It's Been a While...Let's Catch Up a Bit

This week's flowers (and last week's) with my current favorite live nature webcams. 

Well, life has taken over my life and I've not had really a spare moment to throw up even a rudimentary blog. Well, maybe I could have, but I like to do them a certain way that seems to take time. Then there's the fact that I have so many I want to put up here. While I've not had time to blog, I have made time to take walks with Toby, get in a few pics, try to notice what I can around us. But work has been extraordinarily busy with really no breaks since I last posted about our Pascha celebration and Toby's birthday. Even this weekend I've been working and had to work Friday as well. (I was not able to take a morning walk with Toby as I'd wanted as I had a deadline. But enjoy his pics of some trails he'd not explored before. I look forward to going out with him soon to see them myself!) Anyway, despite the incessant work demands, I miss my little blog here and thought I'd at least get a pic up of my pretty flowers this week and hit a few high points and an observation or two.

The Ether: Observations & Thoughts on the Current State of Things

Is it me or are people really losing it now? Yes, we are into our fourth month of COVID, concern, restrictions, etc. There is political, social, and economic upheaval that seems never-ending, uglier, and darker. There is a lot of darkness right now. It's not just cops and race relations and Trump v. Biden. There's far more going on than that. It's deeper, darker, more sinister; harder to put your finger on exactly; harder still to be able to do anything about it. It's a lot in the "ether" to manage for anyone, really, but some seem far less capable of coping than others. 

What really bothers me - exhausts me, actually - is that even the simplest post on social media turns into a massive, rude debate. At best, it's often just filled with people's negative comments. Why? Can we not just remain silent when we disagree or have a contrarian opinion? Or at least do so politely? I rarely see positive comments. I'm a political science major - have followed politics my whole life - but am constantly amazed at what becomes political and the ensuing result of that in terms of how people treat each other. It's sad. 

Even if it's not a hot debate, it seems everything has to be this extended back and forth. It really is tiring. Today I decided that I'm hardly posting on social media for the time-being. I posted a book list that I bought for Lucy to read next year and it was this extended back and forth. No one was really rude and ultimately it seemed everyone agreed. But, gosh. I'm a lawyer and have to do that for a living. I don't want to do it in my private life. Perhaps people don't realize this or they enjoy it because that's not their daily life. But it does seem that anything you post can turn into a bit of a controversy (if not a major one). It's just too much for me. 

There seems almost no respite from the omnipresent, excessive tension that is overly expressed in the most mundane ways. 

We are still so restricted. I'm sure that's working on everyone. It is on us. Even with the lockdowns eased, the truth is, COVID is still rampant. How severe it is, I'm not certain and that's a critical issue. There are some indicators that it is weakening even as the number of infections are increasing. It's so hard to get facts and data that aren't tainted to serve obvious political purposes. Also tiring. 

To us, for now, it makes no sense to go out to eat or shop or do any indoor amusements around other people under these circumstances. It's not fun masking, which I support. I think it's something that can help us, but not 100%. How effective it is is still hotly debated (and really, people should not be going to war with each other as they are over this; also tiring). Add to that that it's summer in North Texas. It's 100 degrees and humid. We do only the shopping we have to do, then do as much outdoors as we can for entertainment, exercise, etc. where we can be without masks and limit our exposure to others. 

We have been discussing vacation, but we don't really want to go if we have to mask everywhere (because COVID is that big of a legitimate concern), can't eat out normally, and otherwise have to be so careful and concerned. What we want, to be honest, is our old normal. We want to just go and be. It's a bit depressing, to be quite honest. We have so enjoyed our last three summer vacations - each seeming better than the last. We are still batting around ideas and watching to see what July brings on a number of fronts. 

Along these lines, I suppose, Toby has been busy on photos from those trips and having them printed on various media. When I have more time, I will post pics of them. So far we've tried canvas and HD metal. They each have their own unique character, but I have to say I like the metal the best. It's so crisp and the colors so true and bright that it's like looking out a window. It really is making our home even homier, which brings me joy and peace. I like having all of these momentos of our times together as a family around us on display. I'm so grateful for what we've been able to do in the past. I pray for an end to this mess so that we may all move forward in every way. 

