Door Number Eight

An oil painting I did soon after I came to Vermont in the mid-1990's, called Winter Light.

I began this blog in the spring of 2011, some eight-and-a-half years ago, and have now published 337 postings beginning with one a week, then one every two weeks.  I named it Door Number Eight because I had entered my 8th decade (so I was in my early 70's) and expected I would carry on with it until I turned 80.  In fact, I've gone somewhat beyond that, still enjoying finding an outlet for my lists, photos, opinion pieces, etc.

That said, I now find myself not particularly wanting to continue but also not particularly wanting to stop.  So, I shall make a happy compromise of leaving this blog open for the time being but not necessarily posting anything.  If something strikes me, I'll add it.  But it nothing strikes me, I offer old postings instead of new.  You can always scroll down chronologically ... or access the Topics in the right hand margin.

It's been fun.  I'm rather amazed that I could haul out 337 pieces about this and that. 

P R I M A V E R A !!! (Whew)

Such was the message I wrote a family member on March 20th, The First Day of Spring. "Whew" was right.  Winter seemed endless.  I, literally, no sooner got back from my month in Santa Fe than we were all met with those three Nor'easter snow storms, Quincy, Riptide, and Stargaze.  Those weren't the names, of course, but you know the ones I mean.  Beastly storms!

Front lawn on the first day of spring

But my forced house-bound status put me onto a project I've been meaning to do.  One of those things on my long-term list that you can't just spend an hour or two and then tick off.  No, this project can take days, weeks.  The Big Spring Clean.  Going through everything in the house--and I do mean everything.  Holding it up to look at.  Deciding if it stays or goes.

Coincidentally, I found a just-published book that spoke of cleaning out when one gets to be, as the Swedish author described herself, "between the ages of 80 and 100."  The gist?  To get rid of things yourself so that your loved ones have less to do when the time comes. I'm not, in fact, dealing with major stuff but rather clothes that no longer fill the bill, old 33 RPM records from Vivaldi to the Kingston Trio, books/books/books, outdated files.

It's all very satisfying.

But along with those re-evaluations is the one that asks me about this blog. As of today, April 5th, I have now been at this exactly seven years--with 302 postings in all. Not bad.

So, my question:  do I continue this blog?  Answer:  yes, for now.  As long as I enjoy it and feel that I have something to say that might elicit some interest.  But ... I can't promise how long I'll continue it. Its demise might just fit into a new attitude one day.  Which reminds me of something else I was going to mention with respect to this cleaning-out thing. It also lets me make room for New Things, New Activities, Opportunities.  (I capitalize them because they're more fun that way.)  I find, for instance, that I spend nearly all my evenings reading.  So that means I read a LOT of books.  But I also get to the point where the part of my brain that I might call "Books Read" seems to get filled up.  Even filled to over-flowing.  I sometimes think of myself as a Book Junkie.  Too many.  I need to leave a little more space.

So, it can be the same with Things.  Too many.  No room for something new. So I toss out those things ready to go ... but often thank them first simply because I have fond memories of many.  So whereas it may seem that you're making room for more things, in fact you might be making room for new approaches, new attitudes, as I mentioned.

Enough said.  Happy Spring, everyone!!  Just think:  with the snow melted (which it isn't yet as I write this), we will have room for the daffodils to bloom ... then the lilacs, the iris, and on and on.

Under this sketch of this humble little flower, the snowdrop--a faithful harbinger of the season--I wrote, "Even bigger than life size, but a portal to spring ... and the sense of possibility."

Thank You, Downton

(This celebrates the end of my fifth year with Door Number 8--all 251 postings.  In the future, I'll post pieces on a more casual basis rather than on a weekly schedule.)

