March 8, 2025
"In a country where they turn back time...." (Al Stewart, The Year of the Cat)
This evening as I prepare to go to bed, I'll enact the yearly ritual of setting the clocks ahead one hour. In the debate about Daylight Saving Time, I come down squarely on the side that says give me more evening hours of daylight. For what all that is worth. Being retired, I'm running on my own personal bio clock. I wake up when I wake up. Even Deuce has adjusted to life without the alarm clock.
My Saturday morning ritual has changed, too. Back in the day, I was trained by the alarm to be up at six o'clock to prepare for the day job, and that carried over into the weekends. It might be Saturday, but I was up early - and that was okay. I loved being up early and having a quiet house while Ron slept in.
Early Saturday and Sunday mornings provided the best block of undisturbed writing time I had. There was something about having those quiet hours that made the words pour out. I was very productive in those years. That gradually changed as Ron's health went downhill. Now I'm retired and I've become what I always wanted to be, The Lady of the Manor. And that's a Manor that requires time and effort to stay neat and tidy the way I like it.
I had adopted a summer schedule when I first retired. Ron got up when I did and we had a cup of coffee while watching the weather channels. Then we'd go outside, if the weather was good, and do our chores. Frequently, I'd work in the garden and he'd just keep me company, but it was good to have someone to talk to while I worked. That all changed in 2024, of course. With his passing, it was an abnormal year.
It's been a year since. It's Saturday morning. I'm at the computer, and while writing a blog isn't writing a book, it's still writing something. My brain is pulling thoughts together and my fingers are setting them into being in the real world. I feel very blessed to be sitting here doing what I'm doing. And if I listen closely, I can hear the echoes of Ron's voice asking me if I'm ready to join him for a second cup of coffee. (Well, it always sounded more like an order, but that was Ron.)
I'm determined to keep on track this summer. The summer of 2024 is a blur in my memory, but I know to be kind to myself over it. I know this summer will be different. Not "normal" the way my summer's used to be, but much, much better than last year.
Will I spend Saturday mornings writing? That depends on the weather. It may be I water the garden before I do anything else. It may be all my writing will happen in the afternoons when I'm ensconced in my air conditioned sunroom office.
I'm sure I thought these same thoughts last year, at some point, anyway. But I think this year, now that I'm in a better headspace, the afternoon writing is actually going to happen on a regular basis.
You were right, Ron. Again. Your passing left a void, but life does fill in around it.
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My home on the web- Between the Keys:
http://kckendricks.blogspot.com
Visit my bookshelf at:
https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/bookshelf.html
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