We had another warm day with temperatures into the low 20s Celsius. It was a lovely day for for a walk. I walked down Main Street to do a few errands. It was amazing. Luckily, the traffic situation was improved today. On the way into town orange pylons directed two-way traffic into two narrow lanes. On the way home, all trace of workers had left the road. No one wanted a repeat of yesterday's standstill.
The rest of my day involved other mundane activities, with thoughts that followed suit. Life is like that <smile>. Some might call it boring, but I find them somewhat comforting -- just doing the usual things that keep us ticking along. So, after a rather run-of-the-mill day, a song about the more mundane aspects of life seemed appropriate. Keep safe. Enjoy!
On my way back from grocery shopping, I encountered a traffic jam -- something that is almost unheard of in a town this size. One lane over one block where power pole work was being done at the east end of Main Street stopped the town in its tracks. From mall down to Main and then the full length of Main were bumper to bumper in full stop mode. Once we moved over the railway tracks at the east end and up the hill by the hospital, the oncoming lane was backed up way down the tertiary highway that goes by the area where I live. Crazy. In all 26 years I've lived here, I have not experienced anything quite like this. We have had a few shorter backups along Main, but nothing of this magnitude; we were at a full stop for 20-30 minutes. Along the way, several people took a side street or made a U-turn. I had no real options to get home by an alternate route. If I had turned around, the drive would be 40 minutes to get out of town and around to get to the highway where my subdivision lies. That road, however, was also backed up, so I wouldn't have been any better off. I expect some folks tried to go back uphill to the mall and take the old trans Canada road to the east of town and rejoin Main Street at the east end. This wouldn't have helped much since that road intersects Main right where the work crews were situated. So, there was no way around this mess today. In all, it took over 40 minutes to get home -- a drive that would usually take 15-20 minutes at the most.
While waiting in the long line of vehicles, I took time to examine the various trees along the route. The early phase of leafing is underway with the paler bright green colours are just beginning to appear. The hills will soon have a faint green hue. With more days like today -- sunny and quite warm -- many plants may be encouraged to leaf. Most of the shrubs in front of my home have begun to show signs of leaves. One is slower than the rest -- the hydrangea -- but it has buds ready to open soon.
The title lyric of a song ran through my mind while I sat on Main Street not moving at all. I would have loved to blast that out my windows while we all waited. It might have helped others smile, too. Keep safe. Enjoy!
We've had the second sunny day in a row complete with double digit daytime highs. <yay> I took out the garbage and recycling last night after 8 PM with full sun. I find it amazing that such things seem to sneak up on you. Days extend slowly, so noticing day-to-day changes isn't that easy. We recognize the demonstrable changes with major changes or over a longer comparative time period. When walking, I've tried to notice daily changes -- plant growth, quality of sunlight, bird calls, and such. Yet, some tiny changes can be missed. Using our senses can help us to situate ourselves in the world around us. We can pay attention to the world as well as notice small changes in ourselves. Recognizing the many small things in our days can impact our bodies and minds -- often leaving us feeling more centered and relaxed. So, add a little walk into your day and take it all in.
A phrase from the opening line of a song lyric came to mind today. It just fit my thinking well. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Today I attended to several household chores and moved perennials onto the patio. They seem to be sprouting well in the garage, so I hope this continues outside. The sunshine and blue sky might help with that.
While working in the kitchen I came across a mystery of the ages. How do crumbs find their way into all kitchen drawers? Most food preparation occurs on the island or the counter above the dishwasher (toaster is there). So, the conundrum is how do crumbs migrate across the kitchen to the cutlery drawers and those for cooking and baking utensils? The process is vexing. Cleaning drawers involves much more than wiping down doors and countertops. <sigh> I've encountered this in all kitchens I've inhabited, yet most places had limited counter space so cooking and plating occurred above the drawers in question. In the current kitchen that is not the case, given the extra prep space on the island counter top. I have a feeling this enigma may not be solved and I just will have to learn to live with crumbs everywhere.
A song line came to mind while pondering the contents of the kitchen drawers. The song lyrics speak of favourite things, one of which is a crumb-inducing product. <smile> Keep safe. Enjoy!
Some sunny breaks had been forecast for today, but the day arrived with rain and heavy cloud. Thinning of the cloud cover began late in the afternoon closer to sunset. It was also much cooler than had been forecast. Now the sunny breaks are predicted for a couple days during the week as are temperatures in the mid to high teens.
