Wednesday, November 14, 2007

The word of the day is




These luxuriously languid days of autumn, later than usual, still burnished with sun and fair breezes, are slowly receeding, evening chill arriving a little sooner and staying a little longer, the calendar beginning to evince the demands of the gauntlet that lurks between Thanksgiving and New Year's. I've cut back my dead plants, ceramic pots sit on the deck empty and forlorn, the porch stripped of its lush greenery. The bulbs I collected from my potted tulips last spring are in the ground. Tasks are mounting on the to-do list and the situation will only intensify until the cresendo of Christmas Day. I'm relishing these last moments of (relative) calm, anticipating the celebration of Thanksgiving with family and close friends before the madness really kicks into high gear. Each year I determine to pace things so as to be able to carry out these seasonal tasks with a higher ratio of enjoyment to stress. Which means I should have begun Christmas shopping a month ago. Oh well.
If you haven't checked, the word of the day is "flaneur:" one who strolls about aimlessly; a lounger; a loafer. I'd say that word has shown up about 4 months too soon, but I'm saving a place for it.

4 comments:

Karen Miedrich-Luo said...

I still can't believe that road to nowhere starts at your front door for helmetted flaneurs to wander and roam at will. Another joy is discovering the link to Zaj in your Flickr favorites. wow.

jenni said...

I am definitely a flaneur, but I already started a "Christmas list" because we're hosting this year! I'm determined, though - no stress. :)

allison said...

Yes, I think we'll call this place Flaneur Town. Not to be confused with the Frontier Town of my youth. No rides, no stores, free admission. But we'll sell T-shirts: My parents went to Flaneur Town and all I got...

Anonymous said...

and further more - its all quite aggrandizeistic if ya think bout tit.