I wrote this post for last week on Tuesday night and set it up to post itself on Wednesday night when I would normally post it, as Wednesday night was a major Jewish holiday - as you will see in the post itself. Sorry. It is now a week later and I am about to write this week's post a night late. My apologies.
I was going to call this post “Treading Water” but in light of the continuation of hurricanes I decided that was in bad taste. I cannot believe that there is another hurricane, Maria, hitting in the Caribbean again. I hope that anyone you might know there is safe and well and stays so. I feel so bad for those in that area.
My thoughts and prayers also go to those in Mexico who have been hit by the earthquake. Back in 1973 I was in Mexico with a college friend. We had spent a few days in Mexico City and then took a 2 day tour bus ride down to Acapulco, with a stop in Taxco for the night. We had two nights in Acapulco (one day). The first morning there we woke to the telephone ringing. My friend’s mom was calling from home - “Are you both okay? Is there a lot of damage there?” Apparently there had been an earthquake then also in Mexico City - and we did not know about it. Others on our tour who flew down to Acapulco instead of the taking the bus arrived with stories of the outside wall of the hotel they were in (and we had been in) splitting between the beds in the room they were in! It was terrifying to have been that close to an earthquake and I feel terribly for those who are there.
I have to say - not as a joke, but a statement of fact - we think we have terrible organizing, decluttering and cleaning to do - but those who are losing their “stuff”, including their homes, possibly their jobs, and worst of all family, friends or even pets, have it much worse. When my mom’s house was hit by Hurricane Sandy, her basement filled 4 feet with sea water and all in her basement had to be tossed out. A crew came in and did it for her - it included her washer and dryer and furnace and water heater - in addition to my dad’s tools and our toys and a lot of books that were down there. Instant forced getting rid of stuff. 5 years later I will still be somewhere at a flea market or such and see something and remember that I had it and it is gone. Perhaps this can be a incentive to go through what you have and get rid of what is unneeded and less precious to you, so that you have room to safely store that which is precious to you.
The hurricane that was headed here, Jose, is no longer a hurricane and is still south of us, but is to pass to the east of where we live and has been affecting here all day today. We had rain today on and off - much heavier to the east of us as they are closer to Jose, but not terrible. Wind has not been bad. But there is still tonight and Jose is suppose to circle around a bit out in the ocean - which apparently is good as it will keep Maria from hitting us.
We did get to the quilt show last Saturday - barely as we were not sure about the, yes, the weather. He really is weather phobic. While it is a quilt show there are many different fiber/textile vendors mixed in as there are no other similar sales venues. The first booth in the show is a woman with a farm who sells wool yarns, fiber, etc. We spent some time there on entering as husband does do weaving. Her wool is lovely, but beyond our budget. We were at the show for about 4 and a half hours. I had a small tote bag with me as husband had brought a fabric tool he bought a few years ago which had broken and the vendor is usually at this show and he hoped they could tell him how to fix it. (“That’s the old model - if you buy a new one we will give it to you for half price.” Same being about twice what he paid originally - he will try again to fix it himself.) So it was not obvious that we had bought - nothing as what we bought might have been in the tote bag. The first vendor stopped us and asked what we had bought - she was shocked to hear “nothing”. We saw many lovely things. The shop my husband bought his loom from (we first saw them at this show a few years ago) was there - interesting add ons for his loom. I got an idea for a Christmas ornament to make and sell - the thread at one booth caught my eye to make it - but they did not have the variegated color as it appeared on their sample and I was not going to spend $10 to get both colors separately. Lovely quilts were entered in their competition and also were displayed in various exhibitions of quilts. We had a wonderful day, bought nothing as we have so much of similar stuff at home that cries out to be used, and had a chance to see wonderful quilts (oh, and in one exhibition - clothing, accessories and house items - all handmade by people who had entered them into a competition). Dinner in the Lancaster are and home.
Despite the impending possible hurricane, we went this morning to the dentist. I have new (and more) teeth. Despite having worn an upper partial for decades, this one is much larger as it replaces more teeth which have “left me”. I am having trouble adjusting - I keep needing to swallow to avoid gagging. Oddly I am biting the inside of my mouth with one of my real teeth which is in the same place it has always been. On the other side of my mouth I have two teeth hitting - but, again, the problem seems to be one of my teeth not the plate. Next Monday we will start on making a spare - using part of my old one. He wanted me to have my old one just in case. I know I will adjust - when I got my first one it took a week before I could talk or eat. Of course between an upper partial and a repair for him and ditto for me, the budget will not adjust for some time.
We came home and then went to the doctor. All was well. He is as nice as his dad was - husband gets upset easily and now feels much better about going to this doctor. And we had a great health report for all of our various “conditions”. (And all covered by our medical insurance - his and mine.)
I am writing this a day early as tomorrow night - Wednesday - when I normally write and post is the start of one of the major Jewish holidays of the year and traditionally one does not and I choose to not do secular things - work or such on these holidays. I set the holiday apart by watching no television other than religious services. I pick out a book that is contemplative and read it - in the living room - in my chair - alone - with no other distractions. Yes, I pray.
I have our Friday afternoon banking and all the bills due this week ready to go tomorrow before the holiday starts. I have tomorrow night’s laundry being washed and dried as I write. So that none of these will need to be done during the holiday.
I use the time to contemplate the year that has passed, what I did that was good, what I did that was not so good and what I can do better in the year to come.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
I am not looking to proselytize (Jews do not do so), but a few customs we have for our “New Year”, which is what this holiday is, are good ideas. As I said, this is our New Year and we take time to contemplate the year that has passed. What have you done right? Done wrong? What could you do a bit better? We take the period following this holiday (we have another one next week to end this period) to apologize to those we have injured - whether or not the person accepts our apology - it is as if they had and the weight of slights or wrongs against others are lifted from us - those who follow the religion more as it was originally will go to running water on a certain day and cast their “sins” into the water (with certain prayers). Apologizing to others, and let negatice thoughts of the past and thoughts of slights against you go - clears one’s mind and lets one focus on what is good and what is to come instead of stewing about the past. Start a new year now cleared of the past and going forward with what you need and want to do. If now then pick any day to do this. I have pointed out in the past that any day is actually the start of a new year.
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