My work impediments

We all know procrastinators; we ourselves all have a tendency to put things off when the weather outside is bad (the urge to simply sit and read, watch the fire or catch up on a movie or TV series takes precedence over say – paying bills, putting together documents for the taxes, filing, etc.); when we have too many interruptions; when we just don’t seem to get the push or our minds are contemplating the upcoming weekend.

I however often have an even better excuse: lack of mobility at the keyboard.

Think she's hidden something interesting under here?

Sleep on her hand and keep a paw there as well just to make sure!

I'm so cute and cuddly that she won't move me, I know.

Sometimes we are amenable to leaving her get something done.

Then there is the cold wind…

Various lengths of icicles

Same with added spray

Think that there was some wind?

Guess which side faces the lake?

Which we don’t love quite so much, but which provides us with gorgeous photo opportunities.

One of the reasons…

I love where I live: the seasons.
Spring is a great new beginning, summer is wonderful as long as one can get either
to the mountains or the beach for coolness. Fall is my favorite, but winter needs to also
be winter. 

This past weekend we finally got snow.

Corsier - looking towards the lake Friday night

Details of the above

Sunset in the alps Saturday

Early morning sun on the alps

The cows with extra thick pelts

Peek-a-boo with the alps

“No man is an island”

Is one of my favorite songs, then the  « A THOUGHT FOR TODAY » was the following.

 

Our lives are like islands in the sea, or like trees in the forest. The maple and the pine may whisper to each other with their leaves ... But the trees also commingle their roots in the darkness underground, and the islands also hang together through the ocean's bottom. -William James, psychologist and philosopher (11 Jan 1842-1910)

How beautiful.

This so succinctly explains the connections that we have among human beings as well, some links not being immediately seen, others more evident, but all just as valuable.

The ability to reach out and touch someone by word, look or gesture ; from the often seemingly trite and unimportant communications to the recognizably profound, we are linked.

Perhaps this is the greatest strength of social media – it allows us to re-connect with persons from our past – it re-inforces those ties with people living far away – it allows us to « meet » new people, « hear » new ideas and in general be « connected ».

Now this doesn’t mean that I intend to spend hours, or even minutes per day on my computer checking FaceBook and others (in fact some I have chosen to not pursue at all – one also needs to reserve most of one’s time for those who are physically present in our lives), however knowing that I can look and see what a high school friend is up to, to realize that on a next trip I might well plan on dropping in on another long-lost friend allows me

to know that I am not alone ; to also know that I can be of use to someone else in my life.

We are not islands – we are linked – a very comforting thought in the world’s business and seeming anonymity.

The "lone" cyprus

 

Redwoods 2011

Redwoods 2011

Blessed week or…

An experiment in unplanned living.

It all started when I finally decided not to go to my sister’s for Christmas: stopped from traveling by a broken arm early in 2016 and home alone for the first time in my life I grew accustomed to the pleasure of being home and doing less. My major trip for the year was Alaska, first for a few days, then a cruise down to Vancouver, Canada then across to Banff and Jasper and all the wonders of fairly untouched nature – all this with the oh-so-pleasant company of my brother and sister-in-law.

When I moved down from my mountain rental for the last time (another story) and started “planning” Christmas I realized that the thing that I wanted most was simply to stay put and enjoy my life here in Geneva.

I took that a step further when I realized that – perhaps also for the first time in as long as I can remember – I had NO appointments whatsoever on the calendar from the 24^th – 31^st of December. Ah the possibilities!

First decision: not to make any plans more than 24 hours in advance – one that I have managed to stick to for 5 days now and one that has brought normal daily activities, but also the extraordinary.

As a family we held Christmas Friday night the 23^rd – my older son having rented a place in the mountains from the 24^th – 31^st. I also loaned him the car thus putting myself truly into slow mode – walk or take the bus.  Saturday the 24^th I decided that it was my day for attending all the possible Christmas programs that I could manage.  This involved soup in the village (the city councilor’s provided soup, dried meat, cheese, bread and a lovely Christmas cake – I actually knew half the people who attended) at noon; a trip into town to have coffee with a friend made back in 2002 and who providentially was visiting from Budapest (had I made plans I wouldn’t have been able to meet up with her so although I won’t actually count my blessings, this was one); attended the Anglican churches service in St.Peter’s cathedral – a half-hour organ concert, a professional choir and a beautiful ceremony; returned home for a couple of hours and a snack then as a fitting end to the day walked up to my village and attended midnight mass there. Christmas Day began on a very high note, if little sleep.

Christmas Day I enjoyed lunch with my upper neighbors then the next three days managed to stick to my “unplanned” until the night of the 28^th when life decided that if I wasn’t planning anything, it would sneak in something unwanted and totally unplanned: the flu!

So here we are well into the New Year and no more plans were made even an hour or two in advance as I went about the business of being sick – somehow this was NOT the type of unplanned that I appreciate!