Mind – a four letter word…

Shirleyjdietz3 Comments

I happened upon lindaghill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday with the word “mind” as a prompt. http://lindaghill.com/2015/08/21/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-august-2215/  I have not linked to something of this kind before so we’ll see how it goes.

What it brought to MIND was the way people around me seem to be in fear of losing theirs.  One example is the husband, who is always shaking his head over something he’s forgotten he did.  He makes notes at work so he can look back and remember.  He looks at the notes and can’t believe he wrote them.

So I forget things too, and I have to say I forget things more than I used to.  Sometimes I am talking and I know what I intend to say but I can’t think of the word I want to use.  I can try to say the thought in a different way, but I want that one word.  I know I’ve used it many times and it is a friend of mine but it won’t come out.  I used to never remember the word for this awesome flower, hydrangea, and I would mull it over for a couple hours…” what is that word, what is that word, I think it starts with C, no J, no G, no…” and then I fixed the problem by calling it water flower because I can associate water with hydro and  *presto!* it pops into my MIND.

And I have trouble remembering what kind of dog Charlie is.  I can always remember terrier but not the specific kind.  Conquered that too, it’s Wheaten.  And he is the color of wheat so will I forget it? No, it just takes me a couple seconds to remember what to call his color.  He is not a Beige Terrier, or an OffWhite Terrier.  I’m confusing myself.

And so what if I remember to lock the door but leave the key in the lock on the outside.  I don’t know how a person does that but I’m sure it’s because I get distracted with all the things on my MIND.

I have had several clients with Alzheimer’s  and that is indeed something to fear.  Whatever it is that messes with their minds is really an enemy and I have deep compassion for people who lose family members to that disease.  My mom always says that she hopes if she gets it she won’t be upset because she won’t remember being any other way.  I hope if I get Alzheimers I will do it in a happy way, and everyone I am with will be like meeting a new friend every time I see them.  That would be lovely.

Hey we all forget. And we forget more as we age.  But we don’t forget everything and I’m praying about it, thinking that it’s just one more thing under God’s control.  If I’m his servant, then I’m his problem and he can figure out what to do with me.  I don’t MIND.

?

Maybe you would like to do a SoCS post? If so, here are the rules and the link to use is in my first paragraph.

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!

Help! Where Am I Now?

Shirleyjdietz4 Comments

I’m a pretty good driver, really, just don’t talk to me while I’m driving.  Lately, out here in Seattle, I’ve been driving a lot in the city – well, it’s all city.  Yesterday on our way in to my daughter’s work I noticed we were nearly out of gas which is a scary condition to be in since you never know how long you might be going nowhere on the parking lots they call roads.  I decided to drop her off and see if I could fill up before going in the parking garage.

Unlike the area in Florida where I come from, this city has no gas stations.  Where do all these cars get fuel? I don’t know.  I had seen one gas station on the street we normally took from the hospital to downtown so I headed toward it.  That street is called Cherry.

For those of you who don’t know, downtown Seattle’s main streets running perpendicular to the waterfront and two streets starting with a J, two streets starting with a C, followed by two starting with M, then two with an S, then  two with a U and finally two with a P.  Some bright person made the acronym Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Pressure to help them remember the order.  I think it’s pretty obvious Jesus didn’t make Seattle, but that’s just my opinion.

So as I’m driving around trying to get to Cherry Street where I think the gas station is, I am encountering all kinds of unexpected one way prohibitions.  There’s nothing more unnerving than rounding a corner and finding all the lanes of traffic full of cars facing you.  It’s nice that people start waving their hands at you before you get too far.  Just sayin’.

Finding Cherry wasn’t too hard but I thought I’d been transported to a different universe when it dead ended in the middle of a building complex.  Nothing looked familiar.  I would have stopped to look at my  GPS to figure out what was going on BUT THERE IS NO PLACE TO STOP in Seattle, except at stop lights.  All the lights are timed to turn green just before I get to Google maps.  I have found that when I keep moving, trying to decide which lane to be in, which direction to turn, and how to not hit any of the hundreds of people crossing the street at every intersection I can really cover a lot of ground. So very soon, I had no idea where I was.  But not to worry because I hadn’t run out of gas yet and, “thank you Lord”, ahead I saw a gas station.

