Night at the library

Last night I went to the library to return some books and decided to stay and read for a bit. I found an empty corner and flopped down with Walker Percy’s The Last Gentleman. A group of adults who seemed to be having a meeting were a few feet away, obscured by a bookcase. I couldn’t tell what they were saying, but when the babble of their voices dropped down to one man speaking alone I could tell from his rhythm that he was praying. “…We ask that you would bless…” jumped out clear from the murmur. I smiled and tears sprang in my eyes (as they are prone to do when one is tired). In this messed up city, it is good to know that some people are praying.

Small and white, clean and bright

If I have been quiet here for the last few weeks it is because I’ve mostly been occupied with mundane domestic tasks. I’ve moved to an old house with lots of quirks. Some of these I love—the phone nook!—and some of these I don’t—the large cracks in the corners of my bedroom walls. I decided not to live with the cracks and messy paint jobs left by previous tenants, so I’ve been spending most of my free time for the last few weeks painting my bathroom and bedroom. I’m almost done now (I’ve been saying that for a while, but it’s more true now than it used to be), and I’m pleased with the result.

Most people probably wouldn’t paint colored walls in a rental home white, but I’m happier in rooms with clean white walls. I change my mind so often about colors for other things that it’s good to start with a neutral base. And there is a certain satisfaction in smoothing new paint over a dirty surface. It reminds me again that summer feels like the start of something new in many ways. It’s a good time to look up from the usual busyness and try to see where I’m headed. It’s hard to believe that we’re almost halfway through 2008. I still have a 5K to run and an empty sketchbook waiting.