Connections

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Two men who had loved me, and I them, said interesting things to me, things that haunt me past their life spans. How lucky are we that have experienced raw, passionate, respectful, and honest love. These men cannot interact directly with me now, we will take this up again when I too cross the river. Of the academy, success, and scholarly achievement: “It isn’t what you think it is.”I’ve always wondered how another person really knows what you think things are, but no matter, it was sincere and honest feedback about what he saw in me, coming from the heart. His life was spent as a respected scholar, so he knew a few things about the academy. So precious. Of the universe in general: “I hope you never find out.”My love, I’ve always known, I have grieved, but I have not despaired. Worldly Weather -2°C Date: 2:00 PM EDT Wednesday 11 March 2020 Condition: Cloudy Pressure: 102.3 kPa Tendency: Falling Temperature: -1.8°C Dew point: -8.1°C Humidity: 62% Wind: ENE 10 km/h Wind Chill: -5 Visibility: 24 km Quote “One single grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer.” G. E. Lessing 1729 – 1781

Fun Project!

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Yesterday, Monday, was a beautiful day! Our back porch gets the afternoon sun, which in the summer makes it too hot to enjoy at that time of day. But the warmth of the sun was wonderful to experience yesterday, as we sat out there and chatted. The outdoor temperature reached 12C! It was very windy, so I wore my parka though, as I do not want to risk a chill. Attila had a phlegmy chest cold over the weekend, no fever, no aches and pains, just the cold. He still managed to do a bit of work on the basement, and is done with the electrical, and beginning to plan the plumbing. There are still areas that are insulated with vapour barrier, but are not covered in drywall. They will remain that way until the plumbing is sorted, then things will be moved around down there and the final drywall installation will be undertaken, sometime later in the spring. My big project for the weekend was to make re-fried beans. I cooked dried Pinto beans in the Instant Pot. While they were cooking, I sauteed about 3/4 of a pound of chopped onion in the cast iron frying pan, then … Continue reading →

Vintage Disappointment

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The snow is melting! The sun has come out for short intervals this morning. But looking out at the Robin, perched so saucily red breasted in the Crabapple Tree, the heavenly backdrop has dulled, seemingly for the sake of his distinction. A quiet day here. I’ve begun listening to Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen. I think I’ve read all of Miss Austen’s novels. I’ve now listened to Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility, enjoying both very much. Listening to audio books requires a different kind of focus than does reading the written word. I found the period of adjustment to be longer when listening, as opposed to reading. Somehow the visual, the words on the page, make the transition easier. But once I acclimatize myself to the literary devices and syntax of a novel, both the written word and the spoken word are easily followed. , When you doze off reading a book, you usually awake with the book open to the same page. I am here to tell you that this is not the case with an audio book! Goodness, I slept through two chapters! It isn’t all that hard to scroll back to a point I remember, … Continue reading →

A Few Tears

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Today I made the decision to suspend my purely recreational activities, that involve meeting with other people. After making all the arrangements, I sat down and surprised myself by shedding tears. I let them flow, for myself, and for the people whose lives have been taken, or turned upside down by the COVID-19 virus. This decision comes after watching how the coronavirus is being monitored in Ontario, Canada. News of the GO Transit bus, on which the person with COVID-19 traveled, was my final deciding factor. The honour system in Canada, where people flying in from other affected areas of the world decide for themselves whether they will self-isolate for the incubation period, after arriving back in Canada, has failed the public interest, in my opinion. At this point we don’t know if there are other infected individuals on public transit, in malls, in restaurants… we don’t know. There may be none. There may be one. There may be many. It only takes one to share the virus with many. I won’t be eliminating my chances of infection by avoiding groups of people, just reducing the likelihood of exposure. This was a difficult decision for me, I will heartily miss … Continue reading →

The Forsyte Saga

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Friday! It is getting cold again outside, but the weather people say that today snow squalls will torment us, and that by Sunday it will start to get warmer. Yesterday began with freezing rain, then snow squalls as the day progressed, and the wind, my how it howled all day, and into the night. This morning the sun is shining, a welcome sight. I’ve moved my chair to sit in the brightness of it, soaking it up. The Forsyte Saga, written by John Galsworthy, captured my imagination in the early 1980s. At the time I was pregnant with Terra. My previous pregnancy had ended in miscarriage, which caused me much sorrow. So when I began to hemorrhage when pregnant with Terra, I was determined to bring the child into the world. By spring I was bedridden, unable to stand for more than a few minutes, able to sit for only short periods of time. Lying in bed for almost eight months, with an extremely precocious seven year old to care for, having just moved to Toronto, was very challenging, possibly the most challenging project I have ever attempted. No friends, no family, just my ex, Luna, and I weathering the … Continue reading →