Morning of Adventure

What a difference a good night's sleep makes. You may have read about a recent poll that shows most Americans think sleeping is a waste of time and that if there was a safe way they could be fully functional with less sleep they would use it. I've never counted the number of ways I am out of the mainstream with my fellow Yanks, but this would have to be close to the top of the list. I love sleeping, I think a night of delicious sleep is one of life's great pleasures, and would never think of doing without it willingly. I think my attitude comes from the many nights I've spent sleepless unwillingly: I am a picky and light sleeper--I need familiar surroundings and utter darkness for sleep to come, and the faintest noise will wake me up. If I am overly stimulated mentally by great conversation or a riveting TV performance just before going to bed, I'll be hours getting to sleep. A good, talky phone call at 10 pm is the worst--I'm a goner. I'll be mentally re-hashing that conversation for hours. Long plane rides? Hotels? Forget it.

(I've always had this thing about being a particular sleeper. When I was a little kid I can remember hearing my parents come upstairs to bed, hours after I had supposedlly been "asleep." My mother would come in and check on me, and I'd secretly move a finger or something and get a naughty little chuckle out of it. "She thinks I'll go to sleep just because I have to go to bed, huh? I'll show her!" When I finally did fall asleep, I'd often sleepwalk. My mother told me that more than once she woke up to find me standing by her bedside, just staring at her. I scared her to death, of course, but I had no idea I was doing it. She said she'd just tell me to go to the bathroom and then go back to bed. I guess that's what I did.)

So, having had a good night's sleep after the upheaval of that Springtime hurricane we experienced the night before in Delaware, I'm bright and fresh, just in the right mood for some musical exploration, the opportunity for which was provided by Nan in her David Ford posting yesterday. I'm sharing one by him myself today, after spending hours in happy investigation. More music and another musician to be excited about. Such simple pleasures, made possible by this complicated invention, the computer and all that comes with it. These tiny gifts make me grateful to be alive. And well rested!

I have a full menu of things to choose from for this week's activities. Get the gunky pollen off all the surfaces in this house, or continue with major gardening chores. It's still very muddy from the weekend's paroxysms, and the temperature has still to catch up with the season, so I'll choose indoors today.

Enjoy!