My favorite sort of day, it makes me happy to imagine myself later this afternoon, solitary, an hour or two just for writing.
What else makes me happy:
Chores done (a very humble sort of happiness): the washing machine humming in the kitchen, the last dishes drying on the rack in their neat row, bean soup simmering away on the stove, challah dough set for its third rising, perhaps even a cake in the oven?...
Warmth: first fire of the season, the soft pink cashmere slippers I crocheted for myself, a fresh pot of chicory coffee, the hiss of heat from the radiators...
Family: Hedgie home from school, her little rubber boots drying by the hall radiator, companionably curled on the sofa with her new Septimus Heap book, occasionally reading a passage aloud to me...and finally, Sarge's footsteps on the stair, a sound I wait for each evening...and Hedgie flinging her book aside and rushing to throw herself at him--"daddy!!!!" "oof! Right in the breadbasket!" he says and hugs her back...and kisses me...
Not every single day is so sweet, of course, but surprisingly often, now, they are. Today will be that sort of a day, I can feel it in my bones.
Note: lest anyone think I'm being a bit too precious here, and in the interest of strict truth, I feel compelled to add that my roof is leaking into the living room, and so all this domestic bliss is accompanied by a steady little drip--drip--drip of rusty water into a pot...see, I'm nothing if not scrupulously honest...
29 comments:
Hey it's that kind of day here but not cold...no ma'am...it's wet and dreary but still a million degrees. Don't know what to do with the a/c in the car to clear the windows, don't know what to wear, don't know what to do with the a/c at home or in the office because it's too hot for heat but if you come inside wet and the air is on it feels freezing cold. I am never happy!!! thanks for stopping by Inner Ramblings and letting me ramble here too!!!
Good morning Leah,
For a very long time (once I moved from Chicago), I missed the sight and sound of radiators.
The description of your favorite sort of day is full of warmth and charm; even the leaky roof.
I know you cherish those sweet days.
U
Very dark and cold day here in Ohio, too. The radiators at the manor are knocking and hissing, as well, and I am not complaining.
What a cosy picture. Even the wee drip from the roof somehow adds to the cosiness. And that wonderful radiator-warmth. To think I spent practically all my childhood in a house without central heating (and thought nothing of it)!
I loved your precious post.
LOVED it.
Dream about it.
But... I content myself for now just to read about it.
Bean soup, YUM. And homemade challah? You are a goddess.
Leah, I just love these kinds of posts from you.
And cashmere slippers? My puny little man-mind has never even dreamed of such a luxury. But it will now. ;)
the picture of the little boots drying by the door, curled up up on the couch with a book...cute and cozy...have a great day!
Right, I going to learn to crochet [or at least read a book about it], I want cashmere slippers too!
Sx
Kylie: so far so good! Washer humming, dishes done, I'm taking a break before I tackle the laundry folding. I've even got my soup recipe bookmarked.
McGillicutty: hey there! Thanks for stopping by. Hot, rainy and dreary? Now that's a combo! What my hair would do in that climate...I shudder to think!
U: Hi U! It's funny that the leaky roof even sounds cozy--maybe it is after all! I hadn't thought of it that way, but I think I know what you mean. It's just all the trappings of domesticity, ideal and not so ideal.
Willow: i love radiators. They're old-fashioned and oddly efficient and give a nice soft heat--plus, the knocking and hissing is really really sweet. Stay cozy today!
nick: So far, my day really is quite cozy. Predicting that it would be has helped it along!
Karen: I had to decide on the soup recipe--it was tricky. I've settled on Marcella Hazan's lentil soup with pasta. I can't recommend her book, "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking," highly enough. The recipes are SO simple and earthy, I have made many of them and nary a one has been less than delicious. As for the challah, I think today that was more of an aspiration than a reality. Although I do bake challah not infrequently--it's fun, smells wonderful and yeasty, and I always enjoy braiding it. But it has to rise three times, so I would have had to have put the dough up before I brought Hedgie to school...
Hunter: thank you kind sir! That is a nice thing to say. About those cashmere slippers...men can wear them too! Although I haven't been able to entice Sarge into letting me make him so much as a pair of socks, so my talents go to waste on him...
Brian: Hedgie and her little boots and her books really are pretty cute...
