Day 2226

I've been thinking about mortality lately. Within weeks of each other, Natalie Cole, David Bowie, and Glenn Frey have all died. Each was about my own age. Add Alan Rickman, and Motörhead frontman Lemmy and it hasn't been a good month for folks in their late sixties. Two neighbors I've known for years are probably going to wind up in an assisted living facility after a bad fall. My own sister, who is only slightly younger than me, is recovering from serious spinal surgery. When I look around, it is fairly obvious that the adventurous folks I know have sold their motorcycles and given up rock climbing. It's pretty sobering. I'm probably living more on the edge than I realize by still climbing up on my roof to remove the standing water.

It was hard to tell whether today was slow, or it was just me who was slow. I got a fair amount done, but it seemed like I was moving in slow motion all day. I picked up some meds for the dogs at the vet, but forgot to pick up my own at the pharmacy. I had to go back to the grocery store, because I ran out of a key ingredient I use in my morning smoothies. Heaven forbid that I do something logical and just eat something else for breakfast. Dot pooped in the house twice. It was probably the 3 AM accident that got my day started on the wrong foot. I don't even bother to track my sleep any more with the activity tracker. What's the point? I don't need technology to tell me that I'm not getting enough sleep. I can feel it.

I did manage to finish another article and ship it off to the client. Although my work has slowed down considerably, it is still essential. Writing is comforting and familiar. Just sitting at the computer a couple of hours each day, opening up Microsoft Word, and punching the keys for a while, keeps me from falling down the rabbit hole. I think I understand why Janet went back to work. Retirement sucks. If work is part of your identity, you need to keep working.

I keep wondering when the days are going to get longer. The shortest day of the year was back in December, but it's still dark every morning when we take the dogs on their morning walk. The ironic thing is that when the days actually do start getting longer in mid-March, we switch to Daylight Saving Time again and are plunged back into darkness for at least another month. I prefer sunlight, but at least the pre-dawn skies are interesting. If we have a clear day toward the end of the month, all five visible planets will be arranged in a straight line across the morning sky. This is the first time in eleven years that Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are all visible simultaneously, so I hope that the skies are clear around February 5.

Dot continues to have good days and bad days. The stock market has become a roller coaster. The daily weather alternates between freezing cold and unseasonably warm. The political landscape is equally chaotic. It would sure be nice to have a little stability.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day