Your start-up disk is almost full

That's the message I've been getting ever since I somehow managed to sqeeeezzzee OS X Panther into my very old (circa 1999) iMac. Besides giving me a real incentive to think about buying a new laptop, that phrase, in another setting, gives me a visual of my mind being full of stuff. So much stuff. Busily thinking about other stuff. Other stuff in the past. Other stuff that hasn't happened yet - but might. As Yoda might have said, "...never your mind being where you are..."

What this seems to be leading to is a way to use this blog as a form of Writing Practice ala Natalie Goldberg's book, Writing Down the Bones. Since I threw out my back and haven't been going to Curves thrice weekly, I seem to have time to restart my mindfulness meditation practice. At the minimum these postings will serve to encourage me to continue with daily sitting practice (by noting when I have done same) and, at the sky's the limit, perhaps allowing me to finally write real truths as I experience them in writing practice.

I've found myself listening to podcasts by Zencast and have done 15 minutes of sitting both yesterday and today. I've been listening to Writing Down the Bones on my iPod and consider this a first attempt at writing practice.

Wish me luck!

Women's Rights

Photo credit: Women's Rights Historical Park

Today's blog is in honor of the Women's Rights Convention which took place on July 19-20, 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, not far from where I grew up. I attended the now defunct Eisenhower College in Seneca Falls, which served as the repository for Women's Rights historical items until Congress authorized the Women's Rights Historical Park in 1980. A Report of the Convention can be found here and a link to the National Historical Park website here.

For those that like their history fictional, Miriam Grace Monfredo has written a mystery entitled The Seneca Falls Inheritance which deals with life just prior to the Convention in 1848 and blends historical figures, such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, with the mystery's main character, spinster librarian Glynis Tryon.

Sharing good gazebo fortune

It's still hot and muggy here in rural, upstate New York. I'm grateful that we have a window air conditioner in the bedroom, but that can be so confining. (And, there are only so many things one can do in a bedroom!) Consequently, I've been spending time in our shady gazebo. It's nestled into apple, cherry and pine trees, with honeysuckle and raspberry plants behind. There are large trees further behind that shade it from the sun for much of the day. If there's a breeze, it catches it and the windchimes play. I've frequently found myself going out there with a good book to escape the heat in the house. There are wetlands a little further behind, but it's screened from mosquitoes. I've found myself being very grateful to have such a book nook at the far end of our property.
I've been sharing my good fortune with a fat and feisty woodchuck. You can see the hole he insists on keeping right below the door to the gazebo. I spent some time tossing all the stone back down that he had worked so hard to throw up, but each day I returned to the gazebo, he had cleared his tunnel all back out. My husband said that the woodchuck had chosen a highly defensible spot - no predator can sneak up on him there. It's also very dry. So, as long as he doesn't expand the hole to human size, we have a truce and peace reigns in the back lot.

A different kind of Cat

It's been hot and humid, sweltering, stick to your chair weather for some time in upstate New York. Not at all conducive to cogitation with a computer keyboard in my library/computer room. (The only room in the house with air-conditioning is the bedroom - more information than you asked for, I know.) Tonight I've plugged in a portable fan, turned it on high and am basking in the baking breeze while I blog.

I've been remiss with my blogging. I started out so well, with such good intentions. Now days, even weeks, have passed between postings. Mea culpa. Life happened in the interim with good days and bad and those in between.

June 30th was one of the exciting times. My husband and I were passengers on the second "maiden" voyage of the Cat, the Rochester to Toronto fast ferry. From what I later read, there were 358 aboard including Rochester luminaries and, apparently, at least 20 members of the media. Everyone aboard had a chance to be interviewed. My husband spoke to WHAM and in the excitement of the interview, we forgot to say that it was our wedding anniversary. (Awwww!) The accommodations were delightful; the food the nautical equivalent of airplane fare.

As we were a bit late in leaving, the Captain cranked the engine speed up to 55 miles per hour. The resulting wake was amazing. We made excellent time, arriving in Toronto nearly on schedule. And yes, we plan to ride the ferry again.