Saturday, January 14, 2012

SLEEP

We spent the latter half of today out and about, picking up prescriptions and running errands. When we pulled down the drive to the back of the cottage, I noticed the sun going down across the river and the way the bronze-gold light gleamed off the water…so I went inside, grabbed a camera, and made this shot.    

Another cold day here along the river—but mostly clear. As it's also the weekend when Myladylove has Saturday off, we got to sleep in a bit—which is to say I got up an hour later than usual and she slept an extra five; something like a solid fourteen hours, depending on when she fell asleep on the couch before we went to bed. 

I don't begrudge her such a long sleep; if anything, I envy it. But I haven't managed that much snooze time in decades…and never then unless I was exhausted or sick. Five to seven hours is my usual; I can make do on less, but seldom manage more. 

Once, however, when I was in college, I spent about five days more-or-less awake taking finals, then I got on a train at midnight in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which took twelve hours to reach Cincinnati, Ohio, and managed to miss the connection to Dayton—at which point I and a couple of other unfortunate passengers had to pile on a Greyhound bus for the 50-mile ride north. At the bus terminal, I called home and learned there was no one available to come pick me up because my Aunt Grace's husband, Howard, had suffered a massive heart attack that morning, was in the hospital struggling to survive, and everyone except my mother was gathered at his bedside. So I grabbed my multiple pieces of luggage and, uh, lugged myself and my stuff a few blocks to a stop where I could catch the trolly which ran from downtown to the semi-rural township beyond the city limits where we lived. By the time I'd caught that bus, rode to the end of the line, and lugged my suitcases and self to the front door of the family home, I was desperately beat. 

Mom had fried two chickens, mashed potatoes and made gravy, and baked a chocolate pie. I ate all the chicken, a lot of the potatoes and gravy, three-quarters of the chocolate pie, and drank a half-gallon of milk. Then I crawled into bed and slept twenty-two hours, barely moving…and would have slept longer, except Dad got worried and woke me up to make sure I was okay. 

My Uncle Howard eventually recovered, though it was along time before he could work again, and I don't think he was ever quite the same. Mom had fixed lots more of my favorites foods while I was asleep, including another chocolate pie. And I've never slept so long or so deeply since. But to this day, I don't know where I put all that food.
———————

16 comments:

Arija said...

OK Mr.Hollowlegs at least we have established you, like a bear, can put away a ton of food and sleep for the rest of the week.
Great story!

AfromTO said...

Lovely shot-I could look at water photos all day-ever minute light, sky & water change-there is one website I visit a gent has a web cam snapping stills aimed out his northern cabin at the water and far shore-I check in numerous times of day and seasons it is always different and fascinating.

Grizz………… said...

Arija…

In my defense I expect they were smaller frying-size chickens rather than 6-pound roasters. I probably didn't eat much more than a man-sized helping or two of the mashed potatoes and gravy. As to the chocolate pie…well, guilty, and I ate the rest of that one and the second one she fixed, too. And in short order. The chocolate pies Mom made—not cream, but a cooked chocolate, with meringue on top, and her great homemade crust—were, in those days, my absolute favorite. I loved them warm from the oven with a big glass of cold milk. Alas, I haven't had a taste of such a pie since Mom passed away.

I certainly haven't slept so long since.

I am, perhaps, rather a bear, though—which, having a fondness for bears, take as a compliment.

KGMom said...

I'd say--after your 22 hour sleep in your youth--you hold some kind of record. What a story.

Sleep is one of those activities that becomes more elusive for many of us as we age.

I stay awake quite a long time into the night, rarely going to sleep before midnight or 1 a.m. But then I can usually sleep until 8 a.m.

Grizz………… said...

AfromTO…

I could look at water and photograph it all the time, too…and frankly, do that very thing a lot more than I care to admit. Water—at least the river flowing past this cottage—is ever changing, taking light and turing it into color and movement, a swirl here, whirl there, and a sweet slow waltz as it slides around the bend. Every season, day, hour, minute is different. I have hundreds of water images (as you know) and hope to make thousands more. I never get tired of watching the water.

Grizz………… said...

KGMom…

My father was a world-class sleeper. He could go to sleep any time, and sleep as long as he wanted or had time to. I think he could have done 22 hours straight easy. Mom, on the other hand—who I take after—was a poor sleeper at best, seldom managing more than a half-dozen hours, and usually fewer.

