“Don’t you love a cushioned seat in a corner, by the fireside, with your slippers on your feet?”
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
I wake, late and for the second time this morning, to find a cup of coffee waiting on my bedside table. Can I call six in the morning, late? I can if I’m more prone to wake before five and happy to do so.
Gerry leaves the house early on Thursdays for a men’s meeting but not before he brings me a cup of coffee in bed. Such a blessing.
I had a restless night. My skin is reacting to something and I woke around two this morning with a relentless itch. I rummaged through the drawers in the bathroom vanity looking in vain for some non-drowsy antihistamines. A homemade essential oil concoction I keep on hand for skin irritation eventually soothed it enough so I could rest.
But I end up sleeping late and feel behind before the day even begins. Silly.
We’re photographing corners this month for the Studio 2.O class. An opportunity to be creative and play with interpretation. I hope to play some more with that prompt later today if the light is good.
This morning, writing and photography. This afternoon, out for an appointment (and to get some antihistamines!).
These January days gently carry on.

A lovely gentle corner behind your pretty vase and flower; I like the way the light falls. Hoping you have managed to find something soothing and equally gentle for your poorly skin.
I normally get up by 4:30 every day, weekdays, weekends…it doesn’t matter. I don’t even need to set the alarm. But when I get up late on a weekday, and I realize it’s, oh, 5:30, I rush and rush and still feel “late” when I get to work. Crazy, right? I hope someday I can be officially retired and wake up at 5:30 and not be rushed to get things done. And I try not to feel guilty about “wasted time” when I take a really good nap on weekends.
I haven’t set an alarm since I retired but still wake early–and I love it. It’s funny that when I was working I needed the alarm to wake at 4:45 and I’d rouse with my mind already feeling stressed from juggling the many balls I had to keep in the air. These days, I wake early feeling refreshed and at peace. It’s wonderful. You’ll love it, Karen.
I think part of why I wake so early every day is the stress….of just stuff in general…work, going to school, trying to write that Just Right blog post (failing at that lately), politics (OY). I try to stay positive, and I think I’m successful mostly. I hope someday I can retire.