It seems that weather forecasts tend to suggest the arrival of pleasant weather when forecasting five to seven days into the future. Computer modeling changes with gathering of further information. For this reason, the forecast beyond tomorrow will change more often than not. Whether this is a service or disservice depends on one's frame of mind or desire to plan for outdoor or travel activities. The trust held for forecasts fluctuates with the level of recent ability to successfully predict the future. This degree of confidence often reminds me of a quote by Mark Carney (former governor of the Bank of Canada and also of the Bank of England) as cited in one of David Johnston's (former Governor General) -- "Trust arrives on foot and leaves in a Ferrari". For trust of weather forecasts there is also a recency bias. This can be a memory bias with short term events taking precedence. However, there may also be an effect related to desired outcome -- hearing what one wants to hear, like a sunny warm day for the weekend. So, one sunny day forecast and delivered can erase many past disappointments.
A bright, upbeat song came to mind when thinking of the concept of trust in the context of weather today. It is what we'd all like to have more of, I think. <smile> Keep safe. Enjoy!
My arm is very sore at the site of the vaccine injection, but this didn't interfere with house cleaning activities unless I lifted the arm above the shoulder. Darn. <grin> So, floors and laundry were included in the day.
We had a dry day for a change, but still cloudy and cool. The aurora borealis has been making a show for areas much further south than usual. They say that this was seen as far south as Alabama and into the Caribbean last night. Major colours appeared in the local area last night, but skies were obscured by clouds right around here. I've seen great pictures from friends who headed north of town last night. It seems that clouds will prevail again here tonight, so to see this one would have to go north and west of here.
The light show comes from the strongest geomagnetic storms in the past two decades. I would have loved to see it. I have seen them back in Saskatchewan, where they were clear without the use of a camera lens. Lovely lime green waves danced across the sky as I was driving down the highway one night.
I chose a song with lines that remind me of that night driving across the prairie. The lyrics tell a story of something wildly different, but there is a line about the coloured lights in the sky. Keep safe. Enjoy!
The grey drizzly day began with an early morning eye check post surgery and ended with a late afternoon vaccine booster. In between, I did a few errands. One thing I noted while doing these was the concept of 'shrinkflation' is alive and well at the stores. I picked up the wrong variety of a laundry product last week. They keep changing the bottle colours so I ended up with the original version rather than the stain remover I expected. The latter was more expensive and came in a smaller bottle <sigh>. The kitchen dish soap still comes in a large bottle, but the product is much runnier so I use more. This product wasn't visually shrunken, but diluted instead -- still rather deceptive.
I've been interested in marketing and the impact it can have on consumers. At present shoppers appear to be angry with retailers and the cost of groceries in particular but everything in general. Product quality is changing to keep wholesale prices down, while other products appear in smaller packages for the same or an increased cost to consumers. The food budget has little wiggle room for many people. To pay for the increased grocery costs, many people are forced to pull from other parts of their budget to cover the inflationary costs of foods and household necessities. That elasticity of budget has been challenged by inflation in all areas of spending.
I thought of a song that speaks to disillusionment with marketing of products found in grocery outlets. The punk rock band embodied the zeitgeist of the punk movement, particularly the anticorporate and anti-marketing aspect of the lyrics. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Overnight it poured rain that was often driven against the house by strong wind gusts. The wind weakened into the day, but the rain continued -- sometimes light and sometimes heavy. I went out to complete two disparate errands. I needed to print a document for review for a meeting next week. I also needed to get milk. There were several other things that needed attention, but due to the rain, I had no interest in walking through it any more than necessary. So, the other tasks got pushed into the list for tomorrow.
Throughout the week so far, the common theme has been change, often with moving activities from one day to another or from one time to another. I don't recall the last time each day in a week had several tasks moved or canceled. Interesting. Perhaps the universe is trying to tell me to brush up on my flexibility -- like a giant physio exercising my brain.
While the song shared today was written for a very different scenario, it uses the metaphor of a tree to illustrate flexibility and resilience. That fit well with some of the thoughts I had while pondering the regularity of changes this past week. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Today I met with a new health care provider who is filling in for the regular person for a couple of months. The appointment went well -- different but workable. The rhythms and such are different, but will feel more comfortable as things move forward. While pondering this change I realized that this week has contained more change in what I expected to be a less busy week -- and it is only Wednesday <smile>.
Getting used to new health care practitioners has been happening a lot. Several have retired recently, making it all feel a bit unstable -- the same offices, but different, unknown players. Being retired myself, I feel the need for more stability and consistency in heath care. The loss of people who had my whole history in their heads makes care feel more tenuous -- like I need to carry my file with me. <sigh> Key players have been the same for almost 25 years. The many new faces all in a short time has been daunting. I am glad to have access to these professionals as many people don't have a regular doctor, dentist or nurse practitioner.
