When the ahem, let's say, just a tad more relaxed. I'm often
known to do the following...
Drink extra strong black coffee at random, keeping me up odd hours.
Don furry hats, take pictures of myself, then post them on my blog.
Eat random meals of Cheerios, hunkered over my keyboard.
Eat Mickey Dee's double fish fillets two days in a row, or three.
Let the laundry go until I run out of fresh panties.
Throw dirty everything in the kitchen
Watch double feature Merchant Ivories in my woolly socks with
Donald Hall and Rita Dove.
Sing show tunes, loudly and with abandon, until the ghosts take cover.
Spend
thinks I'm the new employee.
Start a chain reaction of rearranging items around the manor, so
that nothing is in the same spot on His Majesty's noble return.
artwork by Michael Sowa
And what about those trips to NYC and Vegas?
ReplyDeleteShh! Bill, I keep those a bit dark.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE IT!
ReplyDeleteYup, me too. I love it when my husband goes away. By the way, I want a hat just like yours!
ReplyDeleteI'm liking that list. That list sounds like a lot of fun. Especially the parts about...no. All of it. All of it sounds like something I would do. ;)
ReplyDeleteHappy Monday! :)
Well, what's a girl to do? She has to entertain herself somehow!
ReplyDeleteI laughed so hard I almost sent my laptop flying!
ReplyDeleteI know what you are talking about. *giggles*
P.S.:
ReplyDeleteDoes your husband know about that other, the Pot-Bellied King? ;-)
Sounds a bit like when Eberle travels--at least the coffee & random meals! Fun post.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm...this sounds like my house when Secret Agent Man is traveling for work. I love it! I also love your illustration for this post!
ReplyDeleteStill smiling after reading your list. I think we all have done a bit of that when we have the time and the house all to ourselves.
ReplyDeleteLove it!!!!
The Songwriter had a concert in Chicago this past weekend. It was popcorn for dinner!!
ReplyDeleteYour prizes are on the way!! Congratulations!
a very cute post
ReplyDeleteO...love this post...its ME!!
ReplyDeleteHappy day..:)
I identify very strongly with the film viewing. The only time I watch films is when he's out of the house (luckily, husband works shifts...).
ReplyDeleteI now have an image of you at the keyboard, eating Cheerios and wearing the furry hat.
Oh I LOVE this! I think we all have a secret life to live when he who knows all is away.
ReplyDeleteGood smiles (and some identification) from this one, Willow. My daughter and I were alone tonight and we ate dinner (just pasta) in front of a Big Love episode. Dinner tends to be a bit more formal when our King is in attendance!
ReplyDeleteLOVE the way you are invoking the snow gods. We've been buried in gray muck for days. I'd rather have snow, too.
My King is taking a weekend hiatus to "play golf with the boys". I may steal somethings off your list while he's away. =)
ReplyDeleteWillow,
ReplyDeleteLoved this post. Some things are universal.
What show tunes?
I must try Mickey Dee's. I keep hearing about it, but have never seen one, much less had the pleasure of eating at one.
Enjoy yourself. The party will be over soon.
Marjorie
Marjorie
Willow
ReplyDeleteNow that's living!
Well, I have no other half to go away and leave me to my own devices, so this place pretty much looks like a disaster area all the time. But now you've got me thinking I should take self-portraits featuring my hat collection to put in a gadget in my sidebar.
ReplyDeleteWillow, I think you've created a monster!
Yup, Roy, now we're gonna have to see the hats!!
ReplyDeleteMarjorie, I fondly call McDonald's "Mickey Dee's"! :^)
ReplyDelete(chuckling out loud) Boy, do I identify! My Dearest Darlin' is away most of the time so when I'm not being lonesome without him I get to enjoy the little self expressive freedoms you so amusingly noted ALOT. I'm ESPECIALLY known to move things about and for me it's Frosted Flakes rather than Cheerios over the keyboard though and I'm thinkin' some of that oddly timed coffee sounds good about now, actually. Wondering how much coffee it'll take to keep me up through meteor showers tonight????
ReplyDeleteWhat fun! I do much the same -- and am known to indulge in foods my husband hates -- fried cabbage being one. And the schedule shifts radically.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the King does??? haha!
ReplyDeleteOhhh, isn't is LovERly!!!! Enjoy!!! Hugs, Terri
ReplyDeleteSounds most fun. Hope he goes away often.
ReplyDelete(That didn't sound so good, did it?) And I suppose if he were gone a lot, then the time wouldn't be so special.
Which Merchant Ivories? Ballad of the Sad Cafe?
ReplyDeleteYour Kingless existence sounds fantastic. Too many weans here for such brilliant indulgence....maybe some day.
