Today is had a virtual visit with a friend and colleague after several weeks. It was so nice to have a good check in. Later in the afternoon, I visited the physio to check the sore areas after the fall a week ago. Things are resolving and the remaining minor sprains are healing well. There were clouds most of the day with a few raindrops hear and there during the late afternoon. Plants are all doing well and one is coming back after a major shock response to re-potting.
I've been feeling sore for a while now, thought the pain has been lessening noticeably daily. While the discomfort made me feel old -- as did the fall -- it would have felt yucky regardless of what age I was. The fall also had nothing to do with me or age -- it was just something that would have occurred regardless of who was (un)lucky enough to happen upon the spill first. A song title came to mind when I was mumbling to myself today about the pain in my ankle. It made me smile. <smile> Keep safe. Enjoy!
Another windy day with heat and a touch of humidity. The forecast calls for rain overnight and tomorrow. Warmer warmer temperatures and humidity will stay into the weekend, -- at least -- making some days uncomfortably warm and humid.
For some reason -- or perhaps many reasons -- I felt rather down today. I vacillated between wanting to hid in my house to wanting to run away somewhere. Neither of these will remove the sources of stress. Perhaps this is another manifestation of a form of avoidance behaviour. I could teach a master class on that, I'm sure <smile>. So, I tried to do some things to help with the mood. I went for a short walk out to pick up some take out for supper -- a calzone with Greek salad. that helped quite a bit. I swept the porches and walkways again. The shoulder, elbow and wrist felt much better today when doing this activity, which helped me feel less cranky. Getting up and moving does help elevate emotions. I have to remember that <smile>.
Music can play a a role in feeling better even if only by realizing that others have felt similarly to you and taken the time and effort to pour it all into a song to share with the world. The lyrics of a song that says this much more eloquently than I have is shared with you all here. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Today involved a number of different types of activity. I folded laundry and brought out summer clothes and put away winter clothes. These tasks meant trips to the basement which is decidedly cooler than upstairs today. Temperatures border on hot while the humid air mass remains firmly ensconced outside -- both of which tend to creep inside <sigh> I also spent time with two peer reviews for professional journals -- interesting topics with some suggestions for strengthening the manuscript -- a form of professional mentoring. Just before sunset I went for a walk. The breeze made it feel pleasantly cool. On the way back up the street to the house, I noticed the dog and one of the cats from a couple doors down. They were both standing by the sidewalk intently watching me walk up the hill. I loved that. <smile> I hadn't seen either of them for a while, so it was nice that they waited for me to come up and greet them both. They are opposites in size for sure -- the cat is about 5 pounds and the dog is over 120 pounds and will likely top out closer to 150 when he finishes growing in the coming months. They are fun and help boost my spirits some days.
Why do things always take longer than one expects? Doing similar tasks for years seems not to affect expectations for scheduling one's day. Is it that we expect simpler tasks to be quick due to their lack of complexity and sequencing of steps? One would hope that over time, this fallacy would be recognized. So, it took two hours to unpack the summer things and then repack the winter stuff. Sorting, folding, and putting on shelves, drawers or zippered bags isn't difficult but it does take time. <smile> Reading the new manuscript and re-reading the second manuscript takes time if I am reading critically -- noting, grammar, style, formatting on top of the clarity, flow and completeness of content. Even the walk took a bit longer than I thought it might. That tells me I'm walking slower than usual so the knee and ankle still create some difficulty there. Some of the pain has reduced, just not as quickly as I'd like it to improve <smile>.
A song that came to mind today notes that time slips away. I felt this working away today when I'd look at the clock after finishing something and discovered it was later than I thought it would be. Keep safe. Enjoy!
If this is Saturday, it must be laundry day. <grin> Cloudy, warm and humid weather settled in today. The rain ended overnight after over 24 hours of precipitation. The iris has three blooms today -- only one and a bit last night. The weight of the blooms bent the stalk so one bloom was lying in the grass. I found a bit of binder twine and made a loop to hold the stalk upright anchoring it to a spindle on the porch stairs. Three blooms at once is precedent setting for this plant. So wonderful to see these large blooms together. I swept the porches and sidewalks around the house. White flowers from a tree in the area blew in with the winds yesterday. It is pretty to have a petal covered walkway but once they turn brown it isn't as delightful.
