Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Daylight Savings

I don’t particularly like the time change. I can live with daylight savings. Or not. I do wish we would pick one time scheme and stay with it. But all in all it is a minor inconvenience. At least it was, until this morning.

I tend to vary the way I drive too and from work. Not because I don’t want to be followed – it’s a small town and people know where I live anyway – but just out of boredom. There are basically three roads that I can take between my house and my office. One of them is Broadway.

There is a house on south Broadway that I’ve always liked. It sits on the west side of the street, on a funky lot next to a curved road. The house is white stucco with a red Spanish tile roof. It has a lot of character. It used to come up for rent pretty regularly – plumbing problems, I’m told. For the last year or so there have been two little old ladies living there. Several times a week I drive by the house on my way to work.

Every morning the two women sit at the breakfast table, deeply engrossed in bowls of oatmeal. Their table is pushed up against a huge picture window, which is right next to the street. Like me, they eschew curtains in favor of the view. However, I must admit I’ve never seen them look outside. Or at each other. Or across the room. There is never any conversation, only contemplation.

Day after day, week after week, they present the exact same scene to Bob and I as we pass by. They wear the same light cotton housecoats, one white and one light blue. One is in a wheelchair. It’s like looking at a good painting – the scene never changes, but you always see something new. I have no idea who these women are, but I think they must be sisters. I never see them, except in that breakfast vignette.

At times they remind me of nuns in a convent – greeting the day with silence and meditation. At other times I think they must be sad, forgotten souls whose lives have become a series of stale routines – vapid, never varied. At times I think I am just nuts and I shouldn’t be so fascinated by a couple of people trying to eat some damn oatmeal without being psychoanalyzed by the general public.

I drove by again this morning only to find that I have been robbed by the time change. Now the early morning sun glares into their window at the same time I drive past. It is a harsh light and has caused the ladies to vary the routine and pull the shade down to the level of the tabletop. Now I see only knees.

12 comments:

Headless-in-GR said...

Little ol' lady knees!

This is a fun little story - I'm fascinated that you're fascinated by them. Perhaps as winter comes on, the sun will come in at another angle and they'll leave the shade up...maybe?

Running2Ks said...

I find this really poetic, actually. Lovely. I'm sorry that the time change did that to you.

jonboy said...

How many voyeurs do you have on your case load?

little david said...

This is a well written, engaging account. I know the house you are talking about, but never wondered about its occupants. (Of course, I never have the occasion to drive by before 8:00 AM either.) What else do you see on your morning drives?

Jody Harrington said...

You describe this so well that I can see the scene in my mind's eye and put myself in your place observing it. Great writing, Rach!

see-through faith said...

great writing Rach

and a thought to cheer you up! The sun won't shine everyday :)

Captainwow said...

Did you mean to write this post that well? I mean, because you did!
this is really good shtuff!!
(of course)

:o) I wonder if they see you too, and talk about you.....

spookyrach said...

Aw, shucks! *grins and scuffs the dirt with toe*

There are a few good things sprinkled through the archives if you really look.

Visual-Voice said...

yep, very well written, and I love the word VAPID!

Baby Gator said...

That's so cool and sad all at the same time. But never fear in 6 months we will have a new time change and things iwll be back to normal.

annie said...

You know what? This is very poignantly written. And as my daddy would say, you must be very "absorbant" to notice all that.

Patti said...

The old ladies eating oatmeal...sounds like an Edward Hopper painting.