The Blog: Spellbound by our own imperfect lives...

 I'm at my big computer (as opposed to my laptop, my phone, my iPad) and I'm fiddling around trying to remember how to access pictures, download pictures, transfer pictures...it goes on and on. I think a person has too many ways to input information now. Seriously. I took a picture with my phone a few minutes ago and I wanted to put it here but alas, it must be traveling to the cloud. It has not appeared. I did come across a picture I took of some salmon tacos I ordered at a restaurant recently. I had them several times before and they were delicious, with big chunks of grilled salmon. This order, however, looked and tasted more like canned salmon. I am not opposed to canned salmon in some circumstances when my palate is prepared for it, but not in this circumstance. It was disappointing and unpalatable. I had to delete the picture. I made banana bread this morning which warmed the kitchen nicely and made the whole house smell wonderful. It reminded me that I still don't kn

 I can't quite get the hang of blog posting after such a long time of being vegetative here. I used to write daily and now it's only occasionally. I'm determined to get back in the habit. I'm already spooked by the shortening days...I woke up at 4 this morning and instead of light creeping out from the east by 5, it's more like 6:30. It's also pitch dark by 8:30 and I cannot figure out why that surprises me every damn year. One thing that will encourage my blog writing is my daylight thing. I sit in front of it while I write for a while every morning and it seems to help. I take Vitamin D and all of that and I try to get outside some every day. Last year I was foiled by the broken ankle. Barring any bullshit like that, this year should be better. I read about the neurological impact of COVID this morning. There's a good article in the Washington Post, if you're inclined to read it. How long covid reshapes the brain — and how we might treat it . The good

 I haven't written on my blog regularly for a long time. I've decided that I am going to make it something I do routinely because I will forget how. I made a radical change to the appearance just now. I'm not sure I'll like it but here goes. It's not sky diving, but it's something. Random photos so I remember how to add them. Everything is different. Except that Woodrow still wakes up at 4 am and checks his bowl so he doesn't starve.     More news to report. Moose freaks out when a person or a squirrel passes through the yard.  In the last week, we have this disaster. Three pots, one plants, dirt everywhere. Dammit. There have been happier things, too. A return to our potlucks! So nice to gather after such a long time. Below is Easton. He and Elliot came over one afternoon to paint and hang out in the porch.      Now some writing. I think this laptop is for someone who is faster than me. Like a lot of things in life right now. Regis and I talked about going

 As sometimes happens, we’re going from winter to summer in a short amount of time. It was 40° and damp last week and today it’s going to be 85° and humid. I can already feel the pressure in my head.  It’s not all bad. Hostas are popping out of the ground. Orioles are back. Tiny leaves have appeared on the apple tree. But I like a little smoother transition. There should be more than a week between parkas and sandals.  I’ve been craving healthy food. Yesterday I bought my third container of leafy greens in a week. Usually when I buy one, it sits in the fridge until it looks like pond scum. Last night for dinner, we had big salads with roasted tomatoes, micro greens, red onions, pumpkin seeds, and homemade dressing.  I planted some kitchen herbs about a month ago. They came in a little box…envelopes of parsley, basil, cilantro, and dill. They’re up now and I snip off a few to add to my salads. So tasty.  The new dog park is open which makes it more palatable to visit there. It’s windier

We have survived winter, as Minnesotans are wont to do and now we are enduring the coldest, windiest, shittiest spring of the past hundred years. I looked at the forecast and there is no sun predicted for two weeks. This unfortunate turn of events is impinging on my ability to enjoy spring. I wore sandals one time and nearly froze my toes. Yesterday I wore a parka to the dog park. It's inhumane. I have had some issues again with sleeping. I was so sleepy when I got home from work yesterday that I took a two hour nap. I was sleeping so hard (again) that when Regis woke me, I barely knew where I was. Of course, I wasn't ready to go to bed at my normal bedtime and stayed up watching Bridgerton. Nothing against it if it's your thing but I thought it was like a romance novel for television. I watched two and a half episodes and that's enough. I'm calling my doctor today and requesting a change in dosage of the medication that I think is causing the sleep issues. I am try

 I took a trip to visit mom on Tuesday. Of course, it's so late into the spring that a guy shouldn't have to worry about road conditions and I didn't. I did, however, worry about my drowsiness on the road. I stopped once to eat a couple tacos then I had to stop in the next town to take a short nap. It was so gloomy, the sky was gray, the landscape was gray, and it was misty raining...did not make for an energizing mood. We had a nice visit. A couple of mom's friends came for dinner on Wednesday evening. We talked about dogs, cats, insects, gardening, health, books, movies...it was very entertaining and energizing. Mom and her friends make me look forward to getting older. I came back Thursday afternoon. I picked up Tiffany and Elliot for a spaghetti fundraiser in Mankato at 5. Good time and so nice to be able to gather in public again. The next day I found out that two of my brothers have COVID. Thankfully they are vaccinated and are not so far suffering any terrible ef