Simply Moments

Yesterday UPS dropped off this really heavy box of parts for Nick's drill press. It probably weighs twice as much as Benny's 13 lbs, however that didn't stop him one bit.  Ever since opening his Christmas presents, he thinks everything in a box is totally his...

I'm pretty sure 2020 will go down in history as one of the worst years ever.  With the pandemic, politics, and presidential incompetence, it was a never-ending Machiavellian drama of epic proportions.  To put it mildly. Yesterday I was going through my photo program and ended up looking at the entire year, month by month.  Some months didn't have many images, others--mostly Summer--had far too many.  It was a pictorial trip through the year, which I decided would be a good way to finish off the blog for 2020.  After all, a picture's worth a thousand words... January :  The only thing noteworthy was my orchid, which hadn't bloomed in five years, until by some miracle it finally did this month and ultimately went on to have six gorgeous flowers clear into May... February :  The virus news was just starting to worry everyone globally, but I don't think anyone ever expected what happened next.  Most of this month I took pictures of the early blossoming flowers as I look

Over the years I've collected, or been given, several very cool snow globes.  I always forget how wonderful they are until that moment when I unbox them at Christmas. I love the fun in shaking them to swirl the snow, then listening to the perfect tunes when I wind the musical key.  That's when I know it's Christmas... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nick shaved my head again last week. I asked him to just give me a trim as the April shave had finally grown out enough to be a bit wild and unruly.  We couldn't remember which trimmer attachment we'd used before, though I didn't want it shaved as close as last time because now it's Winter and I'd freeze without hair. We settled on the #5 attachment.  I asked him to start at my neck where it was really shaggy, though for some unknown reason he buzzed straight from the back of my neck to my forehead in one long swipe. Then there was a total, deep silence. I raised my head to see why he wasn't talking or moving.  Holy

Every January for the past seven years, Adriene Mishler, my yoga teacher, has started the new year with a 30-day challenge: yoga every day for the whole month.  This will be my third year and I'm really looking forward to the event. Each year's yoga journey has a theme: Home, Dedicate, True, etc.  This time it's Breath.  In the yoga world, breath is everything.  It can calm, invigorate, heal; it's the one thing we can control, that also keeps us alive and kicking.  Adriene has many practices on her YouTube channel and in every single one, she actively encourages listening to the breath; it's amazing really how effective it is to "find your breath" and use it. I would truly like to invite anyone reading to join in.  It's free, it's rewarding beyond measure, you don't need any experience and all you have to do is show up every day.  An added benefit is the thrill of getting to January 31st and realizing you actually did it!! Since January is shap

In my last post I mentioned how hard it had been to concentrate on anything of late, particularly reading a book, so I thought I would start out with a small thing, like poetry or a short story, sort of ease back into focusing.  And actually I managed to read a novella...yes, I read the whole thing!!  And okay, it was short, didn't take much effort, but whatever, I finished it and happily it appears my brain seems to be balancing out a tiny bit. So, feeling invigorated by my successful novella read, last Friday, I picked up a poetry anthology I've had for ages and decided to read whatever page the book opened up to. I generally read contemporary poetry--though the anthology covered a broad swath of poets--so I was curious what poem would be randomly given. Here it is, and isn't this just utterly compelling for 2020? “Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, The flying cloud, the frosty light; The year is dying in the night; Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.   Ring out th

I've been having some real trouble concentrating lately.  I've started at least half a dozen books but can't seem to get into them, even though three are authors I love and usually dive right in the minute their books are published.  It's frustrating and unnerving. Books have sustained me through highs and lows, ups and downs, single and coupled.  They have always been my escape, transporting me outside myself to new worlds and adventures.  When I can't read, I feel lost, like half of me is missing. This morning I happened across an article addressing this weirdness.  As the months go by and we're bombarded with fear and anxiety over the political turmoil, a virus sweeping out of control, unemployment...more and more people are feeling exactly as I am: they can't read anymore, nothing holds their attention, concentration is a thing of the past. Well, wow.  I was very relieved to find I wasn't losing the plot...or if I was, at least there were tons of ot

Recently I discovered an amazing YouTube personality: Li Ziqi , a young Chinese woman who has filmed the most incredible videos of her life in rural China.  She's not only beautifully elegant to watch, but there's nothing she can't do.  Literally.  I've watched her make the most mouth-watering food, often made in a giant wood-fired wok.  In fact, most of her cooking is either done in the wok or in various pots and clay ovens, all with fire.  She grows all her own food, raises her own chickens and geese for meat and eggs, builds bamboo fences, makes furniture and clothes, and grows fabulous gardens overflowing with food and flowers. In one episode she went out to gather mushrooms, then made her own leaf basket to carry them home!   The background music is soothing, relaxing and makes you just melt into watching her work and cook and garden.  She takes care of her ancient granny and often cooks for some of the elderly people nearby, taking them lovely baskets of food.  Sh

Oh. My. God.  Could we just drop that word from our vocabulary, from the dictionary, from our minds...from the lame duck's constant attempts to thwart democracy--aided by his self-serving Reptilians--as he endlessly spouts of conspiracy ? Imagine this:  Thousands of vote-counting volunteers, hundreds of election officials, a multitude of postal workers across the land...all working together in a single, coordinated movement to corrupt our election process.   Seriously?  It beggars belief that anyone could give credence to such a stunning absurdity, let alone support the person currently hustling to devolve our democracy into authoritarianism for his own gain.   And don't get me started on McConnell, the man who holds the puppet strings and is really running this country. Trump--with absolutely zero political experience--isn't capable of understanding, or frankly even caring, about the American people, a deadly virus, the environment, our allies.  No.  If it doesn't ben

