Tag Archives: shut downs

One of those weeks

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Cactus in bloom.

I’m having one of those weeks where every single day I have an appointment or something I have to do. Hair, doctors, a fundraiser for trafficked women and men….Every single day it’s something. Sometimes it’s more than one thing. Also, my appointments are 45 minutes away in downtown Scottsdale, so while I make the drive, I make a list of what I can get done while I’m in civilization. With the price of gas, I might as well take advantage of a big drive and hit Trader Joe’s.

Yesterday I left the house at 8:30 a.m. Plenty of time for my morning pages, prayers and walk. But then I didn’t return home until 6:30 p.m. because of appointments and stuff to do and big gaps between my appointments 45 minutes from the house.

After a relaxing visit to the beach, I can handle it. I just don’t know why sometimes everything stacks up in one week. My son and I were talking about it. He’s been busy at work, doctors, socializing. We both agreed we’d prefer to socialize with friends once or twice a month! This weekend I’m having people over Friday and going to friends for dinner on Saturday.

I guess I should be thankful for the energy to get through the week. And the blessing of a good night’s sleep to get through the day’s activities. Sometimes I wonder if it’s the past few years of solitude that make it harder to be social or getting out of the house for activities and appointments?

Hedgehog cactus in bloom

This is one of the cacti I photographed last week covered in buds. It’s blooming nicely!

What are your thoughts on being busy versus quiet time at home? Do you think the COVID shut downs have changed how we view our solitude?

The dog days of summer….

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I was curious what I was up to a year ago — during day 139 of the COVID shutdown. I was reading a Julia Cameron book called “It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again” trying to find motivation. I’m feeling lackadaisical just like I did last summer. Maybe it’s the prospect of more COVID mandates, getting back to my routine after being gone for a week — or maybe it’s just August. The dog days of summer.

pug staring out the car window
Waffles in the car with me when my daughter ran into my son’s house to retrieve my sweater.

What are the dog days of summer? I found this on Wikipedia:

The dog days or dog days of summer are the hot, sultry days of summer. They were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius (known colloquially as the “Dog Star”), which Hellenistic astrology connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck.

It is hot, humid, we’ve had thunder storms. I’m lethargic. I don’t have a fever, I don’t see any mad dogs and I’m not buying into the bad luck. But otherwise the phrase “dog days of summer” fits.

Okay. About that bad luck. My daughter just called me and said she fell in the dark on her stairs last night trying to get Waffles back in the house. She broke her foot. Now she’s on crutches and trying to get in for an MRI appointment without missing any work. This means she can’t exercise, walk Waffles and will be struggling for weeks to come. I feel like I should be up there to help her. I am thinking this is not good for her mental or physical health.

pug selfies
Selfies with Waffles while he’s intent on watching my daughter outside the car.

Are you feeling the dog days of summer? What are you doing to stay motivated?