the lights twinkle brilliantly

 There was enough snow on the ground this morning to brighten up the house with a cold, blue light. Brrrr…. It was no real surprise that I didn’t want to get out of bed, especially since we deployed new linen sheets on the weekend. It took a few nights to get used to the scratchy linen but I’ve adapted quite well and it takes some prying to get me up.

Thinking back on my day I’m not even sure if I went outside once! I don’t know how the day went by so quickly - it was time to start thinking of supper before I knew it. 

I did take some time to read one short story by Alice Monro. Actually I read it twice. The first time I reached the end of the story I was surprised and, like the main character, felt that I’d been betrayed, that I’d naively accepted as truth the lies and omissions, without even questioning it. The second time through I read more carefully, looking for clues. I read it as someone less believing so I saw the deception.

There’s a certain grittiness to her stories that isn’t uplifting. Her stories are not about joy but are mean depictions of life. The settings are rarely beautiful and if they are somehow the beauty will be removed. I do love how she turns a few words into a deeper understanding. 

Tonight we watched a ‘Mighty Cruise Ships’ episode where they visited Norway. We both agreed that we’ll cruise there someday. I think Carm was surprised at how beautiful it is. 

Tonight’s IPA was a delightful beer. It was lightly citrusy with a fresh taste. It would be nice on a hot day in the summer. 

“The mind is like a circuit of

Christmas tree lights. When the

brain works well, all of the lights

twinkle brilliantly, and it’s adaptable

enough that, often, even if one bulb

goes out, the rest will still shine on.

But depending on where the

damage is, sometimes that one

blown bulb can make the whole

strand go dark.”

~Susannah Cahalan