Peace

So…………………. I’ve been away from this blog for so long I don’t know what to do with it.  Okay, maybe not that long.  But long enough to see this new code-blocks rollout thing on my screen as I began to create this post.  And it looks like the WordPress gods are trying to simplify the layout to the point that almost nothing’s on the screen.  Copy from other websites like tumblr?  Styles popup?  Why not?  It’s not what WordPress is supposed to be, that’s why not.  It’s distracting in a different way: those popups are showing up over text I need to click on sometimes.  But hey, the Classic Editor is still available, so here I am repairing finishing this post with that.

(Sep 7 3:33 p.m.)

Why so many months away?  The main cause of the delay: I’ve not had the focus and peace of mind to write.  I mean, the other guy in this group household can make it difficult to rest or concentrate with his deeply spoiled nature.  Anything worse than not knowing what to do with my life is being distracted by pointless noise.  His willingness to have his way has gotten to the point he stole my old phone, treated it like his own (installed games et al), and then asked if he could have it.  I got it back, but everything on it prior was erased.  Years of history, gone.  It confirmed my instincts were right to lock the door months ago.  Getting the fuck away from him is a goal, pardon my language.

Carousel-no-more. (Sep 7 2:36 p.m.)

The second reason for the delay: I’ve been busy with the IT training.  I’ve finished with online classes, and only final exams remain; the exams are scheduled at my choosing so, here I am dipping my foot into writing waters again.

I need to get those brain juices flowing.

(Oct 12 7:27 p.m.)

Okay, so “brain juices flowing” sounds a bit weird, maybe like something out of a horror movie.

“You’re… mocking me, aren’t you?” (Oct 20 17:17)

The pandemic changed what masks are featured on Halloween.  It also added paper bags as the method of transport for candy.

More tyred? (Sep 11 5:18 p.m.)

Time flies when you never feel like you know what you’re doing.

Trees, trains, trials and tribulations

(Dec 18 2:06 p.m.)

Well.  I’ve been gone long enough that you may be wondering what happened to me.  What can I say?  I’ve been busy and distracted.  I’ve settled in the group home, and for months it’s been one change after the next, in staff, and loud laughter, and spontaneous clapping by a roommate who revolves around the living room TV, most often channel surfing music videos.  (It didn’t take long for him to wear out the batteries in the Roku remote.)

(Nov 22 12:07 p.m.)

And then you count the chores we’re all used to—e.g., doing dishes… but then cleaning up others’ messes, which is not something I signed up for.  And that includes staff leaving plates and utensils in the sink.  Sometimes people don’t learn to not put utensils in the garbage disposal sink; they fall in.  To top it off, some areas are never cleaned despite the obvious warning of mold and ants come summer unless I bother.  Can you sense my frustration?

(Dec 6 3:35 p.m.)

Oh, and now the staff knock on my bedroom door to “check up on me” at times, even if it means waking me.  And on program days, I’m awake anyway for the unpredictable Logisticare service that’s so awful one of its drivers, who was already late, pushed his hybrid car so hard it broke down on the highway, Friday, with fumes entering the car.  Other out-of-the-ordinary things have been happening in the last few days; I lost a receipt as if it disappeared out of thin air.

So I’ve been pushed and pulled around in many little different ways that add up, and it becomes not only frustrating but time-consuming on top of that day program I’ve been too timid to end.  (Still, what do I do if I end it?  Always out of the loop, I don’t have ideas.)

(Dec 5 8:13 p.m.)

One plus: I’ve learned to cook pasta pretty well.

Nevertheless, peace and quiet is harder to find.  And without good ideas and new ideas, or fulfilling relationships, I’m not satisfied enough to rest.  So after a share of social media and informative videos, I don’t get enough sleep and can’t find my voice or be bothered to write a string of words longer than a tweet or two.  But surely I could have posted here, right?

Cabela’s! (Dec 13 2:20 p.m.)

I blame Twitter.  Again.

It’s addictive or seemingly welcoming but to the point of being oversaturated, and in a way apathetic towards thoughtful blogging, even though the platform was intended for micro-blogging.  Today, you can find endless retweeting of one-offs that serve the warning that quality is not appreciated nearly as much as retweeting among tribes.  Like any social media, the more you stand out in the “wrong” way, the less you will be heard.  And it all happens in real-time, further manipulated by Twitter’s popularity algorithm.

(Nov 20 3:08 p.m.)

But I digress.

The rush of the holiday seasons was rather pronounced at the Goodwill in Biddeford.  Christmas trees and decorations were on sale over a week before Thanksgiving.

Winter update

(Mar 14 8:15 a.m.)

