22:17 - 08.08.06
Rash
Happy Lughnassadh, dear diary. It is the mid-point between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox and is tied to the feast of the first fruits. The other quarter-points are Candlemas in February, Hallowe'en in October and Beltane in May. Some people set a given date - the second of August - while others set it for the full moon in August. That's this early morning and it seems right to me. Full moon in Aquarius at 6 in the am here.
It was still dark when I got up this morning sometime before 5:30 am. Oh Blessed Night. That's what I was thinking since it means less time for the sun to overheat the atmosphere. All the while I was puzzling over the smell of smoke in the air. It wasn't like the smoke from a fireplace or a house fire either. No - definitely forest fire. Turned out those fires were burning in British Columbia and the State of Washington. That didn't bode well.
That notwithstanding, I shooed the cats out a couple of the rooms with big windows and opened the doors to let the much cooler outside air in. I think Mr Mel saw his opportunity and slipped out for an exploration of his own, although it could be he found a way out last night too. He still hasn't come back as I key this. The other four cats followed me everywhere I went for the balance of the day. I'm not certain if they were trying to console me or I was needed to console them. A bit of both most likely. Ms Snowy had her toy mouse in her mouth most of that time. Mr Mel is usually the partner she plays "keep away" with. He does have a tattoo on his ear so if he ends up being picked up we'll be notified. If he takes after Ms Kitty he'll show up on his own in a day or two. Both my youngest's and my greatest fear is that the neighbour in the next unit will carry out his threat that he made about killing any cat loose near him. Now he said that out loud while drinking with a bunch of buddies and he also said that he was going to poison his wife's cat if it bothered him anymore. Could have been the drink talking, but in vino veritas. We'll see.
The phone started ringing just after 6 in the am. My son's partner. She had called late last night and told him all the thing that were wrong with him. She seemed to think that the balance of the day was needed to complete the listing. According to comments he made when he checked in later in the afternoon, she was doing the same to his work place too. Good way to get the source of one's support fired. Fortunately his bosses really seem to like him, so they've cut him some slack over her behaviour. I don't take her calls when my son isn't here. It may be cowardly, but I explained to my son that I have no intention of trying to referee or mediate. Too close to the tree you see. I do pass the messages left in the voicemails on to my son though, so that I'm not obstructing or interfering with their "communication". Sigh.
I was finding breathing a bit of a challenge because of the smoke from the forest fires and my stomach was all in knots too. "Listen to your body" say most trainers. Well mine was saying it wanted to stair climb. I was thinking it was crazy. However, I finally lost that argument and did as it was demanding of me around the lunch hour. Took a shower just before and right after so I didn't collapse of heat exhaustion though. Thundershowers are supposed to cool things down tomorrow, so I guess I can cope one more day. Record breaking temperatures as well as the problem of the bad air quality were mentioned in passing on the evening news, but I wasn't paying a lot of attention to it. Earlier on, when I was trying to see my youngest out the door, I popped Pirates of the Caribbean; the Black Pearl into the VCR and watched in between tasks. Truly entertaining. I love the part in the cave when Jack Sparrow plays with that piece of aztec gold. I needed a destressor already and it served that purpose well.
The afternoon was slightly better communication wise. Number three son called and we managed to complete the task of getting his van insured. He was so excited. I think he sees it as a milestone in his life. A good omen after just taking the new job. He was chortling because he is "actually getting paid" to learn. The way I see it if a compnay is willing to invest in a worker, it is a very good sign of an employer. Wish I could find one similar. One of my friends sent me an email that appears to contain the text of a commencement speech that Steve Jobs was supposed to have given at Stanford. It was very inspirational - the do what you love theme. What I love doing right now is reading, writing and looking after my grandbabies. I do enjoy a lot of the election process and also the work in the industry that I have been working in for the past decade. Don't know how the future will shake out. I guess going into the unknown with a positive attitude rather than a negative one, always gives one the edge. I did hear from one of the other Returning Officers. One of those "can we talk" requests. I'll be meeting them for lunch in a bit. Seems as though they just want to trade strategies for surviving the next event and I'm good with that.
Anyway time to prepare for my young mens'return. It's cooled off enough that they might even consider eating. Good night dear diary. Tomorrow will be better - right?
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