#71: Canonical Hours
My days are marked with commonplace actions.
Canonical Hours
Canonical hours marked by commonplace actions. I suppose that many of us have versions of our own. Mine start when I pull back the covers and walk over to the east facing window in my room and slide open white eyelet curtains. Gray, sun, rain, snow…the sky tells me what this new day might hold and whether I will set a wood stove fire or if it might be warm enough to open the windows to let fresh air inside. I pull the comforter, smooth it out, and plump my feather pillows. Morning ablutions are next followed by four splashes of cold water on my face…one for earth, one for air, one for fire, one for water.
I feed and water the animals in my care and then make a mug of tea to sip in the quiet. I settle in to write and catch up on emails trying not to get too snagged by news headlines, but with such big issues—Ukraine, Senate confirmation hearings, Covid, global warming, censoring of books, abortion rights—I want to stay current and informed.
Braid hair, dress for the day, make breakfast—these three exchange places regularly. Home chores—laundry, sweeping, vacuuming are next. In spring, the garden begins to call. There are seeds to start, weeds to pull, and grass that is growing rapidly daily. I keep putting off the first mowing for a dry day but each new day brings more rain and it doesn’t dry out enough. I know that the first mow is going to be epic and I’ll need to take it slowly and carefully as I am still tending and mending my arm and shoulder. Yah, that late fall mishap on the icy deck was a doozy.
The first walk of day. Occasionally a friend joins me as we tone up our flaccid social muscles, then a second cup of tea and maybe something baked from the day before.
I really enjoyed two years without a cold, flu, or Covid (knock on wood) so when I make errand trips into town, I continue to mask up. We’ve all become better at smiling with our eyes and nodding hello. Back home to put things away and another cup of tea…that’s three. Late lunch or early supper followed by another walk. Sometimes I stream a movie at night, most often I read. Later, I ready the house and myself for sleep…close curtains and windows, lock doors, jammies, brush teeth and re-braid hair while GP goes out and in one more time, pull back covers, and tuck myself in with a good book.
Tune for Today:
Books to Share:
I’d love to know what you are reading, too. Please share them in the comments.
I've kept a book list for years. Top three in last two months are Once There Were Wolves; The Sweetness of Water; and The Last Thing He Told Me.
Also, The Great American Read, an incredible PBS 5-part series in 2018, had viewers vote on their favorite books. (And, yes,To Kill A Mockingbird won #1.👏 ) You can get the top 100 American Books list here ... https://www.thirteen.org/blog-post/the-100-books-on-the-great-american-read-list. And It also has a very active/helpful Facebook group for recommending books and more. https://www.facebook.com/GreatAmericanReadPBS
I hear The earth, the air, the fire, the water, as you splash your morning face, Kate…
Just read The Library Book by Susan Orlean, followed by Fahrenheit 451 (a natural follow from Library Book). Love A Gentleman from Moscow by Towles, and, a book club story read now: Empire of Pain about the Sackler family…some rather heavy, but all interesting….Toni