An eventful week

Daisies, stuffed mouse, and me

Yesterday I went for a wonderful six-mile walk with my friend Steve, and instead of our usual routes either to the harbor or to Fairhaven, we walked east to the Barkley neighborhood. It turns out that we saw at least seven or eight yard sales as we walked, and we did stop to check out a few of them. He purchased this cute little stuffed mouse, which he says is part of a story that he would read to his son when he was little. 

As you can see, it was a sunny day and I am wearing a new hat I bought on Amazon a week or so ago. It was perfect forthe weather, and when I saw these pretty daisies along the side of our trail, I asked Steve to let me take a picture of him. He demurred and suggested I hold onto the mouse while he took the above picture. I like it, so I decided to share it with you.

I didn't go on the Tuesday hike, because it was a long drive and I'd recently visited the area, and also we intended to go into the same vicinity on Thursday. I'm glad I didn't go because there were 22 people who did go! At it was, on Thursday we had twelve of us drive to Fort Ebey State Park on Whidbey Island. I had never visited the park or the World War II-vintage fort. I wrote about it on my other blog, if you're interested. It's such a long drive I'm not sure I'll be going back there any time soon. But it was a beautiful day, cloudy and threatening rain (but not raining). We had patches of sunlight instead.

Then there was Thursday's presidential debate, and I watched it, which was a mistake. I was so upset by seeing both of our options for president seeming to be rather distressing choices. I then listened to the spin doctors and their commentary, which meant I couldn't get to sleep until very late. And in a state that was anything but calm. By the next morning, when I got up after little sleep, I had gained a bit of perspective and was able to have a really good restful sleep on Saturday. Things always look much different when I'm not trying to solve the woes of the world and can see things with a better frame of mind. Whatever is going to happen has little to do with me, and I really need to take care of myself. Walking this morning with a good friend was all I needed to complete the transition from despair to serenity.

And, surprisingly, this coming Thursday is our national holiday: Independence Day, the Fourth of July (already!). We don't usually have a hike scheduled for that day, but one of our leaders, Barb, has decided to do a rather long and challenging hike and I will be one of many to join her. It looks like it will be sunny and warm, so I'll be taking precautions to keep myself comfortable. I've already heard early fireworks going off, reminding me of what's to come.

Yesterday while we were checking out yard sales, I saw a lovely rather vintage recliner (you know, one of those with a handle to bring up the feet) that was in really good shape. And after I sat down in it, I couldn't resist buying it. I made the purchase and we headed off back to the coffee shop. I called my friend John and arranged for him to help me get the chair to my home. And then I went looking for some strong backs to help me get it up the stairs to my second-floor apartment. It all went without a hitch, and I must say I am thrilled with my chair. I named her "Alice" but I actually think she told me her name and I simply acceded. It's a smallish chair, just right for someone my size, and it fits right where my easy chair has lived for years. I thought about sharing a picture, and maybe I will, but not today. I am happily ensconced in my bed, propped up with the laptop as usual, and listening to the sounds of the new day's beginning. Birds awakening, chirping and lazy. I think of them as brushing the sleep out of their eyes, just as I do.

We have a lot of crows around here, and I wondered why at this time of year they make such different calls. I read up on them and found that this is the season when the young ones fledge. Once they leave the nest, it takes some time before they learn to fly.

Fledgling crows can take 1-2 weeks to learn to fly and self-feed with the help of their parents. In fact, young fledgling crows will spend approximately one to two weeks on the ground as they go through this essential learning process with their parents. (Wikipedia)

Well, that explains the crows I see walking around on lawns, and the plaintive cry of what looks like a full-sized crow begging another one for food. It's simply a baby learning how to be a crow. The entire corvid family of birds are extremely intelligent and well adapted to urban environments. They include blue jays, ravens, and crows of every sort. Maybe I should take up birding. So many things to explore and learn about in my old age, but I think maybe it would help to have better eyesight than mine. Fortunately, much of what there is to learn is available audibly. And thanks to my trusty hearing aids, I can hear everything. And then some. The only problem I have with them is that ambient sounds are often too loud, like when I'm traveling in a car and trying to have a conversation with someone. The noise of the car can be a problem. There are downsides to all our helpful devices, it seems. But it sure is nice to have them, I'm not really complaining.

What else is going on in my busy mind? Oh yes, there is the problem of not being able to think of a word that is right on the tip of my tongue. Yesterday I couldn't think of the name of the app on my phone that allows me to navigate to places I don't know how to get to. You know, the Google Maps app. I tried so hard to think of it as I was talking on the phone, but it just wouldn't come. Now I begin to understand when someone uses a word that doesn't quite fit. It's called anomia.

Word-finding difficulty, also known as anomia or word-retrieval difficulty, is a common experience that can affect people of all ages. It can feel like the "tip-of-the-tongue" sensation and can be made worse by certain emotions or lack of sleep. However, if the difficulty becomes persistent or severe, it could be a sign of a more serious condition.

Yes, I have experienced this many times, but somehow becoming an octogenarian has increased the frequency of my frustration with finding the right words. I am unused to it and hope it doesn't get any worse. Do you have the same problem? I wonder.

That pretty much describes the week I just had. This is the last day of the month, and July's heat will soon make me try everything I can to keep cool. Fortunately, we don't live in one of those parts of the country where it gets super hot. I couldn't deal with it very well. We don't have or need air conditioning at the moment; fans do the trick, but it sure looks like the world is getting much warmer. That's another thing I probably won't live long enough to be inconvenienced by. But who knows what lies ahead?

 Well, this turned out to be a rambling post, going nowhere in particular, but simply a chronicle of my week. The good part of my day today, after breakfast with John, is getting to know Alice better. I'll probably take a walk at some point, and I am determined to enjoy every moment of the coming week. My dear partner still sleeps next to me, and I hear the birds incessantly chirping outside, and life is good. I do hope that you will enjoy your week ahead, too. Until we meet again next week, I wish you all good things.