Such relief.  After a few minutes on my navigation app I found out that the Cherry Street I really wanted goes around a slight corner and becomes James Street in the downtown area. ,, I understand one more traffic puzzle now.  I learn something new every day in Seattle.  Now that I’m getting around pretty good, it’s almost time to go back to Florida…

Back to Race Trac and WaWa on every corner.

Back to roads that are horizontal instead of nearly vertical.

Back to where you only have to wait through one or two cycles of the traffic light to get through the intersection.

Back to where I’m not the oldest person on the road… just sayin’.

Garden in the Sky, Seattle

Shirleyjdietz5 Comments
No it's not a mountain meadow, there's more...
No it’s not a mountain meadow, there’s more…

Cities… in spite of everything they aren’t, they certainly are a display of human ingenuity. Daily, as I sit in traffic (going nowhere fast) I marvel at the layering of highways on top of each other and over buildings, the tunnels, the bridges. This morning I parked four levels underground in the garage beneath the Russell Investment Center. When I go places like this, and like the Columbia Tower which is the tallest in the city, I try not to think too long about where I am lest I become anxious or claustrophobic or acrophobic.

So I came up from the parking garage, got my directional bearings again and went up to the 17th floor of the Russell Investment Center to wait a couple hours for my daughter’s work meeting to be finished. Besides the cafeteria, meeting rooms and lounges complete with TV and fireplaces the 17th floor has an outdoor area that is a marvel in itself. Calling it a patio doesn’t adequately describe it’s size. Part of this building is only 16 stories high and on it’s roof is the most amazing garden. The rest of the building continues up.

Who thinks of these things? To put mounds of dirt, trees and huge slabs of rock on top of a building probably isn’t any harder than making the building itself, but to think of doing it and making it beautiful is kind of an accomplishment. There is an almost unobstructed view of the city and the harbor in three directions. Today there is only a mild breeze, the sun is shining and the temperature is just right for enjoying the area. You do not need a pass to get there, but it is not crowded since it is mostly the people who work in the building who use it. I’m just sayin’ it is a great place to get a look at the city.

outdoor tables for employees having lunch
outdoor tables for employees having lunch

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striking art objects
striking art objects
Rocks in abundance, just not usually on the 17th floor of skyscrapers
Rocks in abundance, just not usually on the 17th floor of skyscrapers
flowers, grass and trees - a real garden
flowers, grass and trees – a real garden
Walk to the rail and look at the city
Walk to the rail and look at the city
or check out the harbor and Puget Sounnd
or check out the harbor and Puget Sound
or sit inside, get some lunch, catch up on the news on tv
or sit inside, get some lunch, catch up on the news on tv

Willingness to be interrupted.

ShirleyjdietzLeave a comment

I’ve thought about this same thing many times, particularly in this day and age when everyone’s eyes are on their cell phones.  Ashley Faith is a friend of mine who does a nice job of laying it out there.  I’m happy to be reblogging her post.

Willingness to be interrupted..

How to Have a Great Time Exploring Seattle without a Car

ShirleyjdietzLeave a comment

Don’t get me wrong, I love driving a car and there are those rushes of freedom it can give you. On the other hand there is a whole different kind of freedom that you feel when you don’t have to have one and can still get around. And this is especially true here in Seattle where you might end up spending as much to park your car as you do to own it.

My goal yesterday was to explore and use mass transit and foot power to do it. I started out by researching at www.metro.kingcounty.gov where I was able to access a trip planner and locations where I could buy an Orca pass. I started the day walking uphill (puff, puff…) to the Safeway Grocery on California Ave. where the transaction was processed. The pass costs $5 and I decided to put $30 on it toward transit fares. Now, anytime my husband or I come to Seattle we can ride the bus without having to search for the right amount of cash. It worked great on all the rides I took, even the ferry, and each time I had it scanned the remaining amount was displayed. I know I am going to like this system.

