Today has been a scary day, so I want to console myself and maybe entertain you by sharing a story.

Last night, I was telling my husband about when I was in high school and read Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land" the first time. I didn't really understand it until I read it again as an adult. At that time, I was just enchanted by how Valentine Michael Smith viewed water! Like I was on the edge of having a cosmic mystery revealed if I drank and bathed enough!

So...

It's Thursday. That's far enough into the week that I can just say this is an exhausting week.

@Alfred Where is the item I spent most of the day looking for in the current time? I know where it is in two past times, but I can't get to them because I don't have a time machine.

I'm so happy with my headwrap today that it became time to change profile pictures. Also, I like to change them every now and then because I refuse to hide my aging. When I turned 40 I promised myself I would not send the message that aging makes one less beautiful.

And I found my favorite eraser! It was in a bag I didn't look in on my desk. Of course that's where it would be. I put it there so I wouldn't lose it.

Since everything's covered with snow outside, I did find the wood for whittling that I have indoors. I'm a little concerned that I can't find the black walnut spoon I carved a few years ago. I was doing it when we moved. It's probably in a box I'll find one day and wonder how it ended up there.

Shai-Hulud doesn't usually rest on top of the sand like this. Maybe he's helping look for my eraser.

I walked in when he was headed to his water bowl last night. He stopped and watched like he was concerned I would want an invitation to join him.

My favorite eraser has disappeared! It fits very comfortably in my hand and does not make eraser smudges. I've searched everywhere, whether it should be there or not. Come home, eraser! I love you!

I figured out how to play "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on my flute! 🐑🎼

Because, you know... that's my superpower. Being able to figure out how to play it on pretty much anything.

The real test is whether or not I will develop the necessary skill to play "Thong Song".

We got a calendar that will give encouraging messages for this year.

Maybe I should think about why I talk about getting to know other instruments, spending time with them...but then "figure out how the flute works".

My family really needs to start asking where the inspiration for my creative pursuits comes from before they go into encouragement mode. I don't think they understand Ian Anderson is who I picture when I'm pushing myself to figure out how my flute works.

I figured out why I couldn't get a good, consistent sound from my flute. And why finger placement was so awkward. I was holding the flute backwards.

Cat does not like the flute! Her ears flattened, she glared and moved across the room to glare more. I'll play my ukulele later. She lays by my feet for that.

I think somebody in the house refilled one of the distilled water bottles with tap water. I may have been poisoning my Cape Sundew for the past couple of months. But I don't think it's too late to save her!

It's not like I track people down and try to recruit them for this. People feel the need to volunteer this information when they see me minding my own business with my hoop. I don't think I'll ever understand telling someone why you can't do something when they didn't ask and you're not actually looking for help or advice.

"I'd probably just end up slapping myself with the hoop if I tried to do the things you do!"

Probably, yeah. Because I'm super clumsy and had plenty of brusies for the first couple of years because it's a 15 pound hoop and I slapped myself with it all the time. But I eventually developed the strength and muscle control because I kept practicing.

"I'm not as flexible as I used to be!"

It keeps me flexible. I have inflammatory arthritis throughout my body. My doctor wishes she was as flexible as me, assuming I'm having a good day. I move better than people expect even on bad days. It won't work for everyone, but someone who does not have physical disabilities saying this do me seems ridiculous.