Inside a Pause - Outside Dread in Everyday Ramblings

This shot of an ornamental pear was from last week when we had an unusual day and a half of sun and warmth. It is gloomy now.

I saw the first unfurling iris of the season yesterday on my way to the garden. It is still too cold and wet yet to do much, but I did dig up a bunch of dandelions in the common path as part of my volunteer hours commitment. The tulips are budding and should open in the next few days. As above, a number of the street trees are blooming and just beginning to leaf out.

After a very intense board meeting two weeks ago, spring break has brought this wonderful pause in communication within the League. I did go to one meeting in person that ended up being shorter than anyone expected, which was a nice change. I skipped another meeting on Friday about the status of our police accountability boards, savoring the break.

Last week was mostly about teaching and I received some surprising feedback about what people were benefitting from that was a salve to my slight tendency towards burnout that I have been gravitating in the direction of.

One of my favorite teachers in the whole world is here in town this weekend and I was able to purchase the complete workshop digitally and started on that yesterday. He is so relaxed and yet professional and engaging. I can only hope to absorb some of his way of presenting material and share it. I have been to one of his weekend workshops in person and it was great. I probably would have benefitted from going to this one in person as well, but it was much more expensive and, well, time…

Anybody reading or listening to Fourth Wing? I know I am late to the game, but I finished listening to the audiobook last week and started on Iron Flame on Friday. I was a total sucker for The Dragon Riders of Pern series and this has so many of those elements. It hits all the beats of adventure, romance, and fantasy but is more grown up. Not as grown up as Game of Thrones, which was way too much for me.

It has been a nice break from all the police procedurals from the U.K. I have been reading for months.

I finally got my taxes done this last week; well, all but my city business tax filing, which is a formality, but still needs to be done. That is a huge relief. I feel so much better and enjoy my days so much more when I am not wrestling with procrastination.

The weight loss has stalled as I am experimenting with maintenance eating. Seeing what it takes to sustain the loss so far. I need to stretch the calories I am eating out to last the whole day. That is my current challenge. I tend to want to eat everything midday and then it is a long ride to bedtime. I am learning by doing.

Activities heat up again towards the end of next week. It is supposed to rain until then anyway. Might as well chill, do the things I need to do, enjoy the workshop and see what kind of game Carlo is in the mood to play.

Sounds like a plan while the infrastructure of government and law and accountability I have known all my life crumbles like one of those buildings in the Myanmar earthquake yesterday.

It is not an understatement to say it is shocking what is happening out there. A disaster of our own making. So much so, I think many of us haven’t a clue how to cope.