Cosmic Bubbles

Sentients…those with sentience. There’s more out there than just us. Today’s cosmic/comic anagram, “I’ll show sentients are quite thoughtful communicators. They whisper air, I see some take shapes. It’s fine.” Yes, it came from comic strip text today, “Though I’m not sure whether it was fahrenheit or celsius…a question of semantics…let’s keep it simple I say!” Well, it works for me. How about you? KISS!

as opposed to lēd first. The people handing out money (grant folks) today didn’t get very far with us. They said those with the least income qualify first, so that should have put us at number one. The problem came in having a house covered in lead paint, crumbling, chipping, falling off the boards, lead paint.  If the paint was intact, no problem. Had we left the aluminum siding on the house it would not have been a problem. And generally, if you don’t have the money to go ahead and scrape and paint the house to begin with, you won’t be getting the grant.

Of course, in trying to restore a house to it’s original beauty, vinyl or aluminum siding just doesn’t quite give the same appeal. First of all, this is an historic district, so there are not too many houses built after 1978 or having all the paint removed since that time. Many have covered it up, so if that has already been addressed, well, their candidacy goes up. But since the lead paint issue has to be addressed first, the grant folks won’t touch the house.

It would take as much as the grant is to remove the lead paint and repaint it, and neither of us can get a house painted in the next couple of months to be able to qualify for the grant; he just had hip surgery and I am too dizzy to do it. Even IF we had the materials, money and time, it couldn’t be done that fast. We lose out once again. Being poor sucks. Just one more disappointment. This place just can’t seem to get a leg up. It took me weeks to get the paint scraped off of a door, window and surrounding area a year ago, so no, it’s not likely to get done anytime soon. So I guess the next time the nuisance squad comes by, I’ll have another reason nothing is happening here.

Meanwhile, another chunk of ceiling fell into the loveseat today, bringing down more coal dust, wet hundred-year old plaster, and dirty rainwater. That’s the blue-tarp covered side of the roof I’ve written about. To say it leaks would be polite with more and more chunks falling in. It’s rained all day long. The kitchen is still a swamp on the counters and floor. I kinda’ gave up for the night. I took a bath earlier in apple-juice colored water, so the city probably needs to flush the hydrants. Guess coffee will be late in the morning. Not cooking any pasta tonight. Good thing I bought a little blanco spinach-cheese pizza on sale for four bucks. Life is certainly different than I ever thought it would be. I still have blessings to count, and comics to anagram. Haven’t done those yet today, so off I go.

I miss my trees. Well, they weren’t just mine, but I knew they were there and they knew I was there. It seemed they called to me, across the path, around the corner, I could feel them watching. How else would I find them? I could turn  directly to them. You’ve had that feeling before. The trees have eyes. Not the cutesy little clay ones you can nail into the side of trees to create a face. Real eyes. We all know trees have eyes, but we tend to think of them as just a physical protrusion on the bark, a wound from where a branch once grew. Aspens are notorious for eyes. But I don’t live that far west. Once you notice tree eyes, and become aware of them, you’ll see more of them…that little cycle where you see, then you’ll become more aware, and you’ll see more, and become more aware. Not only do the trees have eyes, but if you listen really close, you’ll hear them speak. Talking trees? Why sure. There are even instances in the Bible where trees speak? Did you know that? Here are a few instances:

If you look, you can find more. If you listen you can hear more. I am glad spring is coming soon, so I can see how many eyes await me at Clifty Falls State Park, (take a vitual tour), and places beyond. Maybe I can visit some of my old trees in Cincinnati again soon, too. That really would be nice.

It’s been raining all morning so the kitchen counters are dripping from the overhead leaks, it just runs on the floor. There are only so many pots to catch so many leaks. It is a constant battle around here. I am just having one of those days, I guess. It’s not easy to be happy all the time when you basically live alone in a dump. We have an appointment about a renovation grant in a little while. Maybe they can help to get something happening around here. Lord knows I can only do so much on my own.

I have a certain sense of humor about this place. If I didn’t, I would have gone nuts a long while ago. There is a particular stain on the living room wall that I am fond of; I call it my Egyptian man. As you can see in the photo the wall and ceiling surrounding this fun guy are in great need of repair. You are only seeing a small portion of it. Anyway…not long after I took this photo, I started going to rehab for my vestibular problem. It was funny, the therapist was wearing a little Egyptian necklace. It was a weird connection, and I probably freaked her out when I mentioned it. She has never worn it again. Of course, I told her that one of my anagrams had her name in it too, and since her name is unusual, that probably did it more than the stain on the wall and the necklace.

I am really worn out today. I suppose I could become a research subject, that’s about all I will be good for soon. The computer screen flashes all night and life being what it is, I showed the beau the Today Show’s segment on what that’s doing for me. Thank you Today Show for the timely assistance. Of course, he got a little testy, but passive-aggressive behaviors really never sway me. It is what it is, and I am not only tired but I am tired of it. Whenever possible I let the experts speak for me, so that was quite handy after yet another night of lights flashing before my closed eyes. I would like to have sleep sometimes. I am cranky this morning. I am sure my post won’t be able to hide that. So I may as well just vent.

Yeah, I understand what it is like when you are ill and can’t work or do what you normally do. But even when the beau is “normal” he is up half the night on the computer. That would be his choice. The computer does need to be in a different room, and soon. There are only three rooms, but something has to change.  Maybe it’s me…maybe that is the only thing that can change.

Since he’s now on his first leg of daylight hour sleep, I thought I’d play a mindless game. Well, yeah, it is fun to play games now and then, but moderation is in order when you do nothing but whatever it is you need to change. Shape shifter was my random choice this morning. I didn’t need anything that was ongoing for hours. Just a couple of minutes. I can see how people can enjoy that. But after that, and especially if, it interferes with relationships, well, I am just not much for playing games.

Another gray, cold, wet day. I was so happy to get outside yesterday, now that the house is once again filled with the darkness that normally envelopes it on days like today. The bedroom has lath walls and since it has been this way six, seven, eight years, who knows, I doubt it will change soon. I have been here too long for nothing to happen. I don’t own it, so there is only so much I can do. I work on the yard as I can. Lord knows I have much to do yet. The house is in varying degrees of deterioration, the hovel doesn’t let much light in or reflect much either. If it was up to me, the who interior of the house would have been drywalled and painted a couple of years ago, when I was able to do it. Like I said, it isn’t my house.

It is my computer, however. The computer is in front of the window that lets the most light in, and still, the rest of the room is crowded and in shadow. I have used mirrors to reflect as much light as possible in this house, but it will never be enough, not until the ceilings and walls are finished. In the townhouse I lived in for a year, there was more light in the basement room I had the computer in than in here. It’s that bad. Winter just makes it worse, so I am really looking forward to spring, and being able to go outside more often. Yesterday was a good day. Usually on days like that I work myself into a bad backache. But today, I just feel a nice muscle pull on the back of my legs. How nice.