Wakeful in the wee hours; drawing a pumpkin; my Christmas list.

Another wakeful moment, it turned into a wakeful two hours. This frequently happens to me. Time was, when this happened in my late teen years, I would think and think and think, instead of getting out of bed to write a letter or read for a while. I didn't know how to cope with this wakefulness. Now I realize that it is normal for me.

I used to think that we humans were all wired under the rule of the twenty-four hour cycle. I've begun to feel that some of us have different cycles. Mine seems to be something like thirty to thirty-six hours.

When this happens to me now, I get out of bed, take a drink of water, perhaps go into the kitchen and make a batch of cookies, or start cooking a soup of some kind, or do up my dirty dishes that I was too tired to do before bedtime, while listening to some of my old recorded audio cassettes. I like all kinds of music, but I tend to listen to polkas at these times. Years ago, I taped many of my favorite polka programs and am so grateful that I have them. There are very few polkas played on the radio in this area.
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This morning, at 3:15, I got out of bed and decided to begin my drawing of a pumpkin to put on my garage door. On September 11th, I put up an old newspaper page with the United States flag, dated September 11, 2001 (which I found in one of my boxes from storage), and it has gotten very pale in the sunshine. I thought it would be 'a good thing' (as Martha Stewart says) to put up a drawing of a pumpkin on October 21. I drew a large leaning pumpkin, as they sometimes grow because of the weight they accumulate. I used some old orange crayons that I found in another box, and Voila! a Hallowe'en Pumpkin.

I may have told you already about my first-grade school on Buttonwood Street. One of the most vivid memories I have of first grade is the pumpkin we were asked to color. The teacher handed out sheets of paper with a large drawing of a pumpkin. We were directed to color this pumpkin orange. Orange has been my almost favorite color ever since, or maybe before, I can't remember that point, and it remains one of my most-liked colors.

What a beautiful pumpkin it was after I colored it with an orange crayon, one of eight colors in our little boxes of crayons. I still can envision that beautiful bright orange pumpkin! So that is what I did during the Wee Hours of this morning, but since I didn't have a line drawing of a pumpkin, I had to draw it myself. Now it's ready to tape to the garage door, as I write, and I am eager for daylight to arrive.  I wish I knew how to add a photo to this blog, so you could see my lack of talent. But at least it's orange!
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Some of us in my large family like to draw names for our Secret Santa, and then we are to send an email of our Christmas list. We would like any gift, but the 'givers' want to have many suggestions to choose from, so they can surprise the 'receivers'. We usually have a lot of fun seeing what everyone has on their list.

A few days ago I found an old Christmas list of mine, and I'd like to publish it here, just for the sake of nostalgia.

"Grannamae's Christmas List: Postage stamps; A case of the giggles; Blank audio cassettes; Photo albums with pockets; Photo albums with paper pages and 'corners' for the photos; Armchair travel books to read; Picture travel books; Time in a bottle (or any suitable container); Calendars; Coffee mugs; Old poetry books, used; Old used music books; Old primary grades music book (preferably with "Two Little Roses" if possible -- if not possible, any will do); Mars Staedtler drawing pen; Eggs (decorative); Walkman cassette player."

My daughter Anne Marie had my name, and she did give me Time in a bottle: a baby food little jar with dried thyme in it, with a little cloth cover and bow for the lid. I thought that was quite clever. She also gave me some other things, but I don't remember what, now.

I must prepare a little list of things I might like for Christmas this time, before it's too late. If we are too late with our lists, we'll just accept what the Secret Santa desires to give us. That's all right with me, I am easy to please.

It's almost time for the daylight to arrive, so I'd better go and take a nap before that happens. I know I will have a nice day, as I usually do, and if necessary, I can take a power nap sometime during the day.

I'll see you around the Corner Post...