I spent most of the past several days trying desperately not to succumb to hours and hours of reading the news, hearing the news, struggling with the news.   It was a solid week of Trump trash talk, inciting people with his endless parade of lies, his constant tweeting.  I particularly loved the one where Covid's been cured--as the numbers continue to climb into the stratosphere.  Or the one where he's already won the election and is preparing to celebrate at the White House tomorrow night. And let's not ignore the Texas highway attack where a dozen or so pickup trucks surrounded the Biden-Harris campaign bus and tried to run it off the road...followed by Trump tweeting: I Love Texas , and calling these idiots "patriots." I finally had to stop before my head exploded.  I'm now limiting myself to one hour of news per day.  I read the NY Times and the Guardian, then shut off my laptop, Kindle, phone and go do something else for the rest of the day, like keep my

 Trump said what...???

Yesterday I cast my vote.  In Oregon, we've been doing mail-in ballots for years, so for us, it's a familiar, simple and easy process.  However, with all the misinformation, voter suppression and outright lies about mail fraud, I wanted to hand-deliver my ballot...just to be on the safe side. We parked at the courthouse and even with the drop box right outside, I had already planned to go in and use the hall slot outside the County Clerk's office, but as I started to walk up the courthouse steps, the clerk and a fellow employee came out with large plastic mail tubs and began to empty the overflowing ballot box.  Woo hoo!!  Perfect timing.   When I gave the clerk our ballots, she asked if we'd signed the back of the envelopes and even after I said yes, she still checked.  I thanked her for the diligence. She said everyone's vote was important, especially this election; I agreed wholeheartedly and we bumped elbows and smiled--though when wearing a mask the only way to

Yesterday I wrote a lengthy post about the insanity of Trump, rising numbers of COVID, and the disastrous state of America right now, among other things.  I got interrupted before I could publish it, then got too busy and forgot to come back and finish. Deleted. It's just I'm so tired of all the craziness and lies and sheer, utter crap, constantly fighting off feelings of no hope, no relief, no cure for what ails not only my country, but the world in general. There seems to be no end in sight, or a better outcome other than imminent doom. However. I opened my email this morning, expecting nothing more than the usual nightmares, feeling the same despair I've had for months now, hearing the same rhetoric, reading more Bedlam blather...on and on. Instead. My sister sent me a picture of Finn , now almost 3 months old.  I laughed, my heart lifted a bit, and I had one of those "universe provides" moments.  Just when I needed it most, I was able to step away from the pr

 I've had the worst 10 days.  Nothing dramatic or catastrophic, just a seemingly endless barrage of bullshit and politics and divisiveness and brain-melting angst.  I struggle every single day to find some meaning to it all, and failing that, to find some way to stay positive in a negative climate; to not fall into the **Bog of Eternal Stench. To no avail.   I toss and turn, night after night, my mind railing against so many, many things.  What kind of world are we living in, people?  Hate and war, internet trolls and constant shaming, vitriol and racial injustice, brutality and lunacy, climate change and ignorance. We woke up to thick, choking smoke yesterday morning.  After several days of fresh air, even a little bit of rain, we're back to zero visibility and breathing issues.  It's also hot, in the 90*s and muggy so it's a misery to have the house shut up to keep the smoke out.  The air is yellow and acrid.  Is this truly the new reality? The presidential debate--b

   “People ask me sometimes… ‘When will there be enough women on the court?’ And my answer is: ‘When there are nine.’ People are shocked. But there’d been nine men, and nobody’s ever raised a question about that." Ruth Bader Ginsburg March 15, 1933 - September 18, 2020 Losing such a dynamic, dedicated, intelligent woman is yet another blow in this crap year.   All that's left now is an alien invasion.   Beam me up, Scotty...seriously.

In the midst of all the chaos: virus, wildfires, politics, my sister and her husband decided to get a new dog.  Cooper, their adorable Jack Russell, had passed away in early January and the emptiness of not having a dog around the house got them looking for a new puppy a few months ago. The breed they chose was a mini Aussie Shepherd and after much searching, they found a breeder and picked out their wee boy.  Sadly, just before they were due to pick up the puppy, three pups from the litter were discovered to have muscular hypertonicity and theirs was one of the affected.  So, after some tears and a week or so later, they found another breeder, closer to home, with puppies just a week younger than the original. They had to wait from early August to mid-September but just when they were getting close, the wildfires exploded in Oregon.  The breeder was right in the fire zone, people getting evacuated, houses burning.  She called my sister, asked her if they could come right now, and las

Yesterday we went to Lowe's to get the last bits to finish the bamboo screening project--a project that turned out perfect, other than working in blistering heat and Nick having to dig a trench big enough to stuff a Great Baboon into.  It was a grueling 6 days, but wow, one major chore almost completed...woo hoo. So, it's very hot at Lowe's, heading towards 90*+, with clear, endless  boring blue skies.  When we got home, the humidity was soul-sucking and we decided to pause, have lunch and cool off before tackling the stone work around the bamboo. Lunch over, tea made, we're having a rare relaxing hour when Nick says, "Is it getting dark or is my eyesight going?"  Suddenly I realize that yes, the usual glaring bright light of the sun has dimmed considerably.  Nick thinks maybe we're getting an unexpected thunderstorm so we go out on the front porch to check it out...and honestly, I couldn't believe my eyes... An enormous fiery cloud was rolling toward