Thanks, Dagmar I am dreading this evening when all 4 of the dogs will probably be frightened by the firecrackers going off. We are setting up to be able to have them all in the house. I think the county is cracking down more on the illegal fireworks because of the high fire danger, but in this area we always have some.
Thanks, Dagmar I am dreading this evening when all 4 of the dogs will probably be frightened by the firecrackers going off. We are setting up to be able to have them all in the house. I think the county is cracking down more on the illegal fireworks because of the high fire danger, but in this area we always have some.
I hope your dogs were OK last night. I really miss the large fireworks displays put on by the City twice a year - victims of the pandemic the last 2 years - but I totally get how people setting off fireworks for long stretches of time and on consecutive nights can get old really quickly.
I am starting to feel like I can live again. After what seems like the longest lockdown in the free world Toronto is starting to come back to life. Full life, with events, crowds, malls, public transit, and everything that makes living in a large city wonderful.
I have tickets to 3 concerts - in November and December - and am looking forward to rejoining the Art Gallery of Ontario and using my new Metro Zoo member ship ASAP. I also can't wait for movie theatres to restart movies on large screens and am looking forward to going to the ballet and to art shows.
I watched nature's "fireworks" this morning from my client's deck. The lightning over the lake was spectacular and the storm so distant that the thunder was barely discernible. She has powered awnings so I was able to sit in the storm and drink my coffee while remaining dry.
That's what I'd do if I were wealthy - get stuff that makes life really easy and functional without accumulating clutter.
The house across and down the street from hers - hers is right on the bluffs overlooking the lake - has a magnificent lake view too but much less of an erosion problem than her property. Listing for $1.4 million. Getting my lottery ticket today.
Another weekend, and this time quieter. The hurricane came by, but the center was out in the Gulf. We got rain all night long and the ground was saturated. Our retention ponds were almost full.
I've been trying to get caught up on some cleaning that I've let go. But I'm trying to remember that cleaning is not the most important thing that I do--just a necessary thing.
Maybe you all have heard the story about the professor demonstrating something about time management to his class. I'll try to be brief--the basics are that he has a big glass jar. He puts some good-sized rocks into it, as many as he can fit, and asks the class if it's full. Some say yes, some say no. Then he adds some pebbles, which clatter down around the rocks. Is it full now? Most now say no. Then he adds sand. Finally he adds water. Now it's clear that the jar is full. He asks, "What does this demonstration tell us?" One student says, "No matter how busy your day is, you can always fit more in." The professor says "No, that's not it. What this shows us is that if you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."
We all can identify our own big rocks. Maybe it's exercise, or writing, or meditating, or talking with friends or family. Maybe at work it's the projects that will take the most time. In some cases, it might even be cleaning! Whatever the case, those big rocks need to be first--not "after" we do all the pesky little activities that eat up our time.
Got our "get out of COVID jail" celebration menu ready. Steak, green salad, potato scallion bread, Japanese cheescake with home made blueberry syrup, and Moet et Chandon.
A client gave me the champagne several years ago as a Christmas gift. Hubby is a beer and scotch guy and I no longer drink alcohol. I was going to give the champers away but COVID happened.
I love your time management story, JayEll! And totally agree that cleaning is not one of the "big rocks". But sometimes it is a satisfying activity, especially when it's too hot to be outside. Sure wish we could average out your weather and my weather!!
Dagmar, enjoy your end of Covid celebration! It sounds delicious.
I went hiking with my overly chatty friend Janet. The fourth time she told me what a nice person I am, I said "Janet, quit telling me I'm a nice person." She replied "Oh, but you ARE a nice person!"
Just weighed myself for July. Bad scale, BAD SCALE.
I have to go back to weighing and measuring my food for awhile. SIGH. No weight loss is gonna happen any other way. It works. It's tedious but it works.
Holy cr*p! We are officially opening up today. I'm so excited I want to do everything at once!
I saw this funny thing on Facebook awhile ago: "You are not alive just to pay bills and lose weight."
Life is pretty normal here now. Nothing seems to be any big deal anymore, although the news media are still trying to generate fear and excitement.
I put new blog posts on my website every couple of weeks, and a few people drop by and read them.
Alice, I'm not going to say it! I had a friend like that. Went on a trip with her and she didn't stop talking for the first 24 hours, I swear.
Dagmar, I hope you are having a good time! Do you feel anxious about not having a mask on? I did, for a while. Of course, some places still require them, like doctor's offices and other medical facilities.
Dagmar, I hope you are having a good time! Do you feel anxious about not having a mask on? I did, for a while. Of course, some places still require them, like doctor's offices and other medical facilities.
We still are asked to wear masks just about everywhere inside. Not a problem for me.
I spent two wonderfully cool nights at a campground in the eastern Sierras out of Big Pine. On Wednesday I hiked to five different lakes. Beautiful! And a view of the Palisade Glacier. Now I'm home in the heat again. Ugh.
Alice, do you know the author Mary Hunter Austin? She was a nature writer who wrote about the Owens Valley, long ago. Her best known book is Land of Little Rain. I found it at my local public library.
I am dreading this evening when all 4 of the dogs will probably be frightened by the firecrackers going off. We are setting up to be able to have them all in the house. I think the county is cracking down more on the illegal fireworks because of the high fire danger, but in this area we always have some.
I had a friend like that. Went on a trip with her and she didn't stop talking for the first 24 hours, I swear. 
