This is shaping into one of those lackadaisical days here along the river. Which is really just a way of saying I'm in a lazy, loafing mood—feckless, sluggardly, indolent, good-for-nothing. Can't get into writing or yard work. Reading doesn't appeal. Taking a walk is out because of the temporarily bothersome knee. I've had three mugs of coffee since breakfast and still feel half-awake.
I blame my mood on the weather. Currently it's 68 ˚F with scattered clouds—bright sun one minute, dark overcast the next. There's a serious front on the way bringing afternoon showers and thunderstorms, possible large hail, gusty winds. Tomorrow's high is predicted to only reach 39˚F, and we may have sleet and snow tonight. I need to take advantage of this nice weather while I can.
Except…I'm all but useless, devoid of inspiration or energy, about as inert as one of the mid-river boulders. The day is washing over me and I'm just sitting here dull and dysfunctional.
An hour ago I sauntered around the backside of the cottage, looking to see if I could spot one of the small queen snakes that have been appearing about the yard during the past week. I turned one up here yesterday, beneath a windrow of old sycamore leaves. No doubt these are members of the queen-snake clan who like to sun themselves on my riverside deck. I suspect recent high water displaced them from their winter hibernaculum in the rocky rubble of the streambank, forcing them to seek temporary shelter wherever they could find sufficient refuge—including nearby fluffy leafpiles.
I saw no snakes, but I did take a few shots of the white crocus blooming nearby—delicate, several lightly veined in purple, almost seeming to glow with their own luminosity in the soft, dim light.
So far, I confess—that pix and this post are the closest I've come to an accomplishment for the day….
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22 comments:
aw ... never forget the butterfly effect, grasshopper (am i bugging you?) ... a click at your house has caused a smile at mine ... which may have caused a small miracle elsewhere ... a good day's work, without a doubt.
Oh - these internal task masters that just won't leave us alone. Don't they know that sometimes we just need to allow a bit of lethargy, purposelessness, lackadaisicalness?
If you can't beat it, why not give into it and enjoy it? Why I am tempted to join you, but have to go and clean up messy counters full of paper and paint in my studio. :-)
pacifixe…
Oh, wow—the "butterfly effect!" As a mere grasshopper, I would heretofore never have imagined such a possibility. Yet you've made me aware there's an overlooked line of justification for what I assumed was merely a shameful case of spring-borne ennui.
Why, who knows? In my supposed ineffectiveness, I might have actually saved countless lives and altered the course of modern civilization.
A good day's work, indeed!
Love the comments! A feckless day is a wonderful thing, if only done occasionally, no snakes but wonderful flowers, a day to enjoy, we are so silly we humans have this need to do something when perhaps we need to do nothing.
What does Moon dog do? Perhaps she knows more than you do.
Bonnie…
Between you and me, it's not that these internal task masters are infrequent visitors, but that they seem to be permanent guests…perhaps even family members. All I have to do is plod down the hall and open the wrong door—and presto…there they are, ready to have their way with me for the day.
My usual escape is exactly what you've apparently done—attend to one of those countless tasks which always need doing, but require little other than rote actions.
Today, I simply got waylaid and overwhelmed before I could take effective evasive measures.
Penny…
Hummmm…you have a valid point in your mention of Moon the Dog. At the moment she's flopped out on a pad by the front door where she can keep a lazy eye on the pair of Canada geese plucking their way through the yard. Occasionally she issues a half-hearted bark. I've long known that between me and Moon, she's the wiser. Perhaps I should have consulted her earlier.
Oh thats the reason? Here I was blaming it on spring fever (What spring?), or perhaps a slight cold... Or just plain lazy. These sort of days (daze) where tnothing seems to want to come together. Ahh, I think you just gave me an out... Grin. ATB!
Rusty…
I thought about blaming it on spring fever myself…but then I decided it didn't involve going fishing or meandering around in the woods, so it couldn't be spring fever—the symptoms just didn't match. Ergo, it had to be a case of non-seasonal fainéance.
