How frowzy is too frowzy in my household? Frowzy meaning: gloomy, dull, drab, dark, dim, stuffy, close, musty, stale, stifling, shabby, seedy, run down. I have somewhat neglected my household, the rooms are tidy but no more than that, I have to clean my kitchen and do the dishes. Writing has kept me busy these past period and since I am not much of a housewife, I have paid less attention to these chores in and around the house. I am making this commitment with myself as I write this: tomorrow I will clean out my kitchen. It is not the first time I am in a situation like this and I have written about it in earlier blogs: "Dishes or no dishes, that's the question"  and "Get your butt over there!" . It is something every few weeks happens. I have to clean house!!

There is a row of linden trees outside my apartment building. I am looking at a Tilia cordata from my balcony. I love the sight of that tree with its lush green during summer and its bare branches during winter. The linden tree is the home and resting place for lots of birds. The seagull, the tit, the jay and the dove all sit on the branches and eat or rest during the day. It is a lovely sight.

There was one day when the sun was shining and I was looking through the green leaves into the blue sky; this picture frame reminded me of the painting by the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, Almond Blossom, 1890 with the branches of the almond tree against an azure blue sky. Now every time I am looking at that linden tree I am reminded of that most exquisite painting. It fills me with joy.

Furthermore trees are the lifeline in Nature’s realm. They can become very old and they are accompanied by stories of creatures and fairy tales. The Bhuddha sat under a special tree in India when he got enlightened. I always find that one of the most beautiful pics in history. I have a beautiful drawing of woman-tree in one of my poetry blogs "In every nook and cranny"  [18+]. Very mysterious!

I listened to a part of the audio of The legend of Sleepy Hollow (above), this wonderfully written story from 1900. I think the Headless Horseman is indeed a ghoulish spirit and not Crane’s rival Brom Bones who is marrying Katrina the next morning. Although Brom Bones “looked exceedingly knowing whenever the story of Ichabod was related.” I don’t think it was him because apart from the schoolmaster’s wandering horse, trampled saddle, discarded hat, and a mysterious shattered pumpkin there is no further sign of Ichabod. He just vanished. Being a schoolmaster for so many years made him a conscientious man I think and he wouldn’t flee from his life in this quiet town, just like that. The fact that he disappeared into thin air makes me suspicious of foul play by a ghost or a spirit. At last the stories of the haunted came alive and took a victim, Ichabod Crane.