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This hurricane season is... interesting. Storm formation is rapid and early, with ten of the thirteen named storms setting a record for earliest formation. Put another way: we've had thirteen named storms (Laura and Marco formed yesterday) and the average number of named storms in the Atlantic basin for this date is 3.8.
They are short lived storms, and every time i get interested in a track it seems there's lots of atmospheric instability fighting the formation. The next two months are the peak of an average hurricane season: i'm watching.
Meanwhile it's just humid here, although we can see outside the windows again because the dew point is now down to 70°F. It's not hot, but i am whining so much about the weather. I don't really have a good excuse to do so.
Meanwhile i am avoiding thinking about Meeting. But i should. So here i go:
I am struggling with judgement on one hand: these people are not following process, they are not using the distinctive tools of Quakerism. On the other hand: they have such heart - they are willing to give and care for others.
Part of me just wants to quit: the part that hurts and rereads Pacific Yearly Meeting's description of Friends Decision Making process and treasures that struggle of individual vs corporate discernment.
Part of me wonders if this is my lesson in transformation: the community overstepped its bounds by asserting a policy that removed agency for the people in the moment. I sent an email proposing a policy that allows the coordinator to make the decision of when and how rain-plans will be executed.
Adding to my confusion is that Mr OMG Nominating Filled Committees ALL WRONG could care less about a decision of meeting being ignored.
But i have an abiding suspicion that a certain set of families "own" the meeting. They see no issue with themselves making decisions outside of any process so decisions are made promptly -- and don't see how that can leave others to feel excluded from the decision making process.
Can i be an agent of transformation myself? Practice corporate decision making and acknowledge openly when the community is not making a decision so there is agency in the moment?
My discernment is hampered by awareness that my emotions are roiled by pandemic and politics and how pandemic & politics & expressed concern and lack of concern about contagion swirl together irrationally.
--== ∞ ==--
In other topics: cats. Christine is distressed by the change in behavior of the cats -- none are using the lovely bespoke litter box in its cabinet, but all the many boxes we have scattered about where Edward (probably, from the diabetes) is deciding to do his business. I assume some of Marlowe's behavior was acting out in response to our not noticing Edward's behavior. I suspect, too, there is something with Marlowe (tiny six pound grey cat) chasing Edward (twenty pound tan ex-tom cat) in side. Not quite sure why he won't stand his ground with her; he comes up and bites Luigi (slightly smaller orange ex-tom) all the time.
We are making small changes to our strategy that will, i hope, reduce Christine's extreme distress. I spoke too of how she seemed to be framing the situation as response to her actions and not as cat decision according to the inscrutable nature of cats (along with aging and illness). I hope we have eased her distress.
Luigi has resisted grooming his flanks for a couple years. I think i have finally figured out an explanation that's a little better than arthritis: something called stud tail, where the super-caudal and caudal glands are over acting. If they were sensitive, that would explain not grooming around them. The thick coat of hair remains and covers the signature expression of the condition. I brushed a bit of his tail today -- small sections, tons of hair coming loose -- and found it became quite greasy. That's what led to the stud tail diagnosis. I will continue to use treats to get him to allow some grooming and then move to an anti-acne wash as i get the fur clear.
In the garden, i find myself with enough sweet potato greens to have a few servings during the week. i had to decide between the mouse melons (Mexican gherkins) and roselle (hibiscus tea hibiscus). The mouse mellons just didn't seem as productive as they were earlier, so i hacked the vine out of the roselle and cut the roselle back. It's greens are sour and yummy as well.
The Malabar spinach has finally taken off, and i've spent some time reading about how it can be used. It has already reseeded itself, and i take it i can expect more seedlings next year. I think i'll try to keep some seed. It has a similar taste to spinach, chard, and purslane, an "earthy" note for lack of a better term. It's not as attractive to me as brassica bitterness. That's for lunch today. The berries are interesting; apparently edible, little taste, incredible color. Chatter on line about anthrocyanins and being "likely good for you." Somewhere else i read one component is similar to a beet component (not here, but that's close enough). It's an interesting thought as a food dye, much like using beets to tint sauerkraut. I wonder if dehydrating the berries yields a colorant that can be used in the winter.
I wish i was having better luck with beets.
Critter watch has included clouds of Eastern tiger swallowtail around the bearsfoot (Smallanthus uvedalius). The hurricane rains beat down many of the taller (ten foot) plants: i cut back a good deal but there are still enough flowers for the swallowtails. Other butterflies (skippers, probably whirlabout (Polites vibex), primarily) were there too.