No fuss bus pass No fuss bus pass

My online trip planner gave me details on which bus to take and where to wait for it. It was only half a block away and I was only there a few minutes before a small bus pulled up. It wasn’t what I was expecting so I didn’t get in, but the driver wasn’t satisfied to see me standing there. She was my first really interesting encounter of the day. She had to know what bus I was waiting for and where I was going, after which she told me to get in or I would be waiting forever. She drove the water taxi, which she said was free. I didn’t argue. I got in.

This amazing driver went on to practically read the minds of people at all her stops, telling them which buses ran on weekends, where they could access them and how to get where they wanted to go. She had been driving her water taxi route for years and was a wealth of information. Water taxi’s are not well explained in the online trip planner (she told me this) and as you will see later, I still don’t understand them.

This ride took me around West Seattle with a great view across the water of downtown and the harbor. It ended at a business district called the Junction where I was to catch the C line to the Fauntleroy Ferry station. The C line is a bus on steroids. The vehicles are huge, sometimes double buses, and they are fast, serving commuters between major areas. I had to use my Orca pass for this ride – the scanner was on the bus.

Marathon man and others leaving the Vashon Ferry Marathon man and others leaving the Vashon Ferry

It always works well for me when I’m not sure how to proceed, to pick someone who looks like they know what they’re doing and follow them. My victim this time was a man with a backpack who strode away from the Fauntleroy Ferry stop with confidence and headed toward the water. A backpack in the city can mean you’re homeless or you’re simply a person without a car to carry all your stuff. This guy looked fit so I assumed he might be the latter. I was right, as my conversation with “Mr. 15 Boston Marathon runner” later revealed. He probably had a car but he hardly ever uses it, preferring to run/bus to his lawyer job and his weekend home on Vashon Island. He had already done his 9 miles that morning.

We walked onto the Issaquah ferry, again using the Orca pass at the turnstile scanner. What a beautiful day to be out on the water! The crossing took only 20 minutes, start to finish, and was super relaxing.

On the ferry to Vashon Island On the ferry to Vashon Island
Lot on Vashon where you can park your car... or your deer. Lot on Vashon where you can park your car… or your deer.

Vashon is not a suburban area. It is more like country. I walked uphill a short ways to a parking lot but there were no business districts close by (there were deer strolling between parked cars) and it was time for me to find food before heading back. Easy to find, because it was the only one, was the Family Mexican Restaurant at the ferry dock, right on the beach. This is what I ate and it was good.

Super nachos. Yes, I would do again. Super nachos. Yes, I would do again.
An interesting view while dining. An interesting view while dining.

The ride back to West Seattle was a mirror image of the ride to Vashon. Passage on the ferry is bought round trip and there are no pay stations on Vashon so I just walked on the boat with the other foot and bicycle passengers. And thinking to backtrack the same route I had taken, I boarded the C line bus again. The Orca pass can also be scanned at some bus stops, before boarding the bus. I guess this is to save time at the busiest places?

Although this bus was headed in the direction I wanted to go, I may have gotten off too early. The sign at the stop indicated that the water taxi picked up there, and the schedule online said it came every half hour on Sundays, but after more than an hour of reading my Kindle, there still was no water taxi. Thankfully these days we have smart phones with GPS and if we are smart enough to use them they will point us in the right direction.

After walking to a familiar intersection, I gave up on the bus altogether and walked all the way home. Such a nice day, why not? I was able to finish my route by coming down through Schmitz Park, an awesome forest in the midst of a city. According to my fitness app, again on my smartphone, this was my best day of exercise for a long time, 13,500 steps or about 6 miles. I had a great time and saw a lot of West Seattle. Just sayin’, walking is still a reasonable way to get around (if you’re not in a hurry).

If you’ve had an interesting walk lately, where was it?

