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 fatigued. 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 

11-240 (27/8/24) -- Dance through the Day

It was summery today -- sunny with hot temperatures.  I walked out for the mail and did some walking to complete errands to pick up two needed grocery staples. I felt fatigued and had a short nap in the afternoon. 

The gardeners were watering the new sprayed on grass seed today. When I went out to water the patio garden plants, the sprinklers were watering the back corner of the patio. I got a bit damp as it oscillated back and forth. The newly graded hillside seems to avoid pooling of water between the buildings as had been the case since last summer. However, there is an area downhill in between the buildings on this street and one street over. It isn't flowing down towards the sewer grates. This may be an issue when we get rain, if it is creating pools with sprinklers. Drainage issues seem to be problematic. 

Listening to some music helped me perk up a bit today. A song that fit the mood and the need to boost it a bit is shared today. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Some Days You Gotta Dance -- The Chicks