Comparison

Curtains swaying as leaves on the oak tree
cat lazing on the couch, like a lion in the sun
coffee as cold as ice
hot as an oven
cool as if stand next to a fan
a breeze that is as welcome as a warm caress

Pay attention to light, shadows, and weather

Since I didn't go out yesterday, I have not got much to say.

All I can say was the weather was hot, over 100 degrees.  The blinds in my living room windows were closed , but thanks to my cat, they cannot close all the way, so  for most of the day, there was a shadow that covered the room.

In the afternoon, I opened the front door to turn on the swamp cooler.  I looked out and, on my porch, was a shadow that was very misleading.  It made the porch look like it would be cool, but in actuality, it was hotter than blazes out there.

In the last lesson, I asked you to pay attention to sensations in your body.  Spend a few minutes now taking notes on what you observed.

Since it was 103 degrees, all I felt was hot.
Sweat rolling down my face, chest and back
tired because of the heat
hungry at night because I am trying to break old habits and acquire new by not eating late at night

Spend a few minutes now taking notes on what you observed.  If you've already done this, you can reread your notes and decide if there's anything you want to add.

The curtains move as the fan and the swamp cooler blow.  It's so hot, neither I or my cats dare to move lest we turn into jelly, flowing all over the floor, like sticky molasses.  The sweat melts my makeup off my face, and I can see my bare skin.  I dragged myself to the bathroom sink and, took a quick bath.  As I feel the cool water wash over my skin, I gratefully feel revived again and I'm ready to face the heat.

In the last lesson, I asked you to pay attention to clothes and belongings that express something about their owners.  Spend a few minutes now taking notes on what you observed.  If you've already done this, you can reread your notes and decide if there's anything you want to add.

I only remember a few people yesterday, when I went to church.

Ron...my ride.  He is wearing a crisp pin striped shirt with tan slacks
He looks fresh and clean and business like

As does the pastor, inn the same type of clothing

The women all were in their summer dresses

Caroline sat next to me.  She wore a bright royal blue sleeveless dress.  She looked beautiful, except for the tattoo on her shoulder which may lead on to believe that she has a secret, darker life.

Bella, my 7 yr-old darling was wearing a light blue, crisp sleeveless little dress with a white bodice.  She, as always, looked like an angel.

Nancy, as always, wore a pant suit.  I didn't notice the color or cut, as she bent over the seat next to me to say hello.

Spend just a few minutes taking notes on some of the people you've seen since the last lesson, and the details you might use to describe them.  If you've already done this, you can reread your notes and decide if there's anything you want to add.

I went to the doctor by bus.

The bus driver was a tall, burly man, with beefy hands. His skin was dark and rough like sandpaper. He wore sunglasses so as to hide the intention of his soul.  He had a beard that was shaped like a ice cream cone.

The receptionist's hair was black as the night, short and had a a crest just like a cockatiel.

When the doctor swooped in, I saw the he was birdlike, thin with long legs like a flamingo with glasses.

Spend a few minutes taking notes on the sensory details you noticed since last time, and on how distance changes these details.

First of all, I have a migraine, so I am in pain.  No matter how I detach myself from it to create distance, it doesn't go away.

It's really hot and the snow seems like it would be refreshing

Neighbors are noisy, and I think of how it would feel to be away from it, would bring silence.

Spend a few minutes taking notes on sensory details, observed since the last lesson, that are associated with different times of day.  If you've already done this, you can reread your notes and decide if there's anything you want to add.

