Category Archives: My Life

Taking The High Road

26 Replies

It all started here many years ago.

San Francisco From Above by Steve Jurvetson on Flickr.com

I was born in San Francisco and I still feel a connection to this city. My husband talked me into moving to the Los Angeles area after I graduated from college and we have lived in Southern California ever since then. Our kids grew up here near LA. Now we are starting a new stage in a new location that is very different to what came before. We have discovered many things with our move. We have signed up with a new internet, TV, and cell phone provider. I learned, after several hours and several calls to the new and old providers, how to activate our phones and transfer our important information from our old phones to the new ones. We found out we are capable of moving large objects and heavy boxes. Working as a team we moved a metal storage cabinet and table from our front door to the garage, bookcases from the living room to the office. I am getting in my weight bearing exercise every day. I am making decisions on where to store things in the kitchen cupboards, above or below. Some of the shelves are high up and require a ladder to reach them. So stuff we don’t use as often is delegated to the high shelves. We are making progress but still have a ways to go before we are done. We have started to meet our new neighbors. Here is one we met the other day:

Roadrunner image via Death Valley National Park Service

A roadrunner was crossing the street in front of my car. So exciting to see it. I am glad I was able to stop and let it pass safely.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is ‘above/below’.

Winning Flag

10 Replies

We made our big move earlier this week but we’re not at the finish line quite yet. We are progressing in increments. We have a garage full of boxes but I am ok with them occupying their present location until we are ready to bring them into the house, one by one. Today I was in the garage identifying the candidates that were the first to move in. I am glad I did label a lot them with their contents, like silverware, kitchen, dishes, utensils, shoes….you get the idea. Would hate to have to open them all to find out what is in them. The ones that aren’t labeled will have to be a surprise.

In addition to boxes, I have large bags under my eyes. Hope to get rid of both soon.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt word for today is ‘flag.’ Featured image of ‘Race Flags’ by Dimitris Vetsikas on Pixabay.com

Moving Day

12 Replies

I thought I was too busy to write anything but here is a short note. The beginning of the next chapter. We are leaving our home of 30 years and moving to a smaller house. It is the end of one story and the start of another. I’m pretty tired with all the packing. I am the queen of bubble wrap. Next we will start over in reverse and unpack everything. It will take a few weeks to get settled and feel relaxed again. Need to get the internet hooked up and the TV. We were sent a ‘kit’ from the company we are using for internet, cell phone, and TV. The young woman I spoke with from their business office said it would be easy for us to follow the instructions. I’ll let you know how it goes. Right now have to get some sleep.

Making the big move this weekend and tumbling off to the desert. Be back on my blog soon.

Image by BilliTheCat on Pixabay.com

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt today is “the beginning, the end.”

Tres Fatigue

12 Replies

For our SOCS prompt today we were to “open a book, a newspaper, or whatever is handy and close your eyes and point. Whatever word or picture your finger lands on, make that the basis of your SoCS/JusJoJan post.” I have a book of short writings on self-care. The one for January 22 is ‘Listen to Fatigue.’

I mentioned in my past post that I’m in the process of moving to another house. ‘We are downsizing,’ she said hopefully. In reality, I think we are taking everything with us to a smaller house. Packing up is tiring. One member of this couple has a very hard time letting go of stuff and it’s not me. Oh well, if I am being honest, I would say I have a hard time letting go of some of the stuff. As a result we are taking a lot of stuff to our new place. Today we made an extra trip to the desert to drop off some of it. We made the round trip in one day and I am pooped. On the positive side, it was good getting out of the house and seeing the sky, clouds, hills, and mountains. I have been spending most of my time indoors and have missed out on seeing nature. The beauty of nature always restores me. That and getting some sleep. Good night.

‘Lone Cypress’ (17 mile drive Pebble Beach, California) by Anita Ritenour on Flickr.com

Above is a scene from another very beautiful drive.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill.

