dailyprompt – Page 4 – The Hermits' Rest

Looking at Life

What’s a quote that perfectly describes your outlook on life?

The prompt writers seem to be fixated on quotes these days. I thought I’d just skip today, since the most exciting parts were at work and no one other than me would find my new assignments fascinating.

However, as I was looking to see what photos I took today, I realized I’d taken a photo of a page in the book I was reading that had a quote that resonated with me. I think it captures my outlook.

To develop a complete mind: Study the science of art; Study the art of science. Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.

Leonardo da Vinci, quoted in Noticing, by Richard Louv, p. 93

That’s just a perfect way to look at our journey through life.

I was pleased that two canna lilies bloomed today. The water garden looks ok!

That’s enough for today!

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.

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.

A fictional dining companion

If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be?

Just a quick one. I knew the answer to this one right off. I’d love to have dinner with Sherlock Holmes. I’d like him to tell me horrible facts about myself just from looking at me and proceed to tell me how insufferably boring I am.

Then I’d probably talk to John Watson.

And I choose Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock, please.

Apps? What apps?

What app eats up most of your screen time — and do you even feel bad about it?

Great news for me—I have another fun question to answer while not much is going on around the ranch but work, heat, dogs, and my sore mouth. I have overdone the NSAIDs and it’s making my old lady red spots go into overdrive. The pain is a bit less, so I’ll cut down starting tonight.

Barely need to rub on the skin to get this. Yuck.

However, the question was about apps. Here’s what my phone has to deal with every day.

Merlin Bird ID: it has its own phone, so it’s on much of the day, but I only look at it every couple of hours. It’s very important for my bird data, you know. (Yeah, I’m such a scientist.)
Facebook: sorry, haters, but I keep up with old friends, new acquaintances, and lots of horses and dogs. I’m encouraged by the kindness and interesting ideas I come across. I skip repetitive ads based on the things I’ve been talking or thinking about, and only very rarely do I see offensive, ignorant, or mean content. I’ve curated my feed. No, I have no secret other than liking what I like and ignoring the rest.
Finch. I check this cute self-care app 3-4 times a day. It reminds me to do kind things and lets me engage in harmless play with a few friends. It’s really good for my mental health. I can send my friend code; just ask.
Crossword: the Redstone Games crossword app is great. There are themes, different creators whose puzzles you can play, and many levels of difficulty. There are always new games. It’s good for keeping your brain sprightly. I play a game or two per day. Lee is constantly playing.
INaturalist. I’d say I add one or two observations per day or hundreds when I’m traveling. I love to look up whatever plants, birds, insects, or other creatures are near me. It’s endlessly fascinating.
WordPress or JetPack or whatever they’re calling it. I do blog a while most days. Yesterday was too uneventful for me to dredge up anything, so I skipped. I like WordPress just fine. I have always enjoyed putting words on the internet and formatting them. It’s what I do. For me.
Others I use often are Clime weather (official live radar maps), Google for asking questions, LinkedIn to check on work buddies, Gmail for the occasional personal email, Zoom/Teams for chatting, the camera app (duh), and boring banking and financial apps.

Do I feel bad about any of it? Heck no. The only app I felt bad about using was Bejeweled. I used it to escape from my daily life for about ten years. Things got better and I stopped.

Benito is settling in well. He’s very attached to Lee.

No doubt younger readers have very different app preferences. These folks have never known a time without apps. I guess books and drawing paper were my “apps.” I got lost in them!