Our Friday ~ Rest, Rain, Storm and Pie

By late afternoon/early evening 

it did more than rain, it stormed! 

I am reading more of Kathleen Norris' Dakota...

I can see how this was one of her earlier books...

she is learning a lot and putting it into words...

you can see the seeds of both

the cloister walk and amazing grace: a vocabulary of faith...

I put together some IKEA boxes...

Mr. Husband came home the other day with this

sweet wild flower bouquet :)

I made pie.

Trying to replicate what I did here.

But I did not have the whipping cream, the third

cream cheese or as many strawberries, so

it's a different pie.

I used half and half and sour cream, two things of

cream cheese... I like the other one better,

but this is still good, if a bit too sweet....

I hope to do it again after the fast;

It was good to make something though and 

this pie is the first thing I made in our new home!

*

I am still doing lots of resting;

in someways I feel like I am in a slump, 

all this resting and not getting as much done...

but I know if I don't rest, 

then nothing will get done or I will get sick

(the mono last year was enough for me, thanks)

or I will just stay tired.

So rest it is. Reading. Simple things.

*

Clean laundry is piling up. Mr. Husband is helping with dishes.

I really need to research dishwashers.

We are having the last fast-free week food...

dominos and their chicken too;

we call it mordor meat ;)

Well, at least it tastes good...

*

Wishing everyone a peaceful weekend!

Many Years Later

My Georgia O'Keeffe poster is finally framed.

Today was my semi-annual IKEA run.

The sun is warm and brilliant.

Another Day

Shameful that all I thought really about Remembrance Day is that if I still worked in Government, I'd have had the day off.

But I did not and was at work.

Some days in library world are better than others. I can tell I am feeling a bit STRESSED and felt frustrated at some of the clients being, well, a tad bit rude. OK, so the Corporate World has PRESSURE but surely we should try to be kind.

However, I am aware that my spiritual Father would view this as a great practical way to work out my salvation: forgive quickly.

Let it go.

An older-wiser person today said we naturally inhale but have to work to exhale. I think I need to learn this a bit more in life.

Meanwhile, today I am researching IKEA furniture. I need to call the phone company - and the competition! Canada phone costs are ridiculous compared to the States other than their long distance. This is usually better, other than for cell phones.

So much to do, and so many mystery books to read!

Happy

Donald Hall, in one of his poems, writes of being surprised by happiness.

I am happy today. Yesterday I got to talk with my spiritual father - he teased me about my foot - and listened to me.

The other librarians who will train me were really understanding that I could not come yet for training because of my injured foot.

One of my good friends is coming and cooking me dinner! My foot still hurts, but I think it is slowly getting better. I still need to ice it mid-day. I am hoping to wean it from the need for ice by the end of the week.

I have officially special ordered some black Birkenstock shoes - called London - I have an old dark leather brown pair that I have had nearly half of my lifetime! See http://www.birkenstock.ca/catalog/popup_image.php?pID=388&osCsid=d9ce62eec5d4fb3d5600ed4e01b67d88 ... (I tried to hyperlink, but do not have the patience).

I love these shoes and look forward to getting ones in black. I have black clogs (I think they are called Boston) and have sandals (one of which is I hope only temporarily destroyed by the car that ran over it and my foot). I only wear Birkenstocks and refuse all types of high heeled shoes. I discovered them after meeting a girl at a camp who wore them. My Mother suggested them, I tried them and never went back.

Various people from the ER were telling me to get running shoes. For a little bit I considered complying. Then I thought. WHY would I, a non-athletic city walker want to buy runners/sneakers/tennis shoes (depending on what region of N. America the shoes are called various things). Frankly, when I realized I needed to take up regular walking for my health, I considered buying these. I even went to the Running Room, which I recommend to anyone for the quality and service, and even these fine folks could not give me a shoe I would want to be seen wearing or would want to wear. I love walking around with Birkenstock shoes or sandals. I have gorgeous white funky flip-flop ones (which I was wearing on that Friday), normal granola sandals, and the above mentioned shoes.

I have hope for my future. It seems that my next work situation is going to be a good one. I am slowly reading up on the exact area of corporate librarianship, and am dreaming of a more stable life. A permanent job I can grow in, and I hope in October, my first 1 real one bedroom apartment (I live in 2 rooms plus bathroom, 1 small closet). I know what furniture I want to buy form IKEA. I am hoping to have more space and have a less cluttered but book and icon-filled apartment. Something I can really work with and have people over. A living room that is utterly child-friendly so my friends with little tots can come over. IKEA sells both a china cabinet and a buffet that have locks and match my bookshelves.

I have many dreams...

general happiness

general happiness i find to be almost wearying because when i am conscious of it, i almost want to hold it up more; like somehow dwell in the sunny happiness instead of letting it pass into a more peaceful relaxed state. given that i get excited about small-ish things, i have a lot to learn about this.

the happy things of the day:

1. my IKEA shelves came. one is finished. the tall 7 foot one, the very top shelf was about 2 inches too short. so they have to come back once the right shelf is shipped out. so this may get done by Mid-August if i am lucky.

but STILL. i have my shelves. my kitchen shelf is all full (which is why i bought it, so my crockpots, juice jars, cookbooks, tea plates and cups had a more proper home).

2. i bought 12 books for 11.00 at the used bookstore in the library downtown. including two by Louise Erdrich and various mysteries; and the biography of V Woolf by Quinten Bell.

3. i got both pairs (black clogs and dark brown shoes) of my Birkenstocks fixed! my shoes i have had since 1994, so while they have lots of used-for-over-10-years wrinkles, they are still passable in my book.

4. i mailed my mom my copy of Harry Potter # 7

5. i had an ice cream cone.

6. i got an A Christie DVD from the library and cleaned more of my house

Clearly these are happiness things. notice i say happiness and not joy; they are quite different, as i think joy is deeper and often comes along side of or from, pain...

but it was nice to have a day off today and my cat is adjusting to new furniture in my house. that and she discovered my bag of mint (i cant remember what recipe i was going to make with it!) and half tore it to bits.

tomorrow: back to grey cubical land. but at least today i was able to be downtown and enjoy the day!