Precariousness of our lives

 This week has moved toward the 25th anniversary of the attacks on the USA by terrorists.

Of course it can happen again, even with all the safeguards Homeland Security has put in place.

Of course with a mad man in the White House, he is asking for something extreme to happen.

But each day I wake up and am grateful for the life I have. Clean air.

Oh you don't know how important that is...just take a deep breath and think about how hard it might be if you coughed with each intake.

And clean water. 

From the internet

Gratitude list continues...

And homes. And food. And neighbors who look out for each other.

And friendships across the miles.

And the internet which connects us to each other quickly, effortlessly.

Phones. Cars. Planes.

OK, so much I am grateful for.

Boom, 9/11 happened.

Here's short documentary about the people who escaped Manhattan Island on 9/11 by water, narrated by Tom Hanks.

More people were transported by water that day than in the evacuation of Dunkirk.

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And if it’s true we are alone, we are alone together, the way blades of grass are alone, but exist as a field.

ROSEMERRY WAHTOLA TROMMER

The good, the frazzled and the vibrating things (don't get your hopes up)

 

Today's art:

Rembrandt van Rijn, The Night Watch,

My vibrating vest machine...

I'm supposed to put this vest on at least 15 minutes a day, to help loosen up mucus. If only I could be more disciplined about it. It's loud, heavy, and uncomfortable...makes my whole body shake, and I just feel awful doing it. I don't usually cough much out either. I worry about my osteoporosis and shaking my bones. So...

 There's a cute little thing I can blow into (flutter valve) which also vibrates, and I do use it frequently and it triggers a few coughs. So I'm doing what the doctor wants, sort of. Bronchiectasis means coughing is good. I sure wish otherwise. 

I push myself to just do these routines. But I'm quite tired of them. Those others who deal with chronic conditions know what I'm talking about. I won't go into how frustrating and depressing it is. Just gotta do it one day at a time!

OK Sharing with Thankful Thursday...after all I'm still breathing!

Movie and gratitude

 Thankful Thursday

I watched a Netflix movie the other night, Song Sung Blue. Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson playing a musical couple who sing tributes to Neil Diamond. It is full of music which I love, and a story that is long and gripping. I felt really good having watched it. I've never seen a Diamond concert, besides in videos. And I listened to his music since the 70s. 

There are also underlying themes in the movie, to keep on having hope, to work out problems (if possible) and to show love to the best of your abilities. At least that's what I took from it. I may watch it again!!

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It sort of inspired me to stay up way past my bedtime and to start something new. I got creative again. Blogging at least. Life in Durango has started as my new blog this week.

I've felt lots of connection with other bloggers lately, probably as I told of my life moving to a new town. There sure have been supportive comments as I dealt with all the details. But I've also been ignoring the issues that matter most to my life.

Have those things become less important? Goddesses, climate change, women's issues, the environment, politics? Perhaps they had to take a back seat as I "settled into a new place." But I still was aware of them. So I'm going to be posting more here again (already started) while shifting the Durango life to a new blog!

It feels good as of now. Oh and I had to name a new blogspot address, I'm now durangobarb.blogspot.com. I've been blackmtnbarb for 19 yars or so. And before that boardwalkbarb! Now I can try to belong here. It will take a while, I suspect! I love how the syllables look different, like dur-an-gob-arb!

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Thankful Thursday

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The pulmonary test was yesterday, I didn't do that well. This morning I meet the new pulmonologist. I am feeling pretty down about my prospects of beating the breathing limitations. Wish me luck and everything else that might influence my health.

My life on the fourth floor

 Fourth floor lobby between elevators and two directions of halls.

The last door in this direction is a trash chute, for small items.

My door is the other direction, the second to last on this hallway. It's surprisingly quiet, and I've only met a few of the other tenants who live on this floor.

It was fun for Bing to post this photo as a screen saver the other day!

The view from my desk. I'm kind of struck each morning as the sun blasts its reflection into the windows, which can be blinding compared to the best efforts of my monitor. This was taken a few minutes after the one at dawn on Aug. 15, which I used as a header. I'll share it here too because when I change headers, it's lost from blog archives. Soon I close the vertical blinds with just a crack for fresh air to come in. The Storytime shot says "I've never met the devil (yet) but I imagine it's a pretty scary experience. but then again I guess that's the point."

Dawn at 7:01 Aug 15 with sun hitting the tip of the smokestack of the Powerhouse...apparently a science museum now. This is my header for this week.

Saw smokestack dawn again on Aug 17 at 7:03 am.

The 8 am train (came by around 8:25 Saturday) and I didn't bother to close the windows. I noticed when the engineer toots the whistle, it emits white smoke, but there are definitely puffs of black coming out that engine. If I start noticing anything sooty in the apartment, I'll probably change my attitude.

Pardon the screens giving the flickering images...but I'm just so thrilled still to actually wake up to see these views each day.

Yes, I'm very happy here.

