Day 218

I had the first lesson in centering prayer. I need to establish a time and place and keep the intention as a priority. Today is calmer outside so getting around won’t be so slick. After the senior center duty, I will get busy on finishing the driving tests. Yesterday I chose to watch the last Giants game of the season. They played better after they were out of contention for the play-offs. I guess the pressure was gone.

Day 217

The coffee hasn’t kicked in yet. I’m feeling kind of fuzzy. Can’t quite get out of the stormy night dreams. I want to do more reading in Intimacy with God and hope Father David has a space for a personal lesson in centering prayer.  After church I will do a couple more driving course segments. I want to finish by tomorrow and get the certificate to the insurance company. The weather is wet and windy and feels abrasive.

Day 216

It’s moody outside. A Pineapple Express is due this afternoon with its heavy rain and wind. It’s warm and sticky already. I will work on the AARP driving test on-line. I did four segments yesterday. I like leaving the computer, being active, and then returning to do more. Shopping this morning to ensure staying in during the storm. Might cook ahead in case of outage. Maybe a quick trip to farmers’ market for the last of the peaches.

Day 215

Besides walking and PT exercises, I will exercise my brain too. I’ll take the AARP drivers’ test on-line to requalify for the insurance discount. Every little bit helps. The paper journal has been engaging again. I feel as if I reconnected with an old friend. My energy is better and it’s from focusing on iron-rich foods. I want to change my health and prescription carriers too. It feels so good to have evidence of movement after so long.

Day 214

This morning there was no internet connection when I first turned on the computer. It’s a shock to my system to realize how dependent I am on technology. Fortunately it was brief and the outside world is available again. Tonda is sending me to a hematologist for iron infusions. That is the only way I’m going to recover the depleted stores of iron. I’m ready. I’m pushing myself to walk and exercise. Fake it till I make it.

Day 213

Hollie and I had a good time together. We filled out lists and our stomachs. Last day of the season at the museum. Eileen’s gallery is empty. No duty there. My volunteer schedule is down to two days at the senior center. I’m planning to leave it that way until January and just concentrate on regaining my health. I want my JOY back. Today I will see Tonda and get down to the business of restoring my zip. 

Day 212

Recreational shopping is on the agenda for today. Hollie and I have lists to fill in Brookings and lunch too. My orchids need new potting mix. A couple of the plants are doing nothing and I have threatened them with expulsion if they don’t get busy. New leaves, new air roots are OK but where are the stems and color? I enjoy dinking around with Hollie. We accomplish our goals and find things we didn’t know we wanted.

Day 211

I had a couple of brisk walks in the rain. It feels good on the skin and perks me up with the freshness of the air. The group at the potluck were chatty and the presentations were interesting. I enjoy my connections to the community through volunteering. Walking keeps me in touch with my neighborhood. I can expect a few buddy waves on my way.  I know a lot of people, at least I know who they are.

Day 210

It is the Autumnal Equinox and the minutes will slip rapidly into darkness. Time to get out the candles to flicker in the early night with their reassuring glow like the safety of the fire in the cave. The soup was so good that I could have written a song about it. Nothing beats fresh vegetables and good broth. After church I may go to the historical society potluck and lecture about the original building of the harbor.

Day 209

No leaky gas line. Gauge is slow to respond and gets stuck near the bottom so I don’t need to worry about running out of gas in the rain. Nice guy at Coast gave me peace of mind about the car. It is full out raining today, not wimpy drizzle. No agenda so I can stay dry and enjoy watching the lawn turn green after its blonde summer color. I’ll make chicken soup with fresh vegetables and noodles.

Day 208

Lots of fun yesterday, laughs and hugs, my favorite kind of day. Came home from the massage ready for an early bedtime. Today, errands that didn’t get finished and a trip to take the car in to Coast to check for a fuel leak. I think gasoline is leaking. I can smell it in the garage and the gauge falls faster than it should. My 15 year old car has few miles but the years still add up.

Day 207

The Full Harvest Moon was shining into the kitchen this morning. Maybe that accounts for the restless dreams that evaporated on waking and I was happy that they were gone. Today’s agenda is busy starting with Senior Center duty complete with receiving a flu shot there, a bunch of errands and shopping, and then, aahh, Karen for a massage. She leaves me feeling better and I can use a break from feeling unwell. I want my energy back!

Day 206

We are a culture that locks the barn door after the horse has been stolen. I’ve noticed in the news that change happens after a catastrophe. We are slow to prevent incidents like gun violence. I wonder about how I enact change. Do I wait for an undeniable signal that something is wrong before I assess my lifestyle and choices? I know I am eating iron-rich foods now that I know I have a depletion of stored iron.

Day 205

I know four notes on the recorder! A few more lessons and I’ll be playing tunes. Today I want to go to Brookings with Hollie for recreational shopping. Haven’t done that for weeks and it’s time for an outing. When my energy is low, my mind thinks up things it wants to do that have nothing behind them to get it done. I’m pushing to do my volunteer duties. I don’t feel any better when I stay home.

Day 204

Mike’s sermon was about his failures and finding a way up. He talked about his therapy with Mary McFarland. She helped me up too. I found her when I was deeply depressed after losing my teaching career and enduring spinal pain while I waited for the workers’ comp wheels to slowly turn. Mary could zero in like a laser beam and poke around right where the fester was located. I respected her compassion as well as her skill.

