11-98 (7/4/24) -- Sleepy Feeling

It was a quiet day. I did a few things around the house, finished some blogs and cooked a bit. Each time I thought of going for a quick walk, the wind picked up and rain arrived. Each time that was a brief set of events, but by the time it cleared up, I was into something else. So, no walk today. I will make up for it when downtown tomorrow and park at the far end of Main Street and walk to the other end where my errands are situated. 

Watching the shrubs out the patio window demonstrated the strength of the wind. This has become my way to gauge the winds -- severity and directionality. It is easier than finding local measurements online. The area forecasters use is larger than just the town area. Measurements are taken down the highway a bit and are much closer to the straits than we are here. So, it is always a gamble as to what will actually occur in town. The app on the television will be removed by the end of the month since they seem not to be able to get the software working consistently and often the wind speed is provided but not the direction. That was the closest we had for local weather. So, with it gone, my information sources will diminish if not disappear. I think there are online apps that will work, but now I have to search and determine which is worth keeping on the devices. One more thing for that lengthy list of chores <grin> 

It was a lullaby sort of day <smile>. A dear friend went to a concert of big band tunes recently, which got me thinking of some of my faves -- Glenn Miller, Goodman, the Dorsey brothers and so many more. All of these folks got there starts in a band with Red Nichols called The Five Pennies. A biopic of his career was released in 1959. We watched this when I was a kid every time it showed up on TV. I own a copy of the dvd and cd. The music is wonderful. A favourite is a round (though Youtube posts insist on calling it a medley <smile>). The counterpoint is amazing. It could easily lull someone to sleep. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Good Night, Sleep Tight; Lullaby in Ragtime; and The Five Pennies -- Louis Armstrong, Danny Kaye, & Susan Gordon

11-97 (6/4/34) -- Seeking Courage

It was another cool, damp, grey day again.  That is what April is all about, though. More sunshine will begin to appear with time. Today I found myself contemplating courage. I haven't felt very brave lately. Some tasks bring anxiety in the form of fear. Some life events have added to that emotions, too.  

I was reminded yesterday of the words of Maya Angelou when she stated, "Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”

From this quotation, I realized that everything we do requires a degree of courage. It also made me see that to be living life in a positive way and being kind to others, also means that I need to be 'kind, true, merciful, generous and honest' with myself. Now that was an interesting realization. I'm working on the fear, but I may need to be kinder to myself and recognize that I need support from inside as well as outside. No small task, but one that should bring some positive outcomes.

Words from a song on my physio playlist came to mind today. This list was constructed when I was going through extensive work to get a broken elbow back into full working order. I've used it often when out walking and thinking -- something I have to do more of. Anyway, back to the point <smile>. This song encourages me to see how big my brave is. Keep safe. Enjoy!

11-96 (5/4/24) -- Deconstruction

Well -- no snow on the ground and only drizzle in the air today. Winds are less than last night. The forecast is for more mixed precipitation, but it looks like it will be less than original forecasts suggested. 

I worked on one of the writing projects today,  readying a manuscript for submission. So much small detail work required for this process. It takes much longer than one thinks -- even when I've done this many time before, I still expect it to take an hour or two. Just pulling the full manuscript apart to be submitted to an electronic template took longer than that. <sigh> So, next step is to begin uploading to the publisher's platform. 

Scheduling things from the 'to do' list into a day can be difficult when things take longer than expected. I have set alarms when getting into a major project that can't be finished in a day. This helps me get things moving in smaller chunks. I may have to resort to that with several items on that infamous list. A friend has been organizing projects using a series of 'to do' lists in journals for every few months. We each have to find a way to organize what needs to be done. It feels different when retired -- being one's own boss isn't all that easy, after all <grin> 

Lyrics of a song reminded me of my activities today deconstructing lists and manuscripts. This selection fits my thoughts of how nice it would be to have the steps needed to complete a task laid out for me -- or at least some of the steps that would get me to that destination. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Gimme Three Steps -- Lynyrd Skynyrd

11-95 (4/4/24) -- Perseverance

Well, the spring storm has created havoc in Quebec and Ontario with heavy wet snow that caused numerous power outages. By late afternoon, we had some snow flakes intermingled with lots of drops of rain. Around midday, snow was falling in the Valley west and south of here. So, we may get more frozen precipitation overnight. 

