The mail was late yesterday, but among the usual junk was a package containing two books from the Library of America — one being the volume by Henry James mentioned recently, Collected Travel Writings: The Continent; the other a collection of early work by Gertrude Stein, Writings: 1903-1932. And so the stacks grow a little higher and a little deeper.
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I slept remarkably well last night, and woke up feeling rested and relaxed after six hours on the floor beneath a pile of blankets so heavy I thought I might not be able to get out from under them. If this is the last day of my life, it’s a wonderful beginning. But it might be the first — again.
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Another frosty morning. But it looks like this morning’s run will be the last in the cold for the next several days, as, when I was out, clouds were already moving in, allowing me to run in the company of a lumpy, lopsided moon.
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A pleasant hour spent moving books around. It seems every new arrival upsets the balance ever so slightly, sending me over the deep end — not that I try to resist. And of course this is, more often than not, a winter activity, unless it happens in spring, summer, or fall.
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Read Bees and Their Keepers, by Lotte Möller, Pages 27-42. Part One is divided by the months of the year. This is for January: A Winter Memory, and A Description of the Enemies of Bees, Old and New. The writing, which focuses on how bees survive during cold weather, is set off by beautiful old illustrations, and includes quotes from other books written over the centuries.
Gutter Journal, Numb. 3. Tuesday, October 31, 2023. Cleared back gutters and downspouts of fir needles and birch leaves.
October 31, 2023.
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[ 1914 ]
Categories: If It Had A Name
Tags: Bees, Bees and Their Keepers, Birches, Books, Cold, Firs, Gertrude Stein, Gutter Journal, Henry James, Journals, Leaves, Library Notes, Library of America, Lotte Möller, Reading, Running, Sleep, Sleeping on the Floor, The Moon, Winter
William Michaelian 