Another Leap Day arrived. The physics behind the need for such a day involves correcting for the Gregorian calendar. This extra day every four years helps to keep seasons happening when we expect them on our calendar. So, another invention of humans to control the passage of time.
An Irish folk tradition held that women were allowed to propose to men on this day. As a child, I remember asking why Li'l Abner was running away from Daisy Mae on this day. Even then it seemed odd to me that women could ask once every four years and that men seemed to run away from the idea. Even more, couldn't they just say 'no' -- was proposing a binding contract with no choice? Why would someone want to marry someone who wanted to run away? I'll admit that with age things are only a bit clearer, but the gender roles have relaxed a bit. <smile>
A musician from my childhood died 12 years ago today. I chose to share a song that as a child sounded more like what I expected. <smile> Keep safe. Enjoy!
It's Nice to be with You -- The Monkees (sung by Davy Jones)
The zipper on my winter coat is not outlasting the coat. In a failed effort to hold it all together, the metal teeth are separating from the cloth part of the zipper. Now this is for a parka that ends just above the knee, so it is a long zipper -- not one easily found in the dry goods part of the department store on Main. I have a lead on a potential seamstress who replaces such zippers. We'll see if she is still in business.
When explaining this to someone today, I said that the zipper was having difficulty holding it all together -- not unlike me. We laughed as I said, "there's the blog today." They come to me in odd moments. I liked the metaphorical nature of the zipper. Most is still working and it isn't visible to others that there is a separated part not working. Again, much as I feel these days. I'm working on both me and the zipper. <smile>.
The chorus of a song seemed to fit my pondering about hanging onto things -- my feelings or zipper teeth. <grin> Keep safe. Enjoy!
Sunny day -- crispy cold, too. I went for a long walk dancing around the icy areas. It felt cold, but was a pleasant activity. I also finished the laundry and did housecleaning chores, cleared snow and some icy patches in the driveway and cleaned off the car. I spread a bit of salt product to help melt the slippery areas. So the day was definitely filled with physical activity.
Technology was not on my side as I had difficulty signing up for text notifications on parcel delivery. A call to the help desk was escalated to second level techs. I will hear from them within 4 working days. The parcel will be here by then <sigh>. However, at least we can get notifications set up for the next one.
A song line came to mind while fighting with the non-functional online software. It made me smile a bit while dealing with the frustrations. Keep safe. Enjoy!
I began the day with a meeting and shopping errand. As the day moved on, I couldn't help but worry about the weather -- again <sigh> The forecast has been changing with a rainfall warning now sitting at 40-55 mm (1.5 -2 in) over a short warmer period. Major melting is expected so flooding is likely in some areas. Other parts of province may get prolonged periods of freezing rain instead of basic wet rain. A mess all around. <sigh> I tried to move some snow on the patio for a path to the edge. The drainage grate in the ditch between this building and the one on the next street is buried under snow like everything else in the region. The meteorologists and emergency measures groups have suggested these grates be cleared to maximize removal of run off. Not sure when that might happen here. <sigh> The kicker is that after all this rain and melting there will be a rapid freeze. The whole thing will last about 24 hours.
Worrying about the future seems to be exacerbated by broadcast and social media messaging -- today around the potential for some weather disaster. This made me think of a song about finding a way to move forward with all the unknowns in life. Keep safe. Enjoy!
It as been a grey and rainy day. Some sunshine can help raise my spirits. The snow banks on the patio are slowly shrinking with the warmer temperature and rain. Things aren't disappearing as the 'worst case scenario' fear-mongers had suggested. There may be some pooling and ponding and likely some flooding. This may occur into next week as temperatures climb will above freezing again. Today the quickly dropping temperatures may result in icy conditions making walking and driving a challenge. Over a 5 hour period, temperatures dropped 11 degrees Celsius, so a bit of a flash freeze. It will get much colder into the overnight. While this appears like a spring weather pattern, winter weather will continue.
Spring and autumn are transitional seasons. Temperatures and precipitation types run the full range during these times. Spring is not summer as many people seem to expect. It will be a few months of mixed weather, gradually moving from winter-like conditions to summer-like weather. This time of year sees more winter patterns diminish until less winter gives way to more summery days. Transitions generally slow, but some are more sudden. Adjusting to changes in daily life take time. Moving to a new abode creates stress. Moving to a new city adds more stress. Each involves losing a sense of routine and level of comfort. These can be replaced, but it takes time. Experts suggest that it takes living in a new place through all four seasons to make if feel more like your home. I've move many times in my adult life and find that it takes years to settle in and feel a level of comfort. I am currently in this process. I've lived here for autumn and parts of winter and last summer. I get frustrated when I can't find something that I knew exactly where it would be in the former dwelling. I keep reminding myself that it will take time. There are still things that need to be unpacked or repacked for storage. Once that is complete, things might be easier to find -- I hope. <sigh>
Lines from a song came to mind as I was thinking through the change processes today. They came from the first and third verses. I chose a version by the singer-songwriter later in life -- it seems to add something to the introspective aspect of the lyrics. The fact that the artist is from my home province helped somewhat today, too. Kepp safe. Enjoy!
Clouds filled the sky today with snow falling by early afternoon. A rainfall warning is in place for the weekend. With frozen ground and huge snow banks, rain may pond and snow melt may increase. In short, flooding may be an problem. The rain is to be followed quickly by a hard freeze. More weather distress is not desirable. <sigh> I was out in the snow for an appointment and some errands downtown today. When I walked to the mailbox, I had a good chat with a neighbour. That is when I realized how wet the large snowflakes were. I kept brushing them off my coat, which caused my gloves to get very wet. In turn, this made my hands very cold. I'm not sure I've mentioned it before <grin>, but I am really so over this season, which never has been my favourite.
At lunch with colleagues today, I mentioned how time can fly by and yet seem to drag -- simultaneously. This led to an interesting exchange about the non-linear nature of time. A colleague noted that time is a human construct and there really is just the now. I will ponder that one for a while and hope to continue the conversation at a later point. <smile>
A song title came to mind today that fit well with my ponderings. It is from the psychedelic genre. It has a relaxed feeling to it. I love the line "I really want to know" -- explains much of how I've approached the journey thus far. <smile> Keep safe. Enjoy!
We had very bright sun for most of the day. Freezing temperatures began the day -- -21C (-6F) and rose to -6 C (21F) by early afternoon. Very little wind was present, so it felt warmer today. After an online meeting, I spent the rest of the afternoon getting groceries.
Grocery prices still sting. Overall, prices were to have slowed the rate of increase on many items and reduced overall costs in December. It must be a small decrease -- well based on my anecdotal evidence <smile>. I still find produce fairly high, but dairy has been dropping -- often in sales as well as regular prices. Animal protein products seem to have stayed the same for a while now. I keep waiting for these to drop from $20/lb for what have been the the inexpensive products. <sigh>
Lines from a few songs came to mind today. I chose this one to share here today because it made me smile. It has been covered by several artists, but I share the one that made the biggest impression on me many years ago. Keep safe. Enjoy!