It was great to mix in some non-routine activity on a day usually filled with mundane sameness. A song about the day of the week seemed apropos. The sound is gentle and relaxing, while the lyrics note a need to feel free. Keep safe. Enjoy!
We had rain overnight and throughout the day. Outside it never got brighter than twilight today. I spent the day indoors doing needed paperwork. Much remains for another day, but one big piece was completed. I'll take that for a win today. <smile>
Today was also a day when some family members gathered for a celebration of life for one of my dad's brothers. I was not able to travel there so was unable to participate in person. I have spent some time reflecting on memories, though. One of my earliest memories is of him coming home from university and having to bring the washing in off the line. This brought a great smile to his face. somewhere there was a photo of this event, but I don't have it. I do have a couple of photos of him with his older sister and two older brothers (one being my dad). These make me smile. When I live in Toronto doing a professional practicum, I went to spend the weekend with him and my aunt. It was a nice break from the stresses of the program. I recall him giving me funds to cover the train ticket. That gesture meant so much to me, since I was on a very tight budget in those days. I was happy to be able to visit and could have managed the expense, but I nearly cried at this kindness. He love the outdoors and spent a lot of time skiing and canoeing in the Kawarthas with special trips to the Rockies and Alps. He loved to golf in the summer, too. He was an engineer who worked for a large corporation most of his career. He will be missed by many.
I'm sorry that I couldn't be there with the other cousins who were able to attend today. It seems we get together for funerals and the occasional wedding now. I've noted before that we are now 'that' generation, as more or those ahead of us leave, we are left as the 'old guard.' -- not a bad thing, but it seems to have arrived abruptly.
My pondering today had me thinking of home -- home when I was a kid. I often go there in my thoughts or dreams. Seeing it as it was then is special. Things seemed simpler then for some reason -- likely we didn't have to make so many decisions as youngsters <smile>. The song chosen for the day notes how home is a place in time as well as space. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Today was sunny and warm. I took advantage of the nice day and walked out to get bread and a couple other items. While the weather was great, walking wasn't. By more than two blocks away, pain in my right knee and ankle caused me to limp a bit for the rest of the journey. That is from the fall injury at the grocery store yesterday. I had been told there would be a call to check in within 24 hours. Guess what? They called while I was out doing the errands. <sigh> The message said they would call back another time. Nothing came in during the rest of the day. How serious are they at checking in if they don't leave a phone number for a call back or let me know if they would try again today or tomorrow or next month? Guess I'm feeling a bit grumpy today, too. <smile>
On the up side -- The iris in the front yard has a second bloom open today and two more buds! Only two others were visible last week, but another one was hiding under the petals of the first bloom. Wonderful! That makes four total blooms -- more than the three that bloomed last year. They are so pretty. I wish the flowers lasted longer, but I take time to enjoy the plant each day. The day lily in the back yard has about 30 blossoms on it today! It hasn't had than many at once before. Another plant with a stellar year. <smile> I also had a great online chat with a friend. These weekly visits perk up the days.
A few lines about looking up and forward came to mind today. It is a song from a one-man musical play -- an autobiographical telling of the singer's earlier career.Interestingly, he was from Halifax, Nova Scotia. <smile> The live capture video is poor quality and the audio is passable but not great.The lyrics are reasonably clear, though. Keep safe. Enjoy!
My outing today consisted of a great lunch with colleagues. It is great to have a visit with them. I do miss the more regular lunches we had at work. It was sunny with cooler temperatures today. We ate indoors as their new outdoor shelter hasn't opened just yet.