Oh, and Marjorie, I don't think there's any show tune that I don't know all the lyrics to. Heehee!
ReplyDeleteOtin, I would tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.
ReplyDeleteShug, you know, I've seen all the MI films except Sad Cafe. I adore Simon Callow. I'm putting this one on my Netflix queue right now.
ReplyDeleteMy old standbys are Howard's End, The Remains of the Day and A Room With a View.
I love what you do when the Lord of the Manor is gone.
ReplyDeleteCheerios is an all-time favorite of mine. I think it's hilarious that you take photos of yourself in fur hats and post them. Made my day to read all this.
I'm the same way. I miss the sdays when I'd watch two, three movies, munch on dove bars and strong coffees.
ReplyDeletePerfect!!
ReplyDeleteif you look on the next aisle at the used bookstore you will probably find me when the queen is away...on a days long coffee high...
ReplyDeleteDuh! Don't know what planet I have been on, but of course McD's. Sadly not one in Carmel.
ReplyDeleteMarjorie
LOL! A woman after my own heart, a kindred spirit, indeed.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love Merchant Ivory films...be sure to check out my blog tomorrow when I post my Julian Sands story...A Room With A View...one of my favorite films.
ReplyDeletemuch love
Goodness!
ReplyDeleteI just asked Maureen what she would do if I was away, and she said she'd be all neat and tidy and a little bored, because these are the kind of things I do when I'm here!
Here's something else to do - lean out of the window at night and make owl noises! The squeaky ones - it's great fun because they sometimes answer.
I loved this piece of you too... especially you singing show tunes until you scare the ghosts away!!
ReplyDeleteI also love how all your women blogger friends can relate so much to the list ;)
If I could change the fish fillets to pizzas... I am so there! Sounds like a wonderful few days. Wait, did you mention wine? I'd like a glass or two. Oh hell make it a bottle.
ReplyDeleteSalut!
rxBams, days? Make that weeks.
ReplyDeleteSounds like fun! I wonder if Joe does those things when I'm gone!
ReplyDeleteHis magesty must adore you!
ReplyDeletesounds like a fun time.
ReplyDeletecan i come?
i will even help you re-arrange the whole house!
xx
I always think the house is full of messes when my husband is home, but when he leaves, I stop doing housework and think maybe it is really I who am the transgressor.
ReplyDeleteI like the bookshop one.
ReplyDeleteMy husband rarely ever goes away, I am the one who travels. I wonder what he is up to when I am not there...
My favorite is the Kashi cereals or Wheat Chex. I think the cereal makes a fine breakfast, lunch, dinner and/or dessert.
ReplyDeleteI remember a friend of mine, who has since moved, would love it when her fire chief hubby was out on trainings in March. She loved basketball. And after work, she would settle herself in for an evening of watching basketball while eating her dinner of popcorn and Chardonay.
Perfect fun few day! I like the long hours in the bookstore...great time and nobody saying "let's go!"
ReplyDeleteYes! 7 of the above apply to me when my King is away.
ReplyDeleteWillow,
ReplyDeleteI had to go and order "The Little King December" - thanks for bringing this book back into my life!
Do you by any chance know the children's book "Prince Esterhazy-The Rabbit Prince"? Written by Irene Dische and Hans Magnus Enzensberger, illustrated by Michael Sowa, so full of wit and puns, yet what the prince goes on to witness is the Fall of the Berlin Wall - in my book it's fit to read for adults too (the word play begins with the title: The House of Esterházy is an old Hungarian noble family, the name sounds similar to the German "Osterhase", easter bunny, and Hasi is also an endearment. Amazon has a few second-hand copies left.
HM Enzenberger's Å“uvre is well worth exploring, it ranges from the lighthearted to the deeply philosophical (you'll never look at numbers again the same way after reading his take on them, "The Number Devil"). I suppose you know Irene Dische already.
This one made me absolutely giggle...my husband now travels often, and we (my daughter and I) have a different but similar list of ways that things change..have fun!
ReplyDeleteLove this post..Yes a universal theme. So, so, so nice to be alone sometimes and have the entire house to roam while dreaming....hey...this is one possible thing. I could....Yep, just a thought or is it a wish?
ReplyDeleteSimone
the stress level goes down - yes it's a strange thing that, the way we hold back those intimate sort of grubby but really nice little features of how we would live if we were alone . . . . ! this was very funny, and real!!! have a lovely peaceful day at the manor willow. steven
ReplyDeleteI LONG, LONG, LONG to be ALONE at The Glen for a period of time!!! I often fantasize of WHAT I would do if I ever was ALONE here!!! I think I would do many of the things YOU are doing!!! Coffee, movies, a bit or reaarranging, NO laundry!! AHHHH!
