06/2020 Saturday

Hello all ! The enormity of Covid and senseless death, rioting, talk of defunding police overwhelmed me and I had to unplug for a few days. Liz...emotional energy low was an apt description. I think many people were truly struggling and this latest upheaval doesn't help. I'm used to being a leader who can rise above the gloom and doom and focus on collaboration and moving forward in a positive way. That void in our country is deafeningly loud right now, and I just have to provide that for myself. DH has been challenging as well. Our world in general, PTSD and two, three month recoveries with major restrictions have increased frustration and dissatisfaction. Watching me mow, and take care of the outside and inside is hard for him. When he overdoes, the pain builds. He had a major melt down the other night because I told him we were having beef patties and stir fry for dinner, and then because I didn't want to dirty a second pan, I crumbled the ground beef and made it in one pan. When he acted like he was aggrieved, I went for a little Food Channel humor and told him it was a deconstructed burger, but... no go. Enough Debbie Downer !

DD, your kayaking sounds lovely ! DH and I plan to get our paddle boards on the water today, if I can find our wetsuits (water temp still in 60's). BB, I loved your I have no deadline ! Peps, your eating what I like to promote health v. eating what I should was a good reminder for me. DD, Peps and Liz, your thoughts on boundaries helped me too. Ceci.. thanks for the double sided tape idea. Are you missing Michigan ? David, I never really thought about the food source influencing the taste of honey, but it makes total sense. Shirl, have a great weekend with BFF. Sorry to anyone I missed.

Diane, unplugging when it gets overwhelming is absolutely the right thing to do. Tensions are high everywhere but especially tough when they are both in the world and inside your home. Thanks for knowing the date. Yesterday my starting post initially said January

Weight 120.4, WW Bluepoints 26. There was wine at the neighbors deck party but for once I didn't overeat as a result of it. We agreed to do this every two weeks for now. It was great socializing in person. It felt NORMAL.

Nephew and fiancé are finally setting up the zoom to announce the pregnancy. At least they have asked when people are available. Yeah!

Today looks like it will be gloomy so I think I will be sewing slipcovers as long as my back holds out. I pulled something cutting brush in the yard the other day. I hate getting old.

Stay safe and healthy!

Watch out for that brush Liz, it fights back. That's how I broke my hand last summer.

The world is overwhelming these days. I saw a meme of a woman, squinting, looking into the distance and it said, just checking to see what chapter of revelations we're in today. I laughed so hard. In the midst of all this, hope begins. Minneapolis City Council just passed an ordinance that chokeholds are illegal. Boom. Step by step...

Kayaking was so fun. I've never paddled my own before. DH and I rented a double kayak once, but that was it. We canoe a lot, which I love, and I wasn't sure I would like kayaking as much, because we wouldn't be in the same boat, so to speak. But it turns out we could paddle side by side and chat. Once we paddled away from the launch, we never saw another person. We did see lots of birds, including a bald eagle. I'm looking forward to exploring more lakes.

Tonight we go to a big band drive in concert. I'm not sure what to expect, but we thought we'd give it a try.

Doesn't it blow your mind that chokeholds aren't illegal for police to use EVERYWHERE?

I saw the police chief of Houston being interviewed. He is held up as an example of good reforms. He is adamant that there is no place for chokeholds or any other restraints that involve contact with someone's neck. I guess in Minneapolis, it wasn't enough to say, "this is not part of our training". Prohibition is required.

I have 2 kayaks and DH and I used to wheel them down to our pond around the corner. We would also throw them on the car and paddle on rivers or protected bays in the area. We really enjoyed it too.

I was thinking about how overwhelming all of this is, and how to approach it. I know I'll never be the one who starts a food shelf, or goes to the border to document the atrocities in the detention centers. (Although I am privileged to have young friends who do). So I come back to one of my favorite quotes and a guiding principle for how I want to live my life. Do small things with great love. ~ Mother Teresa.

Every act of kindness, of justice, can have a ripple. For example, whenever we eat out, if there is a comment card, I always fill it out in the affirmative, if the service was anywhere near competent. It feels so good to leave some kind words behind in addition to the tip. And now I will make doubly sure to do that if the person helping me is a person of color. It can only help to lift them up to their employers. Sometimes I'm ready for the big fight. Sometimes I am depleted. The opportunity to do small acts with great love can still leave the world a better place.

Greetings My Friends

Sorry to be AWOL. I am doing nothing of significance. Well ok I did go to the cardiologist Thursday. The tachycardia I have is not serious and probably warrants no treatment. He told me a couple of ways to stop it if it starts like push into my neck or cough. A cardio lite stress test is ordered for july. The worst part is NO COFFEE for 24 hours. They give some drug to push your heart. Oh well. I will manage.

Good news is the daughter of my very best friend is coming out here with her family. Not sure how we will handle all the social distancing as they will have been all over the place on the road, but there are plenty of wide open beaches. Just hope weather cooperates. Its raining now and thats unusual for june.

Yes all the horrors on the news are downright oppressive. Yet my minimal inconvenience is nothing compared to what many have suffered. Heartbreaking to see the older man pushed down by the police and left bleeding. There has got to be a way for peaceful protest to occur without injury or looting. Seems like all this has become a world movement. There have been marches in our small town which I support but will not attend.

Meanwhile, DH has finally demolished his beloved recliner chair. Its only 30 years old. So off to the furniture store today to pick out a new one. The dogs will miss that chair - its the fave spot. Maybe a trip to the big city grocery store after the chair store.

Yay Diane M, no deadlines! Its not a race. Sorry DH is stressed. Everyone is stressed these days and physical limits are so annoying.

Cant remember if I reported that my gigantic beautiful climbing rose got bent over in a heavy storm. So we cut a lot of it back and propped it up with a rake and then tied it up to the shed. I don't think it was broken and it seems alive. Looking down under the foliage the main stem of it is literally a trunk! like 4 inches in diameter! Hoping it returns to its former splendor.

My dinners have been a pile of roast veggies with some cheese. Eggplant was surprisingly good - I had expected bland.

One thing about the cardiologist is they weighed me. It was horrific. I am up 10 pounds since I was weighed at other doctor at the end of last year. I suspected as much but jeez. Totally my own doing. I guess I can't have any kind of weight control without the most rigid of control. And I am so naturally rebellious that I always want to do exactly what I am not supposed to. Go figure that out Sigmund Freud.

Well not much else. Stay safe all. Diane S

I am glad your tachycardia isn't serious. Yeah, it seems like most of us have to think about what we put in our mouth essentially all the time doesn't it?

I found myself in the kitchen skinning boiled garbanzo beans - one - by - one

So goes my days, filling them up with minutia so as to distract from what seems to me to be an untenable situation outside of my world. It seems the circle I draw daily- (line of which I will not pass -nor let the bat****crazymadhouse that insists on wailing its irrational and hateful tune) grows smaller every day.

I can deal with garbanzo beans.

Beans are jumping into the food processor along with friends tahini, olive oil, yogurt, etc...big batch of hummus for DS#2 whose birthday is tomorrow. There is nothing I could think of to get him so have been jarring up batches of apple butter for his pantry. Tomorrow we'll have grilled salmon and Kurt's garden asparagus (last picking) and snap peas (very first picking). Also peach pie and home churned ice cream.

David, if I knew you were such a bee whisperer, I would have had you come get the batch that made their hive in the west wall of our house...must have done it last summer? We didn't get them out till this spring. Those bees didn't make it---however, less than a week after that batch was removed- There was a new swarm showed up in about the same location. We had a bee keeper who took those away.This is an example of what we found down in the basement.