York Minster ... since the setting for Downton Abbey is Yorkshire

What appealed to me about Downton Abbey, aside from the casting, the setting, the costumes was the genteel quality that seems missing from our lives today--that which is polite, courteous. With a generosity of spirit.  I appreciated seeing people dress well, speak well, act with integrity and respect for each other.  I also appreciated the ritual of good manners, especially when so much today seems sloppy and graceless.  Is it any wonder that watching six seasons of those exhibiting dignity and self-respect is very beguiling!

For what it's worth, not able to sleep one night, I lay in bed and ran through the cast members.

I thought of the "names" who had had bit parts:  Shirley MacLaine, Paul Giamatti, James Fox, Iain Glen, Tim Piggot-Smith, Richard E. Grant, and of course, Kiri Te Kanawa.  The real-life people who were written into the story:  Virginia Woolf, Dame Nellie Melba, Neville Chamberlain.  Then there were the Boyle, Coyle, Doyle, and Foyle folks.  Zoe Boyle played Lavinia, Brendan Coyle played Mr. Bates, Kevin Doyle played Mr. Molesley, and Tom Cullen's character, Viscount Gillingham's other name, was Anthony Foyle.  As well, I noted the very British custom of naming girls/women after flowers:  Violet, Daisy, Ivy, Marigold.  Plus Lady Rose played by Lily James, another flower name.

Then there were Lord Grantham's dogs:  Pharaoh, Isis, and Tiaa, all ancient Egyptian names, very possibly as a tribute to the Earl of Carnarvon, the Lord of Highclere (the real Downton Abbey) who (along with Howard Carter) was responsible for finding King Tut's Tomb in 1922.  

In truth, I preferred the early and later seasons to those in the middle which bordered on the melodramatic.  As for my favorite characters, I particularly enjoyed Lord Grantham, Mrs. Hughes, Mr. Carson, Mrs. Patmore, Isobel Crawley, Tom Branson, Mr. Molesley, and, of course, Maggie Smith's, Dowager Countess.  Oh, yes, and Matthew Crawley.

Do you suppose Julian Fellowes may come up with a sequel one day?

Thank you, all!

"Door Number Eight" at Six Months

I just realized I've now had my blog six months.  Time for a little assessment.  I started it as a creative outlet.  A nice cozy spot where I could write on any topic I wanted.  Which has happened.  I've very much enjoyed each posting though have spent longer on each than I'd have thought.  You know--coming up with the idea, doing a bit of research, doing the actual writing, finding appropriate illustrations, defining, refining.  Anyway, here is a breakdown of my thoughts.

Frequency.  I'd originally expected to do two postings a week.  Until I found the next deadline (self-imposed, mind you) coming up far too quickly.  So I decided once a week was plenty--for both you and me.  So I'm now posting each blog on Saturday.  Which gives me Sunday to come up with a new topic and start writing.  And the rest of the week to let the whole thing perk before I post it.

Subject.  My intention was to present a diversity of subjects which I feel I'm doing.  As well as some which reflect this "door number eight" eighth decade (septuagenarian) time in my life.  In addition, I had expected to include a lot more of my favorite poetry.  But then I came up against the copyright problem ... trying to figure when a poem reverted to the public domain.  Each writer's country of origin seemed to have its own rules.  All of which required comprehensive research.  Even then I wasn't sure if I'd get it right.  Or could I get away with assuming that enough years had passed that anything written before the 20th century was now fair game?  In my original thinking, too, I'd hoped to include excerpts from some of my writings.  Pieces about some of my rough-and-ready travels from years gone by.  But then I didn't think I could squeeze any one subject into one posting.  Which would mean serializing it.  Hmmm.... no conclusion at this point.

Addendum to subject matter.  I also decided to leave out such topics as the economy, politics, the world situation, etc., leaving that to the pros. If you want a good source for that sort of thing, try James Howard Kunstler's blog--he who describes ours as "an economy based on happy motoring, suburban land development, continual war, and entertainment-on-demand."  At www.kunstler.com

Blog comments.  I'd originally thought any reader could write a comment at the end of any posting.  You know, feedback.  But, with the one exception of a blog-pro (she has her own blog)--plus a couple of others who did, in fact, manage to get through--comments have been nil.  Maybe there's a technical reason.  Not sure.

