November

(Please click on the title for a reading aloud by the author.)

The last time I went to the health clinic in Cerrillos the nurse practitioner quickly went through a health questionnaire…

“Weight gain or loss?”

“Nope.”

“Trouble sleeping?”

“Nope.”

“Depression?”

“Just the usual,” I said, and wondered “could this be the sequel to Super Size Me?” She nodded her head and grinned ever so slightly and kept right on going with the questions. What would have happened if I had said, “yes.”

It is the 7^th of November as I write this. It is a warm and sunny day here in New Mexico. The sky is an endless depth of blue. I turned all my clocks back this morning, and in so doing felt depressed more than “the usual.” The season of cold and dark is upon us. The weather forecast is for winds to shift from west to north and temperatures to plummet. Having been on the go most of last week I decided to spend the day at home. No internal combustion engines today. It took extra effort to get motivated but I knew what I wanted to do: wash the windows and remove the screens.

There are about a thousand things on my list before house cleaning and I’ve never met a vacuum cleaner I liked. But I do pretty well for a lone wolf. Anticipation of the results, both physical and psychological is enough for me to dive in and get the job done. So, after breakfast, a hot shower and getting dressed in work clothes I put together my window washing kit.

All the windows are casement style, so swing out like doors. By first opening them, washing both inside and out the water and ammonia drains off onto the ground. So I cranked them all out and had at it. This is a simple pleasures are the best kind of thing. I worked my way around the house: sponge on water and ammonia, squeegee off. Touch up with a towel. Next window. They were pretty dirty but this method of cleaning goes fast. I adjusted and snugged up weather stripping that had come loose in it’s tracks as I went along. Going back inside I closed the windows and latched them. The time has come to batten down the hatches. Then I removed the screens.

There’s nothing like clean windows to improve one’s outlook. I am reminded of friend Morgan’s comment, “It’s like getting a whole new car!” after replacing the badly pitted and cracked windshield in his Toyota with 500 thousand miles on it. Without the screens the house is noticeably brighter, a lot brighter. So blessed with tangible positive results, a sense of accomplishment and a brighter house… I feel better. So much so I dragged the vac from the store room and gave the place a good sucking out.

This afternoon I am treating myself to a bar of chocolate (maybe not all of it, we’ll see), and a pot of tea and writing. The sun has come around front and pours in the house.

Gordon Bunker