11-30 (30/1/24) -- Wintry Winds

 Loads of snow -- in the 15+ cm (6+ in) range -- when I looked out the window today. I shoveled the driveway around the car and cleared the snow covering the car. The latter exercise required that I shovel the drive way around the care -- again. Drifting with the wind last night left deeper, solidly packed areas of very fine snow. Sun came out in early afternoon, which made it feel less nasty. The wind was vicious! My  plan to clear the patio was put on hold for tomorrow or the next day. The cold wind made the one task of clearing off the car more than adequate for the day. 

My appointment for today was rescheduled given the difficulty with drifted snow. I got a call soon after noting that the new date couldn't happen. I needed to go through the referral screening process again since it had been over three months since the last appointment. Luckily, it is a self referral, but it still took time to call the toll free number and get things worked out. Now the date I was given over the phone is further in the future than expected. It will likely be sooner as the practitioner can move things once a date is back in the system. Bureaucratic red tape is frustrating at best. Today went beyond that in my head. <smile> 

I pondered the reason behind the policy for making health care appointments as I moved the snow around the driveway. I managed a smile when a song line came to mind that fully explained this conundrum. There have been many covers of this song. I chose one that puts a very different spin on the music and rhythms. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Blowin' in the Wind -- Steview Wonder

11-29 (29/1/24) -- Inside & Cozy

I saw much snow out of the windows when I woke this morning. The storm intensified into the afternoon with loads of horizontal snow. The evening should bring a lot of blowing and drifting snow. The drifts in the driveway are already knee deep. I'm not sure when the clearing crews might begin moving the snow -- likely not until mid- to late-morning sometime. I do have an appointment in the early afternoon, so we'll have to see if I can get out or if a taxi might be available or if might I need to reschedule the meeting. 

Storm days can be fine if one is inside a cozy place. Today felt like found time, though it wasn't really. I got some planned things done. I enjoyed looking out the windows at the blowing snow from the warm inside. The unknowns of how much snow and when it will be moved away created a bit of anxiety -- only since I have appointments and errands that I'd planned for tomorrow. At times, I felt confined to quarters today. That, too, brought some anxious feelings. A major dislike of winter is the way it interferes with one's ability to move about by foot or vehicle. That results in further feelings of isolation. On an up note, our intrepid maintenance fellow came by to check on a few things I'd reported. His visit helped me feel less unreachable. Human contact can help reduce some anxiety well. 

Lyrics of the selection today reminded me that there are things that can help us feel positive, even when 'snowed in'. Finding the little things to be thankful for can improve our moods. Keep safe. Enjoy!

Grateful -- Jewel

11-28 (28/1/24) -- Latest Portent

This Sunday involved waiting on the storm to start. We seem to be between the 10cm (4 in) and the 15 cm (6 in) lines on the snowfall forecast map. A high pressure system has pushed this low pressure further south, so the entire province is covered by a snowfall warning. This will be the first larger snowfall that I've encountered in this new abode. We've had wind, rain and lesser amounts of snow, so I'm not expecting too much different. Winds should be less than the past couple of storms as long as the forecast is close to what arrives. Waiting for things to start feels stressful, as one wonders if the meteorologists have chosen the right computer model and things don't become worse than predicted -- or in a best case scenario, not as bad as predicted. <smile> 

I have been doing the basics like charging electronics and finding battery-operated lanterns and fondue pot (for eating water for tea and such). I plan to do some month end accounting and hope to get to the article that needs final polish edits. A title line from a song came to mind as I found myself folding laundry and thinking about the oncoming storm. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Waiting on the world to change -- John Mayer

11-27 (27/1/23) -- Plans Meet Inertia

It was a quiet Saturday. The physical activity today involved changing sheets and towels and getting most laundry completed by bedtime. Between laundry loads I moved the snow off the patio. The 4-5 cm/1.5-2 in of snow was a bit wet and heavy, so was a reasonable workout -- breathing and lifting in the correct ways to reduce risk of injury. <smile>  I'd hoped to get to a writing project, but I stared at it for a while and then I just moved to something not very productive instead. 

