On Tuesday, my manager sent an email reminding my workgroup to do the employee survey because the last day to respond was Wednesday. She added this image to get people’s attention:

Word-art that says, "Fact: You know you are procrastinating when you start looking up memes about procrastination."

I replied that my first thought was that I might want to repost the image on my blog, and that I knew I was procrastinating because I was composing a blog entry in the back of my mind instead of doing the employee survey, but that I would make sure to do the survey.

Then I was going to compose this post yesterday and have it ready to go bright and early this morning; but of course, I procrastinated, and instead I’m sitting here at the desk writing it late in the day. I’m not really sure how many layers of procrastination that makes, but it’s definitely recursive. Oh, well… that’s life!

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.”

Since last year’s unfortunate demise of my digital art display, which was no longer supported after the manufacturer went out of business, I sometimes feel as if part of my creative energy went with it. In particular, I haven’t felt motivated to blog about my assortment of future selves and younger selves, who made a lively menagerie in previous years. Back when I changed the picture on the art display every morning, its imaginary “window” gave me inspiration by showing a fresh view of the world.

Getting my real windows replaced last month made my house brighter and more cheerful, but unfortunately there’s not much to see in my backyard at present. Climate change has mostly killed the willow hedge along the back property line. In the spring, I’m going to have a landscaping company remove what’s left of it and plant a long strip of native wildflowers, including milkweed to support the monarch butterfly migration. I’m also visualizing some taller shrubs in the corner that faces my home office window, with a path leading into them. Although the path would go nowhere, the neighbors have tall and healthy trees behind that area, and I want to create an impression that I could step outside and go for a walk in the woods.

Browsing through images of butterfly gardens online, I saw a photo of a natural prairie area on the grounds of an elementary school. It wouldn’t have been suitable for a suburban backyard, but it gave me pleasant memories of long rambles through flowering meadows as a child.

Photo of wildflowers in a butterfly garden.

(Creative Commons image via flickr)

The piano music from the “Peanuts” television cartoons floated into the scene in my thoughts. I didn’t see Snoopy dancing, but a glance to my left revealed Lucy’s psychiatric help booth on a sidewalk next to the children’s butterfly garden. “The Doctor Is In,” the sign proclaimed, with the usual price of five cents. Charlie Brown wasn’t the patient this time, however. Inside the booth, my 76-year-old future self Kass, who had arranged her hair to look like Lucy, was cheerfully waving me over.

Apropos of the setting, I could only mutter “Good grief!” as I stepped onto the imaginary sidewalk.

Kass opened her hands wide and smiled up at me from the wooden crate she sat on. “Well, you were saying that you had lost motivation to write about your future selves, and I thought you might appreciate a little help with that problem.”

Another crate, longer and narrower, had been set up on the sidewalk to serve as the patient’s couch. A large black ant was making its way slowly across one of the slats on top.

I looked up at Kass again. “Okay, I guess I did say something like that. I wouldn’t have thought of it as asking for psychiatric help, though. I just want to replace the art display so I can feel more creative.”

“You didn’t have the art display until 2015,” Kass pointed out, “and you didn’t travel as much in real life before then, either. Still, you wrote plenty of stories and blog posts. Now you’re older and can afford to travel and see more of the country, but you’re feeling low on creativity despite visiting new places, and you wonder why. Would you say that’s a fair assessment?”

Brushing off the ant, I arranged myself on the narrow crate, using a denim jacket for a pillow. The clouds above the butterfly garden formed a vaguely castle-like shape.

“I kind of know why. The past few years have been emotionally draining, with so much weird stuff going on—the pandemic, and all the craziness going on in politics and the world. My workout plan is much more demanding than any exercise I ever did before, and although it has made me healthier, it often leaves me feeling tired. And then, of course, there’s everything that has been lost—from simple things like the art display and the willow hedge, to pleasantly cool summer evenings that don’t often happen anymore, to people in my life who have grown old and died.”