They are short lived storms, and every time i get interested in a track it seems there's lots of atmospheric instability fighting the formation. The next two months are the peak of an average hurricane season: i'm watching.
Meanwhile it's just humid here, although we can see outside the windows again because the dew point is now down to 70°F. It's not hot, but i am whining so much about the weather. I don't really have a good excuse to do so.
Meanwhile i am avoiding thinking about Meeting. But i should. So here i go:
I am struggling with judgement on one hand: these people are not following process, they are not using the distinctive tools of Quakerism. On the other hand: they have such heart - they are willing to give and care for others.
Part of me just wants to quit: the part that hurts and rereads Pacific Yearly Meeting's description of Friends Decision Making process and treasures that struggle of individual vs corporate discernment.
Part of me wonders if this is my lesson in transformation: the community overstepped its bounds by asserting a policy that removed agency for the people in the moment. I sent an email proposing a policy that allows the coordinator to make the decision of when and how rain-plans will be executed.
Adding to my confusion is that Mr OMG Nominating Filled Committees ALL WRONG could care less about a decision of meeting being ignored.
But i have an abiding suspicion that a certain set of families "own" the meeting. They see no issue with themselves making decisions outside of any process so decisions are made promptly -- and don't see how that can leave others to feel excluded from the decision making process.
Can i be an agent of transformation myself? Practice corporate decision making and acknowledge openly when the community is not making a decision so there is agency in the moment?
My discernment is hampered by awareness that my emotions are roiled by pandemic and politics and how pandemic & politics & expressed concern and lack of concern about contagion swirl together irrationally.
--== ∞ ==--
In other topics: cats. Christine is distressed by the change in behavior of the cats -- none are using the lovely bespoke litter box in its cabinet, but all the many boxes we have scattered about where Edward (probably, from the diabetes) is deciding to do his business. I assume some of Marlowe's behavior was acting out in response to our not noticing Edward's behavior. I suspect, too, there is something with Marlowe (tiny six pound grey cat) chasing Edward (twenty pound tan ex-tom cat) in side. Not quite sure why he won't stand his ground with her; he comes up and bites Luigi (slightly smaller orange ex-tom) all the time.
We are making small changes to our strategy that will, i hope, reduce Christine's extreme distress. I spoke too of how she seemed to be framing the situation as response to her actions and not as cat decision according to the inscrutable nature of cats (along with aging and illness). I hope we have eased her distress.
Luigi has resisted grooming his flanks for a couple years. I think i have finally figured out an explanation that's a little better than arthritis: something called stud tail, where the super-caudal and caudal glands are over acting. If they were sensitive, that would explain not grooming around them. The thick coat of hair remains and covers the signature expression of the condition. I brushed a bit of his tail today -- small sections, tons of hair coming loose -- and found it became quite greasy. That's what led to the stud tail diagnosis. I will continue to use treats to get him to allow some grooming and then move to an anti-acne wash as i get the fur clear.
In the garden, i find myself with enough sweet potato greens to have a few servings during the week. i had to decide between the mouse melons (Mexican gherkins) and roselle (hibiscus tea hibiscus). The mouse mellons just didn't seem as productive as they were earlier, so i hacked the vine out of the roselle and cut the roselle back. It's greens are sour and yummy as well.
The Malabar spinach has finally taken off, and i've spent some time reading about how it can be used. It has already reseeded itself, and i take it i can expect more seedlings next year. I think i'll try to keep some seed. It has a similar taste to spinach, chard, and purslane, an "earthy" note for lack of a better term. It's not as attractive to me as brassica bitterness. That's for lunch today. The berries are interesting; apparently edible, little taste, incredible color. Chatter on line about anthrocyanins and being "likely good for you." Somewhere else i read one component is similar to a beet component (not here, but that's close enough). It's an interesting thought as a food dye, much like using beets to tint sauerkraut. I wonder if dehydrating the berries yields a colorant that can be used in the winter.
I wish i was having better luck with beets.
Critter watch has included clouds of Eastern tiger swallowtail around the bearsfoot (Smallanthus uvedalius). The hurricane rains beat down many of the taller (ten foot) plants: i cut back a good deal but there are still enough flowers for the swallowtails. Other butterflies (skippers, probably whirlabout (Polites vibex), primarily) were there too.
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