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EXAMPLE:

- early morning: sky pale but trees in the courtyard still dark, birds twittering

- twelve: clattering from neighbors' kitchens, smell of stewed meat and garlic

- two o'clock: children in school uniforms walking home for lunch

- evening: street lights tI  urn on, children playing soccer in plaza
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In early morning, it is so silent that I can hear my blood coursing through my veins

As the neighborhood comes awake, I hear the chattering of the squirrel, who is my cat's best buddy

I hear the bluebirds singing their song, just outside my window

I hear the electronics of my wheelchair as I go to the kitchen to start my day

Feeding cats first: I hearing them meowing

Next I make coffee, which smells like heaven, and I awake to another day

I listen to my devotion, and feel my heart getting full of the Holy Spirit, who guides me through the day

I am grateful

Open your Writer's Journal, or find something else to write on.  Then spend a few minutes taking notes on the smells you noticed since the last lesson (you don't have to include everything).

cat litter
cat food
lavender oil for cut
wintergreen oil for back
humus
crisp green apple
ammonia
coffee
lunch meat
iced tea

Lesson five
to make notes on items around the house that others may not expect
LIST

cat tree is coming apart

blinds in living room are parted from cat looking out the window

Grill is in oven

TV in the bedroom does not work

office is a mess

cannot get into guests bathroom

my bathroom has a shower chair

I do not use my bed

Between now and tomorrow's lesson, think about insider details in your own environment, details that a stranger might not expect.

1. During the weekends in Summer, you can hear the Petticoat Junction train as it pulls into and out of the station a few blocks away.

2. Since I love cats, there are all sorts of cat pictures, a cat tree for my two cats, and a life-sized statue that many people have mistaken for a real cat, including my real cats.

3. My sofa and love seat have a plaid design under the couch covers.

4. The dogs next door bark every time their owners are away (especially on Friday nights).

5.My office is such a mess that I cannot get my wheelchair in to clean it up.

6. I sleep on my recliner because it’s more comfortable than my bed.

 Spend a few minutes taking notes on some of the textures you've seen or felt since the last lesson.

This is a hard one.  I guess I would have to start with my chair/bed:
The texture is softness of crushed corduroy
compared to the roughness of the yarn from which the afghan over my couch was made.
The scratchiness of the brace on my leg.
the stickiness of Velcro on the brace
The pain when a piece of wood fell against my leg, gouging the surface of the shin
The burning of the hydrogen peroxide on my leg
the cooling ointment
softness of the band-aide

I missed a few days, but the following should explain.

Spend just a few minutes taking notes on places you've been since the last lesson, and the sounds that you heard in each place (you don't have to include everything). 

Since Tuesday, I heard that my mom was in the hospital
I listened to TV
I listened to my classical music to lull me to sleep
I heard my cats demand their food insistently
I heard the squirrels run on my roof
I heard the wind
I heard the cars and motorcycles from the highway
I heard the kids playing across the street
I heard the dogs in the neighborhood barking
I heard my neighbors fighting
I heard my neighbors' music blaring
I heard the bus as it picked me up...the grinding of the wheelchair lift; the roaring of the engine

In hospital

I heard the intercom
I heard the door of ICU being pushed opened
I heard the pulsing of the machine that my mom was on

JOURNALING ASSIGNMENT (REQUIRED)
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Between now and tomorrow's lesson, I want you to pay attention to the textures around you.  Pay attention not only to what things are like to touch, but what they LOOK like they would be like to touch.  

For example, clouds might look cottony.  Fresh cut grass, seen from a distance, might look like velvet.

If you like, you can take notes on what you observe.  But you don't have to.  You're preparing for the journaling exercise in tomorrow's lesson.  

Like yesterday's journaling assignment, this one is less about writing than about *noticing*.  You are training your brain to be more observant.

Take a minute now and listen.  What do you hear right now?

I am alone in my house.  I hear the sound of ringing in my ears, it's so quite.  I also hear trucks and motorcycles on the highway a few miles away. I hear the sound of children laughing at the pre-school across the street.
My house is making settling noises and my refrigerator  is turning on and off.  The dogs next door are barking causing the others in the neighborhood to join in.

This assigned lesson is giving me a headache!  I'm to pay attention to the noises I hear throughout the day.

I'll write more tomorrow or the next day.

The reason for this blog is to write journal lessons for my Descriptive Magic class.  Later, I may continue writing as I go through other classes and writing my personal stories.