the night of the pink moon

 Today is the 3td day of the 17th week, the 23rd day of the 4th month, the 114th day of 2024, and:

• English Language Day
• German Beer Day
• Impossible Astronaut Day - this one is courtesy of Dr Who, the first episode of the sixth season first aired in 2011
• Independence Day -  the Conch Republic from Key West, Florida, USA in 1982 
• International Creator Day
• International Nose Picking Day
• International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day
• Lover's Day
• Movie Theater Day
• National Cherry Cheesecake Day
• National English Muffin Day
• National Lost Dog Awareness Day
• National Picnic Day
• Saint George's Day
• School Bus Drivers' Day
• Spanish Language Day
• Take A Chance Day
• Talk Like Shakespeare Day
• World Book and Copyright Day
• World Book Night
• World Laboratory Day
• the first full day of Passover
• the moon is full at 7:50 PM EDT, although it sets hereabouts right after that, having actually risen at  6:19AM in Scorpio.  It is known as the pink moon because the early spring blooming of phlox 
• Mercury is out of retrograde in two days
•  and Voyager I is 46 Yrs 07 Mos 18 Days and 15,124,814,659 mi/24,341,037,254 km/162.70978417 AU from Earth

Quote of the day:

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

~ Elbert Hubbard in 1915 

It just never seems to stop anymore.  

You just get one thing almost handled, and two [or ten] more drop, each demanding time, energy, and emotional bandwidth.  If you thought you were waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop, then fate is an immortal millipede with legs that regenerate regularly. 

Not that I don't have much to be thankful for.  

1. Both my son and my daughter are still speaking with me.  Frank's daughter and grandson have always accepted me as family.
2. Two very good friends that have lasted for decades.  People who are willing to be helpful because they care, such as my direct report and my cleaning lady
3. In days gone by, or in a different part of the world, without the medications to manage allergies and blood sugar, I would've died long ago.  
4. I have a job and that is not too taxing and am working with people I either like or respect or can get along with, especially since I only have to go into the office twice a week.  Thanks to Social Security, I have finally managed to save enough to pay my rent for an entire year!  And I am still adding to the 401K, altho the market keeps reducing it
5. I have a pleasant home [ignoring problems with the apartment and focusing on the surroundings] and have come to enjoy living alone, well with Triscuit, and she is fairly healthy

That is a lot to give thanks for, neh?  

Last night, I was weeping uncontrollably in my dream.  It was a strange dream, involving babies and watching someone I deeply loved [actually, I think it was Robin Williams, which was very odd indeed because celebrities don't usually visit me whilst I am dreaming] drive out of my life with their child, who I had been minding.  I was crying because I knew he would never return.  My daughter's father then showed up with a neighbor's baby and told me I could watch this child instead since I wanted a baby around, and I couldn't explain to him why I was crying.

It took me a long time to wake up when the alarm went off, a sound I ignored at first because my dream interpreted it as a phone ringing.  My eyes were dry, but the sense of aching loss remained, and the bedroom looked alien for a moment before the comforting familiarity returned.   Why Robin Williams?  Why Chuck?  And why putting the baby in the car seat meant a parting for all time?  What was my psyche trying to reconcile with that sense of abandonment and desolation?  I can only wonder

"Life is not fair.  Cope" I always told my kids.  I can do that, but I am getting pretty fed up with constantly trying to make lemonade!  Can't even sell the stuff....