Sunflower art

Of course I had to play around with my apps...

Sunflowers

“Who knows what may lie around the next corner? There may be a window somewhere ahead. It may look out on a field of sunflowers.”   Joe Hill

When I saw this quote it had quite an impact on me. I know this is such a difficult time for so many people right now. We are living through a once in a lifetime pandemic with danger of Corona virus spread that scares us to gather together. Every day we are bombarded with political news with energy of hate projected. It is just before an important election and tempers are flaring. We are so inundated in the everyday that the future seems unimaginable. This quote grounded me. This too shall pass. Sometime it will come to an end. How our world will look afterwards is a mystery. It is hard to have optimism. But the quote made me realize that a better world is possible. 

Don and I took a ride yesterday to a nearby field of sunflowers. It was a hot day..ninety two degrees..and the field was about a half hour away. Lucky for us there was an ice cream stand right next door to the sunflower field where we sat in the shade and enjoyed a treat. 

This sign was hanging on the wall outside the ice cream store. I loved it.

This sunflower fascinated me. Pictures of sunflowers in full bloom are everywhere but I had never seen one just budding. 

Hello sun

“Hello sun in my face.  Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields...Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness.”  

   —-Mary Oliver

It is the waning days of summer. We are experiencing a very hot spell with no rain in sight. This has been an especially hot dry summer. I think I will always remember the summer of 2020 as the hot summer that I stayed home. There has been no vacation, no family visits, no eating out or going to the movies. 

  But yet I have enjoyed this summer. Maybe this time is to teach me something. How to slow down, relax, and make the most of my circumstances. I have taken the time to play the piano, paint some pictures, learn to ride an electric bicycle, cook more, and enjoy my gardens and home. 

    And there are more new things I want to do. I want to take more pictures with my phone and use apps to make them into paintings. I want to go on a picnic before the summer winds down. I want to inspired to create more art. I want to go through my old photos and create a small album that highlights my life. I want to organize my jewelry and save just the pieces that mean something to me. I want to craft by making decals to put on glass. I want to visit an antique mall. 

    And so my life marches on. This winter of my life doesn’t feel like winter. In my heart it is spring.

What are you watching?

In a recent segment on NPR, media psychologist Pamela Rutledge shared why more and more of us are watching “comfort” television. Referring to shows from the past that we know the endings to, know the rhythm of the plot, the characters, etc., as a way of counteracting the uncertainty that is roiling in our lives.

Are you finding that you are watching more tv these days than usual?  It isn’t surprising considering that we are spending a lot more time at home during the .corona virus crisis.  Watching tv can be a distraction from the crazy things that are happening in politics and divert us from the constant rising numbers of deaths in the United States and worldwide. Sometimes I gravitate to old shows like West Wing...now there was a president!  And I have watched the Australian series Wonderland three times already..and I rarely repeat shows. 

   On the other hand it is summer and a lot of our favorite programs have been over for quite a while and because of the virus they stopped production on new episodes. So we fall back onto reruns, new programs that we hunt out or streaming. I seem to find that there is only one show a night...besides Jeopardy...that I watch. The rest of the time I am streaming.  

    Don and I find we are liking the British shows once on PBS that are on Netflix.  Currently we are watching Broadchurch, a murder mystery. 

What are you watching these days?

Some advice

It’s a wonderful feeling...having all you need and feeling blessed. Even in this time of discontentment I find warmth in just being at home. My house is my refuge. It’s a place of peace and joy. I have stayed at home more in the last six months than I have ever done. I love traveling and visiting and get great wanderlust. Now I am making the choice to stay in my little bubble of safety. And I have found that my needs are so simple now. A cup of tea becomes a ritual. Playing the piano soothes the nerves. Sitting on the porch swing with a book is relaxing. I don’t need anything more.

Happy

“If you have a body, you are entitled to the full range of feelings. It comes with the package.”
― Anne Lamott, Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith

Up and down I go on the Coronacoaster. On any given day I can be euphoric and full of energy or down in a chair feeling dumpy. THere are days I miss my grandchildren so much I could cry. There are other days that seem more like pre Covid normal. I keep busy and hardy ever get bored. But I am not doing normal summer activities and for an extrovert that’s hard. I love get togethers and entertaining and there hasn’t been any of that. I know a lot of people are ignoring the mandate to not gather but I won’t take my life that frivolously. I won’t even let my family visit hardly at all. I am coping but not liking this new way of life. 

There is a happy note though. 

I ordered an electric bicycle called Sol in May. It took a long time to get here. It is made in Sweden and sold by Blix in California. I haven’t ridden a bike in a long time and wasn’t sure how I would do. This bike lets you ride as normal, have a little or a lot of pedal assist, or goes with just a throttle like a motorbike. It came in a huge box and I have to admit that it wasn’t that hard to put together but we had a little trouble figuring it out. It didn’t help that it was almost ninety degrees outside. Don can’t be out in the heat very long so we had to take many periods of rest in the house. Today I got the tires pumped up and took it out on the road in front of our house. We have very little traffic on the road and I decided to just practice riding it just like I would a regular bike. I only went up and down the lane for a few times just to get a feel about it. I will practice and practice and learn to use the electronics. I hope that this will give me some freedom to get outside and ride. 

It’s been awhile

Hello my faithful reader. I know it has been a while since I posted last Saturday. I’m on the Corona Coaster with one day up and another down. I don’t seem to have a lot to write about these days so I find myself not wanting to blog. I know you will forgive me. 

    My mornings are spent in a routine. Get up at seven, walk at 8, coffee with friends at 9. Once a week a trip to the grocery store. In between hours are spend tending to the garden, reading, watching tv or household chores. The sameness of the days is getting pretty boring (which is not a term I have ever used before about myself). Last night Don and I went out to dinner for the first time in six months. We really enjoyed this semi normal activity. 

   I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my electric bike the Blix Sol. I ordered it in May and it is finally shipped due to arrive on Tuesday. I haven’t ridden a bike in a long time but this one has a motor which gives pedal assist or you can use the throttle and just let it ride you along. I wanted to have an activity that I would enjoy and get me out of the house. 

   Here are some pictures of my last walk on the University trail. I am so lucky to have two trails fairly close to my house. 

Sold

The boat is sold. I put an online ad in Facebook and within hours we got messages. One guy came to see it and bought it. He came back today and drove it off. We were happy ( we hated to see it just sit there unused) but sad (a lot of memories were driving away down the road). We are entering a different phase of our life. Don’s COPD is getting worse and he is not able to walk very far without losing his breath. It limits what we can do. 

  

Do you remember these little horses and men? It was a blast from the past when we saw a box full of these at a small flea market. When I was young these were my toys of choice. Each man (and horse) had a name and our imaginations ran wild. In those days westerns on black and white TVs were very popular. 

How is Covid treating you these days? I am still staying at home most of the time. There is a weekly trip to the grocery store and daily coffee in only one restaurant each day with friends. A walk each morning for a mile with my girlfriend. I must admit I am lamenting for the life I’ve lost and want to get back to normal soon.