11-259 (14/9/24) -- Moon Light

Today we headed out for some groceries and then for a shorter walk in the cooler air with northerly wind again. This weather reminds us that a seasonal change is in the offing. To offset the colder feel to the day, the night brought the most amazing full moon and bright stars. The moon lit up the patio in a way that made me think I'd left on the outside lights. The living room was lit well, too. The light felt peaceful and calm. I'm so glad I didn't sleep through this event. 

I share a song that came to mind while staring at the moon. It has a rhythm and melody that sound like the calmness I felt looking at that sky. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Moonglow -- Tony Bennett & kd lang

11-258 (13/9/24) -- Time Together

We went out to our favourite restaurant for an early birthday dinner tonight. The appetizer of seared tuna and spicy tuna tartar was a-maz-ing. I could have eaten a couple of those for the main course.  We also had mozzarella and pesto fritters served with a bit of  red sauce (I'd like more of that sauce). The main courses were superb, as always. I had a curried vegetable and shrimp entree and my friend had the sausage gnocchi. These were highlighted with a great malbec. Needless to say, we were rather full, so we opted to take dessert home with us for another day. <smile> 

During the day we did a short walk in the cooler air with a gusty north wind. The days are to get warmer -- if not down right hot -- for the next few days. I enjoy wearing sandals so the warmer days will allow that again, along with being able to wear my favourite skort <grin>. 

The day was filled with fun and happy feelings. It brought a song to mind that spoke about our outdoor activity today. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Walking on Sunshine -- Katrina and the Waves

11-257 (12/9/24) -- Together with Food & Wine

Today I picked up my dear friend from the airport. It was a sunny day -- very nice for driving. We picked up a great wood fired pizza (pesto, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, mushrooms, arugula)  for a late lunch and had leftovers for supper. The evening was spent with a good bottle of red and much talking. It was a long travel day for my friend, but being in the same place for a change was delightful. 

A few lines from a song seemed to fit the end of the day, though we were at home and not at a restaurant tonight. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Scenes from an Italian Restaurant -- Billy Joel

11-256 (11/9/24) -- Anticipation

Today was a lovely blue sky day with a cooling breeze that felt almost fall-like.  I ran a few errands and did some house cleaning in preparation for a visitor. In the late afternoon I went for a relaxing walk with a friend who understands the anxiety I've been feeling. 

I felt positive with the anticipation of a visit from my very dear friend. I look forward to spending time cooking, eating, walking, talking and just being together. <smile>

An upbeat song that fit the events of the day is shared with you all tonight. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Mr. Blue Sky -- Electric Light Orchestra

11-255 (10/9/24) -- Finding Positives

Today brought reduced anxiety -- reduced yes, but not altogether gone. One situation may not be as dire as I was led to believe. Again -- a potentially better outcome, but a lot of 'ifs' along the way. I'll take that for now. 

In the evening, rain fell during a thunder storm. We haven't had rain for some time. This storm brought some down pours that left my container garden well watered for the next day or so. We need so much more and are still under water restrictions. 

The song chosen for today talks about the need for positive news stories. Some of the lines fit well with my feelings today. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

A little good news -- Anne Murray

11-254 (9/9/24) -- Ready to Read

I had a meeting at the eye care centre that resulted in finding a prescription that will allow me to read again. The two eyes have not been focusing at the same vertical place, resulting in seeing two images instead of one most of the time. This is a separate issue from the cataracts. I was so excited to see that I could read a book, research article and the computer screen without closing one eye -- who knew that I would find another reason to value the physics I took as an undergraduate. <grin> And it wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be. So good news for a Monday. 

My walk for the day was on Main Street between appointments. The sun was warm but the wind was cool. Clouds arrived by early afternoon. Warmer daytime highs are forecast for later in the week -- a nice summer break in September. 

My vision adventure today brought to mind a few lines from the song I share here today. Keep safe. Enjoy!

Doctor My Eyes -- Jackson Brown

11-253 (8/9/24) -- Running on Empty

Today was a quiet day. I went for a short walk in the afternoon and spent time indoors finishing laundry tasks. I sat down for lunch and could hardly keep my eyes open.  I tried to stay awake, but it was impossible. It left me feeling frustrated that I couldn't get up and carry on with things that need to be done -- and some that I just want to do. I had to drag myself around for a  while and then the fresh air of the walk helped me to perk up a bit. That helped me get to doing the items on the 'to do' list for today. 