While out and near the grocery store, I picked up some local-ish strawberries. When walking back to pay, I slipped on something oily and fell -- landing on one knee and stretching hamstrings, rolling one ankle and pulling upper arms to maintain balance. Getting up again meant slipping several more times and being unable to get traction. No one was in the area when that occurred. I told the cashier that someone needed to clean things on the floor so no one else got hurt. The manager was right there so he walked over with me. In those few minutes someone had placed a hazard sign -- but hadn't cleaned the area. The sign was not over the area with the oily puddle and residue, but nicely placed in front of a mid-aisle display almost two feet to the side. It also wouldn't be visible to anyone coming from behind the centre display. As it was placed, I would step to the side to avoid the area around the sign and in so doing walk right into the hazard. <sigh> I have some small nagging pains -- more achy than anything sharp. I expect that I will have some more pronounced soreness and stiffness tomorrow. I'm sure it will feel like I've been trying to get into curling after a few decades -- stretching tissues that don't usually move that way <smile>. All in the name of local strawberries <sigh>.
Lots of songs came to mind about slipping and falling. I managed to settle on one, though. After today, this makes two falls in stores in my life and the other one was at the same store a few years ago. I was wearing a mask, so if there had been anyone around me, they might not have recognized what I muttered about the establishment under my breath. <smile> The lyrics to the chosen song take a more pragmatic view of life. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Today brought the summer solstice -- the longest day of the year. Here, the sun rose at 5:18 AM and set at 9:00 PM -- just shy of 16 hours of daylight. I didn't say sunshine, since today was quite cloudy with rain. When I walked home last evening, I noted that even around 10 PM, the sky was still bluish and not as black as it gets later in the night. The few days around the solstice are filled with light -- something that brings hope and a sense of calm. The part of this that can feel less pleasant is that days begin to be shorter for the next six months <smile>.
Canada celebrates National Indigenous Peoples Day on the summer solstice. This is a day to acknowledge, and celebrate the contributions of the many First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples. The Google doodle today did this by highlighting the artistic works of Norvil Morriseau, whose Anishnaabe name translated to Copper Thunderbird. His works started the Woodland style seen in many Ojibwa-Cree artists' works. His paintings of animals and human figures are amazing with bright colours and black outlines, that have been likened to stained glass.
Many indigenous musicians have been part of the Canadian and global scene for decades. Robbie Robertson, Buffy St. Marie, Kashtin and Alan Syllaboy to name just a few. I chose a younger female artist to highlight in the blog today. She was born in my home town, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Her name is Jerilyn Snuxyaltwa Webster with lineage from the Onondaga and Nuxalk Nations. She records under a stage name. Her lyrics speak to empowerment of indigenous peoples with a particular focus on women. She does hip hop, spoken word and soul-like pieces. I chose one with a title that reflects indigenous roots but also highlights female empowerment as she states with the phrase 'Righteous Empowered Daughter.' Keep safe. Enjoy!
The day was warm with a cool breeze and mixed sun and cloud. I went to friend's home for a lobster boil supper today. We ate indoors due to the temperature and wind by early evening. The food was wonderful -- salads and jerk chicken with a great rhubarb dessert and blueberry ice cream. Wines were lovely, too. Conversation among the six of us was fun and stimulating. It has been so very long between such gatherings.
Relearning how to act in social settings does come back slowly. Conversation can be challenging at times when most of my talking has been to the feline roommate or just to the air. <smile> Online or phone chats help, but these are usually with one other person so when several people are involved, listening skills become key. Communication skills require further honing, but what is there shouldn't make me a social pariah <grin>.
Tonight three of us were retired and the other three continue their work on campus. It is a job that expands to fill the space making it difficult to disengage. Social gatherings help people to leave the work behind for a few hours. We may speak about work related topics, but most of the conversations concern other topics. Tonight was no different. A song that I heard in a commercial recently popped into my mind when pondering the evening. It made me smile since it related well to the main result of this enjoyable evening. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Relaxez Vous (sometimes written Relax-ay-voo) -- Dean Martin & Line Renaud
The highlight of this mixed sun and cloud day was the blooming of my iris. This flower -- the size of my hand -- is a fantastic shade of pale lilac. Two other buds are slowly opening on the same stalk. I love these so much. My mother used to grow lilacs that were a mix of deep purple and yellow. These were much a much smaller variety. Anytime I see the larger varietals I'm struck with wonder. Dad loved the blue and purple irises. So, it seemed fitting that mine bloomed today -- Father's Day.
