The Yellow Rose of...Portland in Everyday Ramblings

These late roses are such a delight and as we head towards the equinox the light is so much more enchanting than that harsh early summer light.

I wish we had more dahlias in the neighborhood. On the list of things to do when I retire is a patch in a local community garden and late season dahlias in there. I am picky about them but luckily there is a wide variety to choose from.

For most of my adult life when I have had a recurring dream spinning off some anxiety I am experiencing it has been about out of control elevators. Not specifically falling ones (I have experienced that in real life) and have a deep aversion to elevators both because of that and being stuck in a moving box with random people is somewhat torturous for an introvert like me.

In my dreams the elevators would go up and then sideways and between buildings and all sorts of weird unexpected things.

But lately my recurring dreams have been about packing.

Mostly it has been this endless trying to get stuff into suitcases either so I can get home or get going.

Last night my dream was about moving, packing to move. I know a few of you have done that recently and are doing it now. Bleh.

I got a rent increase letter on Saturday. I can afford it now but it is worrisome for the future. The rents and housing prices are escalating here fast and while my place is still a few hundred below market it is still a lot.

The other day I was looking for an old bird feeder and opened a couple of cabinets I probably haven’t opened in a year and I got this sense of oh gosh I have so much to do here in terms of getting rid of things.

It is like this race to retirement to see if I can get there healthy and financially stable. With the rent increase the idea of going part time recedes further as a possibility. Unless I can find another ready source of income and health insurance and the chances of that happening in the next ten months are pretty small.

Also, my hearing is getting worse. It affects me both teaching and at work. I have a hearing check scheduled in three weeks and this might be the year I go for hearing aids.

So if I see you and smile and don’t respond to something you said softly or mumbled (I adore my IT person but she mumbles) don’t take it personally! I am working on it.

It got really bad as we got to a higher altitude on the mountain Saturday. I noticed that I was having trouble understanding what they were saying in the front seat.

I am practicing being gracious and admitting I can’t hear something.

Two of the people in my office that I work closely with are deaf and they are both incredibly defensive about it and it makes them a challenge to work with. They are both very good at what they do but insecure and it is the insecurity that is a challenge not the deafness.

That must be so exhausting and difficult for them.

I have a few students who are hearing impaired and they know I am having a challenge in this area. I think I am going to tell the rest. So they don’t think I am shining them on. Particularly if they recommend hearing aides this year.

I have been saving for them.

Need to go; mostly I wanted to share the rose. Most Honorable is luxuriously coming up to get me this morning so I didn’t need to leave for the train station before 6AM to go spend the better part of the holiday with them. I take the bus back. Think good traffic thoughts.