Catch As Catch Can? in Everyday Ramblings

A house and a door in the neighborhood. In previous years we have had open crocuses and blooming daffodils by now but not this year. We are behind average in rainfall, but it has been cold. Today, just gloomy and cold.

Mrs. Sherlock needed to bail on our walk today because Mr. Sherlock is being treated for a urinary tract infection. It seems to be the bane of older folks, who have other health problems like he does. Not something to mess with in someone well over 80.

Speaking of that I got a call last weekend from my friend and ex-boyfriend Mr. Zanzibar. He turned 87 in January. His sprits are good, he is still living on his own, but this week he had surgery to reduce the causes of swelling in his legs and feet that were making it hard for him to walk and therefore way less mobile than he would like to be. I haven’t heard how it went, but I oh so wish it helped.

My niece is adapting to her chemo regimen. She’s managing. She gets major bonus points for that. The fact that she was healthy to begin with helps a lot.

In our dialogue group the unwritten rule is we don’t talk about medical stuff. Walt and his partner and now just one other member of the group are still in Mexico. On Thursday I zoomed with them and another member of the group that had moved to North Carolina just before the flood.

I managed to get over my sour grapes that I indicated in a previous post about their enjoying their vacation so much with us here struggling with winter weather and terrifying news from Washington while Walt, in particular, was feeding us meditative parables on how wonderful life is.

Apparently, I was not the only person in the group who had issues with this, and I got to hear a defensive rant that basically was along the lines of this is who and how I am, and I can’t help it. I basically bought it. He understands why the rest of us thought he might be being insensitive. And I appreciate that we could all talk about it.

I enjoyed talking to the other fellow, a photographer, a great deal. I was sad when I heard he was moving and am grateful he is keeping in regular touch. He has a book of photographs coming out this fall. And is going to Italy next week.

My morning class has been quite lively lately, and in particular we have enjoyed having the two Canadians who come routinely share their perspective. I know it sounds kind of weird for a yoga class, but we talk about everything, including tariffs. And cataracts. One of us had both eyes “done” in the last two weeks.

It has been 5 months, and I have lost a little over 20 lbs. Mrs. Sherlock says she can see more definition in my arms. I can feel it in the way my clothes fit. And see it is my face when I smile. A little extra flesh there. Oh well. It is all good and I am determined to keep it off and so on and so forth. It is a big deal. I do get cold easier, though.

The frustrating thing is that the determination and focus it takes to do this is not translating into other areas of my life. Strength training, domestic decluttering, paperwork, marketing for my classes, all are getting short shrift. The same with any League things that don’t need to be done right this minute.

It’s not exactly that I don’t have time for these things. I don’t have a lot of time for them, but I do have some. I just seem to be gliding along the surface of my life. My older sister noticed this tendency is me and I never clearly understood it until recently.

Walt and I talked about the poetry manuscript on Thursday. I get a reprieve on organizing it until May/June when the League requirements aren’t as intense.

So, at least I get a break on expectations on that. Walt did address my potential perfectionism in our conversation. :) My job I guess is to maintain my health as best I can, take care of Carlo, try to be a good friend and teacher and carry out my responsibilities on my two nonprofit boards.

The rest is all catch as catch can but still… just a little progress on the To Do List.

Please.