Senses working overtime #505

1 Farewell: Tango

Sadly, this week we had to say farewell to Tango - a gentle soul if ever there was one.

Rest in peace Tangie.

2 Listening: Larry Coryell - The Restful Mind

The jazz fusion firebrand gets into a meditative state for this one. It's been on repeat at Maple Grove this week, along with #3 below.

3 Listening: Oregon - Out Of The Woods

Three members of Oregon play on The Restful Mind with Larry.

4 Watching: Yellowstone

I bit the bullet and signed up to Neon to watch Seasons 4 and 5 of Yellowstone. No regrets!

Interesting that loose cannon Beth seems to be everyone's favourite character on this show.

5 Reading: Louis L'Amour - The Outlaws of Mesquite

These short stories go well with Yellowstone.

Overtime: 

Philosopher and writer Friedrich Nietzsche on enjoying the process:

"The end of a melody is not its goal."

(Courtesy James Clear)

Senses working overtime #492

1 Item of the week

Yes, Jacky has a cold, now I also have a cold.

2 Listening: Human Instinct's Midnight Sun

Try their version of Dirty Creature!

3 Reading: Louis L'Amour's Last Stand At Papago Wells

4 Reading: Zen Flesh Zen Bones (A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings)

5 Listening: WTWMC Beasties

The three amigos are just over halfway through their latest playlist - sixty songs so far on all things animals. 

Overtime: Mark Manson

The person you marry is the person you fight with. The house you buy is the house you repair. The dream job you take is the job you stress over.

Everything comes with an inherent sacrifice—whatever makes us feel good will also inevitably make us feel bad.

Senses working overtime #484

1 Reading: Mojo magazine (issue 366)

2 Reading: Monument Rock - Louis L'Amour

3 Listening: Saxophone Colossus - Sonny Rollins

4 Watching: Season 7 of Monk

It's a perfect, gentle, easy to watch evening show after a day at work.

5 Listening: WTWMC - Motorvatin'

Overtime:  

“The most important decision you will ever make is to be in a good mood.”

Voltaire

Senses working overtime #438

1 The feeling this week (first week of study break)

Photo by Keegan Houser on Unsplash

2 Watching: Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid

Having just finished Paul Newman's autobiography, I have been trying in vain to find his movies to watch. Slim pickin's on Netflix and Disney so went to my DVD collection for this one. 

I've watched it many times because of my love for William Goldman's work. First half is glorious but the Bolivia section suffers by comparison. Newman and Redford are brilliant - goes without saying I guess.

3 Reading: Anne Tyler - French Braid

It's a study break so a good time to catch up on my reading pile with this and the next few being read this week (turns out I bought this twice - fooled by different covers!).

4 Reading: Louis L'Amour - Utah Blaine

Always love to read a western or two in my break.

5 Listening: Joan Baez - Farewell Angelina

Overtime: 

Child development author Joseph Chilton Pearce reminds parents (and all leaders) of an important truth:

"What we are teaches the child far more than what we say, so we must be what we want our children to become."

(Courtesy of James Clear)

Senses working overtime #311

Home for the end of term holidays!

This week has all been about catching my breath, getting part 1 of the Covid-19 vax, reading books, listening to music, writing blogs, fixing fences, mucking out horse paddocks, picking up bags of pinecones (some help from Jade and Asher on this one), chasing chickens out of Jacky's gardens...basically getting school out of my system - it always takes 3 or 4 days to do that!

So - here are 5+ photos that sum up the impact on my senses this week.

1

2  

3  

4  

5  

Overtime:  

Senses working overtime #254

1 San Francisco's shelter from the storm

Our daughter is in SF with Jesse and hunkering down as the shelter-in-place order kicks in. I like that term - much better than self-isolation.

2 Covid-19 and the Flu

3 Those Winter Sundays

Sundays too my father got up early 
and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold, 
then with cracked hands that ached 
from labor in the weekday weather made 
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him. 

I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking. 
When the rooms were warm, he’d call, 
and slowly I would rise and dress, 
fearing the chronic angers of that house, 

Speaking indifferently to him, 
who had driven out the cold 
and polished my good shoes as well. 
What did I know, what did I know 
of love’s austere and lonely offices?

Robert Hayden (1966)

4 Birth of the cool

I've been enjoying this documentary on Miles Davis - something of a jerk but some great music!

5 Showdown At Yellow Butte

And I've been enjoying this Louis L'Amour western as a break from the serious stuff. 

Overtime: Sign off this week courtesy of Seth Godin

Curate your incoming.

Stay off Twitter.

Do the work instead. Whatever needs doing most is better than panic.

Being up-to-date on the news is a trap and a scam. Five minutes a day is all you need.