This and That

The week has been a quiet one, made up of smaller things, of greater and lesser importance.

I've caught up on sleep -- even began sleeping later in the morning, which is a good thing that's most unusual for me. I've made efforts in the garden, trying to get one bed ready to plant winter greens, and soon. Made final progress on that one today by borrowing my neighbor's wheelbarrow, making moving compost from the rear of the yard into the garden a much easier process. Topped it off with a bag of Black Kow for good measure.

My computer has been doing some weird stuff on and off for some time, and it's getting a bit old, so I've been wondering what to do about protecting my data in case it crashes. Since I'm not overly computer-savvy and don't like messing with them any more than I have to, I finally opted to go with Carbonite on-line backup and signed up for a 15-day free trial on Monday. It took a day or two for the first backup to be completed, as they had warned that it would. My genealogy data wasn't automatically backed up, but after their backup was completed it was easy to go in and add that data file to the backup. I don't change it very often, but at least I know all those years of work are safe. It's been interesting to watch the little 'bug' that shows how recently backup has happened -- could be 2 seconds ago, could be a few hours. And it's all done without me having to do anything, and if this machine dies, or I get another one, it will be simple to restore the data [not counting any issues with going from Windows XP to a newer operating system, which shouldn't be too big a deal]. The cost is only about $60/year for the basic service, and that's all I need.

Yesterday I made my semi-annual visit to the dermatologist, with only 7 nasty zaps with the dreaded freezer. Generally it's closer to 10, so this was good.  When I arrived home, I found the final draft of my teacher's [Sayalay Susila] book that I've been working on for a year or more, in my email box. It's in final publication form but she's asked me to do a final proofreading before publication. Corrections can still be made if needed, and I've found a few.  It should be on Amazon soon, and I can't wait to get a hard copy. Yes, I know. I've read it over and over during this process and am reading it again now, but it's a complex book and I get more from it each time. Anyway, I can't sit and savor it as I'd like -- just need to read it for spelling and grammar. I prefer sitting and savoring a real book anyway, as opposed to words on a computer screen.  For any of you who are interested, I'll be sure to let everyone know once it finally hits Amazon.

Also yesterday, while I was in Rome, I stopped at Big Lots and investigated a memory foam mattress topper. Opened the box and took a good sniff up close, and while the odor wasn't pleasant, it also wasn't a kind that I thought would bother me terribly, so I brought it home. It's been airing out in the back bedroom for about 24 hours now and the smell is still pretty strong. I've read that it will go away in a couple of days, so I just need to be patient until that happens. I did lie down on it, on the floor, and it felt pretty darned good.

I have a situation next spring where my two favorite teachers, Sayalay and Ayya Sobhana, are teaching consecutive retreats at Southern Dharma in April. I only know this because both of them have told me so, since SD hasn't yet released their 2013 schedule.  I can't possibly afford to go to both of them, maybe not even one of them, so I'm torn, but have decided to just let go of worrying about it for now, since many things will change by then. With any luck, Sayalay will also teach a class at Bhavana while she's in the States, but that has not yet been determined. I would certainly go to that one if it happens.

I'll also probably go to the year-end retreats at Bhavana again this year, unless snow interferes. That'll be a last-minute decision, no-doubt, but it's the best opportunity I've ever had to really practice the Dhamma, without a teacher or subject matter, and I'd like to take advantage of it again. Other than these, I have no plans for any other travels for the time being. Aside from a trip to Asheville to put in applications for some apartments, that is. I need to do that soon.

Somehow, I seem to have completely let go of any urgent drive to leave this house. It's not a conscious thing, just something that's happened on its own, most likely during the recent service period in Jesup, where I learned to happily let go of attachment to many things. I'll still need to leave eventually -- the roof or some other repair issue will eventually make the house uninhabitable -- but until then, I'll be content to stay.  On the other hand, I'd like to be in Asheville next April when Sayalay and Ayya Sobhana both arrive for their retreats -- I'd love to drive them out to SD, have an opportunity to see and speak with both of them again, even if I can't attend their retreats.

So, that's it for today, folks.