NYC, a Feast Day, Then Sunday through Tuesday

This meme is so funny; one of those if you know, you know.

[started on Friday August 27]

I wrote this earlier today about my day in NYC

Happy Feast day!  So... Yesterday in NYC went really well.  Doing anything that I used to take for granted for the first time is profoundly euphoric for me.  Taking the subway was like that.  I felt really happy.  It was not as crowd as pre-you-know-what and I was double masked on the subway but just being there and doing something I loved was really special.  And another first was that I went to the MET LIBRARY.  It's different as it is a library that you can't browse yourself.  You look up the books and request them in advance and they have them there for you to use in the library.  The other cool thing? It's about 2 or so blocks from the private/subscription library that I belong to.  I went there afterwards 🙂  And did research. It was like both wonderfully normal and excitingly new.  In such times as these, I was doubly greatful. ❤

[Monday August 30, 2021] 

I went to the pool this morning. A very dear thing is that I got to talk to one of the former life gaurds at the pool about his new (first professional just out of college) job on the phone.  That made me super happy :) 

So I read a lot of books recently and more to come.  

If you want an incredible, beautiful, full of love yet also with grief novel, I can highly recommend The Lightkeeper by Sherry Shenoda ... it's a facinating plot in that the time frame is both circular and linear as the Lightkeeper goes in and out of time.  It's well done and it's power grows as the novel goes on... It was so beautiful and I was weeping when I got to the end, which is rare for me.  So it's a powerful book, I am working on a review of it to put on IG but for now, take it from me, it is worth getting.   

***

I wrote this up on it so far (not my offical review) :

I am working on a more offical review of this incredibly beautiful, well-written novel for my Instagram page but wanted to tell you about it quickly!  I was sobbing when I finished reading it; it was so beautiful and powerful.  I actually don't know if any other novel made me weep like that.  So it's beautiful, the love and grief that are so poingantly intertwined, is powerful, visceral, beautiful.  It's also cool mathmatically by which I mean it is both a plot that is linear in time and circular in time.  Yet the circle, in ways, is finite but yet complete within itself... (I actually wonder if it could be compared to a modius strip which is a circle with a half twist in it; I am still reading up on this since this math is not something I know by rote).  The Lightkeeper goes in and out of time yet at the very beginning of the novel, her experience of time, people and even weight changes and begins the most beautiful poingant-with-meaning time of her very long life.   I found I was still thinking about it a few days later, as I did my morning swim and was telling one of my lifeguard friend about it...

***

So I hope to go back to the MET Thursday afternoon (eye doc appt).  That would be great!

Today, Monday, has been a great day but not one that I directly got much done on my writing. But I was writing things.  Like messages for my google account if I die and I need to grant access to a trusted few.  Whew, talk about a bit emotionally draining to write.  I am still working on it (the messages are written).  BTW go HERE to do this too (it's so if your google/gmail account is inactive for 3 months and you did not reply to their messages, they grant access to the ones you have specified).  

[August 31, 2021, Tuesday]

My Husband and I hope to go to a rummage sale (masks required etc) and I began a list for things to look for.  First item I put on the list was: 

1. Bright (pink, yellow, blue, purple, orange gold) salad plates 

Husband's comment on this was: 

What mean things have I done to you lately?

I laughed for a good minute 🙂  

To clarify I want white salad plates with flowers that are brighter colours... 🙂

Like this:

My Husband was relieved, LOL :) ... We will see if we can go to this sale and what I find :) It's not for over a month in time... 

It is evening now.  I still have to take the dishes OUT of the dishwasher so I can put the new ones in (new plan started today: pretreat the dishes right away so I don't have a dirty mess of dishes at the end of the day. 

I accomplished a research mini-milestone: I finished Part 1 of Godel Escher Bach which is about 742 pages total.  I am about 40% done with the book now, and it has a lot of math (the formulas I don't try to fully understand as that is not why I am reading the book; I am reading to book to see what Hofsteader is thinking about the math, about Godel (a math guy), Escher (artist) and Bach (muscian).  Hofsteader is combining his understanding of Zen with those 3 (Godel being the key) so I am learning a lot of different things.  At the same time I am reading more by the learned Elder Sophrony (who the Orthodox church now has Sainted) who had a veiw of the world that spoke directly to the differences between Christainity and Zen so it's been facinating to see the differences and realize even more about my own faith.  And I am learning a lot about math.  I really love it.  

I loved that I swam today, that today was grocery delivery day and I am planning a Sunday dinner meal for 8 of us (including myself and Husband) which is the biggest gathering I will have done since lockdown IF everyone can come, which is yet TBD.  

Well, that's all she wrote.  Or all I have time for.  Those dishes.  Well, we will see.  God bless and keep you, make His face shine upon you... 

Still Here

It feels like so long since I last wrote, though

it's been less than a week.

I am not sure all the reasons for my quiet,

but some of it is just that I am feeling a bit tired

and am working on my writing project,

reading things and sometimes writing

(and taking copious notes of my reading)

that I just don't have a lot of extra room for 

blogging and things like dishes, and housework.

