Thoughts of the Morning

1. When the sunrise prayer call from the mosque next door doesn't wake you up, you know that you needed sleep. And such a good sleep it was.

2. When the pitter-patter of the rain wakes you up two hours later, you know it's a perfect time to rise. One of those not-too-tired, not-too-awake type moments where you can lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to the rain, and just be content?

3. There is a spider in my room. Total, a little larger than my hand (or equal to what a normal person's hand would be), with a body that's quite small - maybe the size of an apricot - but HUGE legs. You know how I feel about spiders. I found him one day and freaked out. I have learned to live with him, but every night when I return, I turn on the lights before I step into the room to make sure I know where he sits. He never moves. I sleep. When I wake, he is gone. However, the next night, he is in the exact same spot - how does he know? And why can I never find him during daylight? There are only so many places in the apartment...

4. Living my food life vicariously through bloggers these days, I realize that it is coming ridiculously close to Thanksgiving...and I long for the pungent aroma of rosemary and garlic turkey in the oven, the taste of wild mushroom stuffing, and the sweet tang of homemade cranberry and walnut sauce. Cheesy-chili cornbread and dense pumpkin pie with light-as-air whipped cream. Freshly grated nutmeg and cinnamon stick twirlers in my piping hot apple cider....Unfortunately there are no ovens here. Let alone anything else I mentioned. My dreamworld comes to a crashing hault.