Along with the daily memories, many songs that Dad liked visited me today. We listened to music together a lot -- even played music together with him on the saxophone and me at the piano. I chose one song that is a duet by father and daughter -- though made after the death of the father. The title says it all. <smile> Keep safe. Enjoy!
Today was bright and sunny but very windy. A full day of work took place in the graveyard behind my back fence. About six workers installed another 10 or more headstones. It was looking very nice earlier this week. With more stones, it will again look like what it has been for well over a century -- a cemetery. A two-tier platform was placed in the middle of the area. A friend and I suggested it would be the site of a larger memorial to all the other memorial stones. It makes me smile to see this site re-established.
I enjoy seeing people or communities honouring their history. I've always been interested in books and movies with historical settings. I've learned as much as I can about our family history. My research program has ended with me investigating the historical roots of my profession. I've always asked for the history behind policy statements in worksites and professional associations. If debating new policy directions, I've felt I needed the history of what was done in the past in order to plan for the future. Knowing why and how past decisions were made can help us with our future planning processes. What i see out my kitchen window these days, tells me the local community values the history of the town. Granted, most of the workers are of a certain age, but the place will be there for everyone to enjoy and maybe to learn who and how the town developed in the early days.
The song that came to mind today deals with a lot of historical events, noting that we inherit a world based on past decisions. It can change, but the past has to be acknowledged and understood before just blaming and changing everything. Keep safe. Enjoy!
The day was cloudy with some rain around noon noon when I was walking out to lunch with friends. The lunch visit was wonderful. We used to eat lunch together several times a week at work and it has been way too long between these gatherings due to retirement and the pandemic. We easily picked up as if there hadn't been years between lunches -- a sign of friendship. <smile>
In the late evening hours, I kept hearing a deep vibrating sound that sounded like a motorcycle in the distance. It took a while before I realized that it was actually rolling thunder in the distance. This didn't occur until I heard a much closer rumble. Each rumble continued for a long time. Some rain fell during this mini storm, but not enough to do much more than dampen the sidewalk.
A lyric line ran through my head today -- one that provided advice for getting inside during a thunderstorm. Keep safe. Enjoy!
It was another sunny day today, but felt much hotter than yesterday. I was out for short walks to pick up staples and a couple of other needed items. Based on the service failures at two places, I spent part of the afternoon completing \two 'tell us how we did' surveys for those stores where I encountered difficulties with checkout staff, shelf pricing of items and spills that were not being cleaned up <yuck>. I hope things reach the right people and staff could be reminded how to greet and speak to customers. If I were in a larger centre, I'd likely go to a different location or a totally different store after the two experiences from yesterday and today. Here there are other stores that could be used, but some of the store brand items I like aren't carried anywhere else. <sigh>
Sometimes I feel petulant about living in a small town, but over the past many years, I've come to cherish the benefits such places can bring. Today while driving home from the grocery store I noticed a bald eagle riding the thermals above me. Being on a back road rather than the old highway allowed me to gaze upwards a bit and just enjoy the freedom embodied by the bird. There is a degree of freedom experienced being in a smaller settlement in the middle of forest and hills.
The song shared today dealt with the calming experience of watching the eagle rather than the frustrations of customer service difficulties <smile>. Keep safe. Enjoy!
The rain stopped sometime during the night. It had rained for well over 24 hours by that point. The yard has several squooshy areas, so I asked the lawn care fellow to avoid those regions. Otherwise, the lawn mower tires leave ruts that just gather rain the next time. My day involved running needed errands. I got groceries but had to go to two stores to complete the list. My only question is when did boxed bread crumbs become twice the size -- like about a pound? The ingredients contain many different grains rather than the ones that were in smaller containers and had only wheat in them <sigh>. I have other grain allergies, so couldn't use these products. Guess I'll just make my own -- it isn't that difficult with a food processor, after all <wink>. I paid a couple of bills, printed some articles for peer review and had a long chat with a friend I haven't seen to speak with for several months. All in all, the day felt good. The sunshine helped with that, too.
