chicken feather

A new year.  I won’t argue the decade question.

My Harlan County friend, Valerie, told me once that I should do the things I love and want to do on New Year’s Day, as that will be my focus throughout the year.  So, I woke early, had a quiet breakfast with my best friend, Richard.  Read together and walked the Poet’s Walk at Ayr Mount in the cold morning air.  Took phone photos of naked trees, pond, and river.  Stopped at Walmart for facial tissues, since we’ve battled the cold virus running rampant in Orange County and had depleted our supply.  I am writing.  

Supper will be with friends and hopefully music tonight.

Back at the house, I put away some lingering Christmas decorations, reinstated Richard’s kaleidoscope collection and in doing so, couldn’t find the chicken feather table runner.  A few years ago, we were visiting with Tom Prince and Mary Rocap.  Mary has chickens and as we walked, Richard spotted a lovely brown and black chicken and said he’d love to weave something in those colors and pattern, so Mary gave him a feather (detached).  Richard found the pattern he wanted to use and we worked on the colors.  Black isn’t only black and brown isn’t only brown, you know.  He wove a couple of beautiful pieces and one of those draped the mahogany table where his kaleidoscope collection sits.  I had moved the chicken feather table runner and washed it when decorating for Christmas.  Now, can’t find it.  I’ve searched the house.  Richard has searched and finally said, “it will show up”.  I know it will.  I have to let go and in letting go of my search obsession, I was reminded of the Emerson quote I keep at the end of my emails:

Finish every day and be done with it.  You have done what you could.  Some blunders and absurdities no doubt have crept in; forget them as soon as you can.  Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.  This day is all that is good and fair.  It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterdays.  – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy new year.