You might even say a lentitudinous daze…
Sometimes, we simply need lazy days. I like your honesty in admitting it. Beautiful photo, btw!
Oh you accomplished a lot-your wonderful blossoms raised my spirits as our city was in throws of another blizzard today.You give me hope in a future of sun and blooms.I can almost smell your spring from the photo.thanks
Nature ID (Katie)…
You're right, of course, though I guess the part I find puzzling is that such days seem to select me rather than the other way around. Too, I'm more apt to have Lazy Day Syndrome in the middle of May, when it's warm and green and the air is heavy with vernal perfume.
Thank you re. photo.
AfromTO…
I expect you're suffering from cabin fever, wanting to pack up the paints and brushes and head north for a spring sabbatical. Keep the faith. The seasons will change—even up there, in north-shore Ontario country. In the meantime, I'll photograph our Ohio wildflowers and burgeoning spring, and share them with you.
sounds like spring fever to me.
HI GRIZZ-
Just one of those days, huh? Seems that the struggling season change is impacting folks - leaving them 'in-be-twix and between'. We feeel it too. Although the painting has kept us very busy and we are just about done with the whole down stairs and it looks lovely. Tomorrow is regular cleaning day' and we are headed out for apps and some wine at our favorite pub later on. Skipp will bring his guitar, and I my drum sticks and it is simply amazing how folks join in - makes for a fun evening. It is just so nice to have this time to be able to do such things. We are very grateful and feel truly blessed. Your 'funk' will pass - mean while set a spell and honor your mood.
Loving you
Gail
peace......
ellen abbott…
Nahhh—no visions of fishing, lolling on some greening streamside bank, or wandering through a vernal spring woods. Neither did I catch myself sniffing the air and drifting off into some pastel fantasy. I know the symptoms of spring fever—God knows I've experienced them often enough.
This was just a pure call to vegetate, the overwhelming need to surrender temporarily to my inner uselessness.
Thankfully, it has passed and I'm again managing to get a few things done.
Gail…
I believe you do understand my mood yesterday…I was, indeed, caught in the "be-twix and between," neither animal nor mineral, but sort of a protoplasmic blob like an old mushroom left too long on the refrigerator shelf.
"Funk" describes it perfectly.
Your evening out sounds like just the ticket—friends, food, drink, laughter, self-made music. "Funks" can't abide such curative carrying-ons!
hehehe...loved this post. I can identify...
Kelly...
A kindred occasional slacker, huh? :-)
Have you recovered your bounce?
I think the cold spring has kept all of our blood slow moving, so not much energ.
I do understand the bum knee thing.
Let the sun warm you and you will perk right up, I hope.
I think you should congratulate yourself on a lackadaisical day without the significant accomplishments. I find it difficult to just be a human BEING, but when it happens, I find it especially pleasurable.
KGMom…
My lost bounce is still AWOL—but I'm hoping it will eventually reappear. Actually, the knee/leg continues to give me problems. I expect it's going to be one of those longer-term recovery things.
It's been cold here, and not too much sun. Today they're predicting 40˚F and partial sun—so I am going to try an get outside for a while later on.
Thanks for rattling my chain…
George…
Please forgive me for not responding to your comment sooner—either I missed it when I was at my desk in the morning, or it came through after I'd shut things down and escaped for the remainder of the day.
Your point is well taken. Some days I can accomplish nothing, laze around, and have an absolutely fine time of it—feeling not a twinge of guilt, irresponsibility, or dereliction of duty to anyone or anything. But at least as often, I'm doing nothing because I'm in a mood of utter uselessness…not quite despair or depression, but definitely on the melancholy and more than mere ennui.
We are, so often, what we bring to the table. I don't feel like I have to accomplish something great each and every day; but I do have that sense, always, of sand steadily pouring through the hourglass…and a part of me that knows there's far less remaining in that upper chamber than there used to be—thus I'm loath the waste a single second. And so, the dichotomy—to loosen the moorings occasionally and enjoy the free drift, or to keep the sails filled and my eye on chart and compass?
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