Tagged: thisisjusttosay

16
May
2021

NO ESCAPE FROM REALITY

It’s forecast to rain all day and this coming week but the sun has been doing its best to stay out and I went for a walk around the village, enjoying the sunshine (had to remove my jacket!) and the greenery. The cherry trees and magnolias and spirea are blooming. The magnolias, especially the bright pink ones, are such ridiculously pretty pink popsicles of trees. Columbine and forget-me-nots and pansies are everywhere and every field looks carpet-bombed by bright yellow dandelions. Out in the fields, the rapeseed is reaching its neon-yellow heights. And I saw a pied wagtail! The first...

13
May
2021

MOMENT WITH A MAGPIE

Yesterday, we had lunch out on the deck, in the sunshine. Karin was here for a quick lunch for 30 minutes. It was lovely. Later in the afternoon, after I was done working, Anders and I sat out in the sun for awhile again. I had my book and the sun umbrella up and I just sat and enjoyed the green of our yard, our hedge, the trees, the newly planted seedlings in the vegetable garden, the pansies in their pots. I had filled up the birdbath earlier, and while I was sitting there, I saw a magpie alight on...

11
May
2021

HEARTBEATS & BIRDSONG

It’s the prettiest time of the year. All the flowering trees are in bloom: yellow, white, pink, and all the trees that don’t have flowers look like they’re blooming too: bright neon green. I went for a walk around the village and had to restrain myself from taking photo after photo of trees. Trees are so pleasing in their new spring finery. I walked through the pear allĂ© and admired all the white blossoms overhead. Tulips and daffodils and pearl hyacinth are blooming and our yard, along with everyone else’s, is polka-dotted with sunny circles of dandelions. Out back, a...

13
Apr
2021

DON’T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME)

Man, it’s *crickets* around here…even more so than usual. I don’t think I’ve ever gone this many posts with so few comments. I don’t know if it’s because of the stupid LJ issue with telling anonymous commenters that they are banned (they’re NOT! YOU’RE NOT! COMMENT ANYWAY!) or people’s general malaise or what. I know I’m one of the last diehards out here blogging, but it’s such a marked difference from even a couple of years ago. And I’m just as culpable as anyone else. I read a few last-blogger-standing blogs out there too, and rarely comment. I’m much more...

18
Mar
2021

THINGS TAKING UP SPACE IN MY BRAIN, FOR BETTER OR WORSE

Vaccine envy I am thrilled that my mom is getting hers this week (1 shot) and Martin gets his second dose next week. I’m happy for all my friends and relatives who have gotten theirs or have their scheduled. But I’m aggravated that there’s no knowing when we’ll be getting ours here. Everything is delayed, maybe by as much as 4 months. SUCK. Hate crimes What is WRONG with people? Why are so many people so scared of others who are different and feel the need to be hateful to them? Just be KIND to other people. How hard is...

06
Feb
2021

MINUTIAE

The thing about trying to be better and more frequent about posting here is that I feel obligated to have something to say. Content. A subject. And when you aren’t going anywhere or doing anything, it’s hard to fill up a post with content. Nothing happening equals nothing to write about. Of course, that’s not really true. I AM doing things, but they’re repetitive and boring, mostly. I AM going somewhere, but it’s just the grocery store. But I’m obviously no Emily Dickinson, holed up in my house, thinking deep thoughts and translating them into poetry on scraps of paper....

31
Jan
2021

REDUCING

Quiet day, quiet weekend, quiet week ahead. Not in the mood for people, for conversation, for music, for sound. Two quiet days and a walk in the sunshine and snow. Rereading, recharging, relaxing. That’s all that’s needed right now, maybe that’s all that’s ever needed.

07
Jan
2021

AS THE YEARS GO BY, THEY TAKE THEIR TOLL ON YOU*

It’s been snowing all day, that thin corn snow that doesn’t stick. I didn’t actually check the temperature but it had to have been right at freezing, because even though it was cold enough to snow, it all just melted as soon as it touched down. Now, however, in the early evening, it’s STILL snowing and now, finally, there is a thin blanket of white. We’ve only had one other night of snow (maybe two? I can’t remember) but it’s always been gone by midday the day after. I hope it will stick around a little and brighten things up....

17
Dec
2020

BOOKS IN THE TIME OF CORONA

Barack Obama released his favorite books of 2020 list today and I confess to feeling a little thrill to see that the book I’m currently in the middle of was on it. And that two other books in my queue are also on it. Reflected good taste! To be honest, the book I am reading, that was on his list, is probably not going to end up on my list of best books I’ve read this year, unless it takes off or takes a rather drastic turn. It’s good, but it’s really heavy and because it’s about the consequences of...

13
Jun
2020

SHUUUUSH

Do you ever just feel paralyzed by the too-muchness of everyday life? I feel that way a lot. I seem to be stuck in a major rut and I’m not sure what to do to shake myself out of it. I WILL, I know, eventually, but I sure feel kind of stuck right now. Every day blurs into the next, and I can’t decide if that’s okay or not, to be honest. It’s been windy here all day today. All the green things are shaking and shimmying and the constant rustle and shuuush of everything is both soothing and annoying....