Little Things, Lotsa Little Things

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Well, my last post took on a life of its own! I sat down to write about the little things, and the meaning of the little things overwhelmed me. So I am writing this post about the little things. Last Friday last was one of Attila and my Anniversaries. It was the 25th Anniversary of the day he and I became a we. He surprised me when he decided he wanted to take the day as a vacation, to celebrate the occasion. Things have changed considerably over the last year and a half, between Attila and I, and thankfully life seems to be balancing out. We both thought about what we might like to do. There were no events or entertainment types of things in the area that interest either of us, so we thought about spending time at a park. But it was cold and raining, not a good day to spend out of doors. Soooo…. we went to Costco. Costco Costco is a store we do not frequent. Attila calls it the $500 dollar store, as we have spent that much there on the odd occasion, and we always spend far more there than we do at any … Continue reading →

A Life of Cloudless Nights

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When I was first blogging I got a lot of encouragement from other people who were writing online journals. Actually, “blogs” did not exist yet, people were coding their own web pages, writing online journals or diaries. People like John Bailey and NilkNarf encouraged others to write. It was a very positive environment, for the most part. There were a few trolls out and about even then. Online, they made snarky comments about other journal writers, criticizing code and design, a spelling mistake, just about anything they could find that could be considered a flaw. (Not to be confused with genuine and helpful feedback that some people offered.) None of the “pot-shot” writers that I knew of lasted very long, their online writing efforts were short lived. The trolls in real life, people who had face-to-face comments to make, almost all took up the contemptuously delivered, “what makes you think anybody cares about your boring life”. After delivering their message, they found that they no longer had to take any notice of my boring life, they weren’t a part of it anymore. I never felt the slightest inclination to address their angst. And now, almost 20 years later, yes, my … Continue reading →

Turning Points

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I got my hair cut today, shoulder length, about six inches came off. It was a personal occasion, as the last of my natural brown hair fell to the floor. From here and my forever more, my hair is predominantly gray. I asked the stylist to save a lock of my brown hair for me to take home as a keepsake. She did just that, fastening it and placing it carefully in a plastic bag. I have mixed feelings about this turning point, sad that an era has passed, happy to see the new era. Neither Attila nor I have been sleeping well since Sunday. It is a time of adjustment, to the change in light and all things atmospheric. Our winter weary bodies are struggling to awaken. Mother Nature did it! On Sunday she turned the page on spring, from waiting-for the-cold-weather-to-end, to this-is-a-perfect-day. It was perfect, over 20C, a light breeze whispering through the grass, blue skies, and sunshine. We spent Sunday checking the Camp. I am over the moon happy to write these words… no sign of mice in Grace the trailer. Oh my, happy, happy day. Not a dropping to be found anywhere, and the trap … Continue reading →

Barefoot in the Rain or The Dead Elm

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Glamour! Not! I was eating my breakfast this morning when there was a knock on the door. The young man at the door was greeted by an old lady in her pajamas, long hair unbrushed and wild, feet bare, but smiling. He had come from a local utility company to look at our poor dead ash tree, over 40 feet high. I had called all over the place about it, trying to find a way to get it felled before it started to fall down. It was ailing last summer, and died over the course of the winter. Since he was here to help, I didn’t hesitate to step outside in my pajamas and bare feet, to show him which tree was in trouble. I stood out in the rain chatting with him, it was about 6C, as he assessed the tree. I don’t know if he felt sorry for sorry-looking me, or if it was just the right decision for his company, but he said, “We’ll take that tree down.” Music to my ears! They don’t know when they will come and fell the tree, and they won’t take away the brush and logs, but they will bring it … Continue reading →

Chelsea Buns

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Tank is now officially a tank! The power steering is not working at all. I was just out running an errand in town and my wrists are killing me. It was so hard to turn that steering wheel. Tank is not working well at the moment, hasn’t been since we first took her in to the garage when the engine light flashed on. They didn’t know how to fix her, charged us $4,500, and had her there working on her for weeks. Then we took her in to our regular garage, he did some work, charged us $500 and it made no difference at all. The money is gone now, there is no more where that came from, and Tank is limping along. The dash lights are coming on, and no one has the skill to diagnose the problem. I am interacting on forums and we are slowly trying to work out what is wrong. From what I gather on the forums, dealerships don’t know either, and her problems are not unusual for her make, model, and year. So it is, for now, a matter of working through all the different possibilities, in hope of hitting on the issue that … Continue reading →