Yeah…. it snowed again.  And unexpectedly; it wasn’t supposed to look like this Thursday.  The forecast temperatures for that part of the week were above freezing…. But “supposed to” is a fallacy.  Us humans can’t tell the weather what to do; we can only predict it.

Supposedly, this was in part due to a “bomb cyclone.”  The weather across the U.S. has been a bit crazy this month.  Very low temps this winter.  Tornadoes in the south.  Over a dozen fatalities in the midwest alone… and that’s just January.  Fierce winds and fallen branches.  Hail …in Britain.

(Mar 6 10:47 a.m.)

Here?  Some winds.  Cold.  Nothing much happens in Maine.  But so many blue sky days.  And I’m talking bluer than these photos here.

…And then the clouds roll in.

Iced, slushed and sugar-high

(Dec 28 2:42 p.m.)

Tis winter and a new year, and places have been closed for the holidays… due also to road conditions.  But the white stuff melted throughout winter.

Pre-bad path conditions. (Dec 23 10:00 a.m.)

Until it snowed again.  1.5″, and sleet and…

Bad path conditions. (Dec 28 4:15 p.m.)

…slush.  At its worst, the daily walk can become an obstacle course, sometimes with mini-lakes in the driveway, and sometimes with this kind of mixture you wouldn’t dare put your shoes in.  I’ve walked the sidelines… in the snow, instead of the path that’s… made so you don’t have to walk in the snow.

Spring ahead

(Mar 20 4:00 p.m.)

So the country has switched over to Daylight Saving Time (save Arizona), and spring season is here… in name, anyway; it’s Maine.  The clouds parted on Saturday, and it’s been blue ever since, until this afternoon.  The geese have appeared here or there; but they may have figured it’s still too cold to migrate back yet.

Not a great subject for hard focus. (Mar 16 1:44 p.m.)

There have been some fierce, pushing-your-car-door-closed winds, and branches have fallen.  But the sunlight has been noticeably strong.

(Mar 20 3:18 p.m.)

The living room plant sure sees spring.

About to get it again

White-out. (Mar 8 11:36 a.m.)

Sigh.

(Mar 8 1:48 p.m.)

Well, we got about 11″ inches of snow last week, with some negligible flurries after Thursday.

Proof of 11 inches. (Mar 8 1:59 p.m.)

As for the next coming days, we’re in the region, forecast-wise, expected to get 1 to 1.5 feet of new snow this week.

(Mar 8 2:11 p.m.)

Yes, feet.

Where winter and spring collide…

(Mar 4 12:03 p.m.)

Heading into late winter, some sprouts and buds have been popping up in Maine.

(Mar 4 12:01 p.m.)

…All of which are now, I’m sure, under a coating of snow.

(Mar 7 5:40 p.m.)

And I’m sure it’s worse in other parts of the northeast.  “Thundersnow” — a combination of a thunderstorm and a blizzard.  Reportedly, there are of tens of thousands without power for a week, in winter (cold) weather.  (But I can’t imagine it being nearly as bad as what Puerto Rico continues to go through.) …But here?

(Mar 7 2:45 p.m.)

“Meh.”

What fresh snow is this?

(Feb 14 2018 12:38 p.m.)

From where we left off, the snow and ice were vanishing and for the day the clouds were parting.

(Feb 14 12:39 p.m.)

The trees were free from ice coating their branches.

And then…

(Feb 18 6:28 a.m.)

Winter update

Ice coating. (Jan 23 4:17 p.m.)

Ice, snow and fog.  You’ve kind of seen it all before.

(Jan 23 4:20 p.m.)

However, it’s not often that ice covers everything.

(Jan 23 4:37 p.m.)

And the trees dip, and branch fragments fall.

(Jan 20 2:07 p.m.)

And dead leaves are sandwiched in between it all.

Neighborly blue lights, still up. (Jan 12 6:24 p.m.)

And Christmas seasonal lighting colors the fog.

A Year In Photos: 2017 (Part I)

Plant soil, roots. (Jan 27 2:49 p.m.)

So, we’re well into the new year.  Storms have come and gone, and the kids are back in school again.  (None mine, lol.)  2017’s wildfires paved the way for mudslides, and… it’s like my fingers would begin to hurt how much I’d be crossing them hoping this year will be better.  There are, however, always good and balanced parts to reflect on.

Library stool. (Jan 19 2:17 p.m.)

2017 wasn’t exactly a great year for subjects.  But it was the first whole year I had a modern iPhone.  An iPhone SE camera doesn’t sound like much, but, with the right software, it’s enough to experiment with, and reflect on my small world, here in Maine.

Non-improved photo. (Jan 19 2:18 p.m.)

Improved technology, improved HDR and improved methods (or so I’d like to think).