Scarlet: You must learn to crochet! I have the cleverest, easiest pattern for slippers, made of granny squares (a surprisingly nice use of the sometimes homely granny square). They don't take much yarn, so that you can use nice fancy stuff and it won't break the bank, so to speak. Can you tell I'm a knit/crochet proselytizer of the very worst order?!
Come on over to mine for some warm-your-bones chili! (Oh and check out the top post about Ouija. Although that might give you a different kind of chill altogether!)
That's a great shot! Is that Brooklyn in the background? I lived on Hoyt/Bergen for a few years but it never looked like that.
Hey, Time Crook recommended your blog to me and I'm gkad he did. Really evocative. I'll be back.
Perfect writing weather... perfect writer.
MJ: double chocolate with an oozy center.
Kat: I shall pop right over! I love chili and I love Ouija!
UB: actually, that one's not mine. I got it off Flickr Creative Commons but forgot to attribute it! I do have some nice shots of rainy Bklyn, but have misplaced them somewhere in my files...and we used to live on State and Nevins! Right around the corner from Hoyt and Bergen. It was kinda crappy, lots of social services buildings and a couple of shootings...
Plenty: I decided to shorten your tag! And welcome, I'm very glad you stopped by!
Jimmy: xo
That post made me all warm and toasty inside!
Hi - dropping in from Otin's site. Lovely, lovely post but now I won't be happy until I have my own cashmere slippers! TGIF :)
Haha! I dread days like that because my roof leaks as well but I know exactly what you mean about having things tidy, and organised and everything in it's place . . .right, must away to do my own chores instead of sitting in front of this thing watching the dust settle!
Shabbat Shalom, to you and Sarge and Hedgie...It is so humid here I am dreaming of Paris...
I like the idea of a fire!! Very nice. I will have my husband turn ours on tomorrow.
Cold in Ohio too!! Awful football weather.
It's still over 80 in this apartment right now.
But this post brought a nice cold breeze in. Not to mention a steady drip-drip sound.
Yes, I can feel it. And I can hear it. And no, I have not been drinking...it's your prose that done it.
Did you take the pic? It's awesome. We've had some proper rainfalls here lately, which is unusual, and it's been SO nice to sit in the covered porch and listen to it fall.
Really nice Leah!I didn't feel it was precious felt it was authentic and I like the things you like.
Have a nice day :)
Okay,
I'm getting into my car, and driving down from the Bronx to move in with you.
I can help out with the leaky roof, if need be.
Oh and I;ll bring my own fuzzy slippers.
Sounds just so right. I'm glad you're having a sweet day. May you have many more of them.
I ADORE chicory coffee. ADORE IT.
And I admire you in that you can be so happy on a rainy day with the roof leaking. I tend to let things like that upset me mightily and my day would most likely have been ruined...
Sad, isn't it?
otin: I love Happy Hour Friday!
slacker-chick: cashmere slippers are the sine qua non (well just kidding, I guess they're not strictly necessary...)
Baino: we've got a tarp over the hole now, until the rain stops and we can re-roof!
That moment when the chores are done and the house is quiet and tidy and peaceful--it's fantastic, isn't it?
e: humidity and chill I enjoy more than humidity and heat, although if I really gird myself I can sort of get into the latter!
Hit 40: fires make these chilly days so much happier!
Megan: it has been so unseasonably chilly here that it's hard to imagine heat anywhere. Is that what's called a failure of empathy?
Murali: I always long for a porch. I love to sit on one, an afghan over my knees, and listen to the rain too--there are houses with porches here in Brooklyn, right around the corner! But I never see anyone sitting on them.
Candie: I hope you're having a lovely weekend!
Auntie!: how lovely to see you! You are welcome any time, fuzzy slippers and all.
Mme deF: I am really trying to have nice days. Sometimes my churlish nature gets the better of me, however...
Maria: I only just discovered chicory coffee this summer, in New Orleans. It's just strong enough for me, and I love the tang.
As for the roof, I've become better able to shrug at things like that--but maybe that's called "denial"? Well, sometimes denial can be useful...
How's are the Septimus Heap books? I get intrigued by the summary but dont know whether I should take the plunge...this day and the wonderful scene does sound so lovely!
Well, my daughter loves them, and she has very good taste. But I haven't tried them yet. We have all of them here at home, so maybe I'll give them a try and let you know what I think!
i love this photo
(hate leaks inside the house tho)
Post a Comment