I'm finding lethargy takes over often leading to major periods of inactivity -- or at least any productive activity. Inertia rules the world.  If I could just get started, I might be able to sustain that activity, but when I stop for a break from physical activity to more sedentary activity, that inactivity takes over. So, like Newton's first law of motion states, body in motion stays in motion and a body at rest remains at rest -- unless, of course, they are acted upon by some external force. In my experience, that force is rather elusive. It seems to come from some internal place of initiative. Some days the ambition can be kicked into gear easily. Of late, more days have less ability to move forward.  When some projects move forward, it feels positive. One would think that would be reward enough for keeping things moving rather than stagnating. Yet, it isn't so. I'm working on this and trying to be kind to myself, though deadlines exist outside my control, so I can't just stop as often as seems to be happening. As I said, it is a work in progress. <smile> 

A song came to mind with lyrics about moving. The tempo also could get someone moving. So, maybe music can be the impetus to get a body out of inactivity. Hmmm  Keep safe. Enjy! 

The Loco-Motion -- Kylie Minogue

11-26 (26/1/24) -- Pondering Ice

More phone calls and messages left. I've decided to call some places regularly until they return my call and make the appointments needed. I'm so sick of waiting. The two situations in question involve documents that need to be signed and a health care appointment. Two other calls resulted in moving the issue to the next level. So, some progress was made today.

I salted parts of driveway since the thin slush layer that wouldn't move  yesterday froze overnight. This took my mind to the daily thought-provoking tidbits in my daily journal. Today this introduced the singing lake phenomenon. Ice on bodies of water shrinks and contracts as temperatures change and water freezes, thaws and refreezes. The sound also has been described as groaning or moaning. The high- and low-frequency noises almost seem to travel at different speeds as they separate and move at different distances from the surface of the ice. Physics plays a major role in explaining the sounds. 

The selection today came to mind with the thoughts of ice. Love the sampled bass line -- always a fave. <smile> Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Ice Ice Baby -- Vanilla Ice

11-25 (25/1/24) -- Divesting Self of 'To Dos'

About 7 cm/3 inches of snow -- heavy wet snow -- arrived early this morning. I chose to call a taxi rather than drive downtown for my appointment this afternoon. Late afternoon would have been an easy drive home as the streets were only wet by that time.  Where are the mini-flying saucers from the Jetsons when you need them? <grin> 

I managed to get a couple of projects moving forward. One was submitted so it is on someone else's desk now. <smile> The others were smaller items that needed me to traverse Main Street to get to the next steps. It felt good to get things moving when so much has felt stagnated lately. In some ways, it felt like letting things go a bit. My input has gone as far as it can -- for now. 

We lost a wonderful singer from a few decades back. There were so many songs to choose from from this prolific artist. I settled on one that speaks to -- in some sense -- letting things go or laying them down.  It also fits with a moment of remembrance. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) -- Melanie

11-24 (24/1/24) -- A Good Day

Today held several walks as I did errands around town. I walked the length of Main Street twice stopping at a couple of stores. A walk up hill to campus was included, too. I did some printing, copying and sitting at the help desk as they tried to figure out what was up with the error message that stopped the office suite from functioning yesterday. After a couple of hours, things seemed to be working again. Something had been reset, but no one understood why or when. <sigh> I will wait a few days before I'm fully on board with the 'it's fixed' line of thinking. <grin>

Being outdoors for about an hour total as I walked instead of trying to find two parking places. The one I found wasn't all that close to my errands, but it worked for today. It did take a hot bath to get me feeling warm again, though. There was a mix of sun and cloud during the afternoon. By supper time, I was able to see the full moon. Amazing. Even seeing this for a short while felt wonderful. All in all, the day was different than the indoor phoning and writing planned, but it felt like I accomplished some things for a change. 

The selection for today is a cover of another song performed by an English Indie band. I like their approach. It seems like a good choice to celebrate a reasonably good day. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Dancing in the Moonlight -- Toploader