Chapter4 Loneliness（1）
The next day was rainy and dark. Rain fell on the roof of the barn and dripped steadily from the eaves. Rain fell in the barnyard and ran in crooked courses down into the lane where thistles and pigweed grew. Rain spattered against Mrs. Zuckerman's kitchen windows and came gushing out of the downspouts. Rain fell on the backs of the sheep as they grazed in the meadow. When the sheep tired of standing in the rain, they walked slowly up the lane and into the fold.
Rain upset Wilbur's plans. Wilbur had planned to go out, this day, and dig a new hole in his yard. He had other plans, too. His plans for the day went something like this:
Breakfast at six-thirty. Skim milk, crusts, middlings, bits of doughnuts, wheat cakes with drops of maple syrup sticking to them, potato skins, leftover custard pudding with raisins, and bits of Shredded Wheat.
Breakfast would be finished at seven.
From seven to eight, Wilbur planned to have a talk with Templeton, the rat that lived under his trough. Talking with Templeton was not the most interesting occupation in the world but it was better than nothing.
From eight to nine, Wilbur planned to take a nap outdoors in the sun.
From nine to eleven he planned to dig a hole, or trench, and possiblly find something good to eat buried in the dirt.
From eleven to twelve he planned to stand still and watch flies on the boards, watch bees in the clover, and watch swallows in the air.
Twelve o'clock---lunchtime. Midddlings, warm water, apple parings, meat gravy, carrot scrapings, meat scraps, stale hominy, and the wrapper off a package of cheese. Lunch would be over at one.
From one to two, Wilbur planned to sleep.
From two to three, he planned to scratch itchy places by rubbing against the fence.
From three to four, he planned to stand perfectly still and think of what it was like to be alive, and to wait for Fern.
At four would come supper. Skim milk, provender, leftover sandwich from Lurvy's lunchbox, prune skins, a morsel of this, a bit of that, fried potatoes, marmalade drippings, a little more of this, a little more of that, a piece of baked apple, a scrap of upsidedown cake.
原文赏析：
The next day was rainy and dark. Rain fell on the roof of the barn and dripped steadily from the eaves. Rain fell in the barnyard and ran in crooked courses down into the lane where thistles and pigweed grew. Rain spattered against Mrs. Zuckerman's kitchen windows and came gushing out of the downspouts. Rain fell on the backs of the sheep as they grazed in the meadow. When the sheep tired of standing in the rain, they walked slowly up the lane and into the fold.
我个人很喜欢这个段落。记得小时候，下雨天没有伙伴，自己就静静的听雨打到窗户上的声音，以对面楼房黑色玻璃窗为背景，就会看到雨水密密麻麻的不停下落。如果雨很大，我也能看见雨水从楼房落水管中不断涌出来。
细细品读这段英文，会让人有一种内心的平静。
原文中的名词：
1. eave：屋檐
这个词我以前从未见过，刚开始把它当成leaves, 还以为自己少写了一个字母呢。
2. thistle：[植]蓟 这植物可真够顽强的，紫色的小花还挺漂亮，拔草时还有点不忍心拔掉。
3. pigweed：藜；苋，一种野草
4. downspout：落水管（将雨水从屋顶排至水沟）
5. lane：小巷
6. crust： 面包皮
7. middlings：麦麸
8. syrup：糖浆
9. custard pudding with raisins 带葡萄干的奶油布丁
10. occupation： 消遣（个人觉得在原文中的意思为消遣，而不是职业）
11. clover：三叶草
12. apple parings：苹果皮
13. meat gravy：肉汁
14. carrot scrapings：胡萝卜碎屑
15. stale hominy：不新鲜的玉米粥
16. provender 饲料
17. prune：李子干
18. morsel：一口；（食物）少量
19. marmalade：果酱
原文中的动词：
1. spatter against： 溅；洒
2. gush out: 涌出
3. graze: 吃草
4. walk up： 走上；沿…走
5. upset：If events upset something such as a procedure or a state of affairs, they cause it to go wrong. 搅乱
原文中的句子：Rain upset Wilbur's plans.
计划常常被搅乱，俗话说“人算不如天算”，威尔伯的计划就被天气搅乱了。也许这正是生活的常态。但是，即便如此，我觉得还是有必要做计划，哪怕计划要不断调整。如果完全没有计划，因为有太多可能的选择，反而会让人无所适从，什么也做不成了。
Do you have a plan for today?
Is there anything that upset your plan? If so, are you upset about it? Or you have B plan?
一说到计划，人们常常会想到未来，好像计划都是为今后制定的。有长远计划当然好，但是真正最需要计划的却恰恰是今天，或者说就是现在。因为需要从现在开始，一步一步才能走到未来。
顺便分享一个启动身体开始行动的列计划（列表）方法，此法来自《拖拉一点也无妨》，作者是约翰·佩里（本书很是有趣，有时间可以读一读）。以下内容摘自原书第三章：
I try to make a to-do list before I go to bed and then leave it by the clock. It starts like this:
1. Turn off the alarm.
2. Don’t hit the snooze button.
3. Get out of bed.
4. Go to the bathroom.
5. Don’t get back in bed.
6. Go downstairs.
7. Make coffee.
By the time I sit down with my first cup of coffee, I can check off seven items. This feels good and looks impressive. My day of accomplishment is off to a flying start. I don’t need reminders to do any of these things. But I do need a little pat on the back for doing them. The only likely way of getting that pat is by having a to-do list, so I can cross off completed tasks.
不要小看这个逐一拆解并完成小任务的过程，关键要有完成后的反馈，哪怕只是把完成的任务划掉。当自己意识到已经不知不觉完成了多个任务时，就已经启动了继续行动的意愿，经过了这段小小热身助跑，你会越跑越快。不妨一试。