Thinking of the number of new faces in my health care circle brought a song to mind -- for its title more than anything, but some lines fit my feelings about 'losing' these health professionals. The vocals have a different tonal quality that fits the renaissance feel of the production. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Yesterday, we submitted letter of inquiry to publisher for a manuscript. This project has been proposed to other publishers. We received a response in just over 1.5 hours. Initial responses in the past have been within a few days or never. The latter was the most frustrating -- no response of any sort. So, today made my co-author and I somewhat gobsmacked. This was exciting. After reviewing a few things, we will determine next steps to get this project underway. We have spoken about this piece of writing for 20 years and are now both retired and have a bit more time to devote to such efforts. I feels very cool to see things moving in a positive direction.
Seeing plans come to life after many years of discussing and dreaming feels fantastic. I'm not expecting this project to end quickly, as the writing will take time. For now I am going to enjoy the positivity and prepare to move the project forward. The initial vision grew into something more solid and focused as years passed. Much of my research interests will be part of this manuscript -- things that are near to my heart.
With this piece of good news today, I thought of several songs. I settled on one to share here. Keep safe. Enjoy!
I had a mid-day appointment for teeth cleaning that was booked last October. I sat for a while in the office waiting for folks to return from lunch. When the receptionist returned, she immediately had the two other people taken in to the exam rooms. I waited. She finally asked if I had an appointment today -- not a good sign. <sigh> I gave her my name and noted I had a 1 PM appointment for a cleaning. She spent a long time at the computer screen and then told me my appointment had been canceled. The personnel were not in today. The appointment had been rebooked for next month. She then told me that this had been confirmed with me by phone call. No call had been received. I didn't miss one, either. Their office number had not been in missed calls on either cell or house phone. Such silliness. I felt very frustrated by this inability to communicate and to take up a chunk of my day. I could have done something else on my larger 'to do' list. However, I headed home and called to change a couple of appointments elsewhere this week. The offices involved even followed up with a text and e-mail. I would like to suggest that to the dental office, which is undergoing personnel changes with a couple of major retirements.
I am still getting used to the new eye drop that is part of the healing process after cataract surgery. It is uncomfortable. The side effects were presented as an alphabetical list! The first time I've encountered that in the package insert. There are a lot listed and even more mentioned in paragraph and table format. It even notes that the drops were prescribed when the MD felt the benefits will outweigh the risks of 'mild' side effects. There were fewer serious effects mentioned, thankfully. Not all side effects will occur in all people. Some people may have little to no effect. I've had a couple of minor issues, so won't complain too loudly. <smile>
It has been a day focused on changes -- planned and unplanned. I don't deal well with unexpected changes like that I encountered today. I like the positive lyrics of the song shared here today, one from a band from Saskatoon. <big smile> They encourage people to change as they grow, but to be themselves. That sounds good to me today. I need to deal with changes around me and within me remembering who I am in the process. No small feat some days. <smile> Keep safe. Enjoy!
Sunday -- sunny day with very little wind and temperature in the mid-teens Celsius. A friend called and we went for a short walk. The fatigue still interferes with my desire to go for a longer walk. I found that chatting with my friend as we walked and then had a cup of tea, brought a more positive outlook. I felt better emotionally. The physical healing process takes a lot out of one.
The weather today was perfect for the convocation ceremonies held on campus today. The academic gowns would be a perfect coat for the day. Walking across campus in the rain or winter convocation means carrying one's regalia and then leaving coats in a cloakroom somewhere. On a day like today, the robes can be put on and be the outer wear for the trip across campus and back. I miss going, but I don't know any of the students anymore, so haven't gone since the first one after I retired. Helping to get the student lined up was always a challenge, but a fun one. The air was filled with excitement as students realized the journey was nearly complete. They wished each other well, often knowing they'd not see each other for some time after the ceremonies. It makes me think back over my three convocations -- each unique in its own right. Two were fully indoors with lineups taking place behind the curtains of a major auditorium -- so much quieter than the lining up in the gyms I assisted with here. The other convocation for me involved lining up outdoors on a searingly hot day. Thank goodness there was no rain that day. It would have been impossible to get from the staging area to the gym area without getting soaked.
Thinking of the new graduates and my personal experiences brought to mind some songs. It was difficult to choose one, but I did make a decision (not my strong suit <smile>). The lyrics for this one deal with the excitement and the trepidation that comes with this step forward. And I do like the name of the artist, me being a nutrition professional and all <grin>. Keep safe. Enjoy!
May the Fourth be with you! It is Intergalactic Star Wars Day. It is interesting that fandom and the spread of the movies and spinoffs has made such an impact globally. I'll admit to seeing all of the movies -- original, prequels and sequels. Obviously some are better than others, but each one adds to the story lines. I must search the TV channels to see which they are playing this weekend.