Anyway, between what's in the "ether" (shall we call the background chaos we can't ignore) and the real things in my life with work and those stressors, I feel the need to check out more and more. I'm only able to so far, but I'm needing to guard my intake of even the smallest negative things that bother me more than they should because they are just the latest in a massive pile of stuff that's built up. 

In the interim, I wish people would check themselves a bit better. I've been trying to make a concerted effort to do so myself, but am certain I don't do it 100% of the time. Perhaps I can do better by removing myself from these sources of excessive negativity with very little value that wear one down.

I also think that we need to try hard to keep our eyes on God. I have been struggling with that in particular these days. I have been in a rather dry time spiritually. I need to be working harder on that. Thankfully, I was able to have confession, go to Vigil, and then receive the Eucharist at Divine Liturgy this weekend. My spiritual father had good advice. I feel like I've had a sort of "reset" that I hope carries over into other things. 

Let's try harder to find some happiness, beauty, peace, and calm and avoid as much of the negative as we can. I think that perhaps each of us has a greater responsibility than usual to make that happen. If we start at home, it will carry over and perhaps influence others in some small way. Here's my little contribution.

My Desk: Flowers, Icons, Things that Comfort

We cannot always get out and have to spend so much time indoors with our work, that I try to keep some flowers or plants around me, especially at my desk. I've posted so often about the benefits of having some nature around you and I truly believe that to be the case. The same is true of having beauty around you and things that bring you peace, comfort, and joy. Here's my desk this week. It makes me happy even as I work like a dog here sometimes well past the point of exhaustion. (And, I'm about to get started on the latest brief.)

Last week's flowers are a bit past their prime, but I'm not ready to throw them out yet. 

I like this weeks' flower arrangements. These three flowers were actually in one bunch Toby bought me but I separated them out into these two arrangements that I like. That little vase at the bottom is a sort of stone or something. We bought it in Breckenridge, Colorado, in 2018, during our second big family vacation. 

A Painted Bunting! 

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed the most beautiful little bird I'd seen in the wild that showed up at our new feeder. I was super excited. It turns out it's a Painted Bunting and they pass through here and feed and mate on their way to the south for the winter. He and his less fancy mate came a few times. I've not seen him in a number of days. He was very skittish, so I had to take pics through the window of my office. (No, that's not dirt, but old windows that have spots between the panes. They need to be replaced and are on our short list of rather major home remodeling we plan to do as soon as circumstances allow.)

The Katmai Bear Cam Is Back! 

Also, the Katmai Bear Cam has gone live in the last week or so. It has a new URL, however, than when I last posted a link. I was amused by this mother bear and her triplets! balancing on this tiny rock waiting for their turn to grab some fresh salmon. They are frequently around the camera.

We look forward to the Katmai bears every year. I think I like them so much because they do remind me of bulldogs. The way they are such creatures of habit - each has their own way of fishing for salmon and their own spots. Bulldogs are very much like that. Then they way they take their food and go off and eat it by lying down and using their forepaws also reminds me of our bulldogs. 

I like that one on the bottom right. I named him Charlie. He sits in that same spot every year with the bubbles from the falls hitting his neck like a spa. Then he catches a salmon, goes off to eat it, then comes back. 

The bears are scarfing down salmon like there's no tomorrow and there is plenty of it. Then they'll hibernate and the cam will go dark for the Alaskan winter and much of the spring it seems. That's a shame. I'd be happy to just watch Brooks Falls in whatever light with or without bears.

Well, that's all I've got for today. I hope to be able to do some catch-up blogging next weekend. I might even be able to squeeze in a 3-day next weekend since that didn't happen this weekend. 

Be safe, be well, find some happiness and peace and share them! 

Thanks for reading!