Day 203

NatGeoWild had documentaries on our coast and forests. I love living here. In spite of our lack of culture, we are in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Any place our eyes land is a picture postcard. There is a cathedral-like aura in the Redwoods. The trees sigh as they move in the wind. It is an awesome place to feel their ancient wisdom. It’s a place for deep silence and contemplation of our personal insignificance. 

Day 202

A walk to farmers’ market may be the high spot of the day. I enjoy the crowd and chat with friends. Then I’m off to interview the owner of a historic home for the article in senior news about the health of old houses. I did research so I know how the home was built and who had lived in it since 1896. My house is over 70 and I know what it takes to keep it healthy.

Day 201

There are loose threads that need to be reattached or plucked off. Unfinished business of sorts, such as using the external hard drive to save documents, deciding what to do with the computer in the cottage, refilling the Imitrex prescription, wandering around looking at stuff that needs to be used or deleted. It’s a mood that leads to change or maybe to sitting down and thinking about it instead. Restless and too low on energy to follow through.

Day 200

Research wasn’t productive. I know the name of the original homeowner and that’s all. Tomorrow I’ll walk down the street and interview the residents and take a photo. Only two Wednesdays at the museum this season and the gallery will close forevermore. Whatever will I do with another day off? Maybe it’s time to stay home and enjoy what I have right here. I have all the tools I need to create. Spark is calling and wants attention.

Day 199

Our journal sharing is wonderful and intimate. We make an interesting group, plus more of Chris’ great brownies and rose tea. I look forward to our meetings even when I have only a lonely haiku to share. Today at the museum I will research old houses as that is the theme for next month’s Senior News. I have an idea about how I want to approach the subject using the house down the street that I have admired.

Day 198

 Both the movie, The Butler, and the recorder lesson were worthwhile activities. The movie brought up memories of the racial struggles during my lifetime. The lesson was engaging. I want to learn to play the soprano recorder that has been kicking around for years. Good brain exercise and the other students are interesting too. Jon brought over “ iron rich brownies with rust dusting on top.” Of course I felt better immediately upon ingesting. Today is J Street Journals.

Day 197

Walked to Wild Rivers Market yesterday and found a liquid iron supplement. It isn’t prescription grade and I’m hoping it will help to bring the storage up. Chris gave me dino chard from her garden and offered spinach too. Good neighbors! Today is Senior Center welcome duty, maybe get to the movie with Hollie after many delays, and the first recorder lesson. Suzanne played her harp at church. It was a lovely addition. Better and better every day.

Day 196

I know what matters today: moving more. I promise to take the dogs for a walk after church. The walk to farmers’ market yesterday was great. The weather was perfect and I ran into fun people to talk with. The corn and peaches that I have wanted for weeks are finally right here in my kitchen. I want to spruce up the cottage as I have a feeling that Lisa is coming soon. It is a cozy spot.

Day 195

Another beautiful morning! Clear, calm, and cool. The doors and windows are open to capture the cool and then I’ll close it up to preserve it. The farmers’ market is calling. I want peaches and corn. The season is almost over. Yesterday’s desire to play is still calling too. The bucket full of pens, crayons, and paint is waiting for desire to overcome the lack of physical energy. It doesn’t take much energy to doodle. I’ll get there.

Day 194

Besides a massage from Sarah, no agenda today. I’m hoping to feel like writing and doodling in my journal. Kelle is going on retreat and the leader announced, “We will start out slow and then taper off.” I can make my own retreat here. First I would turn off the TV. It fills the time when I don’t feel well. Then I would have a spa time before I see Sarah. Then, come home, eat well, and nap.

Day 193

Back to the senior center after two weeks away. Yesterday ‘Create is a Verb’ arrived. I enjoy Patti Digh’s Aesopian stories and grasp her positive messages. I’m tempted to write historical memories as stories instead of my just-the-facts-ma’am style. An imaginative flair would make a difference to the memory the way the description of Megan’s Easter outfit did. It was fun. I do not have enough fun and play. Today I will find opportunities to laugh out loud.

Day 192

Back to routine, museum and gallery, for the last month of those duties. Yesterday I met a woman VIP and was tempted to go to the PD and sign up. I enjoy the connection to the police people. I’ll wait until I am healthier and that won’t happen quickly since I will not take any more iron pills. They tear up my digestive system. If iron-rich foods aren’t enough, there must be an alternative that I can tolerate.

Day 191

First day of school. I admit to still having a regret/excitement about not going back to school even after all these years. Hollie and I are celebrating her retirement by having a long leisurely breakfast at the Chart Room. We will watch the sea lions play and talk about how the world works. So far she has handled the push/pull feelings well. She was an excellent teacher, respected by parents, co-workers, and loved by her lucky students.

Day 190

The church service was enhanced by Suzanne Pennell adding recorder to the usual music group of guitar and voices. I was delighted to learn that she will be giving lessons beginning next week. Learning a musical instrument is supposed to be a good  brain exercise. Suzanne had an image of taking recorder music to places that have no music. Another learning curve is just what I’ve been looking for. I have finally noticed an improvement in physical energy.

Day 189

I was happily tired yesterday after socializing. After being house-bound for over a week, I was ready to interact with people. The picnic was alright. I did catch up with people that I don’t see often. The union speeches were upbeat and met with approval. Today I’ll start September with church and intentions. I need to separate rationalization from actuality regarding my ability to move more. I’d like to do the PT exercises. I need to improve myself.