“In other words,” Kass summed up, resting her chin in her hand like Lucy trying to look serious, “good grief!”

The castle in the sky began to crumble, its ramparts falling away as one gray cloud drifted to the east.

“Well, yeah. Something like that.”

“Or, maybe, not-so-good grief,” Kass suggested. “You have to give yourself time and space for grief, you know. That is why people all over the world have rituals. Anything can help; it doesn’t have to be a fancy ceremony. You could, for instance, go into the backyard and say a few words of gratitude as a memorial service for the willows on the day before the landscapers come to replace them. If you did more to acknowledge your feelings of loss, you might not feel as overwhelmed. That, my dear, is my professional advice. Five cents, please.”

I visualized a dusty old buffalo nickel from the metal coin drawer in my mom’s antique slot machine. Sitting up, I gave it to Kass.

“That might actually make some sense, I have to admit. Thanks for your help, Doctor Kass.”

“My pleasure.”

I had another blog entry written out by hand on a notepad, which I meant to post a few days ago, but this has been a disruption-filled week, and I never did get around to typing and posting it. First, the old printer in the home office went bad. My husband ordered another one right away, but then he noticed that the router, which also was “long in tooth,” was having some issues too, and he replaced it.

Of course, that meant all kinds of things needed to have settings updated, and he has been working to get it all properly configured. I am glad he has the expertise to take care of our computers and devices, but this week I’ve had to remind myself not to worry about the small things. This too shall pass…

Word-art that says, "Worry gives small things a big shadow."

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 change of seasons in late September often feels too sudden to me. Even though the hot days still feel like summer, it gets dark so much earlier that I find myself wondering where the daylight went.

The moon is bright and full this evening, though. I heard an owl hooting when I was outside earlier, and I’ll take it as a timely reminder that there is always something to appreciate in the longer nights.

Word-art that says, "Advice from an owl: Stay focused. Be 'Whoo' you are. Trust in a wise friend. Live off the land. Glide through the dark times. Be observant. Life's a hoot!"

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 felt pretty good after Sunday’s marathon row. There were no blisters on my hands, I didn’t have to crawl out of the boat, and I had no aches or pains sitting in the car during the trip home. Although my hips felt a bit stiff the next morning when I bent down to unload the dishwasher, that went away after I’d been walking around for a little while. Overall, it was much better than I had expected.

So, when my husband mentioned that it was about time to get our flu and Covid vaccines, I thought it would be just fine taking a midday break from work and going to the pharmacy on Wednesday. That turned out to be overly optimistic. Fatigue hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks by the end of the workday. I felt way more exhausted than when I’d gotten vaccines in the past. Although I went to bed at a reasonable hour, my Garmin tracker informed me that my sleep was very poor and not restorative.

I’m feeling better now, getting ready to go to bed, and reminding myself that everything changes all the time and there’s no reason to worry about it.

Word-art that says, "I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then."

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’ll be rowing a full marathon on Sunday in the double with my husband, on the Chicago River. We have rowed the half-marathon there before, but this will be our first time doing the full course. The thought of it doesn’t seem as daunting as it would have a few years ago. I’ve found that as we do more, we quietly adjust our expectations to match.

Word-art that says, "She quietly expected great things to happen to her, and no doubt that's one of the reasons why they did." -Zelda Fitzgerald

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.”

My living room has been much improved this week with a new couch. I had been wanting to replace the old one for many years, as I mentioned in this 2016 post, but I never could get my husband interested in going to a furniture store to look at potential replacements. When our daughter put a pretty green armchair in a corner of our family room earlier this year, after she moved and couldn’t find space for the chair, it got me thinking about other possibilities.

Photo of chair with end table.

The idea that I couldn’t get a new couch without first dragging my husband to a store was long since out of date, I realized, in this age of online shopping. So, I visited the website where our daughter had bought the chair, picked out a couch that was available in the same color, asked my husband what he thought, and he was fine with ordering it. Easy peasy!