I guess the disrupted sleep last night played a role in the fatigue today. I woke at 2:30 AM and was awake until about 4. The sleepiness during the day felt like something had control of my brain and was trying to get me to shut down. That brought to mind the idea of the sandman we heard about as children. The song I chose for today deals with that mythical being. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Sandman -- America

 

11-252 (7/9/24) -- Anxiety Rules

We received less rain than expected but had a steady soft rain for the afternoon and part of evening. We need the water.  Voluntary water restrictions have been in place for 2 to 3 weeks now. Newly seeded grass will be very patchy given the lack of water to help it germinate. The newly planted trees are more of a concern for me since they need a lot of water to establish a new root system. The wind was not as strong as forecasted either. There were a couple of gusts that blew rain against the window but that was all. Overall, the storm was less problematic in this area than expected. 

I didn't get out to walk due to rain. Anxiety can be reduced by walking, so today was more tense. Rising panicky feelings bring major fear feelings. Physical activity indoors isn't as great as an outdoor walk in nature, but it can help. I walked around the house and changed linens. Folding sheets and towels can help and there was lots of that to do today. <smile> Anxiety can't be predicted so the feelings of fear and concern often just arrive with little to no warning. It is like being blind-sided. Having a list of ways to deal with the feelings can help, since the frontal parts of the brain are not fully engaged and the hind-brain has taken over. 

I heard a few lines of lyric run around in my head today. The song is from a prairie boy. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

I'm Scared -- Burton Cummings  

11-251 (6/9/24) -- Sunset

Lovely sunshine early in the day, gave way to cloudy skies as the rainstorm from the south Atlantic approached. On my evening walk, the clouds did not obscure an amazingly gorgeous sunset -- intense pinkish with coral highlights filled the western sky. That brought to mind the saying that red sky at night is sailors' delight -- which I assume means wind is on the way.

I love sunsets and prefer these to sunrises since I'm not a morning person. I have seen some wonderful sunrises over the ocean. I admit to going back to bed after the event, but it was stunning to experience. I miss seeing the full sky for these events. The prairies have huge sky visible compared to where I currently live with forests and hills. Viewing over the water is almost like the prairies, but still not quite the same. One can see further in the drier air than that over the water.  To see both the western or eastern skies on the prairies is doable from most vantage points. Here, that is not always manageable. I am lucky that my home can see both the morning and evening skies. 

There are many songs about sunsets. I chose one that I haven't heard for a while. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Waterloo Sunset -- The Kinks

11-250 (5/9/24) -- Self Compassion

Today I spent some time gathering information for a new undertaking with a focus on self care. The upshot of the day was that it is important to be kind to yourself. I've written about this in past blogs. I think that I work in some activities that can help me manage anxiety and other emotions. Walking is a big one, as is music. <smile> The difficult one is not expecting superhuman responses from myself. Taking time to work through emotions is important. Trying to rush the process won't work as things have a way of popping up when least expected if we don't deal with them up front. Grief stages circle back on themselves often confusing the person that thought that had been dealt with already. New episodes of grief have a way of bringing back past grief, which further muddies the thought processes. Reminding ourselves that others carry similar burdens might help us to be less demanding of ourselves. Having patience and being kind to ourselves may not be as easy as it is to type here.  <smile>

A few lines from a song seemed to fit the pondering today. Keep safe. Enjoy!

Everybody Hurts -- R.E.M.

11-249 (4/9/24) -- Surreal Surroundings

My walks today were lovely. One short walk early in the day took place in the bright sunshine and blue sky. The second one happened around sunset. It was a lovely orange and pink sky -- a rather surreal colouring. It reminded me of something from a science fiction show taking place on a different planet <smile>. Perfect end for a surreal day.

The calmness of the unbelievable sky colours tonight was offset by a song that spoke about the concept of unbelievability -- but in a very different focus. The video is a bit crazy. It made me smile and laugh -- also a calming thing. <smile>  Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Unbelievable -- Diamond Rio

 

11-248 (3/9/24) -- Calming Sky

I took the car to garage again to deal with the dashboard still lighting up. It was thought to be a larger electrical issue. After an hour there, they called to say that a second sensor seems to be the culprit of the continued dashboard lighting up like a laser light show. That was good news. It sure beats following the wiring and all connector sites looking for a faulty connection. That takes hours of labour. So, that was one piece of good news today. The other involved the locked email account. My message from yesterday was received and forwarded to infrastructure for attention. They had things fixed by just after 930 AM. Cool. The office suite updated again recently so apps that had been pinned to the side bar were no longer there today. It looked like nothing was actually loaded. It took some time, but I found the new way to get email pinned so I could catch up on the past few days when things were unavailable. it felt good to be back with the e-world. <smile> 

I went for a longer walk to help deal with anxiety. Lots of wonderful flowers out. One is a gigantic bloom that I've never seen before. It is stunning. Later in the evening the stars looked huge -- so much closer than usual. Lovely to see and so calming. 

