Life at the speed of summer

One of the things I find absolutely blissful about country life are those days that drift by, silent, breezy and rippling back and forth through time, as though everything is happening quickly/slowly/all-at-once. The birds squeep, the cats loll in the shade or romp through the yard, the bees buzz happily on the abundant blossoms, and the occasional car going down the road in front of the house is the only reminder that there is a world outside of this little plot of land. It is these days, when I see no one (except for Michael), when I don't leave the confines of the yard except to gaze at the neighbors fish pond on the other side of the hedge, these days that I drink in like ambrosia, knowing that in a few months, I'll be living in a hot, crowded and very noisy country in Southeast Asia.

And so it is that I take extra pleasure in recording my itinerary for the day, knowing that a year or so from now, I will look back on it and giggle.... and then sigh, wistfully.

7:30
Cat begins pounding around on the bed, looking for breakfast. Toss her out and close the door.
8:00
Give up on idea of sleeping in and focus on cat that is now scratching on closed bedroom door. Get up, feed cats, toss them outside.
8:10
While water for coffee is coming to the boil, shuffle through the hedge in pajamas to feed neighbor's cats.
8:15
Pour coffee, park at dining room table with laptop. Surf blogs. Bookmark restaurants in Singapore that I want to visit.
8:25
Let cats in. Let cats out.
9:00
Let cats in. Let cats out.
9:15
Make more coffee. Let cats in. Let cats out.
9:40
Neighbor's dog has been barking for 25 minutes. Stand at back door and yell, "Oh for God's sake, let the dog in!" They do.
10:00
Put load of darks in washing machine.
10:05
Change into gardening clothes. Begin weeding herb garden.
10:35
Hang darks load on line. Put whites load in washing machine. Let cats in. Let cats out.
11:10
Re-wash whites load with bleach because of stray red t-shirt that got mixed in to what is now pinks load.
12:00
Hang whites load on line. Continue weeding.
1:00
Give up on weeding for the day and begin to search for paintbrush with which to apply coat of tung oil to recently re-finished sideboard.
1:20
Abandon plan to work on sideboard as no paintbrush can be found. Go back to bookmarking restaurants on laptop in dining room.
1:30
Let cats in. Let cats out.
2:00
Begin searching recipe books with Michael in order to devise plan for dinner.
2:30
Let cats in. Let cats out.
3:00
Meditate.
4:20
Wash dishes. Fix door handle on back door. Put pork tenderloin into marinade. Let cats in. Let cats out.
5:00
Pour glass of wine.Take laptop outside onto back deck in order to waste time more enjoyably in the glorious, muggy thickness of another Niagara summer.
5:15
Note cats sleeping nearby on deck.