August 23, 2025
This Saturday brings peace, reflection, chores, yard-work, an enneagram lesson, learning more about blog analytics, adding items to my link-tree shop, birdwatching, listening to new music, looking for our future home, college football, reading, solitaire mahjong—my brain is always listing but yet, here I sit in my real bungalow blogging while some of those things happen simultaneously with blogging the housework chores have not been touched. Lets go inside my adult ADD brain for a snippet.
Reflection…I got scammed. DO NOT BUY ANY JEWELRY from the website Charlotte and Grace. Its lovely but i’ve spent hours trying filing a claim with my bank, sending emails to the hackers, and learning exactly what to look for now that AI can make a website look very legit and lovely. Be careful out there, ya’ll. Like social media, I share a love/hate relationship with AI. Both can be used for good and evil and the new knowledge that AI hurts the environment causes me pause and very limited use.
Peace…the birds and chipmunks that have made my bungalow their part-time home flood healthy endorphins to my body and soul on this day of a comfortable or tolerable temperature. While an oscillating fan provides a breeze in the shade of my covered deck, I type, listen to nature, have my 70’s music in the background and breath it all in.
Chores, not a one yet. The first will be the never ending task of laundry, putting a few stacks of stuff into their correct place (home, recycle, give away) and hopefully a few floors will get mopped. But for now, I sit and write.
Yard work is on hold until we get a little cloud cover and cooler temps this afternoon. I love to mow and play with my flowers and garden beds, but NOT in this temperature. Mowing will have to wait until early evening, with a hat and less sun; I’m protecting a small cancer removal wound on my upper lip, number four in four years! Please, PLEASE wear hour sunscreen. My dermatologist says all four of my cancers came from sun damage in my teens, twenties and thirties. What were we thinking?
The enneagram you ask? I will it a whole post down the road; it deserves it. If you know of it I am a full-fledged 2; a poster child for a #2…the beautiful, the ugly and every characteristic in between, I have them. I’m “the helper.” I’ve spent the last several months studying it a bit deeper with lifelong friends. We’ve learned so much about ourselves and each other. Thank you to my lifelong friend, Deb, for guiding our thoughts, challenging us, answering our questions and helping us evolve to the best version of ourselves.
Most of the blog analytics challenge my non-mathematical side but I do understand data and statistics a bit better having analyzed years and years of of students’ and class data. Right now it looks like folks are staying on my blog an average of about a minute—and I have had someone click in from Zimbabwe and several other countries. Who knew?
The birdwatching, music listening and house hunting are ongoing as I sit in the bungalow either blogging, cleaning, planting, reading, praying, or practicing mindfulness. Yes, my attention deficit is alive and well at 61 years of age. It was on the growing list of reasons it was time for me to retire after 37 years of teaching. It was getting hard for me to keep up with all I needed to remember at any given moment on any given day. I never stopped teaching like I was 23, 33, 43…but my body starting whispering, then eventually shouting…its time. I didn’t know how to slow my pace in the classroom and allow my older self to teach. I wanted to leave as strong, confident, fun, engaging and effective as I’d always been or close to it. Again, that deserves a space of its own here; entirely too much for this post.
Football made today’s list because its the opening day of pre-season college ball and when I tell you my husband is at this happiest with his family and watching college ball just know it is true. It brings such happiness to me to see how he lights up during football season. He loves to watch it, analyze it, talk about it, shout at the tv, tell me about plays. In the early days of our marriage it caused a problem here and there, but as we’ve aged, its sweet and something that brings enjoyment beyond compare. He always says he’s a simple man, and he is. Just give him a Saturday of ball with the TV to himself or me sharing space as we watch the Vols or another high-stakes game. Life is good.
Reading one of my several books will happen after I mow, as it cools into the night and stars begin to shine and solitaire Mahjong…don’t get me started. It’s my new addiction, Mahjong; I even play alone when not playing with friends. I’ll get at least two practice hands in before this head hits the pillow.
Off to mow and plant a zinnia. It’s the simple things.
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