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Tuesday night I woke up at 2:30 am and opened the windows...it was definitely cooler outside than in.  And for the first time I stood at the window and saw the stars. I had to block the city lights below me, and there they were. Very nice indeed.

Not my photo!

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No, I haven't made friends yet. It's coming.

I'm feeling much better health-wise too! The heat has had a break...and I hope it doesn't come back, but it is still August.

My gratitude goes as high as these boundless skies! Thankful Thursday!

Simple pleasures

 Laundry room.

There's a lovely commons room with big couches and chairs...and outside the windows you can see it was still a cool 80...due to get to 100 again that day!

Some people were outside chatting, but few came inside this big room. 

There are always a few smokers in their designated shady area.

I sat while the washers were going, but as soon as the hour long driers started, I went back upstairs. For the same price I got 15 minutes more of drying time, but perhaps the temperature is a bit lower, because everything was just right when my first laundry was finished. Except I had to fold and hang up things still!

My son, Tai, says the highest peak is Heron Peak. I'm not tired of taking pictures of it yet...sorry if you are tired of seeing them!

Sharing with Thankful Thursday

Last Sunday at the Animas River

 

Several white water rafts went by, with the steering person directing the raft across the river to the right channel. Flow of river is directly right to left here, but some shoals are near the far bank. My  daughter-in-law said earlier in the week the water had been orange from the  upstream mud and rain.

In the past mines would have their runoff going into the river, but environmentalists have restricted them to using pools for the toxic mining leavings.

My apartment building is right under the yellow arrow pointing at the park. It's very convenient!

 I already introduced you to the Rotary Park on the Animas River. These photos were all taken there.

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Tuesday morning I shopped in three different stores before 11. I had to leave the lamp shade and the two folding chairs, and the two gallons of distilled water in the car for later pack-ups to bring upstairs in my little rolling cart (on the elevator then down the long hall). I got all the groceries from Walmart and Natural Grocery in it however! 

Goodwill provided two used folding chairs with padded seats at a nice low cost. I should have waited to get the lamp shade there, rather than Walmart...but it is done.

I'm so thrilled the stores all had grocery carts to carry my oxygen generator (5 pounds) and my purse (it balances out pretty well) and then can lean on the cart.  Fortunately at 8 am Walmart was pretty deserted, so my slow wandering didn’t cause many people worries. Actually I saw two other people aimlessly wandering without carts.!

I was sad to look out my window at 1:30 to see the haze of smoke from  fire south of Pagosa Springs, about 65 miles east of Durango. It cleared by 5 when I next peaked through the blinds. I can’t open the blinds till after sunset, being a west facing apartment. And the 100 degrees on the other side of the glass also makes it a good idea to have another barrier. But being up in the mountains the nights cool down to 58 sometime before dawn. 

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"It goes without saying that you should never have more children than you have car windows." Erma Bombeck

water lillies. oil on canvas...frank depietro...american painter....landenberg..pennsylvania...born 1975

--------Sharing with Thankful Thursday

Mt. Mitchell State Park

 

Our first stop in the state park was at the restaurant parking lot. From there we could see across the valley where landslides were still bare after the hurricane in Sept. 2024.

Nature sure has its way with storms and the aftermath. Many trees have the balsam wooly adelgid killing them, which is a source of many bare trees we saw.

I was happily the passenger while Teresa drove, and her granddaughter had the back seat.

Of course you want to see more of the mountain, and the museum, and the picnic….which will have to wait. 

We had lovely weather up there at around 6600 feet. Then came down to partly cloudy 80+ degrees. But it was a good time.

I came home and resumed packing. Took the first picture off the wall…there are half a dozen more to go…wherever I can fit them.

Did I tell you how thrilled I was to find an old Tupperware tub which will fit the toaster oven just right?

Simple pleasures!

I was able to breathe at the higher altitude, though I didn’t walk *hike up to the look-out platform. Came home and did use oxygen when resting between boxes. I sure was ready for my nap!

This attitude is moving toward peace between people who were at war with each other in the Civil War…certainly we can find a way to deal with the craziness in our political situation somehow.

Thankful Thursday again!

 

If I don't comment for a while, I'm pushing things into boxes. Taking boxes to thrift stores or the garbage! Or piling up the ones to keep and take to Colorado in a bit more than a week. My brain is fried.

Sharing with Thankful Thursday!

And near where my son lives in Cortez CO...

Lightning sparked the Long Canyon fire in Mesa Verde National Park on Monday, shutting down some of the park's popular attractions, the National Park Service said.

The Ferris Fire has moved south from Delores County into Montezuma County as of July 8 - the county where my son's home is.

“Be a nuisance where it counts. Do your part to inform and stimulate the public to join your action. Be depressed, discouraged, and disappointed at failure and the disheartening effects of ignorance, greed, corruption and bad politics—but never give up.”

~ Marjory Stoneman Douglas