Readership.  I have a small but faithful following whom I treasure.  In truth, I wouldn't want a large readership.  But to be quite honest, I don't know how the readership is going in terms of numbers.  Maybe a dozen a week.  But are they people who access it because they know about it and want to read it ... or are they looking for something else entirely and just happen on it?  You know, a quick click and then they're gone again?  Impossible to know.  I was amused one week when I had 26 readers from the Netherlands and 26 readers from Latvia.  Now what could that have been about?  But, the key here is not to write the blog for anyone but myself and then to be pleasantly surprised if and when anyone reads it.

Illustrations.  My hope, in dressing up each posting, is to include at least one picture.  Since I do not want to infringe on anyone's property, so far, I'm only using my/our own pictures.  A category which includes paintings and photographs.  I do hope they can't subsequently be pirated, but maybe they can.

Anonymity.  In all this, I seek to remain low-key.  I don't want anything to turn topsy-turvy, triggering some spin-off that's going to connect me, say, to some weird group of cyber-pirates, junk-mailers, etc.  So, I tread lightly.  And in doing so, I seek to keep the blog as anonymous as possible.  So that means not posting pictures of family members.  Or identifying anything more than is necessary.  Too ... in respecting others' privacy, I doubt I'll post many pictures of people.

But the blog is fun to create.  I lie awake some nights re-writing things in my head or wondering what subjects to include ... or what photos, especially when I have a non-pictorial topic.  I do think of all this as a conversation of sorts.  Which is why I love the two chairs idea.  One for you as the reader.  One for me as the writer.  The two of us conversing in whatever way we want.

How I Happened to Name This Blog

I was going to call it "Exotic Orchid or Decrepit Cat."  When last year's calendar was filling with visits to one health practitioner after another--you know, for the B12 shots, trigger-point massage sessions, tinctures and herbals, acupuncture fixes, various test results--I got the following e-mail:

Bonjour.  Hope you are feeling better today.  I was listening to an interesting program recently that was saying how studies show that "seniors" (not their word, but easier as description) who have something else to take care of, like a pet or even a plant, have fewer physical problems than those who don't.  I was wondering if maybe you got a decrepit cat, perhaps with dental problems or something, that it might be good for YOUR health.  Or perhaps an exotic orchid that requires special drops and misting and attention--that might be more your style.  Otherwise one's system starts to turn on itself if it doesn't have an outside thing to worry about and nurture.

When the e-mailer later suggested that I might start a blog (not for my health but because she kept one and enjoyed it and because I was always writing about something or other), I hit on the name "Exotic Orchid or Decrepit Cat" and considered using one of my orchid photos from Hawaii as a background shot.  But then "Door Number 8" came to mind.  It was, after all, where I was in my life.  And keeping a blog seemed a good way to put down those very interests, concerns, opinions, appreciations that reflected this process of watching the once-was evolve into the now-is.  (So, instead, I used my photo of the two Adirondack chairs, as if they're ready for you and me to sit down for a good conversation.)

The "Door Number 8" name, you see, stands for this, my 8th, decade which I entered when I turned 70 two-plus years ago.  And so this blog reflects the life of one septuagenarian.  Me.

And one thing I've noticed lately in this getting older process is that I tend to slide over things I read or hear. A bit like grazing:  I anticipate the text as I immediately go on to what's next.  Only to realize I've misread or misheard.  For instance:

•  A New Yorker article wrote about a girl "emaciated from foster care."  Looking again, I saw it said, "emancipated from foster care."
• At Google news, I saw a headline that read, "Antibiotics for Middle East Infection."  (If it were only so easy.)  Then I realized it said "Middle Ear."
• Listening to a program about people going off to Greece, I heard "agri-terrorism" when it was really "agri-tourism."
• When my tour bus pulled into the Hilton Hawaiian Village, I heard the driver call out the jolly-sounding, Hilton Wine Village.
• Then there was the time, car keys in hand, I said to myself:  "I'll go to the gas and then get some post office."