I actually sleep more now than I used to, by an hour or two per night. For years I operated on five hours or fewer per night, often just skipping a night, or sometimes going to bed as the sun came up and sleeping a couple of hours. I've never slept much at all during the daylight hours. I wish I could sleep more now, but I can't. I go to bed after 11:00p.m., read an hour or so, and I'm typically up well before 6:00 a.m. Sometimes I get up in the middle of the night and go sit and watch the river or read or just listen to music or a podcast on my iPod.

George said...

Gorgeous photo, Grizz. That river of yours is a fine painter, leaving you with a new landscape several times each day. It must be a source of constant delight.

I'm curious about the beginning of the famous journey that led to your extended slumber. Did you go to college in or near Chattanooga? I'm curious because I went to undergraduate and law school at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville

Bernie said...

Beautiful picture Grizz, you do have a gift as your picture always look so magical.
Glad you had such a good day and I too can sleep a day away by times but mostly 7 hours a night works for me. We are having a snow storm as I write so I am sitting by a warm fire watching Football and Curling as well as playing on my laptop. Tough life I live...lol

Grizz………… said...

George…

Ahhhh, my lovely river. If only I were a painter with talent enough to capture the light and moods of the moment, season by season…but then, maybe only The Painter is capable of such works. But yes, it inspires and delights and fills me, daily.

I went for a short time to a college in Cleveland, not too far away, about 70 miles as I recall. I was majoring in Applied (performance) Music, piano, and doing some session work—nothing of any significance—at various recording studios. Whenever I could escape, I'd head up the forests along the Ocoee or Hiawassee, or on over into the Smokies if I had time. I've been on the UT campus several times researching various things over the years—a fine school. Go Big Orange!

Grizz………… said...

Bernie…

I did have a good day. And a good evening…also sitting by the fire, reading, watching a PBS mystery later. It it's quiet in the main room, you can hear the river purling along just beyond the cottage.

The photos, some of them anyway, reflect, to the best of my ability, what I feel caused by what I see—and I suppose that gives them a certain look or style. If there's a "magical" look about them, it's because the scenes themselves are magical. I hope that's so. That's what I'm trying to share.

Rowan said...

I love that photo of the sun going down over the river. I'm like you 5 to 7 hours is about as long as I can sleep. Never have been one for lying in even as a teenager though I do sleep longer in winter than in summer. Occasionally I wake up as late as 7.30am :)

Grizz………… said...

Rowan…

I was never much of a sleeper as a teen, either—though I did like to stay up all night, go to bed at dawn, and sleep until midmorning or even noon. But that didn't amount to more than my usual 5-6 hours.

Thank you re. sunset photo.

BTW, I had a spoonful of your mincemeat on some toast with peanut butter for breakfast this morning. I have a partial jar in the fridge which I use to top oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, etc. Great stuff!

The Weaver of Grass said...

More to the point Grizz, do you still adore chocolate pie?

Grizz………… said...

Weaver…

Yes, I expect I do, though it has been more years than I care to think about since the last serving. I prefer pie over cake, anyway, and have rarely encountered a pie of any type which I didn't like.

But Mom's chocolate pie wasn't one of cream-types you mostly see around. Rather it was an old fashioned hill-country recipe, from at least the early 1900s, if not before, which used powered, unsweetened cocoa, eggs, milk, sugar, and doubtless a pinch of salt—the whole cooked to a sort of pudding consistency which firmed up as it cooled. I preferred the pie barely out of the oven from finishing the meringue, still steaming hot, a little on the runny side, with a big glass of ice cold whole milk.

(Sigh.) It's been forever since I had a piece of chocolate pie like that…

Judith said...

Well, I'm home and I didn't catch that glint of gold on the river- glad YOU did so I could see it. Anyway, your photos are so much better than mine. I did take a ton from the semi on my travels but I haven't edited them yet. Been mostly sitting at home and occasionally walking the sheltie. (Just up and down the street)

Grizz………… said...

Judith…

Hey, glad to here you're home safe and sound. You've been gone, what, two and a half months? Until a few days ago, though, the weather and landscape was almost exactly the same as when you hit the road; you haven't missed much, in that respect.

We've been working in the house all day, packing stuff up for the attic, getting things down, moving this and that. The house is such a mess even Moon feels displaced and has decided to sleep in my work room.
We're thinking about eating something and then back at it so we have a place to sleep tonight.

Again, welcome home.