Tuesday, July 28, 2009

It's hard to imagine 103 degrees in Seattle
while out here in the west of Ireland
the wind howls and shrieks and rattles
everything not nailed completely down
on the house, and then the rain, the rain....
I have to remember that if we drive the four
or so miles into town, the weather will most likely
be comparatively calm, Westport being nestled
in a little bowl, facing away from the Atlantic
from whence cometh all misery. Ahem.
But today I just couldn't bring myself
to get in the car and be jostled on bumpy
roads, look for a parking spot and dodge fellow
tourists on the sidewalks of town. So instead
I sent Paul to get me more cough syrup
(whose name sounds like vomit in the
onomatopoeic sense) and to rustle up
some sudafed or some other such decongestant
for my besieged upper respiratory system.

Meanwhile, I've brewed myself a mug of tea
infused with fresh orange peel and sliced ginger,
and I'll sit here and listen to the gale bellow
just on the other side of the glass.

A question: how is it that all these feather-weighted
birds -- sparrows, green finches, Irish robins -- can stand,
stand in this wind and nibble away at the seed
we've scattered, and not get blasted to smithereens?

---

I marvel at the ability to video-chat with my sons
on Skype. It's far from perfect, but it's damn great!
Yesterday Nelson's face kept reshaping itself
like something from a horror movie. And then he went
all Impressionist on me, all paint-daubed
and wavery, and his voice descended underwater
for a moment, then he froze in a weird twisted grin
and then the connection was lost. Imagine that --
a poor connection -- and for this we pay (not a thing.)
We did, however, manage to conduct a fair amount
of business during our spotty, wiggly, burbly call.
Still hashing out the details with the insurance co.
re: that nasty break-in. But it's moving forward.
It always does, doesn't it?

7 comments:

  1. Yes, too hot here in Seattle. It's not yet 8am and I'm here dripping sweat as the house only cooled to 76 degrees. I'm off to take Jack out for his morning walk but already hot and still out there.

    There should be some way to spread this weather around- a little for you and a little for us. I'm thinking of fall...

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  2. I see that you're having the weather we had yesterday here in Manitoba, where I'm staying with friends. I finally have a good connection, so I'm just starting to get caught up on what's happening to all my bloggy friends. Sorry to see that you're under the weather, as it were. Ginger tea is a great idea.

    Apparently the weather has been horrid here, all summer, but today the sun has come out, so there's hope.

    May our sunny summer weather stretch all the way to Ireland and cure your cold.

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  3. Our friends in the Pacific Northwest are stunned and suffering.

    I'm so sorry to hear the chill and rain opened your system for this respiratory misery. I hope you recover very quickly.

    Love, C.

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  4. Yes, we always seem to get through disasters and life goes on...

    T! I received your card yesterday. Many thanks, very little damage, just a rub on the water! I've put it on my sidebar and also staring me in the face on my desk at home.

    Now, I heard on the radio yesterday that cough syrup was not effective; a hot lemon and honey drink will be more beneficial.

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  5. Perhaps hot lemon and honey with a shot of Irish Whiskey?

    T., I'm so sorry that you're under the rattling weather.

    And I received my postcard--and it's gorgeous. Thank you so much!

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  6. I used Skype a lot for a Star Trek podcast I do with my friends (Ha!) and I was surprised how well it works. I still haven't tried video chat.

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  7. Valerie -- thanks for stopping by! The video chat is great fun. Worth checking out, if only for the visual entertainment of a poor connection....

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