ReplyDeleteSome day!
ENJOY!
'Watch double feature Merchant Ivories in my woolly socks with
ReplyDeleteDonald Hall and Rita Dove.'
I didn't know you were chums with them. Do they also don the woolly socks? :-)
It sounds like a wacky time to yourself, all the more enjoyable to read.
Many thanks.
Greetings from London.
Sounds quite like the bygone days of my single life. And last time I read (quite a while ago), you were drinking black tea instead of coffee. You've gone back, haven't you? Well now, I'm the one that gave up coffee and downing multiple cups of yerba mate instead.
ReplyDeleteMe, too - love it when BB's away. It's the best of both worlds then: solitude in OUR house.
ReplyDeleteOh..thank you so much for this post!
ReplyDeleteI have always been a bit worried about the changes that come over me when my husband is away.
I think I felt that I kept something hidden in my closet that one needs to share if in a good relationship.
But now I see from your post, and from reading all the comments, I may have been worrying about something very good and natural.
That's a relief.
The endless possibilities now......oh.
Thank you!
Merisi, thanks for reminding me of Prince Esterhazy. I've been wanting a copy for myself and just might have to put it on my own Christmas list!
ReplyDeleteI love Sowa's art! So whimsical. Your list is great... I can relate to quite a few of them. Isn't Autumn Sonata devastating? I think there's only one viewing of that for me. Masterful and devastating.
ReplyDeleteCorabela, for the most part I still drink black tea, except sometimes when the King is gone, since it keeps me up at night.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, seems like a normal day around here for both of us, but we are retired and pretty much do as we please or "feel like."
ReplyDeleteWOW. Are you me? Am I you?
ReplyDeleteEverything's comin' up roses and a little Howard's End. Can I come over?
I can relate to all of this in sooooo many ways. I just need a furry hat. :)
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love what you say, every single time. :)
Willow,
ReplyDeleteYou summed up exactly what my life turns into when I'm by myself... Isn't it wonderful that the spirit wanders into the realm of personal interests when you just let go. I have been known to totally destroy and rebuild section of my home when left to my own demise. One time in particular (during a boy's out 2 week hunting trip) I actually remodeled both my childrens rooms. Tore out carpet, painted murals on their walls, bought new "gently used" and very interesting items from garage and antique sales and totally refurbished beyond recognition their rooms. What fun it was. Who knew the hardwood floors beneath the carpet were so beautiful? Today I restrict myself to artistic endeavors of a more simple nature, choosing to read, paint, watch flicks and write. I especially love cool, foggy days and snowy days as they seem to pull out the deeper creativity. Anyway, thanks for sharing your secret nature with us. You are a special person, and so very talented!
I'm with you there, willow. When Mr FF is away I stop making lunch and eat big thick sandwiches that keep me full all day. I put on all the indie films that he heaves a sigh to, wear the same sweater two days running and sometimes even curl up in my dressing gown for the evening.
ReplyDeleteGosh - if I lived alone I might never get dressed again.
You have such an exciting life ...
ReplyDeleteYes, yes
ReplyDeletemy meals degenerate into cereal and yoghurt
and rolled up ham
and video games
and maybe not even
having a bath
One of my great ants was discovered by my (shocked) mother sitting in bed doing the Times crossword with an open can of tinned peaches
and smoking a cigarette
sounds pretty good to me.....
my kind of gal
Isn't delicious to be a woman? LOL What a world we carry within!
ReplyDeleteHey, e, she had it right, didn't she? Sounds like my kinda gal, too!
ReplyDeleteTalk about unmentionables!
ReplyDeleteI know just what you mean about the chain reaction of rearrangement.
ReplyDeleteThis is so funny! When I was married and my husband went out of town, I always loved it. Ate all the foods he abhored but I loved, etc.
Really love that you drink very strong coffee and then stay up late. How great.
Oh, how funny! My husband is away this week as well. My favorite thing to do is put the kids to bed and then get in bed with a black and white movie and wallow in the luxuriousness of 1930's Hollywood.
ReplyDeletesounds like freedom.
ReplyDeletexoxo
I love the rearranging the furniture part. Eating stuff at my computer is always a favorite when my king is away.
ReplyDeleteThese days I am away more than my king. Um? Wonder what he does when his queen is away?
I am so glad I am not the only one who drinks coffee at odd hours, and sings. I cut a mean rug as well.
ReplyDeleteI hear you in regards to having the place to yourself,
when my King is away, this Queen will play!!!
Hot damn this is a funny post.
