Five o'clock Morning

A five o’clock morning. A little after five, I woke up from the heaviest sleep, perhaps four hours straight. I was still feeling very heavy with sleep and had no fear of falling back asleep after my bathroom run. But then the minutes kept ticking away, and the quarter-hours started rolling by. Sleep wasn’t happening. I was a gamer though, staying in bed until close to seven.

However, I came up with a plan for the morning, while I was vainly chasing sleep. Since I am reading “Loved Dogs” in the day, on account of my work on the Iliad, why not skip the morning walk and knock out that mound of grass around the elephant ears?, and I can still take my morning shower before Pop gets up. It’s worth I try.

The Natural World

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Pop

Pop is feeling a little peppy. He is already cooking up a big breakfast. When he does this, he usually doesn’t start till eleven thirty or so.

Elephant Ears

I went to work on that mound of grass. I went so determined and hard at it that I ended up pulling more than a couple of elephant-ear buds. I don’t feel particularly regretful. I would like to pull all of them out and be done with this business, including the summer watering. Although the elephant ears, when they are up and thriving, are the only saving grace in our poor, working-class landscape, I’d rather be spared the hassle.

Ash

I don’t think I’ve mentioned yet that, on occasion, Ash likes to engage me in little boxing matches. She doesn’t scratch either. It’s a fun little thing that we share.

Kay

And there's the old truck rattling in now, and Pop rushes out, a Romeo to his Juliet.

Iliad (1) Mount Olympus

Thetis goes to Mount Olympus to get help from Zeus for Achilles.

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She broke from a cresting wave at first light
and soaring up to the broad sky and Mt. Olympus,
found the son of Cronus gazing down on the world,
peaks apart from the other gods and seated high
on the topmost crown of rugged ridged Olympus.
And crouching down at his feet,
quickly hugging his knees with her left hand,
her right hand fondling him underneath the chin,
she prayed to the lord god Zeus, the son of Cronus:
“Father, if ever amid the immortal Gods
by word or deed I did thee service true,
hear now my prayer! Avenge my hapless son,
of mortals shortest-lived, insulted now
by mighty Agamemnon, King of men,
and plundered of his lawful spoils of war.
Avenge this wrong, O ever just and wise!
Let Greece be humbled, and the Trojans rise
till the proud king and all the Achaean race
shall heap with honors him they now disgrace.”

-- The Iliad of Homer (Tr. Fagles, Edward, Pope et al.)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Cats

Using my three fingers to brush Coco’s coat as she lies on the floor, I remember that my original intention was not to have anymore pets after Bo, when it is only these cats that make me recognizably human.

Life

I napped too hard on my right shoulder. I can scarcely move without suffering a surge of pain. Nothing new or unbearably terrible. Just one of those minor annoyances that help to keep life interesting.

My Life

Kay has put on a nice dress and off they go for a night on the town, like they are teenagers, as I sit here at home like an old man.

“Enough already! You chose this life. You gave up and just wanted to spend the rest of your days reading and writing, enjoy some good books, remember? You said life is very short anyway so that it doesn’t really matter, remember?”

I know. So, you are saying that I need to lie in this nice comfy bed that I made for myself?

“Or at least just stop singing the same sadsack song.”

Sure, it’s just that every once in a while I need to hum the chorus, get my bearings: to accept that this is my reality.

Warm Tonight

A little warm tonight. It would be alright enough if I could go without this T-shirt. And I am shy about breaking in the ceiling fans. It should be cooler again this week.

Reading Life

I see that Dickens's "Curiosity Shop" is next up for my daily reading, but I do not care to have two novels going at the same time. Then, I realize that I don't really want to put down "The Man Who Loved Dogs". Obviously, I am just going to read it straight through, and the regular reading routine is going to be put on hold.

It's not that the novel is that great. I am enjoying it, but I am mostly just in a mood. I want to simplify my days, for now, and just lose myself in a good narrative. And Trotsky does interest me, and this is as close as I have gotten to reading a book about him and his losing struggle with Stalin.