Perspective

Newly installed Dish Network injects 250 channels into our little house overlooking the Sound.  TV comedians reap a bonanza of juicy material as the presidential campaign slogs on and the economy goes into nightmare mode.  It's late, it's dark.  Seattle's lights twinkle across the water, a friendly sight, but I feel a sense of deepening dread over what the geniuses in the financial world have wrought.  All day long I'm busy with tasks and don't think about national news, except on those days when I tune in to Air America, and today, with David in the house, there was no radio on. 

Got up early and painted another Pepper portrait on a block of wood.  Put a coat of clear acrylic on the mailbox, to protect the 100's of stamps from the weather.  Drove to Poulsbo with David to buy a chainsaw and see if the witch hazel was still among the offerings at Home Depot (it wasn't).  Had lunch at JJ's Fishhouse and coffee at the Poulsbohemia.  Back home, I organized the woodpile so there would be room for the fallen maple we're going to cut up with the new chainsaw and I pruned and cleaned up a lot of plant debris along that side of the house.  Then I moved up to the property line, dug a big hole and planted the red twigged dogwood between two scrawny laurels.  By then, it was 6 pm, I was tired and I let myself get sucked into watching "Bird on a Wire" on HBO, enjoying Mel Gibson as if he had never fallen from grace.  Made a stir fry with leftover rice and a big bunch of greens from the garden, garlic, ginger, fish sauce and orange juice.  

I need to remember where I've planted the daffodil bulbs.  There are groups of 5 to 7 in a big planter, in the raised bed where the cabbage didn't survive, down in the circle, up by the azalea . . .  . and that's a little more than half.  Another bunch will go along the garage and I'm not sure about the rest.

Every day here is busy but there's always time to pause and look down at the beach and across the water, watching birds and boat traffic, inhaling the cool, fresh air, feeling the wind and again and again appreciating our good fortune.  It's only at night when the tv is on and that satellite beams another reality into the house.  At least, the comedians keep us laughing.