Porthole

August 18 - 19

53 degrees, 30 AQI, rain.

Bad nightmares about how the Past is never ever past.

No past can be buried so deep that it can't come back as a zombie in your sleep.

...bad nightmares, glad to be awake.

54 degrees, 18 AQI. damp, breathable, mist between the mountains.

2 p.m. little change. Air has rarely been more breathable.

Laxmi gave me here meatballs. Nice to sit with Willie, Phil and Don. One table of bridge, another of mahjonng. The Center is slowly opening up.

I wore a heavy log sleeve shirt today. Felt good.

Me? Holding on in spite of not doing so well.

Boardman: "What are some of the things we can do? I refer to them as the three C's: Connecting with others, contributing to something beyond yourself, and feeling challenged in some way."

Connecting: meeting friends, active on WDC.
Contributing: no clue... unless my activity here counts.
Challenged: learning Thai.

Went grocery shopping late but hardly anyone there. Very pleasant walk. Looks like the air is going to stay clear for awhile. Lows may be between 5-10 degrees celsius. Means the end of the exhausting heat.

Days are noticeably shorter. It may feel like autumn this week.

AUGUST 19

53 degrees, 19 AQI at 9:24.

Saw David, Monte, Kathy. I had a danish, picked up a card from Pat, mailed a post card to Krysha. Sat with Angie and Billie Jo when I got back.

To Tina: "Black cases sometimes include birthdays or zodiac signs in their notebooks or biography or a welcome sign-in book.

Not all cultures consider your birthday of much importance.

Name day, saint day matter to some.

Some start with zero, other's with one. First birthday is when you turn one year old outside of the womb. For others the first birthday is the day you were born.

"He was a harvest baby" makes as much sense as "he was born at 6:21 a.m. on __/__/____".

Who was born on the same day or what was happening matters to some. My sister's birthday is next week. "She was born at 3 in the afternoon on the hottest day of the summer."

Some folks do not know their birthday. Some do NOT celebrate it. As a client Diane once explained, "I was raped by my uncle on my birthday. I just get a year older."

I'm not a birthday person myself."

68 degrees. 24 AQI. 2:22 p.m.

For a blog titled "Free Cold Shoulders"?

"suser:isiterrasource: I guess we're the only huggers. I've seen 'free hugs' signs and sometimes indulge. I miss hugs. I miss touch and cultures where touching is acceptable (like Kosovo).

The responses here give me pause.

I've commented in blogs how cold and distant some people are becoming in real life... pre-covid. Here at WDC? I guess today's reponses answer my question as to why I'm having issues interacting with folks at WDC. From where I sit it appears that WDC writers are happiest without personal or virtual contact. A cliquish club of the Frozen Chosen. [latter-day-cave-dwellers]

At least folks are being honest.

However, it's another reason to search out new friends, move to a friendlier cheaper town, move on from this website. I'm old but not dead yet. I want some warmth before I'm eternally cold."

To R: "I took some time to ponder before I responded.

I want the interaction but I'm leery of social media and have ways in which I protect myself.

My birthday, my street address, many personal details are not found here or on other social media. Have you seen my picture? Not likely. I'm quite the private person in many ways.

I post pictures of my travels on spacekook but have cut back on interactions there because so much is toxic.

But ... a preference for private comments ... I hadn't thought about that before.

I'm sure you aren't the only one. May help me understand the lack of interaction in general at WDC and the almost total avoidance of certain issues."

Sun set behind a veil of grey. Now 61 degrees at 10 p.m. AQI okay. Rain on and off in the forecast.

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