The song choice for today comes from a less festive historical event from this calendar date. On May 4, 1970, four students at Kent State protesting the expanded US involvement in Vietnam, were shot and killed by the National Guard. The disturbing nature of this event led to the writing of the song shared here today. The songwriter is Canadian and the song became a hit for one of the groups he was in back in the day. I've added a second song today, one that focuses on peace. One of the students killed had said to a National Guardsman that "flowers are better than bullets." This story inspired James Lee Stanley to write this second selection. For the 50th anniversary of these killings, a newspaper writer wrote a 6-part history of the days leading up to the shootings. The section telling the story of Allison Krause, one of the students killed, and the young women who spoke of flowers vs. bullets, can be found at the following link. Kent State Stories
It has been another day of extreme fatigue. I woke earlier than I'd hoped with a customer service check after the tire change yesterday. I may have to tell them that I value these chances to speak to the service received, but that I'd prefer they ask me later in the day. <smile>
Buckle up for a bit of a rant. <smile>
I went to get groceries before noon for a change. I continue to be frustrated with the store reward program that seems to show offers online that don't show up when checking out. Then I go to look for them online after shopping and they are no longer in the lengthy list of offers. At least the points for most products purchased today were provided this week. For the past three visits, points were "not loaded" when I had loaded them more than once just to make sure. <grump> So, I stopped before leaving the store to check if the reduced price offers had gone through and two had not, so I just returned the items at customer service. The service rep strongly suggested that I do it all through the store app as it automatically loads everything and getting cost reductions at customer service if the system missed them is easier to do if I can show them on my phone. My question then is why is there an email system? If people don't have a smart phone or data, then they need something else. So I ask again -- shouting into the void -- why can't they get the email system to function. I've been told to use the app by the tech people when I've called to complain about the flakiness of the points and offers that seem to disappear into the ether somewhere on the trip between my house and the store. The price of food is bad enough, but the personalized sales get us in the store and then abandon us. I'm ready to buy far less at the stores -- which won't hurt their bottom lines, but I can only vote with my feet. Sadly, we only have two stores in town and they each carry items that the other does not -- and those are often the items I'm searching for on the shelves. So, total avoidance of one conglomerate over another is not likely. <sigh> Thus today, I bit the bullet and downloaded the app providing them with the minimum of information and with notifications turned off.
Thinking of the repeated failures of the online system, I'm not sure that I expect the app to actually function. Scrolling through the pages is a pain. The web page laid out the offers nicely on a page. Here they look totally different, not just the layout. My reaction was negative to all the frustrations today. It will take some time to figure out the offers provided each week on the app. I expect that I'll miss some along the way. <sigh> I understand that things change with time and as technology brings new ways to do old things. I guess, some days I just think staying the same might not be so bad.
Thanks for hanging in with curmudgeonly little me through this rant. Customer service seemed to fail me today in a few ways. It wasn't the people in the positions, it was the system within which they work that bothered me. I just want things to work for me. <smile> A song title and chorus came to mind as pondering the interactions with customer service. Keep safe. Enjoy!
I got the summer tires put on the car today. The day was cool, but less windy and a bit warmer than the past couple of days. The weekend is expected to be warm with sun -- perfect for the upcoming convocation on Sunday. Once the weather warms more regularly, the car is now ready for summer trips.
Once back home from the longer than expected tire changing appointment, I had a great chat with a good friend. I had felt a bit tense and had a late lunch. This talk helped me to feel more centred. We always manage to laugh a lot and could talk for hours. We've done that since we met. What a gift that is. Friends are precious. I've been lucky to have some fantastic friendships. I treasure these. Many, I would consider family -- so a step beyond 'friendship'.
A song that describes many aspects of friendship was chosen as the selection today. It was recorded a while ago, so the faces look much younger than they do at present. <smile> Keep safe. Enjoy!
That's What Friends are For -- Dionne Warwick ft. Stevie Wonder, Elton John, & Gladys Knight
The start of a new month. Today is Beltane and May day. -- prep for spring planting, herding, and fires to ward off disease and bad luck. -- originally, Mayday also involved new beginnings with dancing around a decorated pole to improve fertility.
This afternoon, a fete for retiring faculty occurred -- another group celebrating new starts. It was fun to see people I know and to meet a few new folks. The turnout was reasonable, though not as many people gathered as did pre-pandemic. I was able to speak to some other 'already retired' faculty, including the man who was Dean when I was hired. I enjoyed getting out to do something social today. The walk across campus was brisk -- winds were cold and strong, but not as bad as yesterday. I guess I'll take that as a win. <smile>
A friend reminded me of this song when stating that 'you can dance if you want to' as she explained the history of this calendar date. That immediately brought a song to mind. It was a new wave production by a Canadian band that charted globally. The song came from a protest for freedom to dance in clubs. (If interested, read the history notes found in the attached link.) The tempo is great for dancing around the kitchen, patio, Maypole or Beltane community fires. Keep safe. Enjoy!
