The Art of the Unstructured Day
In which the schedule clears, family appears, and the candlelight beckons
My sister Margie was visiting this week. It threw my life out of whack for a few days. Specifically, it drew me away from work.
For two days, Thursday and Friday, there was motion, all in directions I am not used to. Margie wanted to go to the Goodwill Bins. Remember the Bins? Click here if you do not. They are amazing. I could not go along for the Bins trip, however I was able to accompany my sisters on a jaunt to the countryside. Somewhere I never go! The fields and farms felt foreign to me. I almost started getting homesick.
The next day my brother George suggested dinner at the Niagara Cafe, the great Puerto Rican diner on Niagara Street. This gave me a great excuse to grab a Reddy bike and take my favorite bike path, the Niagara Street bike path.
It affords a beautiful view of the iconic 68-FLUSH billboard!
After piles of yellow rice at the Niagara Cafe we went and heard Howard play at the Hyatt. We took a historic picture of all five siblings together. We are rarely in the same place at the same time!
Saturday, with Margie headed back to New Jersey, things felt quiet.
It is not every day you have nothing to do, however today I was in that enviable situation.
When you have an unstructured day it can be fun to note what you do.
I practiced piano for a couple of hours in the morning. I played Mozart and Schubert. Then I walked in Forest Lawn. I saw a deer! It planted itself in the middle of the road and stood there staring at me. The day was hot, but the cemetery is beginning to feel kind of autumnal, with trees turning orange and leaves crunching underfoot.
After that I stopped at Amherst Street Liquor because I have a dinner party to go to and I wanted to find a nice bottle of wine. While I was shopping, an attendant came up and told me there was a wine tasting in the side room! It was all about pairing wine with food.
The tasting room was full of people tasting wine. They all looked happy, and so I joined them. I must have spent half an hour in there, tasting and snacking and, this being Buffalo, talking to people I didn’t know.
Then I chose a bottle for the party I was going to, and I went home. I worked on designing business cards. I would like cards giving a QR code to my Substack, so I can give them out. Howard was playing a wedding. I did some grilling in the back yard. I made pork tenderloin and chicken thighs seasoned with Old Bay. Margie was talking about how she loves Old Bay and I was in the mood for it.
I really did a good job with the chimney. I mean, look at it.
I enjoyed my dinner on the back porch. We have had bee problems back there in the past, however recently, things have been very under control. I take a citronella candle and put it on the table. The insects flee from it. And it smells nice enough to me, this warm, soapy smell. I sit there for an hour at a time eating my dinner.
La la la la la la la.
The darkness came early. We are in a funny time of year. It can be warm — hot, even, however that sun knows when to go down. As dusk came down I sat on the porch with my notebook, the same one I use for morning pages. I jotted a few lines about the day— the deer, the tasting room, the candlelight. I have been thinking of calling my monthly illustrated letters — the letters I send out to my patrons — Letters By Candlelight. Most of the time I write them after dark.
The next day would be different — back to work, on my endless initiatives! I have no problem with that. I love it actually.
But it’s fun, sometimes, to be unstructured!
Speaking of Candlelight…
I was amazed recently to see what a big job it is to light the candles before mass. This poor kid. What a job!
Man of Mystery
At Forest Lawn, I noticed this grave. Apparently nobody knew when this man was born, or the date of his death, or, well, anything. Still, more than Mozart got.
Inktober Update
Remember my resolve to do the Inktober art challenge? (Click here if you missed it.) It continues! I love the Dun Building downtown. It is Buffalo’s Flatiron Building. I stopped and did an ink sketch of its patrician doorway. This continued my doorway theme that began with the Elephant House.
I must complete these works in progress. As I said, my life was thrown out of whack.
Is anyone else attempting Inktober? Anyone else welcoming the fall with a walk in a cemetery? So much to do!
Thank you for joining me in my journeys. See you Tuesday with We’re Going In!
I can tell you from experience (long past!) that the difficulty with lighting the altar candles is usually the result of some previous server having overly mashed the wicks when snuffing them. Easy to do when reaching with that long pole. The real challenge is to avoid mentally cursing that previous server while you're standing right there by the Lord's Presence! And you're fully aware that "everyone" is watching your struggles (or even worse recording it! - that was not a concern in my day...).
For a guy like me, you're also hoping to avoid the embarrassment of having to ask a taller server to help. Can't see the wick from way down here!
In 10 days we five siblings will be together to say our final goodbyes to our beloved stepmother. Other than that, we are NEVER together at the same time.