December 30, 2007

10:50 a.m.

Ah, Sugar, Sugar

Rose and I were talking yesterday about how large a percentage of people now don't remember the Three Stooges theme song. This came up because Dar found some birthday cards that, when opened, play this oh-so-familiar tune, and sent one to Rose (crossing out "birthday" and writing in "Christmas" instead). Choosing the title of this entry, I realized that most people no longer remember The Archies either.

We went for a walk in Rose's neighborhood. Talking about how our eating habits have gone to hell, we found solidarity in the ways in which it's been hardest for each of us to eat wisely. Since her shoulder surgery Rose has been fairly inert, and this was her first aerobic activity in a few weeks. Last summer she had plantar fasciitis for several months and couldn't hike. Although she had great success with Weight Watchers several years ago, she is simply sick of counting points and measuring everything. I eat in the evenings because of some sense of lack or loss. She eats to celebrate life and share company. We're both completely into the cookie/chocolate habit. (Speaking with James this morning on the same subject, he said, "Look, I gave up drugs and smoking, I don't drink much alcohol, and I don't chase women. Cookies are my only vice. Cookies are everything to me.") So we made a pact to do just one different thing, and that is to cut the sugar back to one sweet a week. "It appalls me," I said, "that even that notion seems impossible to me right now." Oh, to come so far since summer!

Anyway I got home and mournfully took out the package of big, gorgeous chocolate chip cookies I'd just bought and placed each one in its own ziplock baggie and put them all in the freezer. It's begun again.

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Spread out on my kitchen table is a 750-piece jigsaw puzzle, loaned by Carol and Chris. It's the Da Vinci Code "Mona Lisa Revealed" puzzle that has all sorts of things to figure out from a booklet as one is putting it together. I'm daunted. I love these kinds of things but am sometimes woefully slow at them. I am good at finding pieces that fit, though.

I opted out of hitting the big yarn sale in Northampton today. I suppose that was practical but really it was that I didn't want to drive so far. Pleasant here today, with the pale sky, the snow mostly gone, the refrigerator chuckling softly. I wonder if it shouldn't make that noise. Now since I wrote that it's gone quiet.

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Here's a quote I found today from author Annie Dillard:

"I learn that ten percent of all the world's species are parasitic insects. It is hard to believe. What if you were an inventor, and you made ten percent of your inventions in such a way that they could only work by harnessing, disfiguring or totally destroying the other ninety percent?"