Will Be Particularly Silent

There’s a thick cover of clouds that cover the sky for as far as I can see.  Most of the leaves haven’t turned yet.  It seems the maples all go early.  The poison ivy perhaps earliest of all.  But most of the canopy is still quite green.  It can’t be long now.  Yesterday, returning from a bike ride I noticed the frost on the grass.  The leaves can’t last long after that.  Though I’ve had this place for a decade I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it without leaves. 

I’ll head out for another bike ride soon. I can’t tell how cold it is, but I suppose I’m waiting for it to heat up a bit.  It doesn’t look the sun will be making an appearance any time soon. There’s a log that blocks the path down at the edge of the lower lawn.  I have to walk the bike up over it each time I head out.  It’s only as thick as my calf.  Perhaps today, I’ll head down there and saw it through twice so I can bike through unencumbered.

We have a new coffee maker.  The Mrs. must have bought it when I was away.  I should go over and figure out how to use it.  I’d prefer to just have a drip filter.  This device looks intimidating.  I finished a book early this morning,  “Sinai and Zion” by Jon Levenson which looks at the contrasts between the Mosaic and the Davidic covenants associated with each mountain.  My older one is reading some humanities fundamentals in her course at Reed, including sections of the Old Testament.  My stepmom studied with Levenson at Harvard Divinity School and recommended the book, when I’d asked her which sections of the Old Testament she actually preferred. I’ve always found it hard to make it much passed Exodus. 

Enervated, somehow this morning.  Yesterday seemed to take something out of me.  It was a lovely day in the main.  Not sure just what it extracted.  Perhaps it just a bit quieter around here, without my niece in the house.  The place feels that much bigger with one less person to consider.  When it happens again, in two and half years, and this youngest of mine heads off to college, it will be particularly silent.  Won’t it?  Savor the noise, that you have then.   

Sunday 10/06/19