Musings from Marilyn

Archive for the ‘Daily Life’ Category

Even though Autumn has been quite firmly ensconced for several weeks now, there are always several things that I do with amazing regularity once the autumnal equinox has passed.  On the household side, it is cleaning out the furnace (an utterly thankless task) before turning on the heat for the first time.  I think I made it until October 7th this year before finally giving in and turning it on.  After the low utility bills of summer, frugal me is always loathe to have to spend money on such obscure things as heat.  But being a creature of comfort, I do love to have warmth!

Being an air-dryer, the outdoor clothesline is now pretty much closed for the season (or two, or three…).  My drying racks have pretty much set up permanent shop in my kitchen, with a constant rotation of wet laundry yearning to dry.  It takes a day or two for the laundry to dry indoors…gone are the days of laundry drying in mere hours out on the sunny, breezy clothesline.  But I adjust pretty quickly to seeing the constant array of underwear, towels, and clothes adorning the drying racks 24/7.

On the fashion front, I’ve dug out my vintage cashmere sweaters and have been wearing them every day, and most likely will until next spring.  I adore wearing cashmere, especially the thick vintage sweaters that keep me warm without the tremendous bulk of wool.  Cashmere is about the only natural  fiber that I can wear next to my skin without irritation.  I have gotten into wearing skinny jeans as well.  I like the look of cashmere sweaters and skinny jeans on me, and it is certain that this will be my uniform for the next 8 months or so!

I’ve always been a bookworm, and fall tends to lend itself to reading quite easily.  There is just something about wrapping up in a wool blanket, or my leopard Snuggie , and getting lost in a good book.  I’ve made a concerted effort lately to read more novels, and delve into the classics that I somehow missed reading over the years.  For instance, I just finished reading ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, and I was engrossed, stunned, and completely engaged in this magnificent book.  How I never managed to read this classic until now is beyond me!  But it was a total delight.  I’ve got a stack of books just waiting to be read, and there is nothing quite so intoxicating.

The leaves are falling, the rains have set in, the wind is blowing;  settle in and enjoy!

“Autumn’s the mellow time.”  ~William Allingham

~Marilyn Huttunen

This may be one of the most unusual folk remedies that I have ever used…and the easiest…and the safest.   For who knew that a simple bar of soap placed under the bottom sheet of your bed would help relieve leg cramps?

I know I had heard about this remedy several years back, but had completely forgotten about it.  But in the past year or so, I’d been having increasingly irritating leg cramps, especially at night.  Not knowing what was causing them, I tried a myriad of remedies.  I tried walking and exercising more, walking and exercising less, ibuprofen, achy muscle creams, tonic water (with quinine), homeopathic tablets, extra vitamins, and supplements.  Nothing worked!

So when I happened upon a recent article where the bar of soap in bed method was mentioned once again, I thought “AHA!” – I just had to try it.  What did I have to lose (except possibly my leg cramps)?  I unwrapped a bar of soap and placed it under the bottom sheet at the foot of my bed.  The first night, I didn’t notice much change and kind of forgot about the soap for a couple days.  Then about 6 days later, I realized that my legs actually felt much better and my leg cramping was greatly diminished!  I haven’t done anything else much differently, so I’ve just got to assume that it is the magical bar of soap that is contributing to my relief.

No one seems to know why this particular remedy works.  Some scientists say that it is the placebo effect.  That doesn’t really matter to me.   All I care about is that my leg cramps are mostly gone, and it is as a result of a completely safe and non-toxic method.  So get that soap in bed! 

~Marilyn Huttunen

I’m in a somewhat wistful, moody, sad mood today.  Yes, I’m pretty much the chipper optimist most days, but sometimes the weight of the world becomes too heavy for my shoulders and I just gotta take time out to brood.  And it feels good.

The end of summer/start of the school year time is always a bit poignant and wistful for me.  Add to this, my son will be a senior in high school, and I’m having to deal with all the logistics and tensions about SAT scores, applying for scholarships, applying for financial aid, applying for college, amongst all the other myriad minutia in the daily life of a single parent.

Most of the time I can deal with being a single parent just fine, because I will admit to being somewhat of a control freak.  But having to make all the decisions all the time can be draining.  Especially when money is tight, or nonexistent.  Everything falls on you to deal with.  I was just reading in Isabel Gillies’ memoir, about the reality that single mothers can become ‘islands’; feeling that we can do it all ourselves without help.   Yep, that’s me; I feel like a big ole island most of the time.

I pray, practice yoga, and meditate on a regular basis.  This has helped greatly to keep somewhat of a calm balance in my life.  But I do live in the real world, with all its real stuff to deal with, not in an ashram or monastery.  So when my thinking mind goes into overdrive, pounding me with worry and anxiety, I just gotta let go.  I embrace my moodiness and just go into full-out brood mode.  Feel the brooding!  Love the brooding!

