A Monday Pondering Something

Wild Grapes 2016

As development takes hold of a community, habitat loss may go unnoticed. A huge area of wild grape vines was chopped down years ago when the area nearby, (where horses use to graze), became apartment buildings. Housing is badly needed. (Update, recent look, not all the vines are gone.)

We are in the time of Find Another Grapevine, as far as birds go. I think about the bears that are showing up, (since the separate compostable trash rule began), and I see the grapes as a big attraction for the bears. Ugh. Balance isn't always as easy as it might seem.

Have a wonderful Week!

 

Surveying the Summer of 2024

Birthday roses

Open Summer Fields

Lake Champlain

Town Beach

Tiny Deck Garden

Otter Creek Falls

Fields Days

Lunch Time Along Lake Champlain in August

Well, here I am now, in the last full week of August 2024 on a sunny Sunday afternoon, thinking about what this Summer has been. Overall, these months have been more interesting than previous years because I put effort into making sure I did not stay indoors so much or let depression drag my down so far. I cannot claim this year that summer went by too quickly or I didn't experience a real summer.

I had a fairly nice summer. Heat, rain, storms, are all part of the season's Earth wardrobe. I wore it well. I may not have achieved everything I planned, but I did well with what I accomplished.

Being so positive is rather a shocking experience for me. I'm not sure how it fits in with the depression episode I have been struggling to get out of. I think it might be a situation of emotional isostatic rebound going on.

Isostatic rebound is the movement upward, back to the normal shape after being compressed. In glaciology, the weight of a glacier on the Earth compresses the ground. When the glacier melts, the ground is released from that weight and uplifts. (Earthquakes can be a result as the Earth adjusts.) Think memory foam impression returning to smooth.

As my depression weight lifts, I feel lighter in spirit. This summer has been a period of uplift for me.

Now, onward into the fall with the same attitude to embrace the season as well as I can whether I go anywhere or not. There are trees and views to the mountains. No matter where I go, Nature is available.

Flowers in August

At Cape Cod Massachusetts near Marshfield, the pictured type of roses here, were everywhere. We call them Rock Roses. I forget their other names.

They are very hardy, even here in Vermont. The rose hips are large with a lovely dark coral color. 

Do you have a favorite summer flower?

The chill in the morning air has convinced me to not resist the end of summer drawing closer. Instead, I daydream about autumn being spectacular. Soup Season is a delightful time of year. I sort of look forward to feeling soft socks on my feet. Even seeing Halloween decorations no longer makes me cringe that they are out so early. 

Have a cringeless fantastic week!

Posted using my cell phone 

Afterall

An August Sky Over Vermont

Multiple projects are a certain indication one's mind has been active. There is a difference, however, between have (the project) and doing (the project). Creative ideas grouped into one interest like art, writing or poetry can become overwhelming if they are left to build up as new ideas emerge.

Belief is the fuel that keeps the oldest project going.

Inspiration is the fuel that a new idea rides on.

When both run out, then one can end up where I am today.

Deliberately distracted by other things like reading or doing laundry. Any mundane task is good enough for me to be busy not looking at what I want to do. 

I began a novel a few years ago, Cornsilk Moon. I posted about here on this blog. Yet, since last winter it (loose-leaf notebook) has followed me around my living room because I'm always feeling that today is the day I begin editing to write the last draft. Writing is a scary process when you get close to the ending. I'm not good with endings.

This week, starting today, I'll be telling myself not to be scared. Afterall, Halloween is 78 days away.

Day 222 of Week 32 August 2024

August 2022 Route 17
Addison, Vermont

 At peak summer, the heat creates a haze that places a pale light over everything. A simple tree in hot sunshine for no particular reason reminds me of summer more than a sandy beach or butterfly does. I can almost hear the June bug's buzzing sound piercing the stifling air as the sun stings my skin. I can almost smell the gravel stones cooking as the dark shade calls me in for a moment of cool relief.

This summer of 2024 has been the definition of what summer is, hot, rainy, and muggy with weather as delightful as a country fair. I am grateful that I have been able to sit outdoors under an umbrella to have my lunch; and moments to think about nothing special. My list of summer plans may have few things crossed off, but what has filled my days is much appreciated.

Appreciate Your Weekend!

Tell a pair of flip flops a funny story

Sing to a moth

Read about grasshoppers

Browse summery wallpaper online

Watch a lemon slice float in ice tea

Draw a sailboat

Play catch with a friend

Reflection Monday August 2024

If you feel alone,

then consider reaching out 

into your family, friends and/or community

to build positive relationships.

Have compassion for yourself

as well as others.

 

An Average Day

Ring Necked Plover 2018
Dead Creek, Addison, Vermont

Up, wash, dress and make coffee is how my day begins. I journal, computer, online, and then have a restful prayer or ponder moment before I move to do anything. There are days I make breakfast, and days I don't eat until lunch time. Counting my errands' stops, there are about eleven places with an average of 3 or 4 on one day. There are days when I go nowhere. I live a small life in reality, and a medium global life online.

When I'm home from food shopping, if there isn't something sweet (fruit, soda, chips, baked goods) or crispy greasy to have, then I feel like I didn't buy anything to eat. I rarely buy those things. Thus, I often have a hungry vibe going on for what to eat. 

Forage style eating is how I consume food. Whatever is the easiest to access for a nice chomping moment, that is what I will grab first. For that reason, I put a ban on my buying peanut butter (to stop myself from snacking on big spoons of peanut butter). 

