What’s a time you followed your gut and it turned out to be exactly right?
This question threw me for a loop! When I mused about gut feelings nothing that worked out came to mind.
Hello, wolf spider. My only photo from today.
No, I just thought about the ones that didn’t, but worked out anyway. I can think of a few good friends of whom I had negative first impressions. I remember the horrible feeling I had when I heard I had to move to Texas, but it’s been a great life here, just unexpected.
And yes, there have been gut feelings about romantic relationships, jobs, and travel choices that had very poor outcomes. But I learn from them all!
Usually I’m right. But can a specific instance come to mind? Nope. My gut tells me I’m too tired to think.
Enjoy this flowering tree. Anacahuita or Mexican olive.
Lately I’ve been noticing more and more Texas Christians coming out of hiding and talking openly about how they feel betrayed and bullied by churches that instill fear more than faith, pit people against each other, and conveniently ignore teachings of Jesus.
No illustrations for this, but Penney looking at a Devil costume headband adds a note of humor to my religious post.
I’ve known many of these ethical people who lead lives I admire during my life, but they’ve been drowned out by louder voices. That’s why it’s refreshing to see Christians whose moral compasses align more with mine speaking out.
The woman I reviewed the book of last week, Keith Brown, admitted she’d been duped by a cult and emerged ready to live openly as someone who listens to her true spiritual leader.
I’m also impressed with the bravery and commitment of James Talarico, for whom I plan to vote in the Texas senatorial race in November. He’s such a good guy that his corrupt opponent can’t find anything real to pick on him about. I’m sure he is imperfect, since he’s human, but listening to this ministry student speak kindly about all people of Texas, as Jesus would, and speak intelligently about issues we all care about makes me proud to have someone to vote FOR, not against.
And in a surprising twist, I discovered that Clint Harp, a Waco craftsman I used to enjoy when he worked with Chip and Joanna Gaines, was not a secret Homestead Heritage shill, just because those people were featured prominently in his Restoration Road series (which I love anyway). He and Kelly, his wife, have started a podcast called On Couch with Clint and Kelly Harp. The first episode was a candid and open discussion of how important supporting LGBTQIA+ people is to them. They talk about how their Southern Baptist upbringing instilled fear in them of even acknowledging gays. They portray a kind of Christianity where all people deserve a good life and the blessings of their faith. (Also Clint was at a Talarico rally!)
These inspirational folks represent the kind of world I was hoping I’d get to live in, where Christians model love and acceptance, other spiritual paths are celebrated, and those of us who are more on the earth-based path aren’t treated as pariahs. I have a little more hope.
By the way, this is the most positive thing I’ve ever written about Christianity, so I’m grateful to these folks (and of course other dear friends and family whose spiritual practices I admire).
The most important suggestion I have is to define success for yourself. Let others decide for themselves but not for you.
Bonus tip: as life and circumstances change, it is okay to change your definition. You’ve changed, so your aspirations will as well.
My definition of success focuses more on inner peace, love for all life on this planet, and forgiveness (of myself and others). And as long as I’m focused on these goals, I feel successful.
Minor success: with help from family, I have all the plants in my water garden. Now it can cycle before I put in fish.
What’s a book, movie, or TV show that you wish you could experience again for the first time?
I have two answers to this question, both of which have to do with my moral compass.
First, I’d love to experience the original Star Trek again, at the same age I was then (around 12) but with the ability to have my elder self able to point out the moments when things happen that went CLICK and turned me into a bleeding heart liberal. As cheesy as TOS (especially Kirk) was it opened my little working-class Southern girl heart to ideas I might not have encountered until much later. I’m afraid I would have been a lot more racist and intolerant without watching Star Trek at a pivotal adolescent moment.
Just a fun Lark Sparrow shot.
Second, I would like to have not read The Handmaid’s Tale when I was in grad school but instead last year, when it seemed to be coming true. Or maybe not. I’m pretty sure I’d panic and feel sure it would come true next year. No. I actually wish more women in the US would read it now, especially those trad wives who think what they’re doing is so cute. The women in The Handmaid’s Tale lead lives that could happen soon the way women’s rights are deteriorating and could deteriorate more in the Texas Republican Party platform this year gets enacted — they want to outlaw IVF now. Sheesh.