Photo of the new couch under my living room windows.

The old couch wasn’t in good enough condition to donate to a thrift store because of a broken spring, so it had to go to the county dump, alas. To give it a suitable farewell on this blog, with gratitude for its many years of faithful service, I took a photo of it among some rubble, awaiting its final resting place in the landfill.

Photo of my old couch at the dump.

My husband’s boat trailer got some use as a utility trailer to transport it. Kind of sad, as with letting anything go that has been around for many years; but we’ll definitely enjoy the new and improved living room.

Earlier today, my husband told me we’ll be going back to Boston again this October to compete in the Head of the Charles regatta. Our double had been waitlisted and finally rose to the top of the list. We’ve been doing some hard workouts in it this summer, going down to the boathouse to row after work even when it is broiling hot. So, we feel that we are well prepared.

I’m going to enjoy not having much to do over Labor Day, other than our usual Saturday and Monday workouts (every Sunday is an off day in our training plan). It should be nice and mellow. Wishing all readers a good long weekend of just being, also!

Word-art that says, "In today's rush we all think too much, seek too much, want too much, and forget about the joy of just Being." -Eckhart Tolle

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.”

August 28, 2024 · Write a comment · Categories: Musings · Tags:

I had mentioned in a post in March that I was looking for new dinnerware because I’d gotten a ceramic splinter from the chipped edge of a worn-out plate. My old Corelle set had lasted for many years, and some of the pieces were still in good condition, such as my teacups and saucers. But the pattern, called Old Town Blue, is no longer made, so I couldn’t just replace some of them unless I wanted to buy used. That wasn’t my preference; I wanted something new to bring fresh energy into my kitchen, but I also felt reluctant to let the old set go entirely.

Corelle is a much smaller company now, alas, with fewer choices. When I found a blue pattern that looked like a suitable replacement, it had only basic pieces and none of the platters, teacups, saucers, and other extra pieces that filled in my current set. Interestingly, though, the patterns were not identical. As a result, when I put the new set next to my old set, it was not an obvious mismatch. One of the pieces shown below came from the old set—can you tell which it is?

Photo of a white bowl and three plates with different blue patterns.

The large and medium plates are from the new set, as you probably guessed because their patterns are similar. The white bowl with the blue rim is also from the new set, and the small plate is the old pattern. So, it’s the best of both worlds; I kept the old pieces that were in good condition, while replacing the large and medium plates and the bowls (which were the most worn), and I got some “new stuff” energy.

The kitchen cabinet now looks like a much more cheerful place, which is why I tagged this post “Places.” I’m generally using that tag for posts about how my surroundings make me feel. What I have in mind is similar to feng shui decorating, also called the Chinese art of placement, in which items are carefully placed within and around a home to improve the occupants’ well-being. Sometimes I use the tag when I write about emotional imprints from places I visit. It reflects that I am still a work in progress, and my home and blog are too.

A feral cat got into the boathouse recently and had a litter of kittens under a workbench. When they were found, there was some confusion about what to do with them. One of our members, Jan Hill, capably took charge of the situation and made a comfy little nest for the kittens with an old laundry basket, a cardboard box, and some towels. Then she carried them outside carefully and put them where Mama Cat could find them, along with an open can of cat food. Mama found them right away, and I’m sure she enjoyed the food. A happy ending for all!

And here’s a cute cat story to go along with this post—hope you enjoy it:

Word-art that says, "Kitty creation story. During the first winter, humans struggled to keep warm. God decided to create a helper. The helper would be a space heater that could be kept on the lap or the end of the bed for warmth. God covered the little heater with soft fur that relieved stress when humans put their hands on it. Two bright eyes were added as windows to God's love, for the heater created warmth with a heart that loved without condition. And, if you listened closely, you could hear his motor run."

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.”