CaptainOrange

Sad news first My mother died suddenly of a stroke on August 11th of this year while battling Cancer. I just thought you should know. There is a whole story hanging in that sentence, but it's not yet ready to tell. Some Joy In the meantime, grieving is an ongoing process and so, too, is my summer. As autumn quickly approaches, we are readying the yard and garden for winter. We have had a bumper crop of tomatoes, basil, carrots, and other wonders of sustenance.  One crop that has been in short supply is Serenity. It is yield that helps prepare me for the winter. COVID-19 has changed many things. For me, summer is a time to recharge myself and, through the experience of joy, recharge the people I love. I can be hard to live with in February and I count on a carefree summer to remind me--and those who live with me--just why they would bother ;) Needless to say, that has been challenging. But, Wendy and I have made some great headway on our desire to spend more time in nature (generall...

Lee solos Searszilla We finally got a new canoe! We have been using Lee and Sandi's old 17' Sears beast since we were married. It has served us very well and has now been handed along to Liz. At my strongest, I was able to carry it down to a boat launch myself, but that is a decade behind me now. I tried to talk Wendy into an ultra-light kevlar replacement, but at $4-6K that seemed like a remote possibility. Instead we settled on a sensible 14'6"  Clipper - Escape from Eb's Adventure . Clipper - Escape While she didn't want to admit it--"A canoe is a canoe" <yawn>--Wendy is clearly in LOVE with the Escape. Even with the river at faster than average flow rate, she was able to solo (with me as dead weight) across the river and even make easy headway upstream. The ostensible reason for this needless test of her paddling prowess was a large bird nest that she spotted on the East side of the river. As it turns out, it wasn't a ...

Intro Just a peek at my home workspace, some of the challenges I am facing while working from home. This was originally done as one of my handwritten posts, but Blogger is so hostile to that sort of presentation, that I decided to type it all out :( Starting My Day I wake up at 6:30am. No, not because I want to -- because I'm married to an early-bird.  Usually start with 2 shots of espresso over the course of the first 45 minutes. Journal for 15-20 minutes. I find gratitude and reflection really important. Yoga and a walk or run. About 1 hour in total. I am steadfast in My adherence to these morning rituals. I used to be much more "inspirational", but I have learned that I enjoy life more and get more of what I want with a little more structure. I relax a bit on the weekend. Mike's Workspace The most important feature of this space is the sun. Mostly because I am solar powered, but also because l...

Note to Nobody in Particular Normally, my travel blogging is formatted with each day or two being a post. It has been a great way to help others follow along from home as if you were on the trip, but it can make for pretty punishing late nights. To make a long excuse short, I found myself watching The Witcher on Netflix at Brad's recommendation. So, this vacation is being collated as a single entry during my 6 1/2 hour layover in Minneapolis.  Episode IV: Cold Departure I think I managed to get the timing for this trip nearly perfect. Temperatures in the days before I left had lows of -36C and windchill values hit -52C. Prospects of my trip kept me relatively upbeat for the worst temperatures of the winter... probably, anyway. When the plane rises above the clouds, the added height makes the sunrise come much earlier. A symbol of hope for me. When I landed in San Antonio, TX, it was +18C (woo-hoo!). I Waited for Brad's plane to arrive from Virginia (via Atlanta),...

I turned 48 in early January. Usually, I am not capable of being reflective during the winter, but perhaps owing to the SSRI's and my  subsequent ability to think more clearly, or maybe because Wendy suggested it and then initiated conversations on our daily walks three days in a row, I have for your perusal... 6 octals of Mikeness. 8 (10) — 1980 In my "Etch A Sketch" phase 1980 was a big year. I turned 8, after all. Also, I was in grades 2 and  3 (come September) at Prince Charles Community School in Prince Albert, SK. My teacher in Grade 2 was Mrs. White. I recall her as having grey hair and so, had the legitimate possibility of being old—as opposed to just seeming old (which everyone did). Mrs. White came off as quite stern to me. I can remember little other than that she was not a fan of me driving Matchbox cars under the tables during class time. I lived in fear of seeing her shiny, black high heels turn on the tile floor and click towards where...