Two Below

(Not a recent photo, thank goodness, but an example of what a nearby fence does look like on occasion)





Friday began much as any other day. I rolled out of bed ... never mind what time it was ... and my first thought was: What day is it?

Well, it was downhill from there ... fast lane all the way.

I’ll spare you the details (don’t I always? ... well, almost always), but I’ll share some highlights.

I assure you that after a hearty breakfast and a few moments of deep meditation in my favorite recliner, my thoughts turned, as they always do on Friday, to ... that’s right ... SQUIGGLES & GIGGLES.

Not quite panic time ... I still had all day ... but I could hear that midnight deadline ... self-imposed, I know, but a deadline ... already bearing down on me like a grumpy old freight train, chuffing and whistling and spreading cinders all along the way.

Ah, but there was something else on the horizon.

I may have mentioned that Brimm Manor is a fairly old structure ... put up well before houses were being shipped out in sections for quick assembly ... and probably before indoor plumbing had become the reality of recurring dreams on cold winter nights.

Oh, The Manor has indoor plumbing, mind you, and other fancy stuff, too.

Still, there was a minor problem with one of the fixtures which enhanced the room when the plumbing was moved indoors: An electric heater, installed in the wall, and, for many years, the source of toasty warmth.

Then one cold morning I turned it on and heard a POOF! I could’ve sworn I saw a flash of light, too. There was soon other evidence that the heater was in trouble. Oh, it could turn out temperatures almost approaching body warmth, but that was about it.

Well! This had gone on long enough, I decided (Phyllis, too). Precisely how long? Just take my word for it ... long ... even as the crow flies.

So Phyllis and I sallied forth in search of a replacement.

Voila! We found one. Then the fun began. First of all, the new in the wall heater was considerably smaller than the old one (actually, thank GOODNESS it was smaller ... and not LARGER ... I really didn’t want to enlarge the hole in the wall ... not with my limited set of tools ... and lack of experience).

In a matter of hours I had constructed a framework which effectively reduced the hole in the wall.

Then the fun really began.

Here’s where I spare you the sordid details. Let’s just say that Phyllis made about fourty-seven trips to the basement ... and back, of course ... in search of tools or other items I needed, but hadn’t brought with me. I have to admit that I couldn’t have done it without her help. Oh, maybe I could’ve, but it would have taken me weeks, instead of all day.

These interludes, of course, gave me no rest. I was busy trying to figure out what the next step was ... and whether I should skip it and just throw in the towel ... or whether I should plunge blindly ahead.

Bottom line: Mission accomplished. The heater is in place ... and it works (knock on wood).

Me? Oh, I have a few puncture wounds here and there ... my eyes are full of sawdust, cobwebs and old plaster ... my back will probably need a sling tomorrow ... both my hands are like sandpaper ... and not like that fine, teeny-grit stuff, either ... more like the BIG GRIT kind ... you know, the kind that would make a bulldog exclaim, “RUFF!” ... if he were to sit on a piece.

Ah, but tonight the heat’s on at Brimm Manor ... at least in that one bathroom.

-S&G-

NOTE from LOREE (Kansas) ... “I am avoiding those shopping malls this year like they are some kind of plague ... Can you imagine the excitement that must grip the H1N1 virus when it gets an early grip on someone, who then heads for the mall?

“The togetherness of the crowd is touching ... in more ways than one! That touching turns into jostling, then downright painful pokes that leave no doubt as to their intentions.

“As the clock winds down to the time for opening the doors, the crowd increases in size ... the happy voices turn to snarls and rudeness. Early signs of the Holiday spirit disappear, replaced by a dog-eat-dog mentality! Anyone who ventured out, hoping for the excitement of some great bargains ... and the cheapening of their Christmas shopping ... plus the warm feeling of doing it early this year, has to be CRAZY, for Black Friday reveals the true nature of mankind ... hidden the rest of the year under a facade of Mr. And Mrs. Nice Persons.”

-S&G-

TODAY’S POEM ... is a winter poem. No doubt about that.


It's reminiscent of Northern Illinois, where we spent several bitterly cold winters, but it was written during, and about, winter in Ohio ... or any place where temperatures sink unmercifully low, then struggle to rise, fall again, struggle again ... fall.


Little wonder that we find an unnamed couple sleeping under that "pale slice of lemon floating in thin clouds" ... "like two ... bears dreaming of spring."


This one was originally published in Southern Humanities Review:


TWO BELOW


Pale slice of lemon
floating in thin clouds
far above temperatures
fallen, clicking,
struggling to rise
where they were
some time yesterday
before falling back
in the sullen darkness
that will cradle us
like two sleeping bears
dreaming of spring.

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

Oh, and if you’d like to see what’s up with my other ... DAILY blog
... here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.


-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

© 2009