clean at last

As you all know, I am a simple woman with simple needs. And right now, here's what is simply making me happy: there is a working washing machine in my basement which just washed two large baskets of laundry; my new Macca CD is playing in the kitchen and a large piece of peanut butter on raisin sourdough toast sits beside me. I found out by mail that I do not have colon cancer this year. Yay!

Hallowe'en was its usual extraordinary event in my neighbourhood - hundreds of children and so many houses decorated, ghosts, goblins, gravestones and giant spiders everywhere. After teaching, I went to Jean-Marc and Richard's for a grown-up Hallowe'en party, homemade pizzas, wine and many interesting people, all of whom live within a five house radius. Wonderful.

My neighbour Monique getting ready for the hordes.

So. She's feelin' good. Tho' not so good this morning, a tiny bit hungover. And my new phone sort of works and sort of does not, along with most other things in this house, including me. I have been so immersed in wires, washers, technological decisions, teaching, So True et al, I have not done any writing work for ages, both body and mind disintegrating. Time to get going again. The weather helps - it's glorious out there, incredible for November. For another week, they say. Please. Before reality hits.

The CD attributes a surprising number of the songs to both Paul and Linda McCartney. It's too bad one of my fave songs, "I'm Carrying," isn't on it. Imagine, 67 beautiful, very different songs, and there are still lots more out there. Here's "Early Days," a song about his boyhood friendship with John, his voice rough and old, and brave.

Okay, I'm faithful to my earliest loves, Paul and peanut butter, and really REALLY boring.

Today I heard from a dear friend who is featured in my new memoir. I gave it to her to read. What would I have done if she'd hated the way she was portrayed, when she's in so much of the book? It would have been difficult. But luckily, it seems, she did not. It's one of the difficulties of memoir - that we are writing not just about ourselves, but the people in our lives, whether they like it or not. It is a beautiful piece of writing and one of the most interesting bits of writing on l’Arche I have ever read. Very moving in that it rings so true. I enjoyed reading it immensely. 

This, too, is the sweetest music to my ears. I wonder if Paul could write it into a song.
"And your inspiration, long may it last, may it come to you, time and time again," he sings.