Puttering Bliss in Everyday Ramblings

Those tiny white dots up in the upper right hand corner here are swans back in a higher pond. Wild swans I might add. We only get two kinds here, Trumpeter and Tundra swans. I am almost positive these are Tundra swans as there really isn’t that many Trumpeters left. They were hunted almost to extinction in Alaska. But it is hard to tell the difference unless you are either up close or hear them. :)

One of my ears has been plugged up for a day or so and is finally clearing. And of course I was in a meeting this morning where someone started whispering in that particular ear. I was embarrassed because I could not hear a word he said. I am thrilled to say that after some gentle self care with a mix of mineral oil and hydrogen peroxide and lots and lots of warm water it is better. We had a pressure change recently where we went from totally stagnant miasmic air to clear cold east winds and beautiful sun filled skies.

The camellia bush across the street is just starting to bloom and I am seeing daffodil stalks and crocus greens so the land of vibrant color is just beginning to unfold here. It is lovely to be able to see it. To have the light for these last couple of days.

Sunday night I decided to walk the 4 mile riverfront loop and on my way there noticed this phenomenon that I am beginning to see at dusk more often a few blocks away. Hundreds of roosting crows. On Sunday it was creepy because there were no other people around. These crows are well fed and huge. I am glad that they didn’t have it in for me! They would just swirl around and caw raw and loudly as I moved under each tree. I would not like to be mobbed by a murder of crows I tell you.

And then just about 10 minutes later as I was walking in the formal riverfront park area there is this place that has steps where a dinner and sightseeing boat docks and there was a convocation of pit bulls (and their unruly people) on those steps. There were at least 35 huge dogs. I am terrified, petrified of pit bulls and if you have one I am sure it is the nicest dog in the world but that doesn’t do a thing for my bone marrow deep atavistic fear of them.

The owners were completely oblivious to the effect their dogs were having on anyone nearby. They all were much more interested in each other. The dogs were too and when I realized that I made the traverse across the area they inhabited and got the heck out of Dodge. Wow.

The rest of the walk was just lovely. The fading light, the river, a few gulls making graceful water landings.

Yesterday I had a marvelous at home day. I changed the color cartridge in my printer. I looked back and discovered I had purchased said cartridge a year ago. That is a testament to how busy I have been this last year. We just passed the one-year mark in terms of giving Sammy subcutaneous fluids. It has really only been about three months I have been giving them every day but what a journey it has been for both the orange guy and me.

What with work, two sick cats, work, finishing up yoga teacher training, (did I mention work?), a little brush with cancer and many many stiches, and work and trying to have a family life and losing 40 pounds and teaching yoga, well that pretty much kept me from a life of easy organized domestic bliss.

More like exhausted but relatively happy disorganized chaos.

I made a dent in that yesterday. It is amazing how cleaning the place up a bit can cheer one up.

I admit I splurged and bought a new book called Vegetable Literacy this last week. It is a beautiful book and I am going to savor it as the weeks fly by and we get closer to the reopening of the farmers markets.

My sister is seeing the surgeon on Thursday. Then they get the treatment up and going. She was telling me last night that she now qualifies for a free gentle yoga class about five blocks away for those with cancer. I hope she avails herself of it when she can. After three weeks of radiation I bet 5 blocks is going to seem like five miles but I am happy she is considering this self-care add on to her treatment.