July 27, 2025 · Write a comment · Categories: Musings · Tags: ,

Lantana is one of my favorite annual flowers, and I often plant it under the mailbox. This year I added some variety by planting hibiscus, which is one of my daughter’s favorites, and mandevilla. The lantana grew much more robustly and crowded out the others to a large extent. I noticed on Thursday that the hibiscus had one large yellow bloom, framed by lantana above and mandevilla below. I took a photo for my daughter.

Photo of annual flowers under the mailbox.

She was happy that I sent the photo to her and that the hibiscus had found a place to bloom. Even though it produced only one flower on that day, there was enough space for it.

During the RowFest national regatta last week, which was held on Lake Ford in Michigan, I raced my single on Friday afternoon. I’m always somewhat nervous about it because most of my rowing has been in the double, which is larger and steadier. The single is a narrow little boat that can be hard to control in the wind.

Last Thursday had such high winds that many races were canceled. I rowed the double with my husband, but it was still windy and choppy enough that we couldn’t get much speed. That gave me some anxiety about going out in the single the next day. Better conditions were predicted, but Thursday’s wind had been worse than the forecast, so I couldn’t be sure how things might turn out. I told myself to stop worrying about it.

As it happened, Friday afternoon had little wind and the best conditions of the regatta. I felt all right about racing the single, although I didn’t win a medal in that race. I stayed even with one of my competitors all the way down the course, but she put on more speed at the end and finished ahead of me. That didn’t bother me too much, however. My husband told me later that she’d said, after the race, that she and her husband had been trying to beat us for a long time and saw us as their benchmark. That left me feeling happier!

Word-art that says, "Sometimes the magic happens when you stop worrying about how things will turn out."

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

Following up on Tuesday’s post about being prepared for weather, here’s an inspiring thought from Rumi about morning sunlight breaking through dark storms. Happy Thursday!

Word-art that says, "There is a morning inside you waiting to burst open into light." -Rumi

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

July 15, 2025 · 1 comment · Categories: Musings · Tags: ,

The home standby generator, which had been on order since April, was delivered two weeks ago and was connected Friday morning. It is just behind the backyard fence at the end of our driveway, where it is out of the way but not far from the house. There was a small grassy area between the fence and the driveway, now mostly dirt after the power and gas lines were run underground there. I’ll probably plant a few mums there in the fall while deciding how best to landscape that area in the spring.

Photo of newly installed Generac home standby generator.

The installers from Wells Electric were quick and efficient; they came out early in the morning and were finished by noon, although it took some time to dig the trench for the power and gas lines. The electric installation on the wall looks very neatly done.

Electrical installation for Generac home standby generator.

We had to move a large boxwood that was too close to the electric meter. It was mismarked as a dwarf plant when I bought it about 20 years ago. After a while, we realized it was instead a full-size boxwood. I should have dug it up years ago, when it first reached the height of the meter; but I didn’t get around to it, which made extra work for me (and for my husband and son; the job was too big to do by myself). The boxwood has now been relocated; this photo shows its height, as we have a six-foot fence. My husband set up a sprinkler on a timer, and we hope that such a large plant will survive being moved in the heat of summer.

Photo of boxwood planted next to fence.

Thunderstorms rolled through on Saturday, and it was nice not having to worry about power. It stayed on in our neighborhood, but there were high winds across Ohio. Our daughter’s house lost power, and she came to visit for the weekend. Because severe windstorms have become more common in the past few years, we have begun to strap down the chairs on the deck when strong thunderstorms are forecast.

Chairs strapped down on the deck.

The house now feels like a place that is well prepared for weather.

Although the long days of summer are often hot, I enjoy getting outdoors for quiet evening rows with my husband. Yesterday we had the river to ourselves for a pleasant sunset row. There was very little wind, and the water flowed gently through a peaceful landscape. Only the rhythm of our oars and the song of the bullfrogs broke the silence.

It’s not really a wilderness, of course—just a short stretch of river passing through an urban park, with highway bridges and their traffic noise at both ends of the course. Even so, we often see beavers, herons, bald eagles, and other wildlife that leave us feeling refreshed by the natural world.

Word-art that says, "To sit in solitude, to think in solitude with only the music of the stream and the cedar to break the flow of silence, there lies the value of wilderness." -John Muir

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

I spent some time outdoors with friends today, in a cheerful group talking and laughing. This image seemed to suit the mood—I hope you enjoy it and are having a wonderful evening, too!

Word-art that says, "How wonderful it is that we laugh because our bodies cannot contain the joy."

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

Last week’s road trip to Oklahoma City for the Stars & Stripes rowing regatta went well. I came in second in both my women’s double and my mixed double, and I was happy because I rowed better in the wind. Although the Airbnb did not have a long driveway like the one we rented last year, there was plenty of space to park the mini trailer on the street.

Photo of boat trailer parked on street in Oklahoma City.

Things went smoothly on the trip home until we reached Ohio, where there were five (seriously, five) crashes that blocked the highway—one right after another. When we finally got home, we had to wait a day for the air conditioner to be serviced, but the problem turned out to be a bad capacitor that was easily replaced.

I would call this a good week; the indoor temperature is cool and comfortable now, and we can look forward to a pleasant holiday weekend.

Wishing everyone a happy Fourth!

Tuesday evening, although still hot after I finished an outdoor workout with my husband, felt lovely and peaceful anyway. Wednesday morning wasn’t the most comfortable because the heat wave is still going on, and we woke up to find that the air conditioner wasn’t working. We already had planned to leave early in the afternoon for a road trip, however, and we have a service appointment scheduled for when we return.

I’m still anticipating a fun, magical trip with no worries!

Word-art that says, "In the midst of our lives, we must find the magic that makes our souls soar."

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

The clock on my computer went past midnight just now, so this post will have to be published with a Friday date because I didn’t get around to doing it earlier. For a moment, I thought about cheating—that is, setting the date stamp for this entry to Thursday so my readers wouldn’t notice it was a delayed post. But then I decided that was silly. After all, it’s not like anyone expects me to be perfect.

Word-art that says, "No one is perfect... that's why pencils have erasers."

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”

I dreamed about a litter of rambunctious puppies running all around, getting into places they shouldn’t be. Former President Biden was trying to corral them, but he wasn’t having much success.

Puppies in dreams generally have to do with animal energy, new things, and playfulness. But what did President Biden represent? Traditional politics and its limits? Older people trying to keep up with the demands of a changing world? Just another authority figure getting yapped at?

I decided to ask Fannie, my imaginary 119-year-old future self. I found her sitting on the “Be Kind” park bench in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which I mentioned in a blog post in 2022.

Photo of a park bench with BE KIND painted on it.

At her feet, Maxie the robot poodle realistically appeared to be dozing, with closed eyes and a tail that twitched a little. When I came closer, Maxie opened an eye but did not otherwise move. I sat down next to Fannie and told her about my dream.

“It’s a big job, trying to corral the future,” Fannie said sympathetically. “Politicians try, but they don’t get very far. We also put time and effort, as individuals, into sorting out what we think might happen. But mostly, the future just does whatever it feels like doing. That’s the way of things. We may get farther than we expect, though, if we can simply be kind and invite the future to spend a little time playing with us.”