So, it was a day filled with catching up on errands that didn't get done when I wasn't feeling great last week. I managed to do a number of things, but still have a couple places to go tomorrow to finish for this week. <smile>. A few lines from a song ran through my head today while I was running around getting things done -- for a change <smile>. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Takin' Care of Business -- Bachman-Turner Overdrive
It rained all night and throughout the day today.Some areas have warnings about potential flooding since there will be 1-2 inches accumulating in most areas with some spots getting more than that. I was going to head out to the grocery store, but decided to stay inside today and do my errands tomorrow once the rain stops. Due to the heavy cloud cover I expect we won't see the full moon tonight. I did see it a couple of days ago and it was big and bright. Hopefully, we'll get to see the moon tomorrow, though.
While inside today, I had a phone meeting and a chat with a friend. While paying my telecommunications bill, I noticed an odd item included, so I called the carrier to sort it out. Their system was down so they were unable to look into my account to see what was up. I called back a few hours later -- as suggested by the first agent -- but the system was still down. This agent offered to call me back once the thing was functional again -- likely early evening. That conversation took five calls each wading through the myriad menus only to get to the end and be disconnected -- once just as an agent answered. <sigh> I noted the absurdity of calling a phone company only to have the phone call be incomplete. <rolling eyes loudly>.
Rain often appears as a metaphor for sadness or difficult times in life. While the day was like twilight at the brightest, the rain is sorely needed for gardens, crops and flowers. With over 24 hours of rain, we should be OK for a while, depending on upcoming temperatures. One song came to mind today for the positive way it presents rain -- something that helps things -- including us -- grow. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Clouds filled the sky for most of the day. Rain is expected overnight and into tomorrow. The air cooled dramatically by late afternoon. A friend and I went for a walk and planned to have tea on the patio, but since it looked like rain, that wasn't open today. So, we walked back down Main Street and got something to takeout from a coffee shop. We had a great chat over tea and goodies. I took out some more bags of magazines for the recycling pickup tomorrow. I encountered a few small raindrops during the process, but had to wear a light jacket as it was quite cool by then.
The tea break this afternoon marked the first time in a few week since my friend and I got together to chat. The act of sharing a cup of tea (or coffee for those so inclined) can be soothing. It provides time to talk about life with all its pearls and foibles. It brings catharsis.It cements friendships. There is great power in the social ritual of sharing food and beverages.
This pondering brought a song to mind -- one that extols the virtues of tea. <smile> Keep safe. Enjoy!
It was another sunny and warmer day. The sun was very hot when outside and the humidity made it feel hotter. I had a look around the yard, though. Several plants are over-achieving this year. The peonies have several flower buds on each plant after a couple of years without any blooms. The day lily in the back yard has more flower stalks than one can count. It was inadvertently trimmed by the yard care service over the past two years, so I wasn't sure it would come back at all. I can't wait for those two to bloom. The iris in the front has more leaves in more bunches than ever. There is one flower stalk that has three flower buds. I can't wait to see the lovely lavender blooms. The honeysuckle is nearing the end of the blooms, but that had one of the greatest years I've seen -- all the deep fuchsia pink was stunning.
Today I noticed how much I was watching the daily growth and development of the plants in the yard. This brings some calm along with hope -- both useful feelings. The connection I feel with the plants is interesting. I care about them. Their power to make me smile helps deal with the frustrations that appear along the journey. Maybe that is why flowers and plants are given as gifts and mark life's ups and downs. A plant is cool due to seeing its growth. Cut flowers show the beauty of nature. They help us feel connected to the greater world around us. Take time to notice is all happening around us.
A song lyric reminded me of the connection between people and flowers. I like the gentleness of the music and lyrics for this one. Keep safe. Enjoy!
I woke very early today after a fitful sleep overall. The house felt a bit humid making me uncomfortable at times. I also woke from dreams that created some negative emotions. The last one was quite vivid. I don't recall much of the others. So, I was up early and ate breakfast while listening to a recorded program. While listening to the television I fell asleep again. I didn't sleep for long but after a couple of naps, I felt up to doing laundry and some household stuff.
