The Hermits' Rest

Places I like to visit

What are your top 10 travel destinations?

Today’s question is hard for me because I don’t know whether to answer country (I think I’ve only been to around ten), state or region, city, or site. So I’m just going to name ten places I like a lot, not ranked.

Gainesville, across from my grandmother’s house

Gainesville, Florida. It’s my center.
Sedona, Arizona (and surroundings)
Ruidoso, New Mexico (and surroundings)
Hill Country, Texas
Chicago (favorite big city)
Western Ireland
Avebury, UK
Antelope Canyon, Arizona
Coastal marshes of southeastern US
British Columbia, Canada, though I’ve never been there

Basically, I like places with interesting terrain and wildlife.

I’m glad for that prompt. A few things saddened me today, so I needed something cheerful.

My eccentric former boss at the software company where I met my kids’ dad lost his wife suddenly. I’m so happy he found the right partner to share his life with, but sad that she passed so young (around my age).

The person who murdered my friend Christi is finally going on trial nearly five years after her death. He was her son, whom she did her best for. But he was a mess. But not all bad. He found Fiona for me. All this and more has given me “the feels.”

Luckily Benito is here for cheer and comfort.

On to another day.

Everyone loves a good quote

What is your favorite quote?

I like quotes, too, but I’m extra-bad at remembering them, just like how canned jokes never stick with me. I claim that I specialize in situational humor and improvised sayings, though I’m not funny or pithy these days.

I’ve been feeling like a spring flower in a summer landscape — in the right place at the wrong time.

But I do have a quote for you! I remembered that I liked one of the pull quotes at the beginning of the book I’m reading, Noticing, by Richard Louv.

So many of us would-be do-gooders and nature lovers resonate with that one.

Meanwhile, I’m continuing to do things I like to do, not that I think I should. I put silly little stickers on my nails. It was fun. If you don’t like it, don’t try it.

In the background of my nails is my journal. I enjoy putting Washi stickers in it. Artistic? No. Fun? Yes. There’s lots worse I could be doing!

I also stickered my big toe. My gosh that photo looks weird.

Other fun today was swimming, even though there are so many wasps around the pool. You can see nests better from in the water, I’ve learned. Spray time tomorrow!

Here’s a tip

If you had to give one life-changing tip, what would it be?

Just one? Do not confuse hormones or sympathy for love. Let’s just say I’ve made that kind of mistake so many times that I have no intention of starting any new love relationships.

On a more cheerful note, it wasn’t quite as hot this morning, and I figured out I can sit in the shadow of my bird hut to hang out with nature. My spirits were lifted by getting to see a Yellow-bellied Cuckoo in the closest tree.

It never faced me, but I got to see its eye!

I also got to watch three Gulf Fritillaries enjoying the passion vine and sorrel vines. It was rather enchanting.

I’ve really needed more nature time lately. I’m trying to figure out what I want to do for the years I have left. I really want to stop volunteering to do things to try to make others happy, and I don’t want to spend my time on things I don’t enjoy, just because I “should.” If I cut back on obligations and let myself just relax more, my mental state could improve.

Looks like the green heron is a hummingbird on the fence wire.

If my mental state improved, I’d start exercising again and keep feeling better. That would lead me to choose activities I enjoy, not obligations. A happy cycle.

A thing I enjoy is taking pictures of dogs making funny faces.

More on this later. I’m thinking hard but also allowing ideas to come to me when I’m relaxed.

Is this a basic skill?

What’s a skill you consider basic, that most people don’t actually know how to do?

Get ready to disagree with me on this one. I think applying nail polish is a basic skill and very few people know how to do it well, including many people who often wear polish and some nail techs. I sure can apply nail polish. Three strokes per nail, a ridge/filling base, three (not two) coats of color, plus a top coat. Do not paint over your cuticles but also don’t leave bare nail at the base.

Who cares? I’ve been using nail strips for years now rather than polish, because it lasts so long and has fun colors. Applying them is also a skill that takes practice.

I wrote about that because although I had many options for things to do today, I stayed home with the birds, fish, horses, and family. Lee and I did go to the bakery again with Mike and Martha. This time we sat on the courthouse square by the fountain and enjoyed the pleasant morning weather (it was cloudy).

We made plans to travel together next month, which should be fun. I even booked a place!

