February 02nd, 2017

I was standing at the sink the other night, cleaning up after dinner, looking out the window and it struck me to wonder how many times I've done the same thing.  Either preparing a meal or tidying up after a meal, looking out the window over the sink and admiring the view.  Regardless of where we are, the kitchen has always been my domain, my "office" so to speak.  I spend a lot of time there. I do enjoy cooking and baking, but I do other things in the kitchen as well. I fold clothes, read the newspaper, make endless lists, chat with friends either in the phone or in person,  The kitchen has  just always been my comfortable place.  And to any ultra feminists who are ready to rage at me over that statement, don't bother.  The entire point of equal rights is to give women more choices. This is my choice.

The above photo, as usual, does not do justice to what I saw that evening.  The entire scene appeared to have been painted in neutrals; black, white, grey, except that one tree. All of the colours of the sunset were in that one tree.  How could I not admire it?  The current kitchen is on the front of the house and faces west, so all of my best views are in the evenings.   But looking out, first onto the cute little courtyard, then the trees beyond, then the neighborhood past that, I always have something pretty to see.  Even on a rainy day, there is the hypnotic sight and sound of falling water.  Of course, the scene actually change tremendously here. Rain or sun, sunsets are different every day of course, lizards and/or squirrels or no, hibiscus blooms or no hibiscus blooms, those are probably the biggest differences each day.

In Colorado, the kitchen was on the back of the house and faced southeast, so the view was more about the sunrises.  And they were magnificent.  Like sunsets, no two are the same and each worthy of note.  During the day the thing that struck me the most was how far I could see.  From our yard, to the open space behind us, past the equestrian neighborhood behind that to the ridgeline in the distance.  Each view was breathtaking.   We saw the smoke and flames of  fires on the ridgeline, the power of a tornado weaving it's destructive way toward us once,  winters filled with snowfall and every July 4th except one when the fire danger was too high, we saw a sky filled with fireworks.

In Connecticut before that, the window over the sink showed the side yard with stone walls and some serious seasons.  Crazy big snowfalls, ice storms and the deep red of brave little cardinal birds in winter; lush green and wildly varied colours of flowers and flowering shrubs in summer; the brilliantly flamed trees of autumn in colours ranging from bright golds to screaming oranges to deep purples; and my favourite the baby yellows of forsythias against the last snowfall indicating a fledgling spring.  

I watched my children grow up through kitchen windows. First pushing trucks and matchbox cars through my garden, then playing tag and all sorts of different kinds of adventurers through the yard. A little older and they were throwing a ball around and sitting in the hammock with a girl.  Nowadays, we watch people bicycle, walk and drive by.  Sometimes it's people we have come to know, but more often not.  Oftentimes, they have a dog or two with them, but very rarely children.

I still have my Christmas lights up and at night, sometimes, I still turn them on. I love seeing the twinkle in the courtyard from the window after dark.  I love the little rainbows on the courtyard walls at a certain time of day from the sunlight streaming through the prism in my kitchen. (the pull for the overhead fan).  Oh wait, I actually do have a photo of that.  Here:

I can see a sunrise from the windows at the back of the house, but while it's lovely, it's just not as striking as the sunset to me.  That said, one of my neighbors recently posted a stunningly beautiful sunrise photo that she took.  She rows crew and was out on the water when she took the picture which leads me to believe it's not the fault of the sunrise but rather the view of it from my window that is a wee bit lackluster.

So here it is the start of another beautiful day and I am watching the beautiful morning light making me smile while looking out the window over my kitchen sink.  And I will love that view all day long I will see the world pass by my windows.  But the really big deal comes later.  The sunset is the real showstopper. 

Of course, I have no idea what the view is from the window over your kitchen sink, but whatever it is, enjoy it!