Thursday, November 29, 2012

A Haunting in my Florida Room

Got Wifi?  Check.
Got a computer that needs updating?  Check.
Frustrated with a potential of a 6 hour download?  Check.

Time to migrate.

The open high speed Ethernet in the house is in the Florida room.  In case you live outside of Florida, it's still a Florida Room if it has windows all around but is fully enclosed.  I used to hear them called Solarium, but in this case since I am in Florida...

The problem with mine is that it isn't as well insulated as it could be.  Beautiful exposed wood stained chocolate brown, single pane jalousie windows that look out through the Bougainvillea to the swimming pool, and screens when the weather is nice.  That's about 8 or 9 months of the year here.

I picked up the computer, plugged it in, and the thing immediately went fast.  Oooo!  Speedy!  That 5 hours went to 15 minutes. 

That is just enough time for the mind to wander while the vagarities of the internet, the process of updates, and the newness of sitting in the room for the first time in a long time came to me.

In other words, bored.   It was past 10 at night and I wanted to look at something funny.  Turning on the TV that serves as a 32 inch monitor for the computers at my desk, I failed to find something funny since channel surfing found a lot of Spanish Language programming and Saturday Night Live.

Holiday Themed Sketches with Will Farrell dressed as a giant elf are funny for about 3 minutes and 43 seconds exactly.

All the while, I heard tapping, tapping at my chamber door.

What's that?

Nevermore.

I looked up for the accursed Raven and didn't see one through the windows.   Note to self: Time to clean the windows.

Went back to Weekend Update on Wednesday Night and saw "Uncle Drunk" acting incoherent when there was more tapping at my chamber door.

This time I pulled out the big guns.   Went hunting for the flashlight that would better be described as a weapon.   It puts out a 75 watt light into a beam the thickness of a pencil.  Do Not Look Directly Into The Light, Carol Ann!

No Raven.
No Iguana.
Not even a disturbed Tree Rat.

I did hear the constant Tick Tick Tick of the Quartz Clock when I decided to switch off the TV.  That was about all until...

Tap Tap Tap.  

The only other possibility that it could be was...

RAIN!  For the first time in three weeks!

All is well, the rain sounds like a Raven, my dear Edgar Allan Poe.  Funny how the mind wanders!

Sitting in the same room 12 hours later in the sun, and looking at the windows that need attention, things are a little more settled in my little patch of Tropical Paradise.   Wind Chimes making music on the breeze, sun reflecting off the water making patterns on the chocolate wood, and a pigeon coming by for the daily visit to my own Oscar the Parrot. 

All is right with the world.

No comments:

Post a Comment