Stars -- Phillip Quast

 

11-247 (2/9/24) -- Being Present

My email account and campus access was frozen today. This has happened at the beginning of September for the past 5 or 6 years. During this time, I have been retired and hold an unsalaried research position. This position is renewed annually. My renewal date is different than the majority of others with these positions. So, there seems to be an issue with IT infrastructure not getting the date correct. It is a quick fix generally, except that it often arrives on a long weekend when the help desk folks are not available. I did leave a detailed phone message that they will get tomorrow morning. I will call them early tomorrow to find out how long things might take.

While I can't check into the email conversations that I'd hoped to deal with today, I did other things to keep me occupied. I heard a song that spoke to me. I share that here today. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Let's Live for Today -- Grass Roots 

11-245 (1/9/24) -- Iconic Sweet

It was a quiet day with few events. I took a short walk in early afternoon. Weather involved a mix of sun and cloud with wind that helped counter the humidity. I felt fatigues. I woke earlier than planned. In the afternoon, I had a nap that went longer than planned. Go figure! <smile> I managed to fit in a couple of planned household chores, so a couple of things on the 'to do' list could be crossed off. 

Needless to say, I wasn't pondering much today. I have heard bits of songs from a new musical that is on my watch list. The story takes place in an iconic Canadian coffee shop. The selection tonight is a preview of the opening number of the play. It made me smile. We can see this production in live theatre or in streaming video format (which I have cued up to view). 

What Would You Do for a Timbit --  Toronto cast

11-244 (31/8/24) -- Mundane Day

The day was warm and sunny with a very stiff breeze. I took an afternoon walk with the mp3 player in my ears. I looked at the late summer flowers that are newly blooming and the guerilla gardening tomato plants in some of the complex flower gardens. <smile> The walk helped clear my mind a bit and get me focused on doing the laundry and responding to a number of messages and emails. 

So, it was a mundane type of day. I slept poorly again, so felt weary as the day wore on. I managed to keep moving so didn't need a nap. A song by a prairie girl seemed most fitting for this humdrum sort of day. Keep safe. Enjoy!

Morning Morgantown -- Joni Mitchell

 

11-243 (30/8/24) -- Local Producers

The day was bright and sunny with clear blue sky -- warm but not hot. I re-ran one of the errands from yesterday and got what had been on my list at the bakery. Got the last one, too. It was a very busy place. After lunch, I headed out for a walk -- longer than usual. I stopped at the farmstand just behind the subdivision. There are many great things there. It is all on the honour system -- cash or direct bank transfer. It all looked so great. When I'm ready for more fresh produce, I will stop there to see what's available. This year the produce comes from the farm just across the highway from the subdivision -- one that trains new farmers. 

I love living close to producers in a smaller town where you get to know them. Farming isn't an easy life, but new innovative ways to produce and market products help. The song today pays tribute to those who work to produce our food supply. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Here's to the Framer -- Luke Bryan

 

11-242 (29/8/24) -- Answers?

Shopping today was a washout. The first store, a bakery, didn't have what I wanted on the shelves. The drug store didn't have anything for three of the four items on my list. When I saw the nine people standing in line waiting to pay, I said no to the only item I did see on a shelf today. The aisles were jammed with three to five employees each scanning every item on the shelves -- inventory time, I guess. Given the number of people doing that job, surely they could have two people at the checkout area given that it was seniors day. The third store I went to did not have what I wanted either. None of the things on my list are out of the ordinary and many are store brand products. The last store I went to had some items that could fit my immediate needs. So, I did not come home totally empty handed. I'll just have to go back at some future point to get what I need. 

While walking from store to store today, I asked many questions to which there are no easy answers. That and the wind brought a song to mind. The lyrics fit my unanswerable questions. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Blowin' in the the Wind -- Bob Dylan