My World of Wonders, aka, The Wednesday Ws - It has Been Busy Around Here

Where have I been this week?  The good Dentist, the Kennedy Center to hear the National Symphony Orchestra, a community arts meeting, the gym, out to lunch, Target, and the pool. We stopped for a late lunch at a nice seafood restaurant that had surprisingly little fish on the menu. 

What have I been reading?  A couple of books about writing, a collection of essays about life, and one about fishing.  I started reading a book about swimming, and abandoned it - it was too focussed on competition and winning, and had to little about enjoying time in the water.  It did answer a couple of questions on my backstroke. I only spent a couple of hours skimming it, it will not make it onto the read list for this year.  

Where am I headed? Time to revisit the library, I am once again reading at a ridiculous rate. 

When am I going back to the Dentist? In a couple of weeks, for a "simple" crown. A lower molar that was damaged 30 years ago when my wisdom teeth were removed.  An hour of discomfort, for ease the rest of my life.  

What am I looking forward to? Phoenix the end of the month, to see dear friends and hob-knob with my fellow lawyers.  And spring, by March the weather starts to moderate here.  

What was my good deed for the week?  One of the photography YouTubers I enjoy, dabbles in movie making. He mentioned that he was borrowing a 16mm movie camera from another YouTuber.  I had a 16mm Bolex that I bought at a garage sale probably 40 years ago, and I never used it.  I thought I had tossed it out, but I stumbled across it in a place it should not have been (it was in the electronics drawer, not the camera drawer.) I packed it and shipped it to him as a gift.  I hope it works as well as it seems to, and that he uses it.  I enjoy seeing creative people being creative. The right tools make all the difference. I wonder how many fine old film cameras are gathering dust in the tops of closets or the wrong drawer. 

What is happening around the house?  Sweet bear finished his rug cleaning project, we had hardwood floors installed a few years ago, with large rugs in the living and dining room that need to be cleaned once a year or so.  I ran self clean on the oven, badly needed after a few things dripped over.  I made lasagna, it was interesting, but not my best effort. 

What made me want to rant this week? A dog, actually the dog owner.  Please, if you have a dog, always maintain control when you are outside, not most of the time, but all of the time.  Driving up US 1 on Friday morning, a tall hound dog dragging a lead, came running out between two houses and into three lanes of northbound traffic.  Everyone slammed on the brakes, the dog cleared the first lane of traffic and was hit by the car in front of us. Within seconds the dog scampered off to the side of the road, alive but obviously in pain. About that time, an elegantly dressed woman came out of from between the houses calling her dog's name. The dog was being comforted by a kind lady on the side of the road. PLEASE ALWAYS HANG ONTO THE LEASH, Or TIE IT SECURELY. It only takes a moment for a tragedy to happen. 

What brought a smile to my face? I have been taking the water aerobics class in the community pool steadily for the past six or seven weeks.  There is a lot of work on core strength and flexibility, an area that I have not worked on for a long time.  The instructors remind us to do our best, and modify as needed, and I have.  Saturday for the first time, my toes touched the wall of the pool, and on another move my heel came all the way up to touch my butt. Things I had not been able to do.  Added flexibility. There is a special happiness, that brings with it a chemical release of joy, in the brain.  For a minute I didn't care what was happening around me, I was in that moment of chemical bliss.  Slowly flexibility is returning that I have not had in over a decade.