Relevance In Autumn/Longing For Winter

"Autumn is the greatest reminder: It reminds us how dreamlike beauties our earh has and it reminds us how all these beautiful dreams can easily vanish!"

~Mehmet Murat ildan

I suppose anything can suddenly vanish. It's happened to everyone. Look what the folks of the town of Paradise went through. They had their homes and businesses in one moment, and it was all gone the next. In the span of a day... or in some cases, only an hour or two. I am lucky to have friends, and I even have the pleasure of making the occasional stranger on Twitter laugh or think, the later tends to be more difficult. Just kidding. That's pretty nice, but will there always be a Twitter to provide a window to the world? Even if it's my decision?

 I am tired. I am lonely in a crowd and Autumn isn't going to last nearly long enough. Sigh. I am beginning to slip into going through the motions of life. I get up. Take care of things. Read a little while. Watch Nicole Wallace. Wander Twitter. Visit whoever pops up. Get ready for Alan. Help prep dinner, unless my Fibromyalgia is flaring. Watch a couple movies with Alan. Edit the days photos. Blog here. Go back on Twitter. Visit some accounts that don't make my head explode late at night. Karen. Joe. Margo. Treat Williams. He seems like a nice man. There is a lot to like about Twitter. But lets face it, Twitter is stressful. Twitter isn't the same because of Donald Trump, and mostly I find myself waiting for Trump to get us all killed by tweet. I wait to die either of embarrassment, or just plain die. So, why am I there?

I don't know. I mean it's been nice finding out Treat Williams is a nice guy, he's only ALWAYS been my favorite actor. Go figure.  Who knew there were nice guys anymore, but let's face it, would he notice if I went missing? Nah. I am one tiny peep, in an international sea of peeping music. Shrug. I just don't know where my peep, peep, peep fits in anywhere. Does it have a specific place? Or am I just one more ridiculous whiny chirp? WHINNNNNNE, Yes, I'm whining, but it's my blog and that's why I began blogging, to clear the head noise as my old friend Penny used to call it. Clearing head noise. I don't know, maybe I am just heading into the darkness of my second favorite season I crave, after the bright leaf singing of autumn. Leaves can be loud, if you listen too long. That's a definite possibility.

Okay. All done. Back to life on Twitter. My head is clear of noise.

I think.

Leaves fall. All autumn leaves must fall.

#61 Leaf Of The Day

November 22nd 2019

Sacramento, California

Nikon

~Mood: Lonely/Quiet/Unsure

~Me   :)

An Apple A Day...

"Seasons of mists and mellow fruitlessness! Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless with fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run; To bend with apples the moss'd cottage trees, and fill all fruit with ripeness to the core."

~John Keats

Is there anything better, on a cold autumn night, like some freshly made apple cider? Add a little spice, and it's just the thing to soothe a weary soul. And it's pretty healthy too, which is just what I need after a month of fast food on road trips, and several bags of Trick or Treat candy! Ugg, I am eating the very last piece of the fun sized Milky Way bars we bought! Sometimes, it feels really good to know that vacation is over, and it's time for reality, and schedules, and normal hours for sleep and eating! All good things for any age, but especially for me right now. 

Late autumn, while beautiful and definitely my favorite season, when it turns from warm with a slight chill, to cold with little sun, my Fibromyalgia begins to scream at me. That's why it's good to get back to a more normal schedule, because getting out with the camera will probably be cut back, now to the weekends only. But with a little planning, I can make it work! And who knows, if a special opportunity presents itself, I might be able to fit in a photo jaunt on a weekday or two!

 #13 Leaf Of The Day

October 28th, 2017

Truckee, California

 

Mood: Happy

 ~Me :)

Old Nonsense

Leaf Of The Day

November 13th 2016 

"Finish each day and be done with it.

 You have done what you could. 

Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in;

 forget them as soon as you can. 

Tomorrow is a new day. 

You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit

 to be encumbered with your old nonsense."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Just the Leaf Of The Day for today's post, as this is the last post of my vacation. Tomorrow (Monday) not only begins the work week, but also a return to a real schedule, for the first time in a month. Frankly, I am ready. While this vacation was the best one we had in several years, it was also filled with extreme high and low moments. I am ready to face a real schedule again, which I think will help me process what has just happened, and what is likely to happen in the future. One day at a time... right? One day at a time.

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

Different Threads

"Change is inevitable... except from a vending machine."

-Robert C. Gallagher

Ok, so you might remember from a few entries back that I am a busy lady these days. Well, the word "busy" kind of implies that I am doing something at any given moment throughout my day, which isn't quite accurate. I mean I am not just sitting in one place, but my truly busy times seems to come in little bursts of busy. Does that make sense?

What keeps me busy in these little bursts?

Well, among other things...

