October 2, 2003

• TIMING

  
  

  Most often around here, I hear that word, “timing”, as the punchline of a joke, “What’s the secret of good comedy?”  Usually it’s Greyfox (my husband the Old Fart, for those who aren’t already intimately acquainted with my family) who drags out the old joke, but sometimes my son Doug also runs it by me after I’ve made some comment that has convulsed one or both of them in laughter.  It is seldom what I say that is so funny.  I tend not to tell jokes, because I mangle them in the telling.  I have a habit of remembering either the setup or the punchline but never both.  However, I can make succinct, often sarcastic, remarks in response to something one of them says, and my timing is impeccable, most of the time.

  
  

  Maybe my comedic timing is good, but there are other ways in which it could stand improvement.  Several days ago, I awoke to a spectacular sky, with piles of interesting  clouds and a single brilliant streak of intense purple-red a few degrees above the horizon.

  
  

  I slipped into my fuzzy scuffs and grabbed the camera, only to get out there too late to catch the intense color.  The sky had faded to gray, and without the color the clouds weren’t all that interesting.  I didn’t bother taking any pictures that time.

  
  

   

  
  

  This morning, again, it was the dawn in my eyes that woke me.  The sky was an interesting jumble of clouds and color that drew an exclamation from me:  “Oh, wow!”

  
  

  The fire had gone out during the night and the room was chilly.  When Greyfox murmurred, “What?” at my exclamation, I said, “It’s a beautiful sunrise,” and snuggled farther under the covers, scrunching down a bit to get a better view out the window.  I said to him, “This time, I’m not jumping up and running out there naked only to miss the color.” 

  
  

  My intention was to just enjoy the sunrise from my warm bed, but a full bladder took me out of the cozy warmth and away from the east windows.  When I got back the light was even better, so I dressed and grabbed the camera and went out and caught the first pair of shots above.

  
  

  I came in, made coffee, filled my cup and returned to the front room.  The sky still looked fairly photogenic, so I went back out and got the second pair of pics.  I think it was worth the effort.  I guess sometimes I don’t need good timing.  Sometimes time is on my side.

  • 1:35 pm
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