The Forest Primeval says Good Morning to You.
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Another rainy morning here. Unlike earlier this Spring when the rain made me cranky, this rain is soothing. Now that bushes and flowers are in bloom the different colors outside combined with the rain make the scene look serene. Funny what a few weeks will do to a person’s perspective.
Seeing as the forecast says that this rain will continue most of the day, I’ve gathered my favorite electronic gadgets* and am thinking that I’ll make a nest for myself on the TV room sofa. We’ve got lots of pillows in there and with the window blinds up, I’ll be able to watch the subtle changes in the trees in the Forest Primeval [aka our back yard] without getting damp.
Only five years ago a Summer day like this one would have made me irritable. But today, thanks to wi-fi, I can sit anywhere in the house and not feel lonely or put out by the weather. Thinking about it I realize that this development might be one of the biggest changes in my lifetime. Used to be that a rainy day meant only reading a book sitting in a corner all by myself.
However, now in addition to reading a book I can: connect – research – catch-up – enjoy without going outside in the muddy, wet world. This is progress, my gentle readers. Oh yes it is. Don’t try to tell me otherwise.
– – • – –
* On deck sofa for today are:
- my [new] Kindle – reading a book
- my [relatively new] iPad – watching a TV show or a movie, tweeting on Twitter
- my [ancient] Motorola clamshell wireless phone – chatting, texting with whomever about whatever, as usual
- my [almost new] Nikon Coolpix camera – observing the world in case there’s a photo opportunity
- my [old] MacBook – reading + commenting on blogs, writing a post should the muse strike
THE SPECTACLED BEAN 
We are having the same weather here so this is inspiration.
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kate, I hope that you find your own comfy spot and have a good day with all of your electronic gadgets. No longer is inside recess so boring!
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Damn, it’s a good thing that I’m able to entertain myself. Today, of all days, when I could have used a bit of comment chit-chat all my people seem to have dropped off the face of the earth. Just because I’m comfortable being by myself doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t talk to me! Where is everyone? Oy vey.
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It’s the same way on Twitter today, too. Forgot to say that above. Was there a memo announcing that today is Social Media NOT Day? 😉
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I think I’d like to get a laptop for the same reason. Be kind of nice to not be stuck in the only windowless room in the house. Why didn’t I consider that when I moved my office in here? Did you ever get the paperwhite kindle and do you like it?
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Zazzy, our home office has a window but because of where it is I keep the blinds down most of the time, so it’s like being in a windowless room. That’s why I like my [old] laptop so much.
My [new] Kindle is a paperwhite and I like it more than I thought that I would. It is easy to hold and read, but tapping on the screen in the proper place takes some getting used to. To me the paperwhite seems more like reading a paper book than the earlier Kindle model did.
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When Jackie O went to work as an editor, her office at Viking Press had no window. She never mentioned it or asked for a better set up. I think about that whenever I start leaning towards dissatisfaction with my own lot in life. WWJackieD?
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No kidding. I’ve never heard that story before. I like it. Thanks.
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I have a school laptop which I rarely use at home except for grading and a tablet which I love to read on. My wifi can be tricky in certain areas of the house which is annoying. I don’t mind being alone, but I get lonely knowing that no one is going to come home. It’s a whole different vibe from having time to myself before my husband got home from work.
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Margaret, our wifi has its moments, too. But overall I think that all these gadgets + the ability to not be tethered to a desktop is a miracle. All of this is definitely one of the biggest changes in how I live my life.
[I know what you mean about a whole different vibe when you are by yourself– Z-D used to travel for work about half the year. It seemed like I was always alone back then.]
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Yeah, no offense, but it really bites that he’ll never come home. I miss him and want to talk to him about all sorts of things. He was my support, my sounding board, my strength and life is very gray without him.
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Margaret, I’m sorry. Gray is a tedious place to be.
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I imagine that your room is light despite the weather, that you are neatly but casually dressed with just a light touch of makeup on and that you are nestled in among soft expensive cushions in coordinating colors. Please tell me that your breakfast dishes are still piled in the kitchen sink.
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Suzette, the room is light despite the weather. I am always casually dressed, but frequently without any make-up. The cushions + pillows do coordinate nicely. And you can rest assured that the breakfast dishes are not washed until later in the day when I finally break down and decide to be domestic. I can put them off for hours.
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I found having the flu in the company of an iPad to be altogether different and less painful :-). Send rain this way, please.
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winsomebella, I hadn’t thought about being sick with these gadgets, but I can see that you’re right about an iPad making the flu less awful. Just goofing off with my gadgets for one rainy day made me feel good– I can only imagine the restorative powers of them in a medical situation!
Wish I could send you some rain. This has been the wettest Spring that I remember in years. And we’ve got the overgrown bushes and forest primeval to prove it.
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All the right tools for the job. I want to read the poem in our own forest so I can truely apprecaite it.
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Zen-Den, so true. It made a rainy day fun + productive. Although there I was all ready to connect with the world, and the world seemed to be on vacation. But other than that…
[Is it possible that you want to “truly appreciate” the poem? Fat fingered it again, my dear!]
[But wait: you want to read a poem? That does not compute.]
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I agree completely. When people hear that I am retired, they often say, “So what are you doing now?” When I tell them that I am blissfully doing nothing for the most part, they say, “Aren’t you bored?” I am never bored. I always have something to do. This is the time I had been waiting for–free time, time to listen, read, think, write, putter, and take my time about doing any of those things. I enjoy my company, and I enjoy the wifi freedom should I want to connect to the vast world around me without leaving my own.
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nance, we’ve had a desktop computer in our home for 20 years now, but these newer portable devices have made the biggest impact on my lifestyle. I hadn’t thought of it before yesterday when I started to gather my “toys” for my day inside. It hit me then how much better being bored is now!
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I agree. Isolating as it is up here at the top of this hill, at least with the computer / blogs / twitter etc at my fingertips, it is less lonely when I am obliged to spend any length of time here.
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Polly, that really is the gift of all these gadgets. It’s wonderful to say that being with people is the best thing ever, but sometimes we don’t get that opportunity. Used to be that was a curse, but now there are simple ways to interact with the world from your own sofa. And I like it.
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Hi Ally. Sorry it has been a while since I last posted a comment. Crazy week(s) for me lately. Anyway, I don’t know what I would do without wifi now. I move around the house a lot and at work too. In fact, I am writing this from the comfort of my bed right now. Speaking of feeling lonely, I have felt that way this week. Not sure why, other than lack of sleep. That makes me extremely moody. I am feeling a bit better though, now that it is the weekend!
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Cheri, no need to apologize. I know that you have a very busy lifestyle, so I’m just happy whenever you get the chance to check-in.
I agree about feeling lost without wifi. It makes everything that I do so much easier & I feel like I accomplish so much more because of it [as I am no longer tethered to the desktop computer].
As for the loneliness, maybe it was our weather this week? Or maybe it was your turn to have a lonely week? It happens, but life goes on, eh? Especially when it’s Saturday and Sunday! Have a good weekend. 😉
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