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| Floral Painting in Progress |
Between the sunshine and now the rain, most of the snow has melted, only a few large clots of it lying around, mostly remnants from being plowed into heaping piles over the winter months. It's odd, now that winter has basically lifted up her delicate snowy white-spangled gown and tip-toed away, I can't help wondering if I'll be around for next winter. I know some people who could see themselves growing to a ripe old age and that's just what they grew to be - old. And maybe that's my problem, I could never see myself becoming old because I never expected to live this long. Yet here I am, and I can't say that it's especially enjoyable now that I'm not feeling so well and then again, at any age, young or old, if a person is not in good health, life can suck. Yeah, I can't say as I can complain, I'm well looked after, my Sarah doting over me all the time, making sure I'm eating and drinking properly. I guess I've finally reached the final stage of life - old age - no place after this except to become older and older till it's all over.
When I awoke this morning, before opening my wrinkly, old baggy, bloodshot eyes, I just laid in bed and drifted back into a space when I was a young lad. There's something about the comfort of a warm and secure place and as a boy, I'd often lie in bed with my eyes shut listening to the language of the house, the creak of the floor from my mother's footsteps in the kitchen or a bump on the wall as my sisters got ready for school. It felt so snug in bed, the covers pulled up to my chin until I'd fling the covers back and jump out of bed. I'm still able to toss the covers back but leaping out of bed is not going to happen - I'd find myself face down on the floor. I'm basically an early bird sort of a person, so even though I don't really have to get up early, could take my time crawling out of bed, I've always preferred getting up almost instantly. There's something about being up early before everyone else, a time to get my thoughts together without interruptions, while enjoying a cup of coffee or tea. I have to be just beat, almost tired to the bone, before I'm able to sleep in and then if I do, often times I feel rather sluggish throughout the remainder of the day.
In the snow years of my life, although my memory is sometimes questionable, I still remember a poem I had to memorize in Grade 12. I don't remember the title but I believe the poet was Houseman and now that I'm at ripe elderly age, his words really seem to register more.
With rue my heart is laden
For golden friends I had
For many rose-lipped maiden
And many a light-foot lad.
By brooks too broad for leaping
The light-foot boys are laid
The rose-lipped girls are sleeping
In fields where roses fade.
I believe my English teacher at the time said Houseman's poem was pessimistic but I'm not so sure of that. If a person lives long enough, they will get to watch all their friends die and dying is just part of life. Yeah, I know that death is definitely a negative downer but facts are facts - many of my friends are "sleeping where roses fade". One of the best and oldest friends I've ever had that I never really lost contact with but because of distance, we seldom got to spend much time together. Like other times before, he had really been on my mind. I hadn't chatted with him for over a year or more, when his brother called and told me he wasn't doing very well; he had fallen off a roof and hurt his back. Since he had refused to see a doctor. I was of course very worried until the phone rang one afternoon - it was my friend and it was so good to hear his voice. The thing about being older, the conversations are often about physical ailments and medication so we of course chatted about that for a short while. We promised to get together before too long but whatever injuries he sustained falling off the roof finally did him in. I remember his last words on the phone, "Bye for now," and I wonder like so many people do about the hereafter, if I'll get to see him then. Since being on Facebook, a couple of friends from back in the day contacted me, which was a real surprise. It seemed a little strange to talk about the way things were then but that's when we were the best of friends...peace, eh! - Trip
My wife and I recently started up an Etsy Store a little while ago and if you'd like to check out our artistic creations just click on the link.
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