Out my back window today a group of workers planted about a dozen headstones in the cemetery. I can't clearly see all of them from the kitchen window, so will have to walk out tomorrow for an accurate count. It is wonderful to see this happening. The project will have a park area on the opposite side from the house, but that may not get done for another year. The fundraising process is slow, but moving upward. It was a hotter sunny day for the workers, but they completed a lot. The stones are held in place with wooden braces until the cement sets.
I recall an episode of MASH where each of the main characters fell asleep during a major offensive and not-stop resultant OR time. Each had a peculiar nightmare based on the helplessness they felt. In it the Shakespearean phrase -- To sleep perchance to dream -- was spoken. I thought of that today when thinking of the disruptions of the anxiety-based dreams last night. The major emotions were less pleasant than I'd like to experience if dreaming. Most nights I don't even recall what I dreamed or even if I dreamed. Last night wasn't like that. A song about more pleasant dreams came to mind as I pondered today. Keep safe. Enjoy!
The sun shone today and it got quite warm. The strong breeze helped the air feel drier and cooler. I ran an errand and then went for a short walk -- my first in a week. I'll admit that I got fatigued just halfway through. I rested for a while when I got home. The main activity today was to repack, tape and label the boxes for charity pickup tomorrow. I carried them up the stairs and then placed them all on the front porch -- 9 mainly smaller boxes and two bags this time. More is ready to be packed for the July pickup date.
Today, I managed a lot more activity than I've done in over a week. I needed to rest between tasks, but I made it through. While making tea for breaks throughout the day, I watched the work in the graveyard behind the house. It is an historical cemetery with the most recent stone noting a death about 1875. The stones had been moved around many years back, but the cemetery committee is putting the stones back up. There are about 42 stones lying on the grass. there were more stones, but many had been broken and were no longer complete. The ones out there now were intact. In the centre of the area, a marked square had a frame built around it today.They may be planning to pour cement for a centre stone -- we'll see. The work is slow, but interesting to watch things progress.
The walk through the neighbourhood and watching the work on the other side of the back fence made me smile today. I do like this area. People working in their yards, sitting on their porches or out for a walk all nod or say 'hello'. It is cool. A song lyric fit the feeling well. Keep safe. Enjoy!
It was another cloudy and damp day. The rain yesterday wasn't nearly as much as had been forecast. We could use more rain as things are drier in different areas. Plants are growing but some gentle rain would be great. There is a chance of a thunderstorm tonight -- we'll see.
I did more today than I've done in the past week, so the headache leftovers seem to be leaving bit by bit. I did some household chores and chatted with a friend. Two appointments filled out the afternoon and early evening. So, a busier day for a change. The fatigue remains present, but is waning noticeably each day.
The physio appointment for the achilles tendonitis worked well today. I love the whirlpool bath to loosen the tightened areas around the foot and lower leg. I want one of these in the house <grin>. It is so very relaxing for feet and helped my arm when a fall damaged the elbow.
Thinking over the relaxing roles water played in my day -- physio treatment, warm shower and the rain on my roof right now -- I thought of a songs that dealt with water. The one that floated to the top -- as it were -- is one I haven't used for a while. I've like it always and still find it relaxing, even though it has sadder lyrics than I realized as a child. So, just listen to the music and raindrop sounds in the percussion. <smile> Keep safe. Enjoy!
We had cloudy but warmer weather today. I went out for one errand and was reminded that I need to go to the car with a wet cloth. I park under a tree -- one in which a number of birds perch. I've dubbed it the toilet tree <sigh>. I have a dark charcoal coloured vehicle and the white splotches show up very well. Each time I head out that way, I need to remove some offending spots. I could park just off the driveway without a tree overhead, but when I do, someone avails themselves of my driveway -- several someones over the years. When that occurs, I can't get out of the yard as they've blocked the exit. So, I park where the birds gather. So, I will continue with the use of daily car wipes.
When thinking of a lyric that fit the car cleaning situation in my front yard, I came up with one from way back in the day. I enjoy the rhythm and the lyrics make me smile. Keep safe. Enjoy!