How to Find Special Moments

Shirleyjdietz3 Comments
Do you like this picture? Do you think it represents a special moment?
Do you like this picture? Do you think it represents a special moment?

I’ve been in Seattle a while now, taking lots of walks and keeping my eyes open as I go.  There is always something on display.  Lately it has been the sunsets, several of which are on my Instagram collection if you want to see them.

Be curious, set goals

I started thinking about those special moments when we catch an unbelievable photo or have a chance encounter with another person that is significant, or when we realize we have overcome a big hurdle or reached a personal goal.   Last night Charlie and I set out on our evening walk with a goal.  West Seattle has an amazing terrrain and Alki Beach where we always start is at sea level on Puget Sound.  On different occasions I have looked up to a high ridge above us and seen an unusual house with many windows and turrets outlined in white.  I wanted to find it.

Take time, make a plan

I had been giving Charlie (and myself) exercise in the evenings anyway, the difference this time being that we needed to go up instead of walking the along the beach as usual.  Honestly, there are streets here that are so steep you wouldn’t think a car should be driving on them, and they are narrow, twisting and full of parked cars.  I studied my Google earth map and decided which streets might give me the quickest route to the top of the ridge.  It was impossible to know for sure which house was my turret house but I knew a couple of streets to try.

Proceed with eyes wide open

It was a climb, for sure. Charlie was panting and I had to go slow.  We rested when we needed to catch our breath.  I kept looking for the highest streets and ones with a view of the Sound.  I came to a sign indicating a dead end ahead but decided to go a little farther.  Had I not done so I would have missed the photo above.  I could see the sun through a clearing ahead and it was turning the world red.  A blazing trail across the water glowed almost as bright as the sun itself. I noticed the sailboat approaching and hung around taking shots as it moved across that shimmering stripe.  It was a special moment, an unplanned one, and I was so thankful to have caught it.

Don’t stop, expect more

There really is no limit to the amount of surprise and wonder I want in my life.  I hadn’t yet found the turret house so went along the ridge in the opposite direction, up a heartbreaking hill.  I could see no higher area anywhere around but none of the houses I passed were the one I was looking for.  Some other walkers were coming up a flight of steps along the street (yes it was steep enough to make steps instead of sidewalk) and I asked them where they were coming from.  One lady had lived in the neighborhood for over twenty years and when I described what I was looking for she said “Oh, you mean the turret house! My daughter used to babysit there for their kids.”  She told me it was one street over and around a corner.

Savor that accomplishment, no matter how small

I found the house, looked at it as long as I could without being reported as a stalker, and headed home.  It was a great feeling to have accomplished the goal and more than wonderful that the whole way home was downhill.  Charlie and I both felt energized and pretty pleased with ourselves.

Have you had a special moment recently? Tell me what it was! Don’t keep it a secret! 

Getting My Mind off Pain in the Rain

Shirleyjdietz1 Comment
Seriously, stop.
Seriously, stop.

Stop. I mean stop doing what you’ve always done, the way you’ve always done it. If you do, you will see different things, different behaviors – and even if you see the same old things, you will see them differently because of the change you have made. We are placed in this world of seemingly endless variety for a reason. Variety and change, they refresh us, stimulate creativity and new thought, and well, just make life fun.

Today it’s gray and rainy, not the kind of day that you think “hey, it’s time to go out for a walk and get all wet”. But I needed a walk pretty badly. I made the mistake of attempting a workout video with Dr. J (who is half my age) over the weekend. Who knew that 25 minutes of half-hearted exercise could produce such pain? I picked up an umbrella and headed out. I’m glad I did. I saw all this.

there's something comforting about a soft, gentle, rain. It's just water...
there’s something comforting about a soft, gentle, rain. It’s just water…
wpid-20141230_112141.jpg
Against the grayness, colors go crazy. They “POP”!
You see colorful surprises everywhere
You see colorful surprises everywhere
Even white is... whiter?
Even white is… whiter?
Green is greener.
Green is greener.
Awesome is even more awesome.
Awesome is even more awesome.
Awesome
Awesome
My aunt's front porch, awesome.
My aunt’s front porch, awesome.
mounds of flowers, yeah, awesome
mounds of flowers, yeah, awesome
love it
love it
I love color.
I love color.
So go take a walk outside, even if it's raining (or snowing). See things differently. Just sayin'.
So go take a walk outside, even if it’s raining (or snowing). See things differently. Just sayin’.

