Category: <span>Writing Entries</span>

It’s true! It was a dark and stormy night last night. We enjoyed a cloud to cloud lightening show for at least 30 minutes. At first, we sat outside under our small back porch, but when a loud crack sounded to the right of us, we scampered inside. Our bedroom has three large windows facing near direct South. We opened the blinds and continued to watch the storm march across to the left of our natural television. The last flashes were still quite bright but well off in the distance. There wasn’t much rumble in this storm because all the action took place high in the sky.

(Click the picture to see it better)

Now, its early morning. Bright, bright sunshine, muddy patches of grass and glistening sparkles of water in the small pond at the end of our property. Exactly opposite of the night. One can easily relate to the purifying sense that the morning and sun brings to a difficult night that many authors uses so dramatically in their writing after this. I have to remember that I live on the Texas plains now, and not in the Louisiana swamp. There are lots of similiarity with the trees, grass and water yet it is so very different. The wind blows here nearly everyday. Some days, it’s light and breezy; today, it’s blowing with much more force as if the rid the land of the nasty storm of the night. I am sure the only good use of the wind is to power a sailboat! Otherwise, it causes me to chase a stray box or lost trash can lid, forget any sense of styling hair, and sidetrack the sun’s rays.

Too bad the ‘dark and stormy night’ was last night. Tonight is the date we celebrate Halloween which really is a non-holiday that everyone treats as a holiday. Maybe this is God’s way of letting us know that the weather is not going to help set the mood. Fall is definitely here.

I enjoyed my front porch this morning. I’ve been eager to since Dave finished it back in December (it is now mid-March). The temparature was just right, a slight overcast of clouds kept the heat away. A tiny breeze, not enough to blow the newspaper but enough to feel its light movement. But first, to enjoy my porch, I had to sweep away the pine needles, leaves and pine dust. There’s sure to be more during the rest of the spring.

I made the perfect cup of coffee, grinding my own beans. Vanilla aroma filled the kitchen as it brewed. I threw a couple pieces of Texas toast in my new toaster and wrapped a couple of sausage links in a paper towel to warm them in the microwave. It took two trips out the front door to carry everything. I even treated myself to one of my fancy coffee cups and saucers. I’d already fetched both clear bags filled with the Sunday paper laying out at the end of my driveway. Now, I know why the rich had slaves! Wouldn’t it be cool to just walk out and sit down to your favorite breakfast and perfectly sweetened coffee.

Time passed at a slow pace while I munched my breakfast and shuffled about reading my favorite sections of the newspaper. Only a couple of cars passed by the the house for that whole hour. I was lucky that a pine needle didn’t take aim at my perfect cup of coffee to spoil it all.

It was the coffee that got me started thinking about writing today. As I pulled the white cup with the dark brown liquid up to drink it, I noticed its glassy surface reflecting the skyline behind me. There was the roof of my home, then the rise of the few trees that we have left standing after the storm, then the sky. No ripples, just a perfect reflection of what was behind and above me. I thought, “Life was about as good as it can get around here after all the changes that I and my home have gone through.”