Well, after that initial e-mail, I did buy my first orchid, a white phalaenopsis, which elicited this reply:

Hooray for the orchid!  Your new pet and delicate creature to nurture and love!  I hope you invest in lots of arcane equipment (antique misters?) and chemicals (special fertilizer?  I really have no idea what's involved) so that you can transfer your mindfulness its way!  ... I'm excited to meet your orchid!  I hope that you talk to it, maybe even give it a name!?  I think it is a cool thing to do.

 I didn't name the orchid.  But I did name this blog.  For me, at least, this is what an 8th decade is like.


What makes June June (around here, at least)

Good weather at last
But then yucky weather (chilly, wet, gloomy) almost daily
Green, green everywhere
Lots of trips to the garden center
Renovation and fix-it time
Local strawberries for sale
Bicyclists on the road
Cars with kayaks on the roof

The Sense of Possibility

The sense of possibility that I mentioned last time--which the approach of spring brings out in me--reminds me of Dorothy's opening the door onto the Land of Oz and everything switching from a black-and-white maelstrom into a bedazzling Technicolor landscape.

From something like this, winter's view out my front door ...




to this ...


 

... the view out my door one January day two years ago when I arrived in Bali.  I even felt like Dorothy as I left behind what I characterized as a black-and-white part of my life and looked down from my veranda onto a magical garden of banana trees, coconut palms, sparkling pool, stone statuary of Hindu gods, and rice paddy beyond.  The only sounds were the occasional chirping of a lizard and some far-off rhythmic drumming.  That and the gurgling of a fountain that flowed into the pool.  Talk about possibility!!  Suddenly everything was sunny and promising.

But though a trip to Bali--or, more recently, Hawaii--can produce this shift from a grey and white world to a blue and green one, the advent of spring accomplishes the same thing.  The Bali trip took forty hours door to door.  The full extent of spring's renewal will take a few weeks.  But then it's as if you took a box off your head that had been there for months.  Or you found yourself pounds lighter--which, in fact, you were by removing parka, sweaters, scarves, mittens, hats, and clompy boots.   

As an aside, an insurance adjuster just came to assess winter roof damage--vent pipe, flashing, aluminum snow belt, ceiling plaster--and said, "It's very pretty around here, but I couldn't live through your winters.  It's too cold."  He had a soft accent, North Carolina plates, and he called me "ma'am." (To reach the roof, he also had the cutest--yes, that's the word--aluminum ladder I've ever seen.  Maybe 15" wide by 2 or 3 feet long--all telescoped into itself.  I mused that it might even fit into a suitcase.  He took each rung, and with a ka-chunk, ka-chunk, extended it out 12½ feet, set it against the house, and climbed up.)  

But to get back to my point, it is with that sense of possibility that I now push my own personal Refresh button and begin this new blog.  The idea began to germinate in October, but I needed to get through the dark months first.  That, at least, gave me time to think what I wanted to say:  "Words, Pictures, Homey Things ... Travels, Opinions, Fun Things."

The Words part will include comments on books, language, grammar, with occasional excerpts from various writings including my own.  Pictures will include photos I've taken, art work I've painted, plus maybe occasional comments about movies.  Homey Things might take in some nostalgia, a recipe or two, whatever.  Travels can be just that:  tales of adventures, past and recent.  Opinions can be something else entirely:  the lost art of conversation, the pleasures of puttering, tinkering, sauntering.  Fun things--well, that can be the goofy, the silly, the leavening, if you will.

As for the blog's title, it's right there in plain view (for me, at least), but I'll talk about that another time.  

In the meantime, here's a spring up-date from my front lawn:

©2011 Door Number Eight