I stepped from Plank to Plank
A slow and cautious way
The Stars about my Head I felt
About my feet the Sea.

I knew not but the next
Would be my final inch -
This gave me that precarious Gait
Some call Experience.

Emily Dickinson, c. 1864

Sunday, September 16, 2018

Late summer musings

Taken from my front porch
I took this pretty scene when I got up one day last week, seeing the sun just beginning to lighten the sky and brighten the clouds. It was early, but in just a week since I took this picture, the sun is now coming up later and later, and it's dark when I go out the door. In fact, this coming Saturday, September 22, will usher in the first day of fall. The equinox will occur at 6:54pm PDT. The September equinox occurs the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above Earth’s Equator – from north to south. Some fun facts about the equinox from timeanddate.com:

  • The full Moon closest to the September equinox, the Harvest Moon, is astronomically special. This is because the time between one moonrise to another around this period becomes shorter.
  • In the old days, the early moonrise for a few days around the equinox in the Northern Hemisphere meant that farmers could work and harvest their crops for a longer time in the evenings.
  • Many cultures around the world hold feasts and celebrate festivals and holidays to mark the September equinox.
I don't think there will be any festivals I'll attend at the equinox next Saturday, since I don't know of any. Many of my friends don't like to acknowledge that summer is truly over for this year and that we're now heading toward the long nights of winter. Of course, in the Southern Hemisphere, it's all reversed and the days will get longer after Saturday and spring arrives, so one could always hop on a plane and fly into spring! 

For those who might be wondering how Lyle is doing a week after I wrote about his accident, according to Peggy he is "precarious," now fighting infection and continuing to have surgeries. It's pretty awful; I'm getting my information by email from our mutual friend Linda, since I sure don't want to add to Peggy's burden by bothering her for updates. My heart goes out to both of them and their family.

Meanwhile, I'm continuing to spend fifteen minutes every day doing some yoga here at home, trying to make it through the 100-day Challenge. The studio has sent out some emails with ideas of how one might use that fifteen minutes. You would think it would be easy to carve out a niche of that small amount of time every day, but I'm finding it impossible to do it at the same time every day. It needs to be between meals, in the proper clothes and barefoot, so the preparation takes at least as long as the asanas (yoga poses).

I've been doing the sun salutation twice through, a couple of the standing poses, stretching my hamstrings with a yoga belt, and at least one twisting posture. Then it's done and I can write on my little sheet that I've accomplished one more day of the challenge. A friend told me that if you do something for at least 21 days in a row, it will become a habit. Well, it's not yet a habit, but I'm beginning to think I will finish it. I had been wanting to start a daily yoga practice, and this seems to be the way to do it. I hear the instructor's voice in my head as I attempt some of the poses, so perhaps that helps keep me from doing the postures incorrectly. Anyway, it's not the burden I thought it would be, and I occasionally find myself smiling as I lay out the yoga mat in preparation for my daily practice.

Hurricane Florence is no longer a hurricane since its winds have diminished, but incredible amounts of rain are continuing to inundate the Carolinas and beyond. At the same time, there is a huge typhoon in the Philippines that is causing terrible damage from winds and rain (Typhoon Mangkhut). I just learned that there little difference between hurricanes and typhoons:
Hurricanes and typhoons are the same weather phenomenon: tropical cyclones. Once a tropical cyclone reaches maximum sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or higher, it is then classified as a hurricane, typhoon, or tropical cyclone, depending upon where the storm originates in the world.
 I feel very fortunate to be experiencing gentle rain for most of the coming week, with a little breeze now and then, nothing like what millions of people around the world are coping with right now. September is peak hurricane season, and most storms occur right around this time. It should be over by the end of November. Hopefully we won't be having any more monster storms after this one leaves. But you never know.

Anyway, I've taken out my raincoat and am ready to face the elements here in my little town, and I'm glad for their relative harmlessness. While the world is a dangerous place, there are many little pockets of serenity, and I'm feeling quite glad to be in one today. The coffee shop will open in a few minutes and my barista will be preparing fragrant coffee for the patrons, one of which will be me within a short time. I can almost smell the coffee!

I do hope you will find a little pocket of serenity for yourself today, and that you will not forget to be grateful for its presence. I will take that advice for myself, as I begin my Sunday. My beloved partner still sleeps quietly next to me, the sun will be coming up soon, and it's time to begin the rest of my day. I wish you all good things between now and when we meet again next week, dear friends.

14 comments:

Marie Smith said...

It looks like we will get lots of rain from Florence late next week. She is a slow mover that one!

Have a wonderful day, Jan! And a great, though rainy week!

Linda Myers said...

Seems like the rain is coming a little early this year.

Glenda Beall said...

A little pocket of serenity is what I like and where I live is like that. I don't expect to have any danger from Florence since I live on the side of a mountain where I am not likely to experience flooding and so far from the coast of NC, that I expect some rain in the next few days, but not likely to have damage here.
I feel so sorry for those poor people who are flooded out of their homes. I have seen first hand what a flood does to people. I plan to post my poem about the flood that hit my hometown in Georgia in 1993 on my blog, www.profilesandpedigrees.blogspot.com
Your morning photo is beautiful. My heart goes out to your dear friends. I pray that Lyle will recover and be well again. It is hard enough to get old and deal with daily challenges, but to have a horrendous accident like he had is more than one can handle sometimes. Have a great day, DJan, and a wonderful week. I appreciate you.

Elephant's Child said...

Enjoy your day and week. Florence is getting most of the media attention here, despite the fact that Mangkhut is causing much more devastation. And deaths.

Gigi said...

What a beautiful scene from your front porch! Florence is still hanging around but from what I can tell we are only getting the outer bands and aren't in the direct path. Still under a flash flood watch but I think we are going to be okay.

Have a great week, DJan!!

Arkansas Patti said...

Putting Lyle and Peggy back in my prayers. That was such a dreadful accident. Hope the company responsible is helping with the bills.
Keeping my eye on Florence--have a few people I know in the path.

Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMotte said...

Lovely photo.
I am not looking forward to darker days as it gets harder to see. Yes for sure there are many who must now face wild weather along with other sad events. You are always challenging you life with healthy things to do. One I cannot enjoy is coffee as it causes my heart to race. Even the smell can at times set it off yet I once loved it especially with s dollop of fresh whipped cream.
Till next time stay well and happy fall

Red said...

The equinox held a very important place in the lives of ancient people. It was a very significant part of the years.

Linda Reeder said...

We made a stop in your neck of the woods today, doing a little exploring in Fairhaven on our way home from our adventures in Vancouver BC. You were on my mind.

Rita said...

Was 93 degrees yesterday and 48 degrees this morning. Yesterday hot and sticky. Today you could wear a jacket--LOL! But I woke up thinking about, despite having a head cold or allergies this past week, how lovely my quiet days are. How for most of my life I prayed for some peaceful, calm days and how blessed I am to have them. Contentment for me is all of these calm, uneventful days others might describe as boring--LOL! I feel like I have earned them, in a way. Here's to pockets full of serenity!! :) :) Maybe that's what I should write about in my Monday blog. ;) Have a great day!

Dee said...

Dear DJan, often, in fact quite often, your posting here on Sunday leaves me with a feeling of serenity. That's true again today. Thank you. Peace.

Tabor said...

Coffee? Did you say coffee? Just got a new coffee pot. I will use it for a week and then blog about it!

Trish MacGregor said...

Love these Sunday posts!

Far Side of Fifty said...

Thank you for the update on peggy's husband, I was wondering about him. Sounds like you may settle into a yoga routine sooner or later since you like it! It turned cool here...almost time for socks with crocs:)