I’m getting the idea that it takes me a day to recover from a week of work lately. Not sure what’s up with that. I think I need to get back exercising more. Into the pool I go!

Things I did today. Nails and fish watching.

I watched most of a series about women with women’s problems while I was doing my nails. Ah yes, Five Star Weekend. It’s okay.

I’m just not brimming with energy today.

Geez, Louise, will ya look at me

Today was good. Lots of work was done and I had a nice talk with my Master Naturalist friend, Donna. Then Lee and I tried out my friends’ new restaurant on the Cameron square. I had a nice chat with Michelle, then enjoyed a Chicago dog and really good green chile creamed corn. All fine. Pleasant.

I went up to my bathroom and immensely clean closet just now to change into pajamas and ingest my hormonal normalization pills. As one does, I looked into the mirror as I brushed my blueish hair. Not only the hair was bluish. So was my face.

I look like I’m bruised. There was another splotch by my nose, but I wiped it off to be sure it would come off.

Okay, spouses, if you go to dinner with our spouse, at least LOOK at their face. I tell Lee when he’s dribbled food on his beard! He could sweetly whisper to me that there’s blue smears all over my face. Geez.

Explanation: today I spent some time reorganizing my pens, since I change colors each month. July was red and blue, in a feeble attempt at portraying loyalty to where I live. one blue pen had sprung a leak and I got some on my hands. I washed that all off. But I didn’t check my face. I did a Zoom call with my boss with that stuff on it, too. Argh. That pen is in the trash basket now.

This is cheerier. I finished July on my temperature blanket at the end of July! I can easily see only three days when the high was below 90, plus three 100+ days (today being one). I’m predicting August will look similar but maybe with no oranges at all. A good month to leave town a lot!

Benito is having a blast. Yesterday he got to help the Great Hunter Vlassic chow down on a fresh rabbit kill. Remember, that’s what dachshunds were bred for. Both dogs got a healthy fresh meal at least. And today he figured out that toys are fun and has been tossing two toys around and playing. that’s less icky.

Benito also is an incredible jumper. He can really launch himself into the air for long distances, to our surprise! He’s probably missing out on a career in agility work. Also, when he’s excited and barking with the other dogs because someone is here, he bounces on all four legs. I have always wanted a dog who could do that.

He’s fitting in. And he doesn’t care if I have ink on my face while ordering in a restaurant.

I’m sure glad it’s Friday.

Unpopular opinion

Do you think everything happens for a reason?

No. It does not. Stuff happens.

Based on my beliefs. You go enjoy yours.

There was no reason my nails matched my lunch and the green salsa yesterday.

I’m Stylin’

What’s your home decoration style?

I’m cheating and answering this because it’s late after a long day and getting two of three dogs swabbed for DNA testing. We are trying to figure out how to swab grumpy Harvey’s cheek. But anyway.

I know what breeds the other dogs are, so Vlassic doesn’t get swabbed.

My decorating style at this point in life is ranch eclectic, with a dose of hippie/witchy stuff. Lots of wood and natural stone for the ranch part, and art mostly by people I know and silly collectibles for the eclectic. All the Buddha statues, St. Brigid statues, and tarot stuff make up the rest.

And Lee contributes piles of stuff (me to some extent).

But it’s homey and comfortable, and I have lots of flowers and horses to cheer me up.

An old photo of my office, but it mostly looks like this.

I really enjoy looking at nicely decorated homes and read many magazines on architecture and interior design. I’m also fascinated by how homes looked in the past. But that doesn’t mean I want to live in a perfect environment. A little mess doesn’t bother me. I salute those of you who can’t abide clutter. It’s just not me.

Until next time!

Dream on

What’s your biggest dream?

Funny the prompt should ask. My tarot group met tonight, and the reading we did was about manifesting the future with guidance from the collective consciousness and universal spirit (something like that). And the cards I drew reflected my concerns about the state of the USA right now and my growing resolve to put in the work to do something about it.

I got the message that I need to first rest and recuperate (all that tooth stuff) and to turn away from paths that don’t serve me. That’s what the Michael Pollan book on consciousness was making me think, too.

But most important, I saw that while things are going to get bad for a while, probably very bad, there is a good chance we can all rebuild a nation with goodwill and harmony. And that’s my biggest dream, that I’ll live to see us figure out a system not run by corporations, super-elites, and their insane puppet leaders. I want to live where people can live differently, have different paths, and all that, but care for each other.