I’m a little too challenged…

ShirleyjdietzLeave a comment

Believe it or not, every now and then I do something to learn how to be a better blogger/writer.  Not that it always shows, I know.  The latest effort is called something like “10 days to a better blog”  and every day there is a lesson and a challenge for me to complete. I have learned some useful things.  It’s supposed to take 15 minutes a day but it’s turning out to take way more than that.  It’s a good thing I have practically nothing to do out here in Seattle…

Like today.  The challenge was to categorize all your posts into major categories – 3 to 5 of them.  For some people this is a 15 minute task, I understand.  But for me, having written my 500th post recently, and having no real system of arranging them, this is going to take the rest of the week. And that’s if I figure out how to do it quickly.  My head hurts.

There’s also a Facebook page where all 600 of us taking the free course are supposed to share our work and get to know each other.  It’s like going to the mailbox and reading two or three hundred letters every day.  That’s a 15 minute job, right?  It’s a good thing I have nothing to do in Seattle….

For family and friends who have been reading what I write, this means that once in a while you are going to see an old post come up.  Probably with a new title.  There is this very cool site that will analyze my titles for free and tell me how to make people want to read the post.  I’m supposed to use power words, and emotional words, and common and uncommon words, blah, blah, blah….  Did I try about 20 words that I thought were emotionally appealing before I found out that “in the” were considered emotional? Yes. That challenge took more than 15 minutes too, but it’s a good thing I’m here in Seattle where there’s nothing else to do…

So, bear with me.  The ten days is almost up and then I will probably go back to the same old format, same old colors, same old fonts, and same boring titles I’ve always had.  I might need a little encouragement or feedback.  If there is anything you like or don’t like about what I have to say, here’s your chance.  Actually, did you know you could comment on any post?  I can’t stop you, hahaha, so put it out there. I’m just sayin’, figuring out what people want to read, what they need to read and what I want to write is sometimes a little too challenging.  But hey, I’m here in Seattle…

A Simple Way to Effectively Ruin Your Vet’s Schedule

Shirleyjdietz4 Comments
One of this days
One of this days “added” patients, up and about after surgery.

Having spent a few days with Jacksonville Equine veterinarian Dr. Dietz, I noticed a trend in her business. It goes something like this:

“Hey doc, while you’re here would you mind doing a Coggins on my horse. I just live next door. It will only take a minute…”

Well, as long as you’re here go ahead and float my horse’s teeth if it needs to be done…”

“As long as we knew you were coming, my sister brought her horses over too. Could you vaccinate them as well…”

“Hey, as long as you’re here, do you have time to castrate a goat, or maybe all three of them?”

Several days with only a few known appointments have turned out to be considerably longer days than expected. Some days this is good. Others, not so much. It can be a scheduling nightmare. However, Dr. J is getting good at upselling her services and rarely turns anyone down. Because farms are often far apart it is much easier to do more work in one location and apologize to the next client for being a bit late, than to come back later. The “while you’re here” conversation usually means a savings of time for her and is welcomed.

My unusual experience on this trip was the procedure on the three goats. I’m not going into details here but in general, she is good with the knife and it didn’t take very long at all. One was awake and walking around by the time we left, the other two were still sleeping off the anesthesia. Goats snore.

No, not dead - just sleeping it off, and snoring.
No, not dead – just sleeping it off, and snoring.

The five days I spent in Jacksonville were sunny and beautifully temperate which is different from our usual rainy weekends there. The farms we visited were green grassed and clean. Our own horses were looking sleek and shiny and their pasture was dry, not a sea of mud. I could imagine it being a good place for Dr. J to live and practice.