The day was sunny and warmer than we've had for a few days. Last night there was a frost warning for parts of the area even though it was much warmer during the day yesterday. It is the last hurrah of the transition phase of spring, I guess. I'll admit that I did very little today, with the continued fatigue barring major activity. It is all diminishing, but comes in waves at times. I chatted with a friend for our weekly check-in and labeled the multiple jars of jam. There were a few cleaning chores tackled, so it wasn't a total loss of a day, just not very productive.
Inertia is the word of the day or week. For the most part, I've remained at rest due to the force of a headache. Once the symptoms disappear, that force should act upon the inactivity and get me moving again. That is my bastardization of Newton's First Law of Motion <smile>. Hey, I had to take physics for my undergraduate degree and I try to use it whenever I can -- makes use of the time spent in a 6-credit class plus lab. <grin> The song shared today is a parody of Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. The parody lyrics fit much of what I've felt over the past several days. Keep safe. Enjoy!
The headache is a bit better today -- no pain but still major fatigue. I did manage an outing to the grocery store to get 5 or 6 items. I found a few other things on sale while I was there, though <smile>. When I got home I realized that I hadn't gotten milk, to I walked out to get that on Main Street.Then I settled into making jam. I had some frozen rhubarb that I thawed and used to make a conserve that mom used to make. It has raisins, oranges and lemon and the flavour was amazing right out of the pot <smile>. The recipe made about 8.5 pints that were in 14 jars from pint to tiny sample jars <smile>. I will let it rest for a day and then delight in a slice of brown toast with jam. Yum.
I felt very domestic today <grin> cooking jam and supper things. I found a goofy song about the vegetable -- or is that frui -- that made me laugh. Hope it can bring you a smile, too. And while edible stocks make rhubarb botanically a vegetable, it is often called a fruit since it is used in sweet desserts. Your trivia fix for the day <Grin>. Keep safe. Enjoy!
The blasted headache is still hanging on. It has partly subsided, but still poking at me at times. I'll get through it but there will be bits of complaint along the way <grin>.
Between small household tasks, I listened to part of the Platinum Jubilee Pageant today. It was difficult when the news channel kept interrupting for general chit-chat about things they thought were royal, but not celebratory in any way <sigh> Finally, I found it online, but had without interpretation of the four main segments of the parade. At the end, Ed Sheeeran performed Perfect while photos of the Queen and HRH Prince Philip were projected on the palace walls. The finale followed that performance. I was so pleased to see the Queen available for a brief balcony appearance with the heirs and family. That made me smile but brought tears, too.
Later I found pieces of the Party at the Palace from last night online. This made me smile more. <smile> The still photos and video projected on Buckingham Palace told the story of her lifetime not only her time as monarch. Several wonderful performances were part of this evening event.I loved the segment with songs from five musicals with the opening banter sung between Andrew Lloyd Webber and Lyn Manuel Miranda. The opening video was the Queen having tea with Paddington Bear where she shared with him that she kept her marmalade sandwiches in her purse rather than a hat. <grin> She does have a great sense of humour.
I chose to share here the opening sequence of the concert from last evening. I loved the entrance of the guitar player who wasn't on the palace rooftop for this jubilee celebration -- but they found a wonderful high point. <grin> Keep safe. Enjoy!
Platinum Party at the Palace opening -- Queen with Adam Lambert
The day was sunny and cool again. I remained indoors doing weekend chores. A rhubarb delivery from a friend's garden resulted in a great large fruit crisp. This is great as dessert, snack or breakfast. When the rhubarb is fresh and crisp, it makes a superb crisp. I have frozen some in the past, it makes a passable crisp, but is best for jam. Actually, I have a conserve recipe that includes raisins, oranges and a lemon. It is very tasty with scones or just plain toast. <smile>
The headache is on its way out, but there is still huge fatigue today and some lesser pain. For those reasons, I purposely did less than a usual weekend day. Most of the laundry got finished but less done in cleaning that I'd hoped. All that is undone will be waiting for another day to be done. No worries there <smile> and no house elves to help with it all <grin>.
