Gotham Diary:
Pragmatic Sanction
19 September 2012
And there you have it: the tea table tucked away, in its upright position, in a corner of the living room, absolutely out of the way. In a week or so, the motion of pulling it out and setting it up among the love seats will be automatic. We have just now enjoyed the second breakfast. Yesterday was so gloomy that I lighted a taper in a candlestick. This morning, a glorious fall day, called for a small vase of flowers, and I was sorry that nothing suitable was growing out on the balcony.
Last night, after dinner, I wanted to watch Tamara Drewe, a comedy not without teeth that a good friend who is very reliable on the film front had recommended. But the setup in the bedroom wouldn’t work. That was the third unpleasant surprise since my return, and I hope the last. (The drying up of the ink cartridge was a problem only in that it prevented me from printing up checks immediately.) I continue to wash dishes placidly; Kathleen is trying to find a repair service. (Did I mention that Ray Soleil and I determined that the problem with the dishwasher is not in the plumbing but something involving a motor.) I watched Tamara Drewe in the living room, staying up late for a second night to do so.
Today there are plenty of errands. The plan was that, at about four, I would fetch Will at school to take him to the barber for a trim: he’s going to be a ringbearer in a wedding in California this weekend. His uncle Brendon is marrying a lovely girl from Orange County. (By the time Will gets back to New York, he’ll have traveled many miles this year.) But the haircut can wait — the last one was so great that he still looks good. It turns out that Will’s mother has a date with a high-school friend who lives in the city, and their two little boys are going to play in the park after school. It’s a reprieve of sorts for me, because I’m still coming out from under (piles of disorderliness have been fought back to two rooms; the living room has been liberated), and Kathleen will be in Alexandria tonight, at one of her Pooh-Bah meetings (if I told you what it was, you’d think I was showing off).