The earth is an ice-baked, ochre ruin.
You notice the colour of the earth when you’re closer to it. In fact, you notice many things when you’re older… like breathing. You still do plenty of it, but is it enough to call it a life?
She has all she needs to get through the winter. Food, fuel and enough gin, albeit now a drink of diminishing returns, to sink a battleship.
A little something for the soul would be nice, but the soul-shop packed up and left town a while back.
Five weeks before the earth tilts.
Just hanging in there.
Sorry! that’s me in November. Hopefully normal service will be resumed soon. Thanks to Rochelle for being a rock in the Friday Fictioneer’s sea.
castelsarrasin 
I loved “you notice many things when you’re older… like breathing.”
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Thanks for reading, Neil.
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Haha! Oh dear….yes….November is tough, original take though….
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Many thanks.
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I like the idea of having a soul shop. Twilight years are a transition from body to soul and warmth is needed at all levels.
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Thanks for reading, Reena.
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Colourful images and a deep breath, Tilting into autumn here we go,
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Tilting into winter now. But there’ll be light at the end of the tunnel shortly.
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Dear Sandra,
Hopefully things will look up for her soon. As we age we become more aware of each breath given to us don’t we? Depressingly well written.
Shalom
Rochelle
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Thanks for reading Rochelle. Yes, getting older… a voyage of discovery. 😦
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A truthful, melancholic tale, well done.
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We are all hanging on. Just breathing isn’t life.
Philosophical tale.
Earth’s tilt has so much associated!
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Thanks for reading Anita.
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What a descriptive piece. Sandra. I hope the gin supplies last and the earth tilt comes soon enough.
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Thanks for reading Jen. I think she’ll make it. She usually does.
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What an evocative piece! Yes, we do notice things as we age that we took for granted when we were young. Breathing. Regularity. Painless walking. Running. It’s a long list.
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Isn’t it just? Thanks for reading, Linda.
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I had to read it twice to fully get it and now I’m so awed that I hardly know what to say. November gets harder the older we get.
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Worst month of the year for me, always has been, and not going to change now. Thanks for reading.
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Beautifully written, Sandra. November is the worst month. I swear – brings out the morose even in the most jovial of sorts. As for the gin not giving its just returns as much… that does not help! Just over a month left before the days start lengthening again…
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There’s a reason it’s one of the shortest months, I suspect. No-one can take much more of it. Thanks for reading, Dale.
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This one and February…
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Great evocation of seasonal affective disorder. You are so good at picking out telling details and deploying them subtly.
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Thanks for your lovely comment, Penny. Glad you liked it.
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This sounds like she is in the November of her life, and going downhill fast
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Yep. I guess you could be right. 🙂
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One must indeed have adequate adult beverages to last the long cold nights. Well done, Sandra.
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Thanks for reading, Bill.
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You’re welcome, Sandra.
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I’ll go with Rochelle- ‘ Depressingly well written..’ At74 can’t agree with you more.
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🙂 I can do depressing quite well most of the year. I reach my zenith in November. Thanks for reading, Indira. Stay well.
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Thanks, Sandra. Stay well, you too.
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November comes around more quickly with each year. At least gin provides the tonic we need.
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I see what you did there! 🙂 Thanks for reading.
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“Food, fuel and enough gin,” well at least she is well stocked up and will emerge ready for the bright days of spring., That is if she survives Christmas.
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Christmas is a whole other thing. Don’t get me started. Thanks for reading, James.
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Poor woman. Plenty of food for the body but not the soul.
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Thanks for reading, Ali.
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it’s getting there. it’s time she cherish every breath she takes.
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Thanks for reading.
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Thats a sad tale, I expect she’s wearing a tin foil hat too, I’m hoping the earth doesn’t tilt in my day, we’ll probably burn ourselves to a cinder before that. The earth will probably tilt unwitnessed.
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The tilt is actually a reference to the fact that the days start to get longer. It’s not an apocalyptic tale, simply seasonal affective disorder. 🙂
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Oh my! How wrong I was! Strange times!!
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Sometimes all we need peace of mind.. nice tale
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Thanks for reading.
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Those questions we ask when the bite of winter sets in. Hopefully, the gin and the warm months of spring to look forward to will help her through. Masterfully written!
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Many thanks Brenda. Hope you are well.
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It’s called SAD syndrome – there are so many varieties of gin these days, you should be okay!
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Actually I’ve found it’s cheaper to vary the tonics rather than the gin. Currently using Rhubarb and Raspberry tonic – lovely!
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I personally would recommend a stash of good books rather than the gin, but each to his own.
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🙂 Thanks for reading.
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Aww. Good story but sad. So true with many lives.
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Thanks for reading, Oneta.
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I can identify with this one, esp. as my RA-joints protests grow louder each year. A kind of hibernation sets in for the winter for some of us: an extra tilt of the earth makes all the difference between living and just “breathing” to get through it.
pax,
dora
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Hang in there Dora. Maybe it’s global warming but I feel closer to the first stirrings of new life than I would normally at this time of the year.
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This really hit home. In early October, I got Covid (despite having my vaccines). My recovery went well, then I contracted a horrible cough. I have been to 2 doctors and taken antibiotics and other medications, but nothing seems to make a difference. This is the third week of the cough and I’m beginning to think it’ll never go away. Breathing is a good thing.
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So sorry to hear you’ve been unwell, Russell. As an asthmatic since my mid teens, I’ve never underestimated the joy of being able to take an unfettered breath. May you soon be over this and back to your usual joie de vivre. We rely on you. X
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Every stage of our lives, as we age, is a lesson in emotional stamina.
Interesting thoughts on the photo prompt.
Isadora 😎
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