Stil Reading

When was the last time I spent such large chunks of time reading a book? I can't remember. I just 'lost' my race day Saturday to Cormac McCarthy's The Road. I spent the day I'm supposed to be doing laundry and other chores and keeping both laptop and PC humming with web site projects reading. Somehow, I am not one bit sorry.

After Ed and his folks left for the dirt track races about two-thirty, I took an iced coffee, my book and our cat Merlin out to the back yard. I staked Merlin on his leash and sat in a lawn chair and read. It was perfect weather. Not to hot. Sweetie, my inlaws's dog joined us off and on but she was too disturbed by the noise of the kids playing in the swimming pool just over the fence from us.

I came in only reluctantly about five because Merlin was pestering me. He was ready for his food and water dishes. I was still planning on starting laundry at that time. But when I came in our room to move my laptop out to the living room, I sat down and started playing the solitaire game I'd left on the screen. Next thing I knew, another hour had gone by and I was hungry.

I fixed a sandwich and returned to The Road. And suddenly it was after eight! Too late to hope to get more than a single load out of the dryer before they arrived home, especially with it not even sorted yet. So I just let it slide and returned to reading. I alternated between the book and the solitaire game until Ed and his folks arrived home about ten-thirty--about an hour earlier than usual too so I would likely have still had the first load in the dryer.

I dislike having to deal with my laundry after they go to bed as the machines are in the hall right outside their bedroom and they don't shut their door so I either have to pull my clothes out in the dark or turn on the light that will light up their room. I can't just leave my stuff in the machine on Saturday night's either as Sunday is my Mother-in-law's day off from her job and she starts her Sundays by stripping her bed into the washing machine and keeps the machines going well into the afternoon.

In fact it is difficult for me to find a time slot in which to do laundry with out fear of being in someone's way on any other day of the week than race day Saturday. So that is part of the cost of spending this day lost in a novel for hours and hours.