Okay, so, I’m trying to put together a giant My Cousin’s Wedding/Thanksgiving Feast/Family Reunion post that does all three of those events justice, and, well, I’m taking a break. Instead, for now, I will take Tim’s challenge and supply you all with three things I see in the morning.
NOTE!!! Thanks to my laziness, my camera’s battery was so low that it couldn’t muster the energy to flash. Hence, the pictures are blurry. Sorry! However, the blurriness adds a realistic touch, since everything in my world is blurry blurry blurry until I find my glasses, which doesn’t happen until after I see the following things anyway:
Underneath that red pile of blanket, you’ll find my dear Chelsea snoring away. Mind you, at 3 am, 4 am and 5 am Chelsea is usually wide awake, antsy as all hell and ready to go outside. But come a reasonable hour and she barely wants to budge. I generally let her sleep while I tend to the following:
Washing dishes! It’s my morning ritual to take care of crusty pots and pans leftover from last night’s dinner. This has a twofold purpose: 1) minimizing dirty dish buildup and 2) letting the water run so that when I fill my tea kettle it doesn’t taste like iron. Also, due to old piping and poor insulation, hot water takes its sweet-ass time making its way to our faucet, but as you can see in this photo the steam is beginning to rise, signaling that roughly three minutes have elapsed since I first turned on the water.
Speaking of hot water: I fill the kettle about one minute into the dish-washing sesh, so that by the time I’m done, my water’s a-waiting and it’s time to steep some tea. [Edit! Forgot to mention that I scored said kettle from the Salvation Army, of all places. Who would get rid of such a darling little thing?]
“Would you like some tea?” I asked Asa.
“What are you doing?” he asked in response.
“I’m taking pictures for TimsHead’s blog challenge. I’m supposed to document the first three things I see in the morning. So I’m photographing Stink, the sink and the kettle. Would you like some tea?” (PS, I really do say “TimsHead” when referring to the man behind the blog).
“What about me?” he asked.
“What do you mean, what about you? I asked you twice if you wanted tea!”
“No—you see me first. I’m the first thing you see every morning.”
Hmm. This is true, I suppose, but half the time I don’t remember it because it’s so damn early that I’m not even awake. So, Asa is the first thing I see in the morning, although it’s usually at 6 am and pitch dark and I open my eyes long enough to give him a kiss and say “Have a good day at school!” before I’m sound asleep again. And it’s not always that coherent. Yesterday morning, for instance, I said “Goodnight” instead.
So, in keeping with this whole “realism” thing, this is probably more what it looks like:
You know, as real as this’ll seem knowing that it’s simply a Photoshopped version of the other picture. Two words: suspended disbelief.
Anyway, must go, it’s time to wake up the Stink! (In the words of the lady of the canyon: “Wake up, it’s a Chelsea morning!”)
(Even though it’s now 2 in the afternoon, Chelsea’s already been woken up, fed and walked and is now sound asleep once again. In the same exact spot as she was this morning.)
15 responses so far ↓
1 Ned // Nov 30, 2006 at 2:37 pm
I love your kettle!
I didn’t want to comment unless I had something better to say, but your Kettle commands it.
2 jac // Nov 30, 2006 at 2:42 pm
chealsea is adorable i love how she sleeps under the blanket! my parent’s dog does that too. all the better if she has someone to snug her butt against.
and that kettle is lovely. i had an electric one for a long time, though i hated it, just seemed wasteful to get another kettle when i had one. my friend bought a stove kettle with a big top opening and gave it to me in trade, and i love it but it isn’t quiant. yours is very very pretty, i like the constrast of metal and porcelaine.
this is a great idea for a blog. i might do this sometime.
3 TimsHead // Nov 30, 2006 at 3:07 pm
What’s unique about this blog is that I’ve actually seen two of those things in the morning! Albeit in a foreign country where we were mistaken for drug traffickers. And you really call me TimsHead in Asa conversations? How funny.
I think I bought my mom a similar tea kettle once. But then when we were young, she was bound to receive at least one of the following as a birthday and/or Christmas present: 1) tea kettle, 2) slippers, 3) shampoo. (But nary an electric fire or family saloon.) Curiously, I bought myself a tea kettle months ago and have yet to use it, even though I have a pretty nice collection of teas.
Better late than never, and as ever clever. Thanks!
4 Boo // Nov 30, 2006 at 4:45 pm
There is something so cute about a dog sleeping under a blanket. You are so disciplined. I save the dishes until I have to bake. I am digging that tea pot. Mine is the typical silver job whistle blowing deal. That one is pretty.
It’s very sweet that Asa doesn’t want you to forget that he is the first thing you see. That’s almost cuter than puppies sleeping under a blanket.
I just say that I missed an entry. I am heading down just now.
5 Boo // Nov 30, 2006 at 4:46 pm
say = saw…sometimes.
6 thinlizzy // Nov 30, 2006 at 5:53 pm
I thought that was a vintage picture of Chelsea - she looks like a puppy in that photo.
And yes - who would get rid of that darling teapot? I love it!
7 jiffer // Nov 30, 2006 at 6:11 pm
does everyone call their dog “the stink?”
8 fern_forest // Nov 30, 2006 at 6:56 pm
this is by far my favorite 3 in the morning entry. it made me laugh several times which i sorely needed just now. your teapot is definately darling and i also refer to tim as TimsHead whenever talking about him. in fact, i probably sound a little wacky because in stories he needs a qualifier to identify how i know him so he is actually, my internet friend TimsHead. hahahahahaha. i love that dish soap - i have the same bottle in the same spot in my kitchen.
9 Laura // Nov 30, 2006 at 11:10 pm
chelsea sleeps with her head on the pillow you made her! that’s so cute, so human.
your dishwashing is altogether tooooo organized. i have a similar routine with the shower, but that’s just the water conservationist in me.
Asa must wake up before you, because he looks far too composed for it to be early in the morning.
I too refer to all bloggers by their blog names… Timshead, fern_forest, lizzy17, Boo, etc. somehow the names people choose for themselves are better than plain old Laura.
10 Sunshineboy78 // Dec 1, 2006 at 6:29 am
actually, I think that an official “Chelsea Morning” does start at 2pm. Also it involves amphetamines and a ritual exchanging of phone numbers with who/whatever you slept with the night before
11 Anahita // Dec 1, 2006 at 7:53 am
Awwhh…Chelsea looks so cute and so peaceful under that pink blanket! And lol…Asa’s expression followed by your “What about me?” really put a smile on my face! If I wasn’t sitting in our school’s computer lab, I’d have probably laughed out loud. Oh, and cute teapot by the way. As for being “late” about Tim’s challenge…I think I’m going to be the very last one!
12 Lynn // Dec 2, 2006 at 1:49 pm
I liked the tea kettle! I’m a tea fanatic and it’s good to find someone else who drinks tea in the morning. I don’t like the taste of coffee, but will get the Starbucks stuff with all the flavorings and latte and whipped cream because then it hardly tastes like coffee. Yes, I do go to Starbucks now and then. (cringing)
Lynn
13 Lynn // Dec 2, 2006 at 1:52 pm
Oh yeah, hubby and I call Tim TimsHead in conversations. It seems completely natural. And we call you Mydogischelsea.
Lynn
14 kaz // Dec 2, 2006 at 5:58 pm
Ha. Dogs are cool. Yours especially.
15 Boo // Dec 3, 2006 at 3:42 pm
ryc: I am not sure how to link it. But here is the post about our mutual friends:
http://www.xanga.com/Boowasborn/551980308/codename-oswego.html
I thought you might get a kick out of it.