Featured image ‘Tired’ by Christian Krohg via wikimedia.org

My Corner Of The World

16 Replies

In my corner of the world we are told we are now an epicenter of the pandemic. I read in the LA Times every day now that our hospitals are overcapacity with people waiting to get in. I stay sheltered in place pretty much receiving grocery deliveries at my door which I have done for months. I feel fortunate that I can stay at home and have been able to avoid infection up to now. Yet there are people who still refuse to take this seriously. I can understand the fatigue with it all. We started the first lockdown in March. When you can’t see the virus affecting people close to you it is easy to deny it is a threat. We all want to say it is a New Year and the pandemic is behind us. It isn’t behind us yet.

by Zakhx150 on Wikimedia.org

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is ‘in the corner.’

Magnetic Fields

9 Replies
Aurora Borealis by nikolaytman90 on Pixabay.com
Fridge Magnets by Mervat Salman on Wikimedia.org
Magnet at the Exploratorium Museum in San Francisco by Ariel Glenn on Wikimedia.org
Magnetic field of bar magnets by Alexander Wilmer Duff (1916)
Dictionary image via PDPics on Pixabay.com
‘The Detective’ by József Rippl-Rónai (1861–1927) via wikipedia.org
‘The Kiss’ by Edvard Munch

Things I’m drawn to like nature, a bit of kitsch, science, words, mystery, and romance.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. Today’s prompt is ‘magnet.’

Mini Doses Of Wonder

13 Replies

I find some relief from the bad news and stress in nature films. They remind me that there is much I do not know about this world and there is so much beauty in it. Here is one.

Rainbow Blanket Octopuses filmed in Philippines

And still one of my favorites:

Flapjack Octopus filmed by EV Nautilus in California
Filmed by Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Monterey Bay Aquarium has videos from their mini-subs and films from around the aquarium for meditation and relaxation. They call them MeditOceans.

Here’s one with Sea Nettle Jellyfish.

From Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, miraculous:

I think I need to look at these nature videos daily at least.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is ‘mini/maxi.’

 

Top Of My Wish List

13 Replies

At the top of my list is good health for myself and my family. I know I am not unique in this. It has been given priority with all the threats to our health this year, the loss of my brother to COVID, and recently a family member has been very ill, (not with COVID). I have been listing around the house from the stress and fatigue. Things are looking better and I hope it keeps going in this direction. 

Hope we all get through the next months in good health until we can receive the vaccine. May our New Year be healthy and see a return to life as we knew it before this terrible time started.

 

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is ‘list.’ Image of ‘Wish Tree’ by Regina Basaran on Pixabay.com

Ring Bell

11 Replies

‘Ring the bell, and leave it at the door.’ That was my online instruction for the pizza delivery. It is called contactless delivery. We receive most deliveries that way now. No contact. When I do open the door, brief thank yous and well wishes are exchanged through our masks. 

 

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is ‘ring.’ Featured image of Door Bell by cocoparisienne on Pixabay.com

Hope Du Jour

9 Replies

I am not up to writing too much because I am tired, pooped. Want to keep calm. I have been watching so much CNN. In the middle of a pandemic we’re having our Presidential election. It is great that so many people voted. Now we just need to hang on until the winner is declared. It would help if some people did not act crazy, including our current President.

I have been reading a book before I go to sleep every night. Sometimes I get too tired to read very much. It’s ‘Hope Dies Last, Keeping the Faith in Difficult Times,’ by Studs Terkel. In in he talks with people from all over the country, some famous others not, and tells their inspirational stories. This book was published in 2003. Terkel died in 2008. I had forgotten I had the book and discovered it in a box tucked away in the garage. The title called to me because we are going through difficult times now. I helps to read about other humans who have met challenges with courage. It helps me believe that we will get through this.

 

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt word for today is ‘jour.’ Featured image ‘Sunrays’ by Richard Banton on Flickr.com