My foul moods never really last too long anymore if I just accept them and go with the flow.  Soon the worrisome contemplation gives way to a peaceful place, where maybe I’m not incredibly happy, but am calm and present.  So, you must excuse me now; I gotta go brood.

~Marilyn Huttunen

My beautiful blue hydrangea finally started blooming about two weeks ago.  Yes, in August.  I am really not much of a gardener; I mostly just leave all the plants, bushes, and trees in my yard to do their own thing, with little assistance from me.  So I really don’t know when things are supposed to bloom.  But if memory serves me correctly, my hydrangea usually blooms around May or June.

This has been no ordinary summer in Seattle.  A long, gray, rainy, cold spring has melded into a long, gray, rainy, cold summer.  Most days the temps have barely managed to get out of the 60s.  I realize that, compared to the rest of the HOT country, it may seem like somewhat of a paradise.  But not being able to wear cute summer clothes and bask in the sunshine is akin to torture for me – at least once in awhile!  I’m getting a bit weary of wearing jeans, sweaters and wool socks.

As a result of the summer that never was, my hydrangea took its sweet time in blooming.  Due to all the rainfall in the past year, my hydrangea plant grew massively.  I didn’t even have to water it once.  And now all the gorgeous blue puff balls are popping out all over!

There is just something so poignant about hydrangeas.  Their glorious splendor evokes a deep nostalgia in my heart.  I love looking at my hydrangea that sits just outside my office window; its cheerful blue beauty cheering me up.  My son, Alex, took these great pics of my hydrangea.  I think he did a splendid job capturing their essence.  May you bloom where you are planted. 

“Blue thou art, intensely blue; Flower whence came thy dazzling hue?” ~James Montgomery

~Marilyn Huttunen

Since becoming a complete and total air-drying fool several years ago, it’s amazing how the little things thrill me.  Now that summer has finally seemed to settle in somewhat in the Seattle area, I have been able to do most of my line drying outside.  Yes.  On a clothesline!

During the loooooooong, rainy winter, spring, and the first weeks of summer, I was feeling quite doubtful that I would ever be able to use my outdoor clothesline again.  Racks of laundry drying indoors filled my kitchen, bathroom, and occasional hallway.  It took days for it to get completely dry.  It was like doing the tango, maneuvering through the maze of drying racks.

It hasn’t been really hot here, but 70 degrees and a nice breeze seem to be the ideal conditions for good drying.  It’s so nice to hang laundry in the morning and actually take it in, dried, in the afternoon.  Everything is so smooth, crisp, and has the intoxicating scent of the sweet summer air. Aaaaaaaah!

Sheets and towels are especially blissful air-dried.  I may be in the minority, but I love a fresh, snappy, stiff air-dried towel!  You will never want to go back to soft, limp, non-absorbent dryer-dried-fabric softener-Bounce kind of towel after you get used to air-dried towels. Fake scented, chemical coated towels are a thing of the past for me, thank goodness.

I am relishing, and have a much greater appreciation for these nice summer days.  It’s great to put the summer weather to work; just hang and go (I am inherently lazy)!  Plus, it’s free, and I think the laundry turns out much better.   Here’s to more great summer weather! 

“After enlightenment, the laundry.”  ~Zen Proverb

~Marilyn Huttunen

I have this thing about birds.  I mean, I like them when they are flying around in their natural state outdoors, but any bird indoors just sets me on edge!  I don’t even like them in cages; it just seems so unnatural and dirty.  And the couple of times where wild birds actually flew into my house nearly caused a panic attack in me.  Nope, nope, birds are best kept at a distance with me.

It had been quite a long while since I had any kind of run-in or incident with a bird.  And I was quite happy with that situation.  But all that changed last Saturday…unfortunately.

I was walking out to the parking lot after shopping at one of my favorite thrift stores.  I noticed a number of pigeons lurking around the Chinese restaurant across the street.  I thought, fine, just as long as they stay away from me!  Well I was almost to my car when I heard a thud, and felt something hitting the side of my head.  The pigeon had got me.  And got me good.

I have long hair, and the complete side and length of my hair was covered in a gooey gloppy smelly mess.  I tried to wipe off what I could, but decided to head straight home and wash my hair (again…of course, I had just washed it).  I was zooming along as fast as I could, gagging and choking all the way.  I immediately washed my hair – three times.  Let’s just say that pigeon poop has many layers to it.  All disgusting.  And reading later that pigeon poop is toxic, and can make you very ill didn’t help matters much.

It may have the bird’s revenge on me for copping such an attitude about birds in general.   Or it may have been some of cosmically-timed occurrence.  But most probably I was just at the wrong place when the pigeon decided to dump his load.  I am hoping for more positive chance occurrences in the future!

“Accept that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue.”

~Marilyn Huttunen