I was reminded of a song for a mundane day by a friend recently. Today is the day I'll use that one. <smile> Keep safe. Enjoy!
My strength came back partially today so I did a short walk to get bread and eggs. After a rest at home, I drove to campus to update the laptop. We are required to login on campus not by wifi but by hard-wiring into the system to update the laptop and the Windows license. Otherwise, I get locked out and the laptop becomes a rather heavy paperweight. So, I made that trip before it all quit over the weekend or sometime when IT is not around to rescue the machine from going dark. I often wonder how my colleagues who have been working from home or are out of the country on sabbatical manage with this every 6-month dance with the system. I must have a chat with several of them to see what work around they have used.
It was sunny today, so I wore sunglasses and a ball cap pulled down to shade the eyes well -- still some residual photophobia today along with bits of fatigue and pain. this migraine will last a few more days and I've likely had the fatigue aspect since earlier in the week. These things generally last about 7 days. I believe I am on the down side now.
A song came to mind that made me giggle -- much needed today. <smile> One line (also the title) explained my experience going outside today. Stay safe. Enjoy!
What I thought was a sinus headache last evening intensified as I tried to fall asleep. I had difficulty waking this morning just like yesterday, but today there was increased fogginess and minor residual pain. A migraine. I planned to spend the day resting in bed. I wanted to go to get bread and milk, but the thought of going outside or walking the couple of blocks to the store was more than I could take -- and driving was out of the question <smile>. So, I stayed home indoors.
Migraines are interesting -- unpleasant, but interesting. Sensations involve pain but others create greater incapacity -- severe fatigue where staying awake is difficult; cognitive issues so clear thinking and word finding become impossible; dizziness; nausea; phonophobia; photophobia -- the latter being why these blog posts are late -- even dialing back the brightness on the screen doesn't work on such days. There are different types of migraines that I get. In recent years, major fatigue can be the main symptom -- no pain to speak of. The one I am in the midst of has more pain along with aversion to light and sound, which aren't all the common for me. It has been years since I've had one that hurt as much as this one. That is a good thing in the larger scheme. This may be triggered by the flowering trees that cause allergies. I used to get three types with distinct triggers. Now there seem to be two types. Today's is aberrant -- something different than the 'usual'.
Thinking of a song for today, one came to mind that might explain what a migraine feels like -- disorienting, discordant, and nonsensical. This was a song that introduced this band to me and I was certain I didn't need to hear much more from it. Then a musical friend showed me that they weren't a one trick pony and I found some that I would listen to often. That also makes me think that when this headache leaves, something more pleasant will arrive. Keep safe. Enjoy!
This blog entry brings more on one of my favourite concepts to ponder -- liminality While pondering this yesterday and today, I realized that I thought I'd traversed the no man's land that opened up when I retired. It seems, though, that I landed somewhere livable in the middle of the liminal space. Here I stand only part way across the space.
This shouldn't be surprising since life involves growth and development through the entirety. Without that we'd stagnate. It feels like the spot I found in the middle of the journey was only a resting spot and I didn't move further thinking it was the destination. That explains some of the experiences of feeling lost and missing big parts of self identity. Early into the retirement process, the pandemic arrived, which made the rest stop appear as a safe space to weather that storm. As we move from pandemic to endemic disease states, many of us have discovered the desire to move forward again. This pondering reminded me of a meme I'd seen a while ago -- "Last year she survived. This year, she will live." Moving from the survival mode puts change front and centre. Metaphorically, the change to living mode means stepping away from the rest stop and back into the great unknown as I move to the expected retirement state of being. Continuing this journey will be challenging, as is any major life change. It will be worthwhile. Staying where I am will only enhance the discomfort and anxiety -- like being stuck alone on a desert island -- the first few days will feel positive due to being able to rest, but the rescue process must continue. So, here I am -- the transition continues.
Lyrics from a country song fit the thoughts of living vs. surviving and the journey to a balance that favours living. Several lines fit my personal journey where some days are better than other days and some times of day are better than others. Keep safe. Enjoy!
