Not an Easy Task in Everyday Ramblings

From our walk last week, up on Mt. Tabor, which is a volcanic vent up in the east end of Portland. I like imagining the trees are on the move. :)

Next week I am finally getting my teeth cleaned as my regular hygienist’s broken elbow is apparently healed. She had three small boys at home. I can only imagine, disruption, pandemic, online everything, easy to get distracted. That is, blessedly the only “extra” thing I need to do next week, other than to get ready for our trip to the Oregon Coast.

The half hour a day cleaning commitment continues. What I didn’t realize is how much work some of these chores are when one is already pushing one’s energy limits for the week. Take the awful full length venetian blinds in my bedroom.

I thought no problem, I will get them both down and into the bathtub and scrubbed, la de da. Let’s just say, one of them is now mostly clean (with a few bent end panels) and the other is facing me reproachfully.

Because I need a lot of light to teach with all the cameras, I have (except the iPhone 13, which has a super responsive to natural light camera), my living room looks like a TV studio most times I am teaching. And you know what that shows?

Yep. All the tiny little dust webs up on the ceiling. Tussling medium haired boy cats will contribute to that. Let me just say, next time I clean the ceiling I am using the vacuum cleaner and its nifty attachments. Not the broom handle with a miracle cloth rubber-banded around it.

My Fitbit Ionic was recalled due to a potential burning hazard with an older battery. I ordered the new Sense, after a big discount. I will get a full refund on the Ionic once I return it. Which means in the long run I will be net positive. But what a hassle. And a scare.

The Sense has a new metric, and I love me some metrics. This one is called your “Daily Readiness” score. It is a combo of your recent activity, sleep, and heart rate variability. I have found that the heart rate variability score I get overnight to be helpful already in knowing how much I should push it the next day. I wish I could get Mrs. Sherlock to focus on this. She pushes herself too hard sometimes.

Of course, if one becomes dependent on these metrics and doesn’t listen to one’s body that can become problematic too.

Diego is transitioning into feeling better after almost a week of discomfort, but boy is he clingy. I think your well wishes help. They help me at least stay steady on course with caring for him.

Today, if things go according to plan, we are going out to the nursery to pick up starts for my plot. There is rain in the forecast for the eight of the next 10 days. I am glad we are going today. Mrs. Sherlock is doing her monthly group neighborhood trash pickup this morning beforehand.

Kes and Most Honorable are coming up for a visit tomorrow. I am excited that Kes is well enough to do this. She can still take a nap once she gets here like last time but it will be great to see them in person without having to take a train.

Our mask mandate came down today. We have had the second lowest number of cases for a state in the country and still we lost well over 6,000 people to Covid.

And it is still infecting people.

My church is starting back in person tomorrow. No limitation on congregants but masks and proof of vaccination are required. Yesterday I went to the grocery and all the mask signs were down. I saw one befuddled older woman with canes marching around without a mask shopping with a younger woman, who was, and some middle-aged white dude just walking around the store with a big grin not buying anything just walking around maskless. Look at me! Ugh.

The mask mandate is still in place for the bus until April 18th. I would continue to wear a mask there anyway.

Of course, underneath it all is the unspeakable horror in Ukraine.

Jack Kornfield gave a Dharma Talk at Spirit Rock on Monday that I found helpful.

He reminded us of being the Peace we seek. Not an easy task in this polarized world.

Last updated March 12, 2022