Believe it or not I have another book review for tomorrow. An important book for me. I thought about it all day, which is why I just answered the prompt again today.
The highlight of the day was that I craved peaches and I ate three very ripe ones from Costco. Not worthy of its own blog, but so good. A ripe peach brought me joy!
If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be and why?
You know what? The blog folks are asking different prompt questions now. That’s good, because my current work project is mind numbing and after two days of it, I’ve got a pretty good headache. I should finish by tomorrow, hopefully with my brain intact.
I did enjoy the first blossom on Lee’s canna lily.
So the best I can do for you today is answer the question of what skill I’d like to master instantly.
I’ve tried to learn to spin wool over and over. I know I CAN learn it, but I’ve never had the patience to keep trying with a drop spindle, and never had enough time with a spinning wheel to get a rhythm. I would truly love to just know how to do it and start enjoying spinning my own yarn minus the learning curve. Yeah, that’s cheating, I know.
Little brown snake is judging me.
Same with weaving. I can weave with a rigid heddle and know how to make tapestries. However, if I could instantly master a big ole loom and all those complex patterns…I’d be set for life. But that’s not happening. I should go make some placemats and not let Lee wash them in the machine (fate of my last woven placemats).
Good thing I do know how to knit and crochet well enough to make things I enjoy.
Speaking of crafts, today was the first day over 95° this year so I got to use wine in the temperature blanket today.
One of the best things about aging is that you realize you have learned so much from all those “learning experiences.” Also, you are humbled to realize that those opportunities do not suddenly end when you hit some magical age of discernment. I wish.
We’re beautiful despite our scars, like my sunflower and friend.
While I do have a pretty good idea of what my issues and triggers are (abandonment, low self esteem, sensitivity to criticism, etc.), I still have more to learn about dealing with my areas of vulnerability. Who doesn’t, right?
When my horse trainer dismissed me as a client in January, I admit I was blindsided. My fear of abandonment took me back to how I felt as a small child. I was heartbroken. I thought she was a lifelong friend, though I realized we had differences.
Now I have time and funds to make a pond! So far all I have are a clean trough and a solar fountain. Plants are coming.
How did I grow? Well, I was able to nip my inclination to blame myself in the bud. I was able to see she is in pain and afraid, and struck out at me as a convenient target. I can’t say I wasn’t sad or that I don’t regret that it happened. But I’m back to seeing good in life.
Everything has its season, flowers and friendships both.
A key insight for me was that I realized I felt a lot better now that I didn’t feel pressured to perform, to modify my speech, and make myself do things I didn’t want to do. You know what? I can enjoy my horses without asking them to do things they don’t enjoy, and I can take my time making progress. I don’t even have to ride. It’s okay!
I like eating the best.
And yep, that’s the growth for this year so far. I have broken free of feeling like I have to diminish myself so as not to “rock the boat” — and it’s happening at work and home, too. I notice things but don’t react unless it’s important, and then I’m more compassionate. yay!
I was kind to this guy today. He really wanted to hang out on the side of the door, so I propped it open for him.
No wonder I enjoy my work and don’t let pissy people bug me. No wonder I can relax at home and feel like it’s a choice to steer clear of some potentially contentious topics or ignore potentially irritating actions, not something I have to do to protect myself. Bonus: I realize others are letting my annoying features slide, too. It’s reciprocal!
All is well at home.
I hope you can think of ways you’ve been growing this year. Have you seen growth in others? I sure have, and I’m so pleased. As long as I’m surrounded by people who are doing their best to be the kind of friend, family member, or community member they can be, I can hold on and make the best of each day.
I don’t think I’m doing anything more boring than usual. However, the statistics on this blog are suddenly very low. I guess my bird stats were a dud. I’ll keep posting anyway. It’s good to have a few Boring Boomer Bloggers out there, and I certainly don’t do any marketing.
Since Facebook hides posts with links, maybe I should just start posting the whole blog there after I write it here for my email friends. I could get rich via monetization. Now, that’s delusional.
Hope you enjoy the only photo I took today. It’s a tiny skipper. Work will settle down in just a few weeks and I can have more of interest to write about.
Yesterday I worked on adding up how many bird species I observed here at the Hermits’ Rest last month. I was happy to have seen 126 different species as the migration season drew to a close. I was wondering if there was a seasonal pattern, because I intuited that the spring and autumn migration seasons would bring in more species.
