Me and the Elephants in Everyday Ramblings

It’s a thing for me, hydrangeas and the 4th of July. It’s been overcast all day, and I think that is not a bad thing for the folks at our scaled down Waterfront Blues Festival. Fewer bad sunburns and I suspect just slightly less drinking. Though it is a Friday holiday in high summer. So…

Although I have a bunch of stuff to do, a number of things that involve so far unsolved problems, I am taking the day off. Well, I taught class this morning, but even though a lot of work goes into it; it doesn’t feel like work.

I taught an extra class this week, an ad hoc introduction to strength training. Not much work, other than picking five basic strength exercises and then all the stuff that goes into making them as beneficial as possible. This grew out of questions that people were asking in my regular class when I mentioned listening to a podcast story of a physical therapist (with an eating disorder and had been an athlete), reverse her osteoporosis over a few years of practice.

Already the feedback from doing that has been heartening. Actually, the feedback from my actual work, teaching has been just lovely lately. I feel valued and appreciated.

The League though is a mixed bag. I have been appreciated but that doesn’t make the stuff I need to do any easier. When people join the League we ask folks what areas they are interested in and feel they have something to offer and it came through the pipeline that there was a new member interested in helping with what I do…finances.

My partner, our budget director, suggested we ask her out for coffee. She works full time and has a kid and family in town and so I looked at where this woman lives and it is two blocks from where I meet with the guys on Thursdays. I was a little skeptical because I couldn’t find any LinkedIn presence, or any real online presence for her, except that she was 81 and a bit gruff in her email responses.

I made a date to meet her yesterday. And lo and behold, she is just lovely. She is Canadian but just recently became a U.S. citizen because she lives here and wants to vote. The lack of a footprint on social media is on purpose because she didn’t want to have any chance that anything she had said affect her citizenship.

Yes, it has come to this. She worked as an accountant, bookkeeper her whole professional life. I don’t know if she can take over, but she can certainly help me with a number of the things I am doing. And even just having an experienced ear to talk things through with will be helpful. So good news. Wish us both excellent health over the next year or so. She has crippling arthritis in her feet but otherwise is sharp and interested.

I did have a follow-up appointment with my doctor after the emergency room extravaganza. Stress was clearly a factor. Finding a therapist was suggested. (I’d rather find a replacement for my League position) and evidence of inflammation of joints and cartilage in my ribcage, which is exacerbated by stress and GERD, which is also exacerbated by stress. And of course, my heart saying hello don’t be messing with me…

Okay, already, I get the message loud and clear.

On Tuesday I had the fitting for the crown for this latest implant. That went well but took longer than we expected because of technical problems with the scanner.

It turns out Mr. Pedantic, who drove me nuts my first year or so on the board of Walt’s organization is resigning from the board. I learned at some point along the way not to let him bother me so much. He has also modulated some of the behavior that was annoying me. Two-way street. This has made me be able to stay on that board. That said, I am not unhappy he is leaving. I do wish him well in his future endeavors as they say.

This gives me hope for the possibility that a number of members in our new leadership team in the League will begin not to bother me so much. See above reference to…stress. Bleh.

I went down to the garden on Wednesday to harvest blueberries, get one of my new plants in and water and I encountered our garden manager. This was after I needed to make my way around a big pile of brown something that partially blocked the short gate in. It turns out it is free elephant poo brought to us from our zoo. You don’t get that as a home gardener!

We have an adorable baby girl elephant at our zoo that one of my students went to see last weekend. I love the idea that me and that baby elephant are connected in such a visceral way.

btw, it doesn’t smell at all.