Love Life Word Work

I am sitting in a coffee house in Hamilton, New York. I am full of memories and also full of the sights of today. It’s a classic New York state small town, a college town. The lady who owns the place doesn’t know anything about the Sugar Bowl cafe that was here in the fifties. I am going outside and taking some pictures right now.
We used to pass through this town, sometimes would do activities here like band concerts at the bandstand in the park.
It’s beautiful, very pleasant, and very much in the present - but for me it has a magicalness because of my memories.
Here’s a picture of the Barge Canal Coffee Company where Susan and the folks were hospitable.

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

Note to myself: Get some decent heat in this place.
There’s a gas space heater in the living room - vented to the outside, it heats up real nicely. But it only heats up two parts of the house very well - (1 )the spot right in front of it and (2) the upstairs hall, because of the open balcony space. So one would either have to stand right in front of the thing, like one would warm oneself at a fireplace, or go upstairs go the upstairs hall. The upstairs bedrooms get a little heat too. But the whole downstairs gets almost no benefit from the gas stove.
Last night I didn’t turn it on, partly because I didn’t think it would be too cold and partly because I didn’t think it would do much good. I was wrong on the first count - it was cold. I had moved the bed downstairs (because I didn’t think it would be cold anymore this season) and I had to add blankets as the night went on. As it happened, the blankets I had with me were the heavyweight kind that don’t hold in much heat. Give me a lightweight goose down comforter any day.
Oh, and here’s an update on the rat poison issue. I brought one package with me this time and put it on the floor by the water heater before going to bed. This morning the package was gone - dragged off by what I could imagine to be some giant-sized mouse. Later I did see it under the bathtub and it had been broken into, so I am satisfied it is doing its work.

Years ago Steve Taylor sang about church-changing as a steeplechase. Here’s a cartoon from Dave Walker that is along those same lines and mucho poignant. You can get his book here: The Dave Walker Guide to Church

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

I knew there were mice here—one of them was working the night shift in the bedroom as I tried to sleep as all mice are wont to do. I thought, I gotta do something about this, but I didn’t want to use mouse traps because I didn’t want him smelling up the place till I got around to removing him.
Then one evening as I wrote on my computer I saw one of them dart across the floor and I thought, that’s a big one. So I resolved to use rat poison.
On my way down the next time which was last week, I stopped at the farm store and looked at the selection of rat poisons. There were several choices and the instructions were displayed in such fine print, that I decided to ask advice from the owner. He said get the ones in the bags; just crack the bag and leave it out. Large bag $1.50, box of ten small bags $7.50. I got the box of small bags—more kills for the money, I thought.
When I got ready to leave the house after my visit I put out three bags, cracked them and left them in strategic out of the way places. I put the box up on a shelf to save for another time, in case there are any rats left alive after this treatment. I thought, I hope the rat gets a taste of these and crawls off to die someplace far away.
When I came back the little bags were empty; I thought, boy oh boy, he’s taken the bait.
He took the bait alright—he ate all the bait in the bags I left out, then found the box, opened it and ate all the remaining packs too.
And there he was floating in one of my auxiliary water buckets in the bathroom. Later, while I was writing on my computer I saw one of his pardners strolling around just as well as you please. It cost me $7.50 plus tax to exterminate one large mouse.

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite