Simply Moments

 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 n...

   “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 ...

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...

The excruciating heat has made being outside unbearable and we kept putting off some major chores whilst waiting for cooler weather--that never comes--until suddenly realization hit that it was almost the end of August and the Summer work had barely been started. Last week we decided we couldn't wait any longer, regardless of heat, Hell or high water.  Now we're not only sanding/painting the very large back deck, but also digging a 30" deep by 20' long trench for our new bamboo privacy screening, and preparing a section of terracing for two new trees that need to get planted before too much more time goes zipping by.  And all this in temperatures that fry my brain, melt my resolve and cook my motivation. Today I have some time before the zucchini bread comes out of the oven, so rather than tax my addled wits, I'm just gonna post a few photos and call it good... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Last month when I got my birthday Buddha for the garden, I planted a ...

I had a meltdown on Tuesday. You know how you can just go along, outwardly acting like you've got it handled, you're in control because eventually,  this too shall pass,  even though internally there is turmoil you try to ignore or fight or pretend isn't really there?  But then, along comes some little, inconsequential thing that bursts open the floodgates and there's no stopping the torrent. I don't even remember what kicked it off. I'm not a crier.  It's just not in my playbook.  I'd much rather get mad than cry.  But holy tearjerker, Batman, on Tuesday over lunch, I totally lost the plot.  Burst into tears, ran from the room, sat on the floor in my closet and wailed like a scalded cat.  Poor Nick.  He gave me a few minutes, then came and sat down on the floor with me while Benny tried to lick my tears away.  Which made me cry harder as women are wont to do.  I tried to explain when Nick asked me what was wrong, but I really...

So relieved to have made it to August in--more or less--one piece... July was fraught with so many things, including temperatures that soared higher each day, eventually reaching into triple digits; a president who is so out of control it boggles my mind every single day; gestapo tactics against American citizens; virus counts climbing into the stratosphere with no end or leadership in sight; the appalling, selfish ignorance of my fellow human beings who have no regard for the safety and welfare of others.  And then a sudden, unexpected death in my family.  Seriously.  As if the past six months weren't bad enough, July just capped them all. This morning I realized, what with all the chaos and turmoil, that I haven't posted for weeks.  I've been trying to write at least once a week, but with the heat, the governmental angst, the plague, the family crisis...you get the picture.  Today is the first day in a month that I've taken a good, solid deep breath follow...