We have to be strong, have resolve, and believe we can create the world we envision. And if we fail, we will know we tried.

Book Report: A World Appears

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Michael Pollan. He fearlessly investigates what makes us human and is delightfully unafraid to test out his own ideas and find them wrong. A World Appears (2026) is his latest, an exploration into what it means to be conscious, and for that matter, what exactly consciousness is.

The title refers to what happens as we open our eyes from sleeping. A world appears. How does that work? Hint: the answer to the consciousness question is not really the goal of the book. The goal is to explore various ways of addressing “the big question” and how close they come to an answer.

Pollan interviews a wide range of fascinating scientists, deep thinkers, academics, and spiritual leaders in his quest. Some think they have the answers, some think they’re getting close, and others doubt we’ll figure consciousness out.

Mostly, Pollan drinks a lot of tea. If you listen to the audiobook you can make a drinking game where you down a shot of an interesting beverage every time he sits down with a pot of tea to interview someone. I guess consciousness scholars aren’t coffee drinkers. (Aside: Lee and I have a drinking game for every time an HGTV host says “pop of color”.)

Other than that quirk, I enjoyed reading along as Pollan thinks about what the experts tell him and points out where he thinks they have a point or are a little off. I was fascinated by the idea that consciousness is controlled by the cerebellum, not cortex, and I loved learning how many other living things may well be conscious, depending on how it’s defined.

Other parts of the book delve into whether machines can be conscious. All sorts of conflicting ideas come up in this part of the book. I will say I’m hoping Pollan’s conclusions on this one are right.

Fans of Pollan will not be surprised that psychedelics come into play when trying to figure out how to escape consciousness. Meditation is also invoked (and I’m more familiar with the brief flashes of transcendence from this method—brief—that’s why it’s a practice). It’s all fascinating.

One thing missing from the book is what happens when we are asleep. Are we completely unconscious? What do dreams have to do with our stream of consciousness? Maybe that’s another book.

All in all, this was a fun book that gave me much to think about and more tools in my toolbox to figure out what “I” am. It’s deep!

Closet is clean enough

I did it. I packed up about half my clothing to go to the local thrift shop. Everything else is on hangers, folded, or in the correct drawer. Today’s push to the finish line took me three tries with some resting in between, but I did it.

Looking in from the door. The surface of the island/drawers is visible.

While some folding isn’t very good (ahem, the jeans and sweaters), it looks way better as it is. I know where my dresses and sleeveless tops that aren’t polyester are (polyester ones are gone). I can see my dress pants. Outfits are stored together. Lee wanted to know how I group things. It’s pretty idiosyncratic, but I’ll share. Here are my categories:

Fancy dresses/tops (small category)
Wraps
Dresses (long sleeve, short sleeve, sleeveless)
Tunics, same groupings
Button-up shirts
Nice work tops
Work ensembles (items with matching accessories)
Political t-shirts
Long-sleeve casual
Holiday and Buc-ees tees
Winter shirts
Long-sleeve plain t-shirts
Long sleeve state park
Solid t-shirts
Tie-dye t-shirts
State/national park short sleeves
T-shirts with birds, flowers, etc., by color
Dallas Cowboy shirts
Master Naturalist shirts
Sleeveless tops
Sweatshirts
Rock/folk music shirts
Dress pants
Vests
Scarves and belts
Jackets
Purses on top shelf
Boxes for bathing suits, gloves, etc.
Shoes. Yes they are organized, too. I’ll spare you.
This is ridiculous.

You can see the jean pile and jewelry area I still have to clean.

I even removed many shoes and the only ones on the floor are house slippers and summer sandals, which have a niche. That was a lot of work, too. I have about 200 empty hangers but do not plan to acquire that many clothes! Now I need to make myself hang clean clothing as soon as it’s finished. Wish me luck.

I found a couple of items to pass on to friends or family. But mostly I hope the good stuff I’m passing along brings someone else joy. I’m ready to pass out.

Is this not the most clueless selfie ever? The hair! The dirt and sweat on shirt! The eyes looking at who knows what! But I did my job.

Let’s just hope I can keep it going better than I usually do. It’s very hard to show people your closet. Makes you feel vulnerable.