Day 8 - 271 -- Without Power

Rain fell overnight and on and off during the day. It felt cooler than it has been, but should get a bit warmer in the next few days.  I had one phone meeting today and then worked on a peer review for a journal. Once this was completed and submitted, I edited slides for the guest lecture at the end of this week. All the indoor activities worked well with the rainy weather. 

A friend had a power interruption to their home today that lasted a few hours. I haven't experienced one for some time -- that was with Hurricane Dorian and lasted 27 hours. Generally even in storms, if we lose power it is for 3-4 hours. That alone can be disruptive if it is during waking hours or one is not equipped with a battery operated alarm clock. <smile> Few things that I do during the day do not require electricity. On darker days like today, lights need to be used just to do basic cooking and cleaning. I do spend more time than I think I do online with social media, this blog, email and such. I use my devices for journaling, record keeping, and virtual meetings. I feel that I use electronics more now than I did before the pandemic. I know I do more online real time connecting for sure. Even my home phone -- the new name for what had been the landline -- requires power since it is now a VOIP device. Without a cell phone, we'd be cut off from the outside world in a power outage. When in the midst of an outage, I look for things to keep me busy. I love board games, but need more than me to play them. <smile> So, I read -- often aloud as this seems to help calm the furry one when the world turns dark. I have to use a flashlight to do this, so am still using battery power. Texting can keep me in touch with the outside world. By the time even a short interruption has ended, all I want is a hot cup of tea and anything but a sandwich -- something heated. <smile> 

I guess I can take many things for granted until I'm challenged to work around their absence. Finding different ways to fill my time may help me to see things differently. I don't want to feel upset or angry over something beyond my control. That brought a song to mind <surprise!> by a band with a name that fit the thoughts of the day. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Don't Bring Me Down -- Electric Light Orchestra

Day 8 - 270 -- Required Weather Statements

Today I had two meetings with friends and a colleague by phone and online. Some sun showed up early in the morning but clouds increased as the day wore on. We have a rainfall warning for the next 48+ hours. The forecast calls for 40-75 mm (~2-3 inches) before the system moves out. I've been watching Sam, the major hurricane out in the Atlantic. It is unlikely to make landfall in the US, but a small chance exists that it could brush by or hit Newfoundland. One of the plots in the spaghetti plots even shows it coming over Cape Breton. Most cones of uncertainty aren't showing such impacts, but we are still 5 days out from such potential events. 

Since to be a card-carrying Canadian, one is required to be a weather watcher and to bring all knowledge to conversations regularly <smile>, a song that deals with this topic should be part of the blog today. <smile> I thought of one featuring backwards lyrics by an iconic group. A little ditty that doesn't condemn rain as a metaphor for all things negative. <smile> I like the rain, too, in most situations. With the right gear, even monsoonal rain can be fun to traverse. One of the songwriters noted this song was his response to people always complaining about the weather. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Rain -- The Beatles

Day 8 - 269 -- Puppy Viewing

The sun shone today and it felt warmish -- not hot like last week, but still pleasant at 20C/68F. I headed for a walk in the early evening with great cool air. I saw the Pyrenees puppy from three doors down the street. I hadn't seen him up close for over 2 weeks. He is now 4 months old and has grown a lot -- like a real lot. Last I saw him he was about 35 pounds. He is now 55 pounds! He is taller and a bit longer -- at that gangly teenage stage. His person noted the vet stated that this is about one-third of his expected adult weight!! He will be a very big boy -- topping out in the area of 150 to 160 pounds. YIKES. He was happy to see me and wanted to play but I stood and talked instead, so he found something else to amuse himself. <smile>  

A song about a dog seemed to fit the encounter I had today. There are several, but this one seemed more relaxed with its bluesy nature. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Seaumus -- Pink Floyd 

Day 8 - 268 -- Need to Take Control

On this rainy day, I finished the pile of laundry from the past two weeks, along with a couple other household chores. I also worked to catch up the writing for the blog after I took some time away from computer connections. So, with this post, I am officially back on track. I have a couple of tasks that have deadlines next week -- a peer review and a guest lecture. I have found the requisite materials for each and will work more diligently with those over the next few days. I also will need to check in on my e-mail after finding a way to block the multitude of messages from an online course that I was registered in for some reason. When I returned from my break, there were almost 2300 messages waiting for me! I had to delete them in chunks and blocked all new ones from landing in my inbox. I just have to empty the Junk folder daily to banish the things to some e-mail purgatory. It is a legit course, but I don't recall registering. Any MOOC I have done in the past had all communications done through a virtual MOOC platform. This one has everyone e-mailing each other and there are thousands in this global course. Any attempt to unsub from the course has been met with difficulty as my username and password -- as noted in the welcome email -- are not recognized. <sigh> I hope to attack it with renewed vigor this week, since this is now week 1 of 9 or more and I can't deal with all that landing in my email account. Weird. Technology can be our friend, but it can become uncontrollable -- well it appears to be in control of me rather than the other way around. <smile>

The need to take back control of online accounts brought a song to mind. The chorus says it all. <smile>. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

People Have the Power -- Patti Smith 

 

Day 8 - 267 -- Reclaiming Home

It has been an overcast but seasonable warm and even a bit humid today. I didn't open windows or doors today due to the dampness in the air. It was a huge laundry day as I missed doing this last weekend. Most of the day was spent indoors with a quick refreshing walk early in the evening.  

