Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share
Good early morning this Saturday, March 4th.
My computer lights up the bedroom/my new office, but thankfully Vince’s rhymic breathing tells me he’s able to keep sleep.
Best Mind-Numbing Activities to Combat Sadness
Write: If you read my post on Wednesday, you know how therapeutic blogging is. News flash: it’s really not the coffee, so if you are reading this hoping I have some research about the medicinal value of coffee, you’d better stop reading right now.
Work Puzzles: It’s challenging but numbing at the same time. Digital puzzles are great. The pieces don’t fall off the table, and you can’t spill your coffee on them.
Walking: This usually is very therapeutic but it’s not working for me this week. It’s also not recommended with coffee. I’m off my 10,000 steps by two days. Walking is difficult, not because of my legs – they’re great. If I pet someone else’s dog, I tear up. I walked at the mall with our neighbor who hates dogs and I didn’t cry once – not even tempted.
Shopping: My brain isn’t working right. I forgot that I had washed my only remaining walking shoes, so my walking partner and I had to shop for shoes before I could even walk. I forgot my credit card. Fortunately, I had my phone. You can charge anything if you have your phone, but so can anyone else who might happen to have your phone. Don’t do this with coffee either.
Dining with Friends: Last night our realtors took us out for dinner to celebrate the closing of our house. YAY! Before dinner, we met another friend of theirs outside the Clubhouse who had the same experience as our dogs who had both died suddenly of seizures after minor medical procedures. Diane and I were already on a death roll before we even sat down. My husband tried unsuccessfully several times to get us to stop talking about the treasured animals we felt had died too young.
Randall laughed, “You can’t stop a woman from talking about death or wedding dresses. So temporarily we switched the topic to wedding dresses because their youngest daughter is getting married next January.
Coffee is better with breakfast than dinner.
Be Alone: To be honest, it has not been a great week for visiting anyone so I’ve enjoyed my alone time looking through old photos and turning them into puzzles. Last week Anne Christine hosted the Lens-Artist Photo Challenge, “Alone Time.” How handy! I’d better get this posted before the new challenge posts!
Driving: Driving alone or with your best friend through a wooded area is one of my favorite calming activities. Pictures of former drives through nature are soothing and can be enjoyed with coffee but they often make a poor puzzle.
Alone Time
I found these pictures from a trip we took alone with Puppy Girl long before we had other pets.
She knew a walk was coming and would have retold the story about the giant bear we saw. She would tell you she was fearless!
PPAC Bridge Memories
California has been having some unusual weather this week. Our 13.5 inches of snow seems mild to what they are experiencing. However, this is not the first time California has had devastating precipitation. I came across this bear which compelled me to take its picture ten years ago during our Accidental Vacation.
He stands at the entrance of a bridge compelling people to brave his fierceness and cross the Klamath River.
However, the road is blocked off and they don’t want cars to park on the weakened bridge as a scenic lookout either.
So we parked and walked up to the marker and I took this very poor photo of the compelling scene. Vince was afraid that Puppy Girl would jump off the bridge so he walked away from the bears. He’s always been a bit overprotective – a very sweet quality if a little unrealistic sometimes. Like her human mama, Puppy Girl was a cuddler, not an adventurer.
“River on the Rampage During Christmas week in 1964, this area was hit with the heaviest rain ever recorded in the region. Torrential storms dumped as much as 24 inches of warm rain over the mountains, melting the snowpack. Swollen creeks and rives raged through canyons and valleys toward the sea. Logs and debris swept away roads, livestock, and structures including the town of Klamath and the Douglas Memorial Bridge, which had stood here for nearly 40 years. In the aftermath, local families with strong ancestral connections to the river and the local fishery rebuilt the townsite upstream on higher ground.”
Reading
Reading hasn’t been my number one activity this week. For the Dicken’s Challenge, I’ve finished The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man, and started The Chimes. The words went in but didn’t make a bit of sense – not relaxing. Instead, I’ve been going through file folders and shredding real estate transactions older than 7 years. Now that activity is mind-numbing.
I hope you have a more stimulating week unless you need the calm. Then I recommend all these healing activities. I feel better just telling you about my week. 🙂
Upcoming and Ongoing on Always Write
- WQ Page
- WQ #9 Order and Eat Cake First
- WQ #10: March 8: RARE/PRECIOUS/UNUSUAL/GREEN
- WQ #11: March 15: A BRIDGE/TO BRIDGE
- WQ #12: March 22: SPRING/VIVID
- WQ #13: March 29: CHANGE/WRITER’S CHOICE/DOUBLE DIP CHALLENGES
- #DICKENSCHALLENGE started February 7th. Join Yvette Prior, Trent McDonald, and me in reading ONE – not THREE Dickens’ novellas by June 9th.
- #DICKENSCHALLENGE – The Battle of Life
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
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