Speaking of birds, I’m not sure if this sparrow nest addendum was on purpose.
I don’t remember exactly what I did, but somehow Excel asked me if I wanted an analysis of the data. Well, yes, I did, because data analysis using spreadsheets is not one of my skill sets. I had all kinds of questions that I’d like answered, like what were the most common species, which species have been here every month, etc.
Like, am I a bird?
Suddenly, BOOM. a new tab opened on the spreadsheet. It had all the answers. Something had analyzed my spreadsheet. Oh no, I found a use for AI! Damn! I couldn’t not look at the results. I really wanted to know.
Right on top, there was a summary of my ranch bird data:
The sheet is a month-by-species presence matrix: an X means a bird was recorded in that month. Coverage spans Dec-23 through May-26, with 2,804 total monthly presence marks. May-25 is the richest month (129 species); Jul-24 is the quietest (60 species). 18 species appear in every month, suggesting reliable year-round residents. 30 species appear in only one month, highlighting possible migrants, one-off observations, or rare sightings.
That’s all the stuff I wanted to know! To top it all off, there were tables and charts! Look at this.
I was wrong about the seasons. Winter, with all those sparrows, has the second most sightings, after what I expected…that spring gets the most.
This one is probably my favorite. I wonder, though, how we got so many species last June, when the previous June, July, and August were so low (and this June is starting off pretty slow). What I really think is that I need another couple of years of data to see these patterns better. Here’s another graph:
These are the 18 birds we see every month, with two that occur almost every month. I am not at all surprised at the species I see here. I wasn’t sure that Eastern Bluebirds were here every month. I don’t see them every day, but I guess they are here. Okay, one final fascinating thing.
These are supposedly the birds we’ve only seen once. That’s pretty interesting, but look! There are weird spellings on the birds, which I assure you are spelled correctly on the original spreadsheet. I probably shouldn’t have asked for a red border. I wonder what a Swalver is? And I think those last two are both Virginia Rails. But it appears only once on my list. I went too far.
What are my conclusions? In summary, AI is helpful upon occasion, but AI always does weird stuff to the data. Here’s the actual data of birds that were only seen once.
American Golden-plover
American Tree Sparrow
Barn Owl
Bay-breasted Warbler
Black Capped Chickadee
Black Tern
Black-and-white Warbler
Black-necked Stilt
Boat-tailed Grackle
Canada Warbler
Caspian Tern
Chestnut-collared Longspur
Chuck-Will’s Widow
Common Raven
Crested Lark
Greater White-fronted Goose
Hooded Warbler
Indian Peafowl
Lark Bunting
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Pyrrhuloxia
Rough-winged Swallow
Semi-palmated Plover
Semi-palmated Sandpiper
Spotless Starling
Thick-billed Longspur
Tricolored Heron
Virginia Rail
Western Wood Pewee
Yellow-green Vireo
Dang, I’m ambivalent. But now I know stuff about my bird data. I am pleased about that.
I was not quite so pleased when I sleepily ventured onto the screened porch to guzzle some coffee before my 8 am standup (once again it went 30 minutes over). I went to set my coffee down and spotted a snakeskin on the arm of my chair. You know I’ve lived here a while, because all I did was ask Lee if he put it there. Nope. I set the skin on my big turtle shell where it looks quite decorative.
It wasn’t a big one.
I guess the rat snake left the way it came in when it realized there were no birds or rodents to snack on. Ah, it’s always something!
One thing about teaching one’s “golden years” is that it seems to take more energy to do normal things. I find myself able to do the things I have to, but optional tasks go by the wayside.
Nails are not optional. I found this one rather wimpy. I was trying for Pride. It’s like tepid support. I’ll do better next week.
Allowing myself to simply rest more has taken mental effort. I always think I have to be doing something. Just being present can be enough, though. It’s about time I lived my values instead of just paying lip service to them!
Like Carlton, I can just bask in nature and enjoy being alive.
Next week will be busy, then there’s lots of travel coming up, so perhaps it was a good idea to conserve my strength today.
I’ll sneak in some fun, too. The ponds and puddles are lots of fun for dogs!
Tomorrow I have some interesting information to share, so get ready to learn some birding facts about the Hermits’ Rest.
The Hermits' Rest 