Tag: just goofing around

Sunday’s Wandering Thoughts

I’m at the coffee shop. For a period, I was the sole customer sitting at a table. Seeing the empty chairs reminded me of regulars who I haven’t seen in a while.

I wonder, what happened to Patty? She was homeless but welcomed here. She kept to herself but I know from overheard conversations that she had a support group helping her, and she’d gotten a job. I hope she’s off the streets and okay.

Austin is another I wonder about. I haven’t seen him since my return at the end of May. He disappeared for a while last year. Always sporting his backpack, I used to see him wandering the city. There’s been no recent sightings.

The third missing regular is Bob. Bob, older, retired teacher and athlete, was succumbing to hip and knee problems. He was nearing 80, I think, and looking tired when I last saw him. Maybe he’s just recovering somewhere.

That’s the thing about seeing regulars and becoming familiar with a small slice of their habits. They’re not an open book. Their story is rarely fully learned by casual observers like me.

But then, that’s true with most of the people we regularly encounter, isn’t it? Cashiers and servers, students and coffee drinkers, we’re a momentary presence in others’ lives.

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The Finished Puzzle

Not a Wysocki, but a Buffalo offering, started at the beach in Waldport, finished in Ashlandia in August.

You can tell from the shadows and textures that this isn’t a Wysocki. He always kept it neat and simple.

We always start with the edges, so we had that done, and then finished it up to the top of the house while we were in Waldport. Then we used our La vie vert Puzzle Mat to roll it up and bring it home. The mat worked as expected, and no breaks or losses were experienced.

Lots of great focal points. We started with the Torpedo up front and the fishing boat to its right and the dog on the dock. After completing them, we attacked the flag pole, hammock and chairs. Next up were the truck and boat beside the house, and then the house.

Lot of fun.

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Wednesday’s Wandering Thoughts

I’m walking around on a writing break. The right side of my sinuses are unhappy. A little clear fluid from my nostril keeps me dabbing it. There’s pain in the sinus.

I’m considering the views as I walk. Sheer curtains of off-color air are being lowered over the brown mountains across the valley on the north and the tall, green-filled southern mountains.

Back at my computer, I blow my nose and check Purpleair. Yes, we’ve gone from ‘good’ numbers into the triple digit territory of ‘bad air that’s unkind to sensitive people.’ I paraphrase.

Depressing. We’d been on a such a good run. What’s causing this new issue? There’s a smell out there assaulting me.

I read that an air quality warning was issued just before 11 AM. We’re already under a high heat warning.

The day is turning a corner and going in an ugly direction.

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Tuesday’s Wandering Thoughts

‘Five minutes’ has changed for my wife and I as we age. It used to be that we’d say, “I’ll be ready in five minutes,” and five minutes later, it was so.

No longer. First, time is faster for us now that we’re older. Happens to most people as they age. What used to take place in five minutes now consumes fifteen minutes. It’s freakin’ amazing. I’ve seen it happen with my mother. She used to say, “I’ll be ready in about fifteen minutes.” That fifteen minutes is now a lot longer.

We face it, too, that, like Mom, we no longer move with young eagerness. We move slower and more carefully. A more leisurely path is followed to dress and prepare to go out. Because we’re at the point in life where we don’t feel a need to hurry, and our bodies agree, slow down, take your time. So, if we tell you that we’ll be ready in about five minutes, have a seat.

It might be a little longer.

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The Truth

I read part of an email about a Costco sale to my wife. “Want me to forward this to you?” I asked.

“Yes, sure, go ahead.”

I did. A few minutes later, she read the same part of the email to me.

I asked, “Do you remember me reading that to you right before I sent it to you?”

She gave me an abashed look flavored with a little alarm and shame.

I said, “You quit listening to me, didn’t you?”

“Well, you go on and on sometimes.”

We both laughed. What else could I do? The truth was staring me in the face.

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Friday’s Wandering Thoughts

I feel terrific. Yes, I have a mild, unproductive, intermittent cough. My eyes feel little hot. I’m dealing with some congestion. My right foot is swollen. So is my left, but that’s just edema I must deal with. My right ankle is sore and suspect, but I’m adjusting to life like that. Ditto with my bloated feeling.

No, the problem today is that I feel terrific. I have high energy levels. I’m optimistic. So, I want to know from my body, from my physical being, What are you up to? Why do I feel this way.

See, I just don’t trust my body any longer. It gives up on unusual things at surprising moments, like putting on underwear. So when it feels ‘good’ and I’m upbeat, I want to know, What’s going on?

My body is up to something. Setting me up to be less alert so it can take me down.

Because that’s the way my body is these days.

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Slide

The beginning of the week was cool as summer got lazy. Without anyone noticing, autumn stole in and painted a few trees with red and gold.

The change is underway, different and the same from every other year.

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Today’s Wandering Thoughts

I‘m suffering from usedtoitis today. You may have experienced usedtoitis at some time in your own life. It’s when you start thinking about how it used to be for you and how matters have changed.

Mine is a minor flare up. My wife’s comments to her friend as I was sitting there triggered it. My wife said, “Oh, Michael used to have such pretty curly hair,” and, “Michael used to have such gorgeous sexy legs,” and, “Michael used to be so muscular and skinny.”

Sure, the Positive Neurons chide me, “Hey, at least you were like that once and there was a person who appreciated it.”

The Curmudgeon Neurons reply, “Screw you.”

It ain’t easy going through the aging changes.

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Tuesday’s Wandering Thoughts

I was standing in the Pacific Ocean. Waves break before me. Swirling waters rush around my calves and shoot up the beach.

It’s amazing to be there, contemplating the waves, thinking about history and science, and the forces creating the waves.

That’s why the word ‘trippy’ was invented. This was trippy.

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