Not Nothing in Everyday Ramblings

…And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game… Joni Mitchell

Signs of spring everywhere, but still a chilling east wind is about and gray skies. The daffodils are up and budding so all we really need is a little sun, but it won’t be for a few days. Twice this week I got caught in freezing rain, but I guess that means I am getting out.

Today I am once again actively procrastinating on a bunch of things. I think this is my new normal February mode. One thing I have found twice now that is highly effective is when I am procrastinating on League stuff, I end up writing things for Walt and the Open Road instead. At least I am getting something done.

It doesn’t help that the guys keep sending me things to read and look at.

And one of my students, who does this wonderful volunteer gig every Thursday morning where she shops for folks signed up with a nonprofit asked about Sumo Citrus, which she came across in the produce aisle and got curious about. I think the recipients get a discount on their groceries and the volunteers do shifts, taking orders, shopping, and delivering. It is like volunteer Instacart.

I got a Sumo Citrus yesterday as I was doing my own shopping. They are not cheap, but what a treat. They are basically giant seedless Mandarin Oranges that are super easy to peel. Hybrids from Navel oranges, Mandarin oranges and Pomelos. I didn’t know what a Pomelo was until I found out they are the same as Pamplemousses that are a big deal in Tahiti. The precursor to grapefruit, they are milder and less tart.

The student who asked everybody else about this lived in Guam for a time and they grow Pomelos there.

I am still having trouble with one of the board members when I go hang out with the coffee guys. And I keep not knowing how to handle this and thinking maybe I will just not go as it feels effortful, this weird thing where he is constantly correcting me. This time I said that I was glad I was alive, talking about anorexia, and how it has the highest mortality rate of mental health conditions, and he retorted as I was finishing, well only in a certain age group.

I don’t care if I was right, or he was right, I just think I should be allowed to say what I say without being corrected.

The thing is if I stop going, I miss cool things like one of the guys telling us this amazing story about his year doing prostrations in Nepal after getting kicked out of India. This is one of the painters. He is an amazing guy.

And…I got a chance to talk to the owner of the pink building that I have shared here I would love to buy. She is a hoot! She lived there with her mother, daughter, and grandkids. Her mother died fairly recently and the rest of them split into separate households and moved to the coast. She is doing more repairs before she puts it back on the market.

So, I can’t let the annoying guy keep me from going.

It’s not that I don’t like him, I am neutral on him, he has quirks like everybody else, he likes to talk about the things he does for others and all the important people he knows. There are thousands and thousands of guys like that. It isn’t a crime. To me it is meh. He’s got a great voice and is in a band. He paddle boards and kayaks like a maniac, and at 76 has won some races in his class. He tells a lot of jokes and presents as kind and caring. And he has a cat.

Me, I think he is sitting on a sea of unresolved anger. He has a woman friend that he rides bikes with and also does water sports with him. Hey, whatever. They both have grown sons. She used to live on a houseboat and has a PhD in Art History and used to teach in a school run by nuns. She is a bit of an odd duck. He corrects her too but not all the time, and in a milder form.

She hasn’t been coming lately. A tree fell on the unit she was living in during the ice storm.

I did write a poem this week that was well received. And I went to the League Media Luncheon with four local reporters that was well attended and interesting.

It’s not nothing. Not nothing indeed.

Last updated February 18, 2024