Haul It Up And

 

Started the long process of bringing thousands of books up from the second garage into this building and up on the shelves. Selections that had a certain order:  All the books about Burma.  Here are a few of them.  And they’re piled up on top of books about Korea and two or three selections of Joseph Brodsky’s work.  I see D.H. Lawrence.  Pausing to consider why I’d thought to read “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” when I did. I remembered that there is a scene in Venice and it must have been part of some preparation for a visit to that city a few years ago. 

 

There was once an entire bookshelf with nothing but China titles.  There was a row of nothing but Lonely Planets.  Why do I keep those?  I imagine that a twenty-year-old guide to Thailand might have some nugget of memory embedded, it might be useful in recalling the name of some site, or evoke that time when we were there.  Though it is rather unlikely that most of them will ever be opened again. 

 

Agitated, dealing with a “service provider” who isn’t providing much service.  Emails that didn’t make sense. Phone calls that were not returned in a timely manner.  Excuses.  “I have so many emails.”  Why would you think it appropriate to tell me that?  I try very hard not to be rude.  Rewrite messages to soften the tone.  Breathe before responding.  But this person has repeatedly wasted my time by not being clear.  By not being professional.

 

And, then for the first time in months, I fired up our push mower.   The landscaping group we used earlier in the summer were also wanting in basic service levels.  Inexpensive but unreliable.  Rather than call them, I figured I’d do the last mow of the season.  The yard has leaves all over it.  But the grass, which isn’t growing much anymore certainly needs to be cut, once last time.  And though I usually go for a long bike ride every day, I enjoy the trek around the yard.  It’s a clunky, older mower and it takes work to haul it up and around.  Once and then twice it conks out after I chew up a rock.  Later, after I refill it with the bottom of the old gas canister in the garage, some of the fluid that pours in looks coagulated and dark, unlike the clear petrol.  I got the mower to start again.  But then, when it puttered out, it would no longer start.  I didn’t have the energy to do any more mower diagnostics, though I assume this bad gas may be the culprit.

 

 

 

Thursday, 10/08/20