When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like a Big Pizza Pie

I was planning to drink my morning coffee and then get back to working on MURDER INK.  The deadline is looming and I am behind.  I lost two days working earlier in the week due to a cold that came with a headache that made it impossible to think.  Today was going to be the day when I got caught up.

But...

My daughter in law had an eye doctor appointment and was going to take my three-year-old grandson with – not because she wanted to, but because she thought she had to.  So, I dropped everything and rushed over to their place.  She asked if I minded if she stopped at the store afterwards.  I gladly told her to take her time.  Spending time with Jakey is always a treat.

I’d come equipped with a yellow pad and when my grandson took his nap, I handwrote a whole chapter.  I have a hard time with transitions.  I can’t just throw off my jacket and dive back into writing.  Aside from the fact that when I rushed out, I left a mess behind in the kitchen.

I took care of it and also some laundry that needed to be hung out to dry.  Yes, I have a dryer, but I almost never use it.  I made a pot of coffee and the next thing I knew it was getting dark.

I finally sat down at my computer and was about to start typing what I’d hand written when I got a text from my son mentioning happy hour at our favorite pizza place.  I was hungry and it was dinner time.  We had to run out the door to get there before happy hour ended. It’s a local place that’s been around for probably close to 50 years. 

We were finishing up our pizza when the piano player walked in.  He sat down and began to play with fervor.  When I looked at him, he had his eyes closed and was off in music land.  I’d forgotten how much I love piano music. To me it’s full of emotion and it makes me feel good.  We stayed for another half an hour and the pianist just kept playing as though it was one piece even though I recognized familiar songs.  He somehow bridged everything together into his own creation.

My son mentioned a stop at Target.  I agreed realizing I needed a few things, but we only got as far as the Target parking lot before the destination changed to Ikea, which was across the Valley, though by now traffic was light since  it was 8:00.   It was a quick in an out at Ikea. LOL.  The place is so big that even though we just went to the bedding department and then checked out, it took quite a while.   Traffic was even lighter on the way back across the Valley.  I like the part of the freeway where the mountains in Griffith park loom next to it.  During the day you can see the details of green foliage and trees, but at night they are just dark shapes.

Since we didn’t go to Target, we stopped at the grocery for the green onions I needed.  A brief stop to drop mail at the post office and finally it was home.  And now 10:00 and the full moon was so bright it gave me a shadow as I walked across my backyard.

I know what you’re thinking.  Other than the essential babysitting, I could have said no, but the whole day was like a big surprise package.  And there’s always tomorrow.