While I had the electronics charging in case of power disruption, I had a meeting about a writing project. We walked through a couple of short documents. Then I sent out a message to the publisher for input. So, this project sits elsewhere -- for now. It is gratifying to have something off my desk and onto someone else's. It will return to me for further input at a future point. So, at present, I can focus on moving another item or two elsewhere. <smile> While not completion, it is progress <smile>. Perhaps its all about perseverance -- moving forward at any pace. 

A song lyric that encourages positive movement is shared here. Hang in there. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Don't Stop Believin' -- Journey 

11-94 (3/4/24) -- Decisions! Decisions!

The day began with a phone call returned from over a week ago -- a delay that only added to the anxiety around an upcoming event. I'm not great at making decisions -- part of the anxiety I live with. I second guess things over and over before settling on something that feels comfortable. And yes, I am one of those travelers that has all hotel rooms and transport booked long before a trip. I am not as rigid when I get where I'm going. I have a list of things to see and do and work from that when deciding what to do on any given day. I don't get to everything in a trip as that wish list can be rather lengthy. <smile> But I cover a lot of things and enjoy doing it. I also don't feel that when traveling with someone else that we have to do all sightseeing together. I do have trouble making the first steps in the planning process -- when, where, how, etc. It does take a long time for me to find the right flights and such -- thankfully I have a great travel agent who helps me through those decisions. <smile> Ins short, decision fatigue is a real thing and is exacerbated by higher anxiety levels. Discussing decisions with others can help a lot. 

And to follow up on yesterday's post -- Today was sunny from morning to sunset. I was pleased with this since it still looks like everything is going to break loose tomorrow and into the weekend <sigh>. Forecast seem to have a bit more confidence that reported in yesterday's forecast. We'll see what transpires. 

Today's selection challenges listeners to face the fear and move forward -- that's what decisions are, after all. <smile>  Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Dar You to Move -- Switchfoot

11- 93 (2/4/24) -- Predicting Futures

This busy day began with physio appointment And was followed by shopping errands. I visited both grocery stores and three other stores to get the items needed to refill the pantry staples. I had planned to do this on Thursday, but a special weather statement warned of impending doom -- well some type of nor'easter actually. The days involved have low confidence levels for the forecast. How much precipitation will fall and in what form also has low confidence. What has high confidence level is that something is approaching Atlantic Canada. Storm track and strength will become clearer as we get closer. The storm should begin overnight tomorrow and could last up to four days after than start. Rain and snow mix is most likely, but how much could be a little or a lot at this point. So, shopping on Thursday seemed unwise at this point and I had much of the afternoon available today. 

Special weather statements are indicators that something is brewing. Watches and warnings may follow if things appear to have high winds or major precipitation. The forecasting of something vague can let people know that weather might interfere with plans. At the statement phase, though, the computer models are all over, so nothing definite can be shared. Sadly, some forecasters report the worst case scenario more than others, which increases anxiety among people who have dealt with major storms in the past. We noticed this after Hurricane Fiona. This past hurricane season brought a lot of anxiety and fear about 'what if' forecasts. The huge snowfall we had two months ago will make the current potential numbers for the next storm very triggering. So, if they could find that happy medium when communicating a forecast, we'd know something was on its way without the hysteria of 'it could be huge' statements. 

When listening to weather forecasts, I often think of the same thing. I found a great collaboration on a song that fits my thoughts well.  Keep safe. Enjoy!

Fortune Teller -- Robert Plant & Alison Krauss 

11-92 (1/4/23) -- Small Things

It is just that time of year. We had yet another cool cloudy day. March left like a lamb, though <smile>. I  worked on writing projects and got a couple of smaller tasks moved along to the next phase. It feels good to get things moving after they've sat waiting for a while. The greyness of the day was countered by such positives in the day. I spent some time thinking about that. Little things mean a lot -- those brief moments of sunshine in a cloudy day; a quick e-note from someone special; a smile; a laugh. These things bring moments of positivity into the day. Sometimes these arrive just as one is feeling low. Those are special gifts. Look for the small things. 

While thinking about the topic today, a title line from a song stuck in my mind. There are more covers of this than I expected. I chose one that sounded cool in a golden oldie way. <smile> Keep safe. Enjoy!

Little Things Mean a Lot -- Patti Page