Pardon my obsession with zinnias...

When I think about it, I don't think that I tried to start any from seed last year. It's a good thing that I decided to start growing a batch inside because the seedlings are the only ones that seem to be doing well and this little batch of pink, purple and red makes me smile...

Went to see the sunflowers at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. 

What is it about a field of sunflowers that is so nice? The conservation area is very peaceful too and I was stunned to see a blue bird in the fields. How did I get to be "this many years old" and never see a Indigo Bunting bird?

Learned that the sunflowers are used to attract mourning doves in September as part of hunting season and that's really something that I wish that I could unlearn. 

What Kind of Vibes

Two Sundays ago, I did a sound meditation for my yoga trainer's current group of yoga teacher trainees. It felt good to be back in a yoga studio and it also felt good to play my bowls for other people. I was nervous because I hadn't done a sound meditation in a while but when four people fell asleep, I relaxed.  

Two days after the sound meditation, got a message from another studio that I used to go to. The person who was scheduled to do a sound bath on Wednesday had a death in the family so I filled in. 

Speaking of yoga studios, I got emails from two that I used to go to updating people on the most recent mask mandate; Missouri -- making the news for less than stellar reasons again... 

Saw someone post a photo with the hashtag of vacation vibes which made me wonder about what kind of vibes I was having at the moment...

As I left out of the house yesterday, my neighbor apologized for how something looked at the border of our property lines. He also noticed that the crepe myrtle in my yard had been invaded by another tree and asked if it was okay to cut the other tree out.

Okay? Thank you neighbor for making my day...

Someone that I know posted a picture and I asked her where she was at and she said Morocco and then she showed me more pictures and it looks absolutely lovely. 

She told me that I should come with her next time. Don't think that I'll be having any #VacationVibes soon but her invitation was sweet...

In flower news, more zinnias are blooming and my sunflowers are about to bloom. 

The Singer's Name

Met with an out-of-town friend last Monday. As we negotiated plans, she asked me where I wanted to meet and I listed a couple of options and described one place as one where I loved to walk and she wrote, "Let's do the walk you love." Seeing that sentence immediately changed my mood and made me smile. 

From now on, I am requesting that all talks about meeting up, end this way. Just kidding... 

We went for a walk and we both had our masks on and, wow, walking without a mask -- I miss that. 

This relationship with this friend is a reminder to embrace serendipity. It has also been a lesson in living a balanced life... 

I was thinking about a friend and former coworker on Monday. Was working from home yesterday but needed to print some things so I headed to the office at an odd time. Went by a community garden that this friend belongs to but she's not usually there on Wednesdays.  Spotted her car, pulled over and grabbed my mask so that I could chit chat... Most of the sunflowers are gone but she still had zinnias and gave me a bouquet of zinnia and lavender -- a moment of delight in a world that makes little sense right now. 

The garden has tons of other things. In fact, a man gave me red chili peppers. Saw tomatoes too but I guess that sunflowers were special to me because the goldfinches loved them. 

My other synchronous moment happened last Friday. Met a friend in the park for yoga. In the morning a singer popped into my head and I shared lyrics from one of her songs and mentioned the singer again at the end of class -- not even knowing what was up with my repetition. 

Noticed my friend pause at the mention of the singer but I've learned not to make assumptions while people practice yoga. The next morning she messaged me to say that she had been thinking about names for her puppy and it was a variation of the singer's name. 

About The Sunflowers

On July 31st ended up at the DMV renewing my tags because I had forgotten that they were due and, because of COVID-19, lines were outside. This woman asked me what I was having done and I told her and she said that the line for license renewal was on the other side and that line only had one person in it. 

What made her say something to me? She was my angel for the day...

In addition to COVID-19, racism and the climate crisis, life is even more difficult for me because of work and home. I'm pretty sure that I am not the only one in this predicament but, yeah, very little is soft or enjoyable right now. 

Before life really turned bizarre, I agreed to participate in my yoga studio's third anniversary celebration this past Friday. The teachers taught relay style and I was the final one and played singing bowls and led the class out of savasana.

One of the teachers did laughing yoga and a teachers two spots away from me was laughing so hard that it made me laugh and, at one point, I looked up at the little tree next to me and the sky, and I was able to really lighten up and relax. 

After class was over with, I heard this mariachi band and I thought, "It's a night for a music" and then I saw a guy round the corner with sunflowers and realized that he was about to propose to one of the yoga teachers. It was kind of a magical night and the other part that made my day was a yoga teacher who approached me with her daughter who told me how much she enjoyed the singing bowls. As the 'Fugee would say, it melted my heart...

Went to Cahokia Mounds to walk with my cousin today and as we climbed the stairs, this woman asked us if we knew about the sunflowers. Sunflowers, what? I knew about the sunflower field in St. Louis but not in Illinois. So, of course, we went. 

What is it about sunflowers that are so delightful? Why did that woman ask my cousin and me? I love everyday angels. Also, my cousin and I had walked at different locations previously. Had we not changed venues, we might not have found out about the sunflowers. 

I’d Rather

Rolled out early this morning and got cooking out of the way since I was scheduled to meet Chiquita at the recreation center at 11:00-ish. I wasn't very optimistic that they would let me use her second guess pass since I'd already been there once but they did...

Had my eye on swimming -- even though Chiquita was going to be on the treadmill. Swam 10 laps because I wanted to shoot hoops too. I also went ahead with swimming because I knew that I'd be jonesing for it at some point in the week. 

I'd rather, informally, play basketball and walk/run after the ball than be on the treadmill. It was kind of funny that I hit the first five baskets that I attempted...

Decided to stop by The Sunflower Project since I would pass by Old North St. Louis on the way home. Thought the sunflowers were going to be big and chuckled when I stopped my car. Of course, they will be big sunflowers one day. 

Wanted to go by an outdoor pool but I also don't want to be running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Plus, I tend to feel like nesting on Sunday. So, I went home and stayed. Read a little and cleaned a little. It was also a "no" for observing a yoga class. I didn't feel like doing much of anything...

I like this poster that was on the natatorium's message board. For today, I guess that should be Why not stay at home?