Meg Evans

After coming home from Chattanooga, which was hot and humid on Saturday, the change of seasons felt very sudden. Rain blew into Ohio, bringing a chilly week overcast with heavy, dark clouds. I have to admit I wasn’t excited to see summer disappear so quickly. But this afternoon, when my husband and I went outdoors, the sky cleared just as suddenly, changing to the crisp brightness of autumn.

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 husband and I rowed our double in the Chicago River half-marathon early Sunday morning. The course goes through downtown Chicago and turns around where the river opens out to Lake Michigan. For us, it’s just a sightseeing row, as there are many faster crews.

We’re traveling again this weekend for the Tennessee Gorge row in Chattanooga, which is another long sunrise row. I have to admit it’s not always easy to keep up with my husband’s Energizer Bunny level of activity, but it’s good for me anyway, even when it takes a little time to recover.

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.”

This has been a week of afternoon storms rolling through, which has made things feel rushed because there isn’t as much time after work to row on the river when sunset is getting earlier. Checking the weather forecast isn’t very useful because scattered storms could be anywhere.

Today we hurried out even though we had more work to do later, trying to get out when the weather was best. The river was calm, the air was fresh, and although it was overcast and there were a few sprinkles here and there, I didn’t mind because they felt cool and refreshing. After rowing for a while, I had almost forgotten those hectic workday feelings; they drifted away like the fallen leaves in the current.

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’ve had a pretty mellow week so far. My new laptop is functioning properly now, last week’s heap of work has been sorted, the overtime for it will be in my pay tomorrow, and the long weekend is almost here.

I didn’t even mind doing my rowing workouts in the broiling sun this week because that’s better than thunderstorms and having to stay indoors. Turtles were soaking up the sunshine on logs beside the river, enjoying the last days of summer. They had the right idea!

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’ve had a rather stressful week because several people in my workgroup, including me, have been issued new laptops with some sort of configuration problem that hasn’t yet been solved. So, I am still working on my old computer, with frequent distractions while discussing the new machine’s issues with tech support. Meanwhile, other people have been temporarily reassigned to another project, another coworker is out for a long weekend, and heaps of work are piling up.

But, on the bright side, there is overtime pay, and I had a lovely sunset row with my husband this evening in our new singles, so I’m feeling pretty cheerful right now.

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.”

A sunny Thursday after more than a week of storms was great to see. The river was still high today because of last night’s rain, but now it’s starting to look like we are getting back to regular summer days with sunshine and less humidity. I’m looking forward to enjoying a pleasant weekend. Wishing everyone the same!

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.”

This has been a week of ferocious thunderstorms. My backyard is so soggy that the lawn service company couldn’t do the scheduled service. The river is too high for rowing; we hurried out after work on Tuesday, when the water was rising and it was still possible to row, but the river was full of mud and small branches, so all we could do was paddle slowly and carefully.

Today and Wednesday there wasn’t much to do but stay in and do our workouts on the rowing machine in the hot and humid basement. Oh, well, it’s peaceful to sit quietly and listen to the rain after the thunder and lightning have passed over. Nothing to worry about!

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.”

In addition to posting Nurturing Thursday entries on my blog, I also send Nurturing Thursday messages (different ones) to my coworkers via email. Today, I almost forgot, and sent my email at the end of the workday. So, for my blog, I decided a reminder theme would suit.

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 had a quiet and relaxing workday, feeling comfortable in my home office with my husband sitting at his desk across the room. After work, we enjoyed a lovely summer evening, perfect for rowing singles. The sky was clear, and the setting sun glittered on the water. A heron was standing on the dock, quite unafraid, as we came back in. By the end of the day, my soul felt much refreshed.

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’m traveling again this week for the last rowing regatta of my spring/summer season, a relatively short drive north to Michigan. The weather forecast calls for hot and mostly sunny days. The races are held on a lake, and I hope it will be calmer than last year’s windy conditions. But if not, my husband and I feel more confident regardless, and we plan to enjoy whatever comes.

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.”