Here's the kicker. I think my average days are normal, like lots of other folks. I don't engage in anything unusual, except maybe sometimes hours of sitting in a chair depressed and napping. 

The depression slump I've posted about is finally lifting. I increased my vitamin intake; and, get more sleep more often. 

August at Dead Creek
Addison, Vermont
2018

This morning I went through photograph folders for 2018. The bird pictured here didn't have a name. Searching the area online, I found a page with the bird under a different name, Baird's Sandpiper.  It took a few searches from remembering it as a plover, to find the right identification. If I am wrong, then please leave a comment.

Don't Need What?

The vintage 1950-60s decorative metal platter that I told myself I don't need, is now hanging on my wall by the front door.  I went back and bought it this week. The $2.50 plus tax, it is worth the smiles.

Day 208 of Week 30 July 2024

Summer On Lake Champlain

As the days near the end of July, holding onto the Summer grows stronger. August may prove to have hot days with a hint of autumn blending into the night hours.

Please, let's not rush into fall foliage fever. Already I'm eyeing my comfy socks like they're the last cannoli on the shelf.

What else has been catching my attention? Cargo pants! The more pockets and zippers the more Me I feel. I've always fancied a rugged outdoors look. Sandals this year are another struggle between fashion favorite and arthritis. 

About sandals. The first pair of sandals of un-named brand that I bought on sale lasted forever. I bought another pair in a different color. This 2nd season of wearing the 2nd pair, they are not holding up well. This has also happened in knit garments, and other brands. Quality varies.

About Blogging. The decision is to continue this blog on a weekly basis, one or two posts per week. The thought is that if I slow down posting when I'm in a slump, then I can post more when I've feeling better.

Have a Lovely Summer Weekend!

Read about rowboats

Bake a peach pie

Tell an umbrella a silly story

Draw a seagull

Sing to a houseplant

Write a poem about smiling

Change Can Be Difficult

Nail Polish Removal
after using non-acetone remover

 Complaining about products here doesn't happen often. This time, though, I speak up.

Sally Hansen Hard As Nails 520 Walk the Plank, nail polish is a soft shimmery light coral. I love the color. 

What I do not love is that the removal of that nail polish using the same old remover I've used for decades, doesn't work as it does on other brands! 

Scrub and scrub, the polish just does not come off until it has set for a while or I scrape it off with a fingernail or edge of my metal tweezers. Note here, scrubbing with the nail remover exposes my skin to a harsh chemical. Also, wearing it doesn't mean it doesn't wear away. One dish washing will leave the tips bare of polish. When the bottle if finished, I won't buy it again.

I searched on line about the problem. Guess what I learned? Sally Hansen also sells a nail polish remover. To the brand's credit, the prices are very reasonable. Other brands are very expensive.

Town Beach Area
Lake Champlain

Another difficult issue to deal with is depression. I've been digging out of a slump for months. This blog shows it as my absences are more frequent, comments fewer, and posts less interesting.

I am considering another blog hiatus because things, when looking at the big picture, aren't the same as past slumps. Things I did to keep my spirits up, televison shows, blog reading, and such, have tanked. I rarely watch TV. The daily computer games I play continue with a get it over with attitude. I rarely watch Facebook reels. And, the sinker, watching YouTube videos has also lost its ability to help me relax. I'm concerned about the dip in what I usually manage to enjoy.

I'm giving it a week to decide. Meanwhile, I've been scouting out plein air paint and picnic locations. I have 3 so far on my list.

Adding, not far from downtown, the Town Beach in Ferrisburgh, Vermont is well kept. It is beautiful place to have a nice picnic.

The turn after Town Beach is Kingsland Bay State Park. That is another beautiful location with more acreage to explore for landscapes. 

Vermont is a beautiful state. I'm hoping getting out and about as well as returning to painting will help ease up this depression episode I'm having. 

How is your summer been?

Thoughts About Patience

Shy Sunflower

 This summer is very much into the season with heat, humidity, rain and thunderstorms taking the stage every week. There are times when the National Weather Service radar indicates rain in this area when none has fallen.

Spotty is the word to describe rain this year. It falls from rain clouds that aren't always over the location where I live. The waterfalls tell a different story. They will be running faster from rain farther south.

Not always matching is a part of life that feels more a bother than a process to enjoy.

On the home front, I'm not anxious to make the leap to a new laptop as yet. My patience with tech things is low. The old laptop has quirks. And now the old camera is joining in. I use the photo editing program, Irfanview. For a reason I don't know, photos will be so large they don't fit the computer screen. I have to decrease the size, and then Lock Zoom in the View section.. Add that to the text is always light gray instead of black, and all I want to do is turn the computer off and read a book. The camera's zoom feature has decided close enough is the new rule. It is one Ugh! after another. It is no wonder my patience is thin nowadays.

What about patience? Other emotional conditions don't change, but that one seems to be eroding with me. How do I smooth that developing rough edge? I step away from whatever bothers me. There are many projects for me to select instead of sacrificing a good mood to not having things match up to my expectations. 

The walks I planned for this summer are on hold. My feet feel like bricks some days. The arthritis in my toe has taken to sharp unexpected pains. Having meals al fresco, however, is not on hold. I regularly have a meal outdoors sitting on the deck. Yesterday in the heat, I pushed myself to finish the gardening I wanted to do by taking numerous breaks in the air conditioned indoors.

How is your summer going?