It smells like Spring

 Local weather

It looks gray and dry, but we had rain overnight, and it smells that ozone smell that comes with new-fallen rain!  The temperature is in the 50's, even in the morning.  If "the kids" take Carl out to a park, he might just come home muddy and in need of a bath, but he'll have a good time.  There is such joy in watching a pet having a good time!

I've been invited to Carl's third birthday, likely sometime next weekend, weather permitting.  From this you may assume that yes, I got a phone call from my son.  Yesterday afternoon.  This is the first call from him since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.  So it was good to assess how he's doing with it.  He lapsed into his analysis from what he's been exposed to in terms of video and fellow veteran's conversation... and essentially has come to the same conclusions as some others:  Russia was not prepared, and sent in ill maintained equipment and barely wet behind the ears soldiers, and the people of Ukraine will act much like the people of Iraq and Afghanistan:  they will fight for their homes, long term and with passion, and eventually, Russian armed forces will have to leave, because they cannot win.  The only question is "at what cost"?

This morning (Saturday), The Prisoner is being a lap kitty.  He has been that more and more in his "middle age".  He's over ten years old now, and a fluffy cuddler.  No, I have not been tempted to make tiktoks of him, content to let him purr and warm my lap.

When he tires of the instability of my lap, he migrates to "his" chair, from which he reigns.  This photo (from this morning) shows how he kind of "hugs" his hu-mom.

For the Trekkers in the crowd

The second season of Star Trek: Picard is now streaming (new episodes on Thursdays) on Paramount Plus.  To me, this one is worth the monthly subscription, but I happily accept the additional streaming of other series that also air on the regular network as a benefit.  I can watch Bull, or NCIS, or Young Sheldon at my own convenience because of this.  The two networks to which I have offered up my subscription money have re-discovered something they should have realized some time ago... if you want the money to roll in... dribble out the episodes, one a week!

But Picard... oh, yes, Picard!  I don't know how much knitting together of the disparate threads of the various series of Star Trek might happen, but no one should be surprised that time travel gets introduced.  Whoopie fans... she's ba-ack.  And in the first episode, no less.  

Of course, I am still following the Gilded Age on HBO plus.  That one my son pays for.  And on Amazon Prime TV, Mrs. Maisel has returned for her 4th season... so between Wheel of Time, The Expanse, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, they pretty much have me hooked.  The extra channel of Showtime gets added during seasons of Billions, which is also currently playing.

So that's my set of fictional distractions from the news.  And I am grateful to HAVE distractions and not to be the old lady in the Ukraine footage, climbing from my bombed out suburb to walk, dazed, into city center of Kyiv, which continues to be under seige, but is perceived by these internal refugees to be safer that what they are leaving behind.  My heart hurts, but one cannot look at it non-stop!

Pep talk reminders

Whenever I'm impacted by the news, I have to remind myself that the failure to take care of myself and my health will NOT help the situation.  This can be used as motivation, my friends!

When my son was in uniform, I internally admitted it was a sort of "bargain with God" which we all know is wrong, but we do it anyway.  "You take care of him, please, and I'll do my best to take care of me..."  We should be doing our best to take care of ourselves anyway, right?  But somehow when the rest of life is smooth sailing, we might tend to take things for granted.

That said:

• Drink your water.
• Get some activity, even if it's housework.  Don't just sit all day!
• Remember to breathe.
• Eat to support your immune system.  Our "friend" Covid is not gone.  We may be changing our philosophy of how to deal with it, but having a strong immune system is good for combating both it and other ills!
• And at the end of the day... let it go, and let yourself get your rest.  You won't be good for anybody else if you don't get your own rest.  Especially as you get old-er!

Life is good.  Spark on!

💖🔥