Thanks for sharing.
Happy hours spent, but happier hours to come when the king returns.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great to-do list... did you get it all to-done? -Jayne
ReplyDeleteI like the painting.
ReplyDeleteAt least you are no longer blogging about your hubby's hair!
It was extremely interesting for me to read that post. Thanx for it. I like such themes and everything connected to them. I would like to read more on that blog soon.
ReplyDeleteI too have always loved the freedom when the Prot was away. I could read A book without having to put it down to sleep or eat.
ReplyDeleteI loved to design an outfit and finish it without having to clear the dining tabe inbetween or to totally lose myselt inmaking pots or painting.
I think it is a wonderful lifestile as long as you know they are coming back.
Retirement has its drawbacks, he always wants me around and free spirits are hard to hold down...
isn't if fun to let ourselves (yourself) go completely to 'pot' sometimes-- eat cookies before dinner if you want to..
ReplyDeleteLook for me when you are in the bookshop. I'm the chap united by a love of Second Hand bookshops but divided by a continent or two.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a pleasure to be "off duty" sometimes. :-)
ReplyDeleteI know that rearranging impulse only too well.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I would leave on business for a few days, I would never return to the same house.
And it would be weeks before I knew where to find things.
Love it all but especially that you move things around! It's just redecorating, right?!
ReplyDeleteHello Willow,
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could have given No.5 a miss?! This is almost like a poem too; I could 'feel' rhymes within.
It's great to give the tiara a break!
ReplyDeleteWe ladies lead not so secret lives I see.
Super post!
Well, Willow, I'm gone I like to mix things up too! (HEY? Ha. Jsut making sure everyone's paying attention!)
ReplyDeleteActually, it's good to mix things up --keep his majesty always intrigued by the mystery of this woman, Willow. Perfect.
I had to laugh over the bookstore employee adage. Very funny. I can just picture it.
Now, Cheerios works anytime. Shall I bring the tea? :)
"Howard's End, The Remains of the Day and A Room With a View."--Lov elal these movies. some of my faves, actually.
ReplyDeleteMirror, mirror on the wall, I'm just like Willow after all!
ReplyDeleteLeft-over nachos for breakfast, muesli for dinner, my music up really loud, weepie DVD's, no make-up, old trackie pants & absolutely NO SPEAKIES! OMG that felt sooooo good!
Millie ^_^
Ah so! Now I get the "wooly socks" reference. (You can't beat a good Merchant Ivory. Which is your favourite? I'm "A Room With A View" gal, myself. That scene in the field, you know? Of course, Maggie Smith makes it!
ReplyDeleteKat, I would have to say "Howard's End" would have to be my favorite, since it almost takes on a human role, much like Willow Manor.
ReplyDeleteyou know...your post made me realize that while you get to partake in this behavior of "silly solitude situations" while "the King" is away....and I think...OMG...I act like this all the time, because I'm single and live alone!
ReplyDeleteI remember having days when my ex-husband would go away, when I couldn't wait to look forward to the "me-time"...and now, me time is every day....
I loved the part about the second hand bookstore owner thinking you were a new employee...that's so something I would do!
~hl~
{www.hoscorners.blogspot.com}
What great things to get up to! When the cats away....
ReplyDeleteWhat we all do, when the King is away, I think! A great list...then, just before he returns, a devlish clean up and stock up and clean up.:) perfect!
ReplyDeletexo Lidy
Amazing! So similar to my freedom time when "His Master's Voice" is away. Love your photo of the little King on the newspaper.
ReplyDeleteThe Lady of the Keys at the Chatelaine de Willow insists on things being just so, the comfort zone. Reminds me of that song "When she lets her hair hang down" for some reason. The Lord's swift return allows melady to feel safe again without the need of the dreaded hounds employ. Wooly socks? Isnt it great we dont have to impress ourselves? I would be in the fetal position with thumb in mouth if my man ever left for a minute. No kidding! Clingon that I am!
ReplyDeleteAh yes, of course! (And it doesn't hurt that Sir Hopkins is in the lead, does it?)
ReplyDeleteThis is my first visit and a fun one it was!
ReplyDeleteI truly enjoyed your sense of humour!
and I am in agreement with Renee, sounds like 'freedom' to me...:)
thanks, Willow~
Calli
You are so delightful, Willow! I am trying to catch up on so many blogs I've missed, I guess it is a good thing I've retired. Except that I'm broke. When I need a great chuckle, you are always there, however. Thank you.
ReplyDeletelove this willow!!!! i love when my hubbie is on a business trip so i can be a bum and dance and sing to my heart's content. we are kindred spirits, my friend!
ReplyDelete