The big news of the day dealt with the graveyard behind my house. The fence was removed three weeks ago and today maple trees were being removed. All the smaller ones as well as two large ones along the property line were felled. There are still two or three others on the other side of the graveyard to be removed. I was upset when someone called them weeds <sigh> The pines and larch will remain and a new fence will be added along with lighting (which I hope will not light up my house the way the light installed next door does). 

This house has been feeling less and less like home and for the first time ever in the past month, it has felt like a prison. That feeling came back again today. The trees have provided a type of comfortable seclusion. They are not all gone, but there are big open spaces in the canopy and at trunk level that provided a degree of concealment. Earlier in the confinement of the pandemic, it felt safe and cozy to be home. That changed recently. The idea of sorting through things and downsizing has returned, too. So much of that could have been done during the past 18 months, but there were so many other emotional aspects to the isolation that sorting through a lifetime of stuff just couldn't happen. The growing feeling that this place may not be 'home' anymore, begs the question -- then where will that feeling be found? Not only is there a feeling of imprisonment, there is a distinct feeling of being alone -- something that I've rarely felt as an adult. I find it intriguing that such feelings are occurring as the world is poised to open to a new way of interacting. I'm not sure I'm ready to go to larger gatherings or to eat inside a restaurant without major air circulation and hepa filters. It is a huge conundrum for certain.    

Perhaps the first step is to take back my space by sorting through all the boxes and stuff that has accrued from other households over the years. I have gathered a fair amount of office things over the years, too. Much from each of these stashes can be either donated or disposed of. I had been doing at  least one extra recycling bag for the pick up every other week. Then the pandemic arrived and my momentum left. A few extra bags have found their way to the curb, but not a continued process as I'd begun after retirement. I thought of a song chorus a bit differently today. I can do this for myself though I may need to find some outside support at times to keep the process moving forward. I have some connections that could help with this, I'm sure. The song involved in that thought process is shared here tonight. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Home -- Phillip Phillips

Day 8 - 266 -- Surprise at the Door

The day was sunny and warm again after a slightly cooler overnight. I worked around the house today. Into the evening, I decided to check the outside air to determine if it made sense to open windows. In the darkness, I opened the front door holding the inside door close behind me to keep the furry fellow inside. To my surprise for the first time ever, I felt a furry being around my ankles. I reached down to move it back into the house assuming my fellow had joined me, only to feel a tail that was smaller than expected. I quickly stepped back into the house and turned on the porch light. The little ginger tabby, Lucy, from three doors down was on the front walkway and then as I chatted to her, she rested under the huge maple in the front yard. She has been seen sleeping on my front porch in the past, so I expect this time she was doing just that but in front of the door rather than over in one of the corners. I guess I will need to turn the light on from now on when checking the weather in the front yard. <smile>  

I chose a song in honour of my surprise visitor. It seemed to fit as she may need to add a light or something luminescent to her collar <smile>. The lyrics even note a sky coloured in her ginger shades. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds -- Elton John

Day 8-265 -- Autumn is Here

Today was the first full day of autumn. I went to an appointment, had a virtual chat with a friend and walked out to Main Street to do errands. The day was sunny and hot feeling -- 24C (75F) feeling like 30C (86F). I like this part of fall when there are warmer days and cooler nights. Often humidity is lower, but that depends on weather patterns from the tropics. Hurricane season goes into November, so there is still time for some of that type of weather. 

I love the colours of leaves as they change, especially in the middle of the Acadian Forest with tons of deciduous hardwood -- maples and oaks. I don't like that this season ends in winter -- my least favourite season. If spring followed fall and trees became clothed again, I'd be very happy. Is there a place where this happens? Hmmm Will need to consult Mr. Google. <grin> 

It isn't easy to find an upbeat song about autumn. It is a major metaphor for darkness and endings rather than a time to rest and enjoy harvested food and accomplishments. Making plans to visit loved ones or travel to favourite spots may lighten moods. These song lyrics hit the high points of the next few months. Keep safe. Enjoy!

Autumn Song -- Van Morrison