Jeanne Hewett
We started off early this morning, to get our long awaited flu shots which were scheduled from 8 a.m. until noon. This had been on our calendar for weeks, during which time we tried not to get a cold, or anything else that could prevent our being there for it. We were rude to our friends; if they so much as sneezed we said go away.
Do you ever get drawn into reading the little blurbs of “news” and “entertainment” that the home page of your computer distracts you with as you are on your way to your e-mails? They catch your eye while you are actually in a hurry and thinking of something else. For instance, how a major star “died on the operating table” — and was brought back to life by a gifted surgeon. Then, “the upset of the season” of a tennis favorite. You move on. But now comes this: (just a quick thumbnail, but enough to trip you up).
We just installed a new oven and the kitchen has been all torn up. A fit of tidiness and order naturally followed this upheaval, an inspiration to do something serious about cleaning things up to match the shiny new appliance. Starting to hunt for a Band-aid in a kitchen drawer full of junk, I decided to change the paper lining while at it. Sort of stirring things around, I began to take a look.
There is a nice pond in my backyard garden on Centre street. When I preface the word “pond” with “goldfish“ your mind and eye make an instant adjustment, and from imagining cattails, ducks, pinkletinks, swamp iris and the wildlife that comes to drink at a pond, the reader thinks “oh, goldfish” and sees a few nice rocks, maybe some water lilies or hyacinths, and a couple of ornamental frogs.
My house is filled with floating diaphanous white puffs. The car seats are covered with them, they are in my purse and stuck forever on to my black fleece pants. I am harvesting the milkweed pods ripening along the roadsides . . . if harvesting is the word for something that adheres to your clothing and hands and hair as soon as you touch it.
His coach says, “he has an arm,” and calls him the team’s star pitcher. He plays Little League in his hometown of Pelham, N.Y. His father says, and I quote: “Yesterday he threw 60 pitches in three innings. He had five strikeouts, caught a line drive back at the mound and fielded a ground ball throwing out the batter at first! He is always asking me to show him how to throw a knuckle curve, a screwball, a cutter or a slider. I told him I have no idea.” Joe says he emulates Mike Mussina and A-Rod, names I’ll get to know better, I have a feeling.