A leisurely Christmas Day was just the salve I needed. Sophie and I took a long hike in the morning on these mountain roads. We saw one car the entire hour of brisk hiking. Usually I don't see even one. The bogs, fields, and mountains were beautiful; each day they appear different, depending on the time of day, amount of light, and type of cloud cover. Sophie was ecstatic, sniffing here and there along the road, and rolling in what I'm sure are lingering scents from disintegrated horse manure. Every retriever I have ever owned, both Labs and Goldens, have had a love affair with the horsey stuff. I can't understand it--it's just digested hay, but there it is.
It was fun to have a Christmas tucked away here all on our own, and it was a relief to just relax. Yesterday was equally relaxing. I'm almost finished organizing my office, and it is so cozy and inviting. Bright, yet soft light, a medium-dark true blue carpet, and two windows. Perfect.
Today was a nerve-wracking day for me. We made the trek to Glens Falls to shop. I already hate the congested roads that traverse the super-abundance of stores in its mall district. We stopped at Starbucks for coffee to fortify ourselves. Then we were off to Lowe's to buy a big freezer and a new fridge. After a couple of other errands, I dropped Ken off at Home Depot and headed over to Price Chopper. I promised myself I would not be overwhelmed by the experience of food shopping there as I had been three weeks ago. No, I would take my list in hand and not let that monster supermarket conquer me.
Well, I survived, I got most of what I wanted to get, but I was so incredibly stressed. I just hate to shop, but I also have impossibly high standards for the food I'll put on our table. Add these ingredients to the necessity of navigating an unfamiliar megastore and I suppose the results are predictable. Maybe I can console myself that I'll get used to it in time. We did save money shopping there, but that brings up a whole other issue, which I will delve into soon but not today.
It was a sunny day, a beautiful day, and I was so unhappy I was in mall-land instead of at home in the mountains. There will be others, of course, but right now I find it hard to sacrifice a single one.
It was fun to have a Christmas tucked away here all on our own, and it was a relief to just relax. Yesterday was equally relaxing. I'm almost finished organizing my office, and it is so cozy and inviting. Bright, yet soft light, a medium-dark true blue carpet, and two windows. Perfect.
Today was a nerve-wracking day for me. We made the trek to Glens Falls to shop. I already hate the congested roads that traverse the super-abundance of stores in its mall district. We stopped at Starbucks for coffee to fortify ourselves. Then we were off to Lowe's to buy a big freezer and a new fridge. After a couple of other errands, I dropped Ken off at Home Depot and headed over to Price Chopper. I promised myself I would not be overwhelmed by the experience of food shopping there as I had been three weeks ago. No, I would take my list in hand and not let that monster supermarket conquer me.
Well, I survived, I got most of what I wanted to get, but I was so incredibly stressed. I just hate to shop, but I also have impossibly high standards for the food I'll put on our table. Add these ingredients to the necessity of navigating an unfamiliar megastore and I suppose the results are predictable. Maybe I can console myself that I'll get used to it in time. We did save money shopping there, but that brings up a whole other issue, which I will delve into soon but not today.
It was a sunny day, a beautiful day, and I was so unhappy I was in mall-land instead of at home in the mountains. There will be others, of course, but right now I find it hard to sacrifice a single one.
posted by Judith at 6:36 PM
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