Saturday Salvage

A new pattern has emerged over the last few months of Saturdays - long, lazy, languishing bed stays, stretching for hours after the eyes pop open.  Sometimes, like today, extending into early evening.  Until the guilt and panic of delayed projects and plans put off sets in to spur some action and movement from the comfort and safety of bed.

This Saturday, there was a touch of a cold to blame - congestion and runny nose and watery eyes, lack of good sleep last night and the previous night.  And always, always the exhaustion of the week just past.  But it didn't always used to be this way.  Saturday mornings once were active outdoor ones.  Unclear whether the roots of this recent change are psychological or physiological - weak mind or aging body, or some combination of the two.  In any event, it cannot go on; it must not go on.  How can there be room for more if not enough fits into the time that exists now?  They say priorities just shift.  But the shift would be quite radical; what if it's too much?  Discipline has got to set in soon, like now, soon.

But today there was napping, web surfing, long calls with old friends swapping accounts of the current life trials, a quick trip to the lobby to retrieve an anticipated package, a short step out onto the terrace to check on the results of the recent rains, lots of television, little actual nourishment.

Late in the day, some surrender to self indulgence and self care - a break into the gift box of chocolates from Miss Lovely Neighbor.  Sometimes, self permission to call the day a loss, let the body and mind rest and refresh, and salvage what little positive is left - by taking the opportunity for a treat, eating chocolate - becomes the call for the day.

And we try again tomorrow.

Time Greed

Gluttony, or just a normal part of hectic life?  There never feels to be enough.  The shorter commute somehow has not managed to translate into more usable time - instead, that time seems to have turned into more sleep, which perhaps is a good thing (although a reminder of the aging body - once upon a time about 5 hours was enough).  The guilt of continued late arrivals at the "Orifice" have translated into regular late work nights, now unimpeded by a last ferry schedule - one of the cons of being able to travel more easily to work by subway.  That in return means super late meals, super late or skipped breakfast the next morning - just a vicious cycle.  Must re-jigger.

But the body and mind crave respite - and time carved out for a jaunt about the park.

2019 Earth Day +1

+1 because the eyes wouldn't stay open and the sofa was so comfy.  Hazards of not leaving the office until well after 9, attempting to eat late dinner quickly in hopes of keeping to a modified fasting plan, then catching up with the news of the day.  There is just not so much time left over, and the body fails.  Well intended blogging attempts do not get completed, until the next day....

So, for Earth Day, a piece that appeared in the New York Times on a lovely sounding itinerary to the Netherlands to see bulb farms - how dreamy it would be to go with Mama Bird one day.

Not in the Netherlands.  From the Hicks aisles during their garden show some weeks back on Long Island.

The day itself was actually abundant with work extras - another candidate town hall, this time with Julian Castro.  Intelligent, young and earnest, progressive.  The sound bite from his presentation was his plan to implement a "21st century Marshall Plan" with respect to Central America in an effort to solve the immigration spike.  Bold, but likely will never sell, and fraught with difficulties.  The Marshall plan was implemented with respect to defeated adversaries, after all.

Photo from Wikipedia.

Then late in the workday, a gathering of the T&E department, a "party," if you will - ha! - to listen to oral arguments in the Kaestner case, the first trusts and estates case to come before the Supreme Court in something like 47 years.  Interesting.  The justices clearly don't all get the ins and outs of trusts (an affirmation that if one specializes, one can come to develop a body of knowledge somewhat deeper than a Supreme Court justice), but they are sharp and quite with it.  Thomas was silent, as usual.

Easter 2019 - Rebirths

Easter Sunday for non-religious celebrants is all about the renewal that comes with Spring.  That Easter follows the ancient Jewish lunar calendar (makes sense, considering the direct relationship to Passover) means every year is a little different, depending on how far along in Spring we are.  This year the holy days felt much later than usual.  And the plants knew it.

Beloved Carl Schurz Park offered an abundance of Spring floral exuberance, and some overachievers - gunners, if you will - that are perhaps a little early for Summer.  They offered a welcome distraction from the first attempted run in some weeks? months?, as opposed to the fast walk that's become the norm of late - little bits of rest that felt deliberate, and not just the result of being out of shape. 

Most striking of the bunch today.  A flowering plum, maybe?

Poor stuck little kite.

Pretty architectural detail.  Passed it so many times and only now noticing. 

Rare afternoon just-so illumination of the little lilac ...

... ah, this explains it!

Sad, dried up Thai lime.  A victim of this neglectful plant mommy's underwatering.

Attempting to salvage the dried leaves.  They still have some fragrance in them.

The lilies of the valley made it through winter.  They are climatized, although results in a small pot are always anyone's guess.

Thai lime tree, trimmed.

Dried Thai lime leaf harvest.