Today’s Stream of Consciousness prompt was: to use the word, “growth” any way we liked, and to have fun!
Personal growth was a big deal once upon a time. I’m still growing, but I want to enjoy life, too. If you’re enjoying yourself are you wasting time? I don’t think so.
My energy level fluctuates a lot. The only thing even close to predictable is that I tend to have more energy at night. David is a morning person. He gets sleepy at about 10 pm. That was a good thing when we had the five pack of dogs. I could let them out at night and he could let them out and feed them in the morning.
When I was a mom, I had to get up early. Same with work. But now, I’m RETIRED. I can do what I want, mostly. Naps are a wonderful treat. I’ve earned them. Paid my dues. Left to my own devices, I’d probably keep vampire hours. But I do my best to get up and have breakfast with David.
Lately, there are times in the afternoon that I can barely keep my eyes open. Maybe 7 hours of sleep is not enough. Fatigue seems to come from nowhere. My bloodwork is “normal.” I guess I could just go with the flow and be grateful. I am SO VERY GRATEFUL I don’t have to go to a job at a scheduled time. However, I do need a schedule to get me to write and do art, so I don’t watch too much TV. Usually the TV stays off until after noon. I have a yoga class at the senior center plus silver sneakers exercise classes at the gym about twice a week. There are times when I get really into yard work and overdo it.
I like doing yard work – clearing the pathways through my urban forest where things grow lush and thick in the summer. Actually, they’re pretty thick right now. Not a lot of flowers, though. The amaryllis that gets the most sun is done blooming. The others haven’t bloomed yet. The Hydrangea has more blooms coming than usual on the way and the lantana is just starting. I guess that’s what happens when you let the trees do their thing in the urban forest and make shade. The good thing about tree shade is that it keeps the house cooler.
I guess I’m missing the Thursday Tree Love post. Unless I got the day wrong. It’s normally on the the second and fourth Thursday, but I didn’t see it. I hope our host Parul is okay. She lives in India. Feel free to join me in sending good thoughts and prayers to Parul Thakur and India.
My urban forest is only on about one quarter acre.
Some of the wildlife visitors to my urban forest include hawks, geckos, squirrels, and an abundance of birds. Yesterday I saw a rabbit which surprised me because I don’t know how it got through the fence. I think the neighbor’s dog motivated it to find a way. Anyway, it was too fast for me to get more than a glimpse. Here are some old photos of backyard wildlife:
This hawk caught a morsel. 
Watching Me Watching You 
Moving on 
Fortunately nobody got hurt. 
Just chillin’
Challenges help us grow, but we need rest and relaxation, too.
~~~
Stream of Consciousness Saturday is brought to us by Linda Hill. For more streams and rules, visit Linda’s blog:
The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS May 15, 2021 | (lindaghill.com)
Anything is Possible! 
May 15, 2021 at 3:12 pm
Terrific! Naps rock!!
May 15, 2021 at 4:41 pm
Yes, Naps do rock! I’m thinking of one right now.
May 15, 2021 at 5:50 pm
HA!!! Go for it! You’ll feel like a million bucks when you wake up.
May 15, 2021 at 7:53 pm
I think the best thing about being retired is being in charge of rest. Sometimes, I feel like powering through a lot of work. Other times, I feel like I need a lazy day or a lazy afternoon.
We have a chain link fence all around our yard, but bunnies, adult and babies move from yard to yard without any trouble. We have ground cover in lots of places, so maybe they have tunnels – I don’t know, but they get through.
May 15, 2021 at 10:17 pm
Going through fences must be bunny superpower! I probably have more than I know.
May 15, 2021 at 10:43 pm
The growth of your urban forest is delightful to behold 🙂
May 16, 2021 at 8:49 pm
I’m glad you appreciate it! 🙂
May 15, 2021 at 11:15 pm
I’m also a night person, JoAnna. I often need a nap to get me through the day, but at night I’m alert and ready to go.
May 16, 2021 at 9:06 pm
Same here!
May 16, 2021 at 7:13 am
An interesting treatise on day/night people, and lovely photographs. When Jackie and I were young she was the night person and I was the morning one. This has now been reversed. Mind, you 10.30 is definitely my bedtime 🙂
May 16, 2021 at 9:09 pm
Interesting how that changed. 10:30 is my cat’s bedtime. I sometimes take a cue from her, but midnight’s more likely for me.
May 16, 2021 at 5:54 pm
What a beautiful view you have. I live on the 6th floor of a highrise and my view is huge and not quite so pretty except on the 4th of July when I can see about 10 fireworks shows.
May 16, 2021 at 9:15 pm
The fireworks shows must be beautiful! And maybe not as loud, I hope. I bet you can see a lot of sky, too.
May 16, 2021 at 10:32 pm
The shows are beautiful and I can only hear the one in my town so it is realistic because sound is important to the displays, but I can see all of beautiful shows. It’s like a panorama of course.
The weird one though was the night the fog was creeping in slowly towards me. I could see it coming and the windows were open so as it got closer and closer eventually I felt the mist in the air as it hit my windows.
May 17, 2021 at 10:02 pm
Wow! I can imagine that fog experience would be exciting but a little scary.
May 18, 2021 at 8:47 pm
It was fascinating, but it brought about thoughts of the horror books using fog in them. I could see it approaching from far away. Very eerie.
May 18, 2021 at 9:29 pm
I bet. I remember a movie called The Fog. kinda wish I didn’t. But it can be cool to see it coming off the river.
May 18, 2021 at 9:55 pm
Yes I was thinking of that movie called “The Fog” and almost slammed the window shut, but then decided I was being silly, but I could feel the mist as it hit the building as it moved along.
May 19, 2021 at 10:46 pm
Well, if you’re up high, you should be safe. 😉
May 20, 2021 at 9:39 pm
Before I started to do live streams on youtube I left my blinds up all the time, but now the sun is a problem because of where my computer sits. When people asked me why I never shut the blinds I said I don’t think it matters much since I am 6 floors up and no building close enough to worry about telescopes. Spiderman isn’t real so no one will be climbing up or down the building LOL!
May 16, 2021 at 5:56 pm
Also I too am a night owl and hated having to get up and go to work during the day. I found one job that I could work nights and it lasted about 8 years. Now I have been disabled since 2010 and unless I have to get up for something I sleep in and am up late most nights and sometimes til morning.
May 16, 2021 at 9:18 pm
I understand. It’s amazing how much more energy I have most nights. I could easily stay up til 3am, but try to turn off the lights by 1:30.
May 16, 2021 at 10:28 pm
Yes I too have more energy at night. I come alive. During the day I drag around and have to push myself to do things unless it is something I really love to do which includes things like writing and reading. I usually am up til early morning (sometimes even til 8 or 9 AM) unless I have something I know I have to do the next morning or early afternoon.
May 17, 2021 at 12:58 pm
Thank you for sharing!!… change is the law of life and the heart and body knows it and makes adjustments.. sometimes we get into a different routine and those changes collide from time to time… I just have to remember I am no longer 20 years old, nine foot tall and bullet proof!!… 🙂
Until we meet again..
There are good ships and there a wood ships
The ships that sail the sea,
But the best ships are friendships
And may they always be!
(Irish Saying)
May 17, 2021 at 10:05 pm
A good reminder. I am no longer 20 years old. Far from it. Thanks for the cute poem on friendship. 🙂