This is the fifth day John has been playing with trains in middle Tennessee, and he is due home tonight. I thought you might like to know what I get up to when left alone at home. The first thing, every day, is walking. If left to its own devices, the body would persuade the mind to stay in bed, so I dress before the override occurs. This is a Western view of the mountains that we don’t see from the house. I walked down the steep hill and was almost on the floor of the valley when I noticed the play of sunlight on the ski area.

After I crossed the four-lane highway, almost in front of the firehouse, my right knee did a wobble. It happens about three or four times a year. Ummm. John was almost 300 miles away, and neighbor Joyce was in Georgia. If I walked carefully, maybe I could make it the mile home without bothering anyone for a ride. Yes! No problem.

It’s rare, but sometimes I forget to take two pills when I get up. I shouldn’t eat for an hour after taking them. Instead of eating breakfast when I got home, I took a shower and found the storm glass that friend Karen had given me was looking interesting. It was willing to pose, but I fiddled with the background to show it to advantage.

Meals are interesting with John gone. He eats nearly everything, so I have things that he might opt out of if he were here. Liking things crisp, I threw a corn tortilla in the toaster while frying an egg. Living up to its name, it was toast – burned. The birds didn’t seem to mind it. I watched the next one carefully, added a slice of pepper Jack cheese, the egg, and raw onion. I put too much salsa on the plate, so the last bite was an overload that almost caused steam to come out of my ears. The coffee could have passed for very hot water until I drank half of it. The coffee deserves mention though, it being something John wouldn’t touch unless he were desperate. It was Deluxe MOONPIE ground coffee.

The bag had this explanation on it:

There’s flavored coffee, then there’s MoonPie-flavored coffee – that classic chocolatey graham + marshmallow taste profile, timeless and proven in appeal, craved for generations.

The original MoonPie was born out of a 1917 conversation between a Chattanooga Bakery salesman and an Appalachian coal miner who was looking for a tasty, filling snack that would fit in his lunch pail. Nicknamed “the working man’s lunch,” the MoonPie grew from a Southern favorite to an American heritage brand that’s been featured in movies, country songs, and happy family moments ever since. Nearly a million MoonPies are now made daily.

The second cup of coffee did have a hint of sweet chocolate. It wasn’t as good as the discontinued Ingles’ brand of Raspberry Chocolate decaf, but it was fun for a change. Best of all, John didn’t have to roll his eyes at my indulgence.

The rest of the day will be spent reading and replying to email, transplanting Lamb’s Ears in the garden, eating a hamburger for lunch, napping, working the crossword and jumble puzzles, reading the newspaper, and playing a piece on the piano with “May” in the title. If there is any time left, I’ll read an ebook. Days have a habit of running out too soon.