2 kitten cats.
1 husband with a constantly changing schedule.
Degenerative arthritis in both knees and my right shoulder.
Type 2 Diabetes (Your body loves it when you do even a little exercise after your meals).
1 digital camera
1 film camera
1 Sony Ericsson Walkman Phone 580i which is always in my ear. It makes me what to dance.

And coming up next week...

I am finally giving AOL and this stupid dial-up connection the boot. The appointment has been made for next Wednesday, and I know for sure this time I am outta AOL HELL! Which is a good thing because I looking forward to the change. AOL was a nifty little product when I first became a member, but over the years I have seen it fall to the hollow billboard that it is today. There is very little left there for the Internet consumer. Sigh. So it's goodbye AOL as of Wednesday.

That means I am going to have to get things in order for the new service to be hooked up. Lots of cleaning and dusting of never-never areas behind my desk and lots of big, heavy lifting of the TV stand and such, but Alan will help with that. But while I am in the cleaning mood, my personal closet has been screaming for a good weeding out of old, yucky, ugly "what was I thinking" clothes. Spring is here, and I need to pack away the winter clothes. Coats and such. Bye-bye raincoat and umbrella... now where is my bikini and big floppy hat?

Searching... searching... searching...

Hendrix! Bad kitty... stop biting your brother!

See... like I said... BUSY.

-Carly
"Threads"
March 15, 2009
Evening

Karen's Weekend Assignment # 199: When Do You Sleep?

"Night has brought to those who sleep, only dreams they can not keep."

-Enya

Weekend Assignment #199: What is your usual sleep schedule on weeknights? Are you an "early to bed, early to rise" sort of person, or do you stay awake far into the night (voluntarily or otherwise), and get up as late as your work schedule permits? Do you give priority to getting adequate sleep? If so, how is that working out for you?

Extra Credit: If you had no work or family scheduling obligations, would your sleeping pattern change substantially?

-Karen Funk Blocher

Sleep. Yawn. Yawn, yawn, yawn... stretch. Excuse me, I was just enjoying a bit of a snooze. LOL. I am sleeping really well these days, especially since last summer, when I set about changing my sleeping schedule 360 degrees. I have been a lifelong sufferer of insomnia. My first bout began when I was about 12 or 13. I went through long periods of not being able to go to bed and sleep like my friends did. In retrospect, I think I know what probably kick-started the situation. My father worked the graveyard shift when I was a wee folk of about 2 and continued to do so until I was about 6 years old. My mother would allow me to stay up until my father came home, and then he and I would play or talk or listen to music. So, I am pretty sure that my sleeping habits were conditioned at that young age.

As an adult, it wasn't and isn't reasonable to keep those hours, although when I began blogging I did. Alan is a loud snorer, and there was no sleeping with that, so I sat up at night and blogged and when I was finished, I did whatever housework that was needing to be done, and then climb in bed next to him just before his alarm went off, so we could spend some time together. It worked out ok, it made since to sleep while he was at work, that way everything got done, and we wouldn't have to miss spending any time together because of chores. But life kind of played us a few cards I wasn't counting on.

First I got Fibromyalgia and that zapped all my energy, then I got diabetes, and that brought with it challenges of it's own. The Fibro was bad enough, now throw on top of everything, having to adjust my whole lifestyle to suit the diabetes, and what you get is a girl who better learn to go with the flow and life like most of the real world, whether she likes it or not. But actually... I really kinda do like it. :)

I began by taking some classes in sleep hygiene and with the new meal adjustments such as eating lighter dinners, and getting some exercise several times a day, I feel much more relaxed and ready to sleep by the time we go to bed. In fact, I look forward to it. It wasn't any more difficult to change my sleeping habits, then it was to change my sleeping habits. The additional exercise has aided my relaxation and so put it all together and you see a happier, healthier lady then I was a year ago.

It's undeniable. Keeping yourself on a proper schedule with nutrition, sleep, play, and exercise is good for the body and the mind. I still blog, I still get my housework done, I still go out and take photos, I still read, I still watch David Letterman, only now I watch him on the DVR. :) I have David Letterman with my Special K Red Berries in the morning. YUM. DELICIOUS even. So what about the only other part of my staying up late... talking on the phone and texting with my pal H.P.? Well, our friendship is going on 5 years now. He makes time for me, even if it has to be in the middle of the day. :)

So, to directly answer Karen's question... I usually go to bed at 10:00 pm and rise at about 7:30 am, unless Elvis decides otherwise. On the weekends I might stay up a little later, if there is a good movie on, or something special on TV. I have a few friends, that keep later hours, and sometimes I stay up to talk to them, because, I would miss them very much otherwise. Sometimes Alan and I will play a board game, and we will usually play it out, rather then go to bed and try to resume it the next day, but mostly it's 10-7:30 for me :) Boring... but true.

Extra Credit: Nope, I am doing something right with my diabetes and my general overall health, so I would have to say NO, nothing would change dramatically.

-OndineMonet
"Sundown In Moss Beach"
Moss Beach, California
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
Early Evening