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!
