

Some lovely lines by William Wordsworth from "The Daffodils."

When I Open the Book

When I open the Book
I hear the poets whisper and weep,
Laugh and lament.

In a thousand languages
They say the same thing:
"We lived. The secret of life
Is love, which casts its wing
Over all suffering, which takes
In its arms the hurt child,
Which rises green from the fallen seed."
—Gregory Orr

We live.

Not so secret musings . . .

I glance at an abandoned book that my son, John, was reading for pleasure - Gilgamesh - an epic poem of the ancient Sumerians . . . David gets a lovely note from one of his teachers praising his work and his attitude . . . My husband, Lee, did not go to work today and I came home to a hot meal and all sorts of little household projects completed . . . My glasses are being repaired and the temporary "cheaters" are working great, I can read! . . . Today was payday, and I'm one of the lucky ones with a steady job that also happens to be interesting, challenging and, did I mention steady? . . . The garbage truck came today and my recyclables bin is empty again . . . Tomorrow is Friday and I still have clean socks left to wear . . . Life is good.

Two Tramps in Mud Time

"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
a cloud come over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March."
—Robert Frost, Two Tramps in Mud Time, 1926

Here's a nod to your favorite poet, John!