Thursday, 04 December, 1997 16:45
For the sap is rising, the sign of a new spring, of new growth. Why should it retain its interest in this old leaf, even as loyal as it has been, when the excitement of young new leaves is in the offing?
The last leaf lets go, resigned to its fate, fluttering softly, randomly to the ground. The breeze pushes it upon the remains of its fellows, sodden from the melting snow. Its season is over.
Well, I didn't quite sleep 24 hours, but I do believe that I got enough for a while. I went to bed yesterday at about 11:00, and I got up about 01:00 and ate some ice cream, then went back to bed until Karen got up about 06:00.
I made the first pot of coffee and started cleaning up my room, then the kitchen. I replaced the doggie door with the original cat door... the cat door is a lot smaller, and easier for the cats to operate. Maybe the little one will start using it now.
I went out to Lowes, a new hardware superstore out by the mall. Looked around for an hour or so, then went to Sams. I just looked around there, too. I was going to get some M&Ms, but the lines were way too long, or I was way too impatient, or I guess I just didn't want them that bad anyway.
You will notice a new header on this page today, as well as the concluding verse of "The Last Leaf".
As I mentioned yesterday, I did not get any drugs for my tooth; I was disappointed, but it worked out OK anyway. Ibuprophin worked pretty well. It is still pretty sore, though, and I'm continuing to take pills for it. It didn't seem to keep my awake, but I did have some really weird dreams, dreams that I can almost remember...
I have been using Microsoft Image Composer for the last few days, and it seems to do some stuff that Paint Shop Pro won't do, but except for the drop shadow, most of the things that it does do seem pretty silly. It's got maybe 50 different effects that you can apply to an image, and most of them render the image unrecognizable. Why you would want to do that I don't know... but then, I'm not a graphic artist by any means.
I'm still searching for software to let me use my videocamera and capture card as a Nilk-cam. I'm not really sure why I might want to do that, other than the fact that it would be neat, and several other journalers have done it, and I'm a follower, not a leader, after all...
If I do happen to do that, I make a solemn promise to never appear naked in front of it. I know that my readers will only tolerate just so much... then there's the ASPCA and the religious right to worry about...
It's after 17:00 now, and I'm getting pretty tired, but Karen should be home soon, and I want to spend the evening with her if she doesn't have other plans. I know if I would lay down right now, I wouldn't get up for about ten hours probably.
The wind has been blowing pretty hard from the north all day, and it's getting pretty cold. I haven't watched the weather yet today, but I think that Old Man Winter is making a move on Kansas today. It really feels like it could snow a couple of feet, but I hope that it doesn't.
I'm starting to get rambley, so I'd better stop now, and save some for later... like tomorrow.
But the elements are not to be outlasted; They persist. The battle lasts through the hard winter. The leaf clings desperately, knowing that it is at the end of its resources. The tree, however, becomes increasingly indifferent.