Summer is here. Sigh. I really have been dragging my feet about celebrating it's arrival. Summer used to be a warm and wonderful time of the year. Blissful sun kissed days blending into balmy star filled nights. The "lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer", as Nat would sing. These days, it's more like hot, sweat filled days with sweltering high temperatures. More aptly described as uncomfortable and dangerous. Saturday it is supposed to get upwards around 116 here in the Sacramento area. That is just TOOOOOO darn hot for a little Canadian girl such as myself. Personally, if it hovered in the high eighties most of the summer this would have me purring like a Persian cat. Climate change has made so much difference in our world. Monster storms, massive flooding, huge tornadoes. Makes me wonder what it will be like fifty years from now. Likely I will not be around to have it impact me, but certainly those I love will still be here. God willing and the creek don't rise, they will have done something drastic to reverse the process by then and our successors won't have to deal with what we have created. People who don't believe climate change is real, are welcome to sit outside on my patio this Saturday and take in the balmy weather. Whew.
I was down in the Bay Area this past week. A dear, dear friend of mine underwent some significant surgery and I went down to lend a hand, or possibly two, for a couple of days. While there, I did some cooking, which was fun, and generally helped out where I could. Twenty years ago I moved away from the San Jose area to get a break from the glut of humanity, and have never looked back. I forget sometimes after a long absence in between visits, how many people actually populate that part of our planet. Most of them, or so it seems when you're traveling the freeways, spending their time on the roadways. One day we had to go into San Francisco for an after-surgery checkup. The appointment was set for 1:00, likely going to make traffic a problem afterward. Many employed at San Francisco businesses I was told, end their shifts at three. The idea behind this is to feed traffic in a staggered fashion onto the city streets to make commuting less of a nightmare. Let me tell you, it may not be a nightmare at that time of day, but it definitely qualifies at the very least as a bad dream. Cars were already bumper to bumper when we eased out of the parking garage. The never ending convoy continued creeping along at a snail's pace as we crossed the Bay Bridge into Oakland. Had someone passed us peddling on a bike, they could easily have made it across the span before we did. It didn't bother me much, as I wasn't driving. From my window, I could lean back in the seat and watch the graceful sailboats gliding across the glistening water as they emerged from beneath the bridge. There were all manner of watercraft to be seen on the water that day, in all sizes and shapes. Closer to the docks, I spotted a mighty little tugboat struggling along pulling an enormous ship safely into shore. Even the larger sailboats with multiple sails unfurled looked to be children's toys next to the tankers and massive ships, their noses cutting deep trenches though the choppy water. Many, many times I have been sailing on that Bay. I would do it again in a heartbeat but don't know anyone who owns a sailboat any more. Even when the temperatures are soaring such as predicted for this coming weekend, sailing out on the San Francisco Bay can be a cool experience. Never, no matter what the weather inland, have I gone out for a day of boating out there without being chilled to the bone.
I love most types of boating. Over the years I have owned several ski boats, and had friends with party boats, houseboats, and sailboats. If I gave in to small dream, and had the money to realize it, I would buy a houseboat on a lovely stretch of water somewhere and wile away the remainder of my time on earth sitting gathering rays on it's deck. How I would love to wake up every morning to the call of the gulls, the misty fog draped coastline, and the glorious smell of sea salt in the air. Rick and I looked along the Oregon coast for a home at one point, even exploring available houseboats. We were surprised to find them quite expensive. Perhaps that lottery ticket will come in one of these of days. I'm sure that will be right around the time the legislature is populated with only honest well meaning politicians.
The presidential debate was televised the other night. They said there was no studio audience present during the debate. Might have been better had their been no audience anywhere present. Are these the only two men in this massive country available to fill the position? OMG. I watched it the way I might watch a Stephen King movie on Neflix, my fingers slightly splayed in front of my eyes. This really is going to be strange year I feel. I sense it in the energy everywhere I go. People appear nervous and keyed up. I think we are about to be like a ship without a competent captain at the wheel adrift in turbulent seas, and it is to say the least unnerving. Yesterday at work was insane. I'd have five people at my desk asking questions, three calls coming in, and four residents requiring answers to their questions. By the time I was driving home my needle was registering close to BURNOUT. Thankfully Richard sensed I might be on my last firing piston and was ready with a lovely dinner and a cocktail. God bless Richard.
Yesterday we also celebrated my 2Versary, as my supervisor referred to it, at work. Yup, two years on the job. Who'd of thunk it? I had no idea I was a two-ser, so was both delighted and surprised to find a huge inflated 2 floating over my desk along with a bagful of thoughtful gifts which included several gift certificates for local restaurants. Oh boy. It's a nice feeling to be appreciated. I like my job, and hope I am fairly good at it, so was an uplifting day all and all.
I am staying at Richard's this week without doing the usual gap in between on my work days where I stay in my own house. I need a break from packing for a bit, to regain my footing. Been an extremely kinetic couple of weeks, and even for an old energizer bunny such as myself, I'm pooped.
My friend sent me a gorgeous picture of she and her husband out on Lake Tahoe enjoying time on their boat. Then, my son and his brood sent me a shot of them in Cabo San Lucas. I think I'll take a picture of me filing invoices and hit reply. Not as exciting? Possibly.
I spent time this morning with a lady searching for a facility for her husband. He has been diagnosed with a rare form of dementia. All forms are miserable, but this one perhaps a bit more devastating than the rest. He is apparently a physicist and very bright, so this diagnosis for him earth shattering according to his wife. I can only imagine. Not to imply that on any level dementia is a walk in the park. Dementia is a hard one because it's like your loved one simply fades, eventually disappearing all together other than to the naked eye. It is hard when you realize you cannot handle 24/7 care by yourself. She was saying how we in America shy away from discussing death and dying and how few resources are available to loved ones dealing with such a situation. Couldn't agree more. Dying is as much a part of the human equation as living and breathing. You just can't get around it, even if you close your eyes very tight and pretend it's not lurking out there.
Ah well, in spite of it all, I am feeling happy and energized today. Surprising, considering how much I'd like to take a nap. lol. Each days offers up something interesting to ponder. I find it all quite fascinating.
Happy weekend. If you're in my neighborhood or anywhere in California stay cool, hydrate, and take care of yourselves. Later gators.
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