But my research is going slow and sure and I am glad

of that.  I still hope to go to the MET this Friday.

It's for research.

***

I am reading Gentian Hill outloud at night; 

it's a lovely book to narrate to my Husband who

is really enjoying it.  It has a lot of beauty and magic in it.

***

I also finished the book Different by Sally and Nathan Clarkson.

What a hard road they have had.

***

I am still swimming most mornings.

That is a special time.

***

I wish you all God's blessings, strength comfort 

and mercy! 

Rain, Lightening, Small Thunder

 

The rain started about 20 minutes to 8 PM tonight.  We've checked the weather many times as hurricane Henri approaches.  Thankfully we are not forecasted to bear the brunt of it, like other places.  May the Lord have mercy! 

I finally got to work on Friday, read for my writing project, wrote notes.  Today we took a walk in the morning, ate rediculously large donuts (shockingly vegan and they were a freebie!) for breakfast, had a late lunch, went to vespers, ate dinner.  I am reading a lovely small book called A Time To Keep Silence by Patrick Leigh Fermor.  If you don't know who that is, read THIS and enjoy.  Makes reality a lot more fun when you think of such an interesting man, rather Lord Peter Whimsey but much stronger and tougher.  

It was our first time back at our local church, it was good to be back.  There had been a funeral recently and the smell of flowers, incense and goodness greeted me with gentle quietness. 

My father confessor there is older and I treasure him all the more because I feel the fleeting nature of time. 

Before I go to bed, I will pray again for those in this latest storm.  I hear the rain going on steadily as I type, splashing on the road and I am sure, by now, overflowing gutters. 

May God have mercy on us! May Christ hold us safely in His arms! May His Mother be with us!  Lord bless you and keep you... 

Finally: a clean table and calm(er) heart

I reread a small book of Jane Kenyon's poems 

and this poem is one of them.

She's lovely to read and so many of her poems

I really love. 

My wash clothes,

travel road trip edition :)

It's all I really make these days

but that is just fine with me. 

I got to talk to my sister-friend today, it was a

real blessing.  

She's so busy with 5 kids!

***

I got two small orders of used books today.

That's fun. 

Even more immeidate fun is that FINALLY my 

study/writing table accross from the coffee table and

couch by the window is CLEAR and uncluttered. 

I look at it and feel a deep sense of relief.

***

I've done a lot of filing of things for my writing project

and some online research (realy a day of work on that)

and some emails (I always have to write and edit these

before sending when they are for research)

but I have yet to be able to return to actually reading the books

that I need to read to do the project and now that 

the house is more in order again

(it always takes a good week after a long trip)

I have hopes that *maybe* I can get to this on Friday.

***

Of course the house needs cleaning again,

but I hope that Friday can be a bit of a study day.

***

Tomorrow is the Feast of Transfiguration.

As you can see, I have my grapes rinsed and waiting

in the fridge for the night and put in the 

baskets tomorrow

(I am careful to rinse them beforehand as they 

will be blessed with holy water at church

and why would one want to rinse a blessing away?!)

:)  I am all set for that, have my clothes out

and all that.

***

We've been swimming more again.

That's really nice.

And tomorrow we can have fish.

I am so glad for that.

***

Today, my Mom told me, as her sister my Aunt P 

called her, that it is their other brother's 60th

wedding anniversary today

so I sent my Aunt T and Uncle M a FB message

to congratulate them...

***

It is good to have things to be thankful for.

I don't have to mention all the things that are 

worrysome, we all knows those already.

Instead, I will think of my friends,

or our soon to be upon us 9th wedding anniversary

in September... or that I have reading to do,

books, tea and vegan cookies at the ready.

***

I nearly forgot... my new leather bag, like it?

I found it for 5 dollars at a thriftstore in MI.

It's perfect and has really good zippers!

***

Well, I pray that you have a moment of calm today

and perhaps also a clean table or something pretty that

makes your heart smile.

***

But if it is one of those times in your life

of great loss or worry, then I pray that God

will carry you, comfort you and uphold you,

as I pray He will for us all.

***

Lord have mercy on us and save us!

Tea for Two or Tea for Me

I wish it was two for tea but at least I can have

a tea time by myself when my Husband is working

(at home, in his office).

***

Well.  My Goodness.  I did a lot of research today.

I found things I was looking for but it took a while.

***

Things take such a long time.

I realized I was in a bit of a panic, feeling

overwhelmed with the amount of work in front of me.

So I have to watch myself so that I am OK.

***

It's really hard to balance trying to work on a writing

project and the rest of life.

It sounds easy or even idyllic sometimes,

my life, and in many ways obviously I am very blessed.

But everyone has challenges and I am not exception.

***

I have an unbloggable thing that is bothering me

and it's just plain annoying.

One of those things.

***

So I am exploding with ideas/thoughts/realizations

and I have such a long way to go with things.

Lord have mercy.

***

Well, until, we pray tomorrow.

God's mercies are new every morning

and I pray, in the end, only for this,

the newness of God's mercy.