December 11, 2023 (Monday)
Good morning readers, here is my daily journal entry for a rainy cold (38 degrees) Monday. I’ve decided to approach this journaling project in a different way. In the previous (On This Day) postings I spent my evenings writing about the day and including a few relevant photos. What I discovered was that I was forcing myself to meet a deadline. I’m done with deadlines, that should not be part of retirement.
I’ve decided to break down the writing into segments throughout the day. I see this as almost taking notes as a reporter. Breaking a project into discrete tasks is a good strategy. However in my case there might not be much continuity in the final outcome. My mind wanders all over the place, sometimes takes strange trips to a completely different topic. In mid-sentence I left this editor and solved todays Wordle. It took me 4 tries, my current streak is now 33 which is far cry from my all time record of 176 wins. Where was I? Oh, writing about continuity of thought. Let’s start a new thread.
Yesterday
I attended the Temple Town Hall Music Jam yesterday. I didn’t have time to edit the photos until today. It was well attended. David and Ellen Hedman came with some Christmas tunes. It was nice seeing them, they were the ones that founded this jam over 13 years ago. Originally the jam was held in the hall at Silver Ranch in Jaffrey, NH. When it got too cold, we gathered at their home, in summer at the Silver Ranch Airpark. After their retirement from hosting, the jam continued under the auspices of the Temple Recreation Department. Jams are held monthly on the second Sunday from 14:00 till 17:00. Here are some photo from yesterday.
Living in the Past
I compile a daily newsletter for the New Ipswich Historical Society which includes a diary entries and photographs. I’ve been doing this so long that like Billy Pilgrim, I sometimes feel like I’ve become “unstuck in time”. This is especially true when I encounter a photo that was taken in a place I recognize from the present day. Or when a photo asks a question. I have questions about this photo.
What are the pile of papers on the table? If this is a social event why is one woman reading a book? That is a solitary pursuit. It only makes sense if she is reading to the other two women. There is such an elegance to the whole scene, The wicker rocking chairs, the table cloths. That rustic bench. I’d like to drop into this scene and see what is on that table.
Daily Picture Theme – #Rain
I participate in a daily picture challenge on the social media site Spoutible. Everyday there is a different subject announced as a Daily Picture Theme. I select an appropriate  photo from my collection to share. I have been sharing these exclusively on Improves With Age, my Substack newsletter. However since I usually have several pictures with a #Rain theme, I will share them here.
Choring around
I’m using the expression “choring around” which I borrowed from the 1912 diaries of James Roger. In his diary entry for today, his chores included watering the cattle and feeding cabbage to the hens. Likewise my chores including watering the orchids and filling the bird feeder with black oil sunflower seeds. Not much has changed after all. Cleanup for Christmas had begun, with frequent breaks.
