August’s Gusts Gone

Below are a few of the things I’ve been pondering this August.


 

New glasses do make a difference in how and what I see, and that changes my outlook. So many things that I think of as metaphors are also literal.

 

Related: in an article about brain function by Max G. Levy in Wired, I read this astonishing sentence: “Every thought that crosses your mind has, literally, crossed your mind, as millions of neurons in different parts of the brain chatter with one another. “


Literally.


Here's a link to the article: https://www.wired.com/story/this-is-your-brain-under-anesthesia/


 


It’s nice to be invited to participate in something professional.


Related: It’s interesting (to me) to do a retrospective of my work in a particular form over the past seven or so years. I could see where external events influenced decisions (and I’m glad I made the choices I did), and I could also see where I began to push myself to develop skills I hadn’t had before. 



 


Waiting two years between dental cleanings is not a great idea. However, waiting two years makes the subsequent cleaning into, roughly, the tooth equivalent of having GoCleanCo do your house. Or so I imagine.


Seriously: Follow GoCleanCo on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/gocleanco/) and prepare to be impressed by the hard work of cleaning houses. It’s reassuring to know that everybody has to scrub—crud doesn’t magically disappear for other people and not me.


And thinking of cleaning as “caring for your stuff” is thought-provoking. What stuff do I really want to keep clean? What stuff makes me wonder, “Why do I have this?” as I dust it? Good questions, especially as seasons change.


 


Also: I’ve been a fan of Ontario peaches for, ahem, decades. This year, I also found the nectarines. Holy Toledo, are they ever good. Almost makes up for missing out on wild blueberries, due to drought.



 

Speaking of changing seasons, it’s time for a few changes. I’ve enjoyed writing weekly here for several years. I’m scaling back—twice a month, plus I’ll pop in (as the influencers say) with news should any transpire. I am more active, for the present, on Instagram, so for more about my reading life, catch up with me there.


Meanwhile, thanks, August, for these ponderables. And welcome, September!