At least, according to this barometer.Sometimes I look around myself at the marina and can't quite believe that this is my life now. Not that it's crazy different or anything. Well, actually, it kind of is. I'm well-ensconced now, I'm so used to the terms and to what we talk about each day that it takes eating two and a half big macaroons full of sugar to put me on a sugar high and sort of see things differently. (Do you know what I mean or am I talking crazy-talk?)
What I mean is, I did eat two big macaroons and felt a sugar buzz. And it wasn't entirely dissimilar to that sense of unreality that you get when you've been drinking. Sort of like - what is this place and how did I get here? Why am I talking about P-O numbers and what discount the marina gets at which dealers and this invoice and that shipment? All like it's normal?
I guess because - it IS normal now. That's what is so odd - how something that at first was so new has switched to being normal.
This is the picture post I promised. It's the first of a few that will come in the next few weeks because God help me, even if that camera fails now, I've got a number of pictures all saved up in the computer. Shots of the gardens at home, shots of the NEW and AWESOME Baddeck Community Market (and I'm really full right now from eating some yellow tomatoes and sticky buns that I bought there just today). And other random shots of things that are going on right now. I so missed being able to do that, to document day-to-day life.
And I'm hoping, fingers crossed, that the trick to my camera is just simply not putting dead or dying batteries in it. Then it doesn't tend to go crazy and act up. Amazing.
These cards were made by a lady in town. I don't know if you'll remember this or not, but a few months back I talked about a gal named Simone who does amazing baking. She had brought some buns to us at the library and I was going on about how the buns she had made smell like love itself.
Anyway, Simone is multi-talented and makes cards out of scraps of paper she collects. This shot above us of two of her cards, that we're selling at the marina.
We are a Mercury service dealer, which means we fix Mercury engines. We also carry a lot of Mercury stock, including lubricants - oils, et cetera. There is a big display of them near my desk and I look at them a lot. This is - big surprise! - a bottle of gear lube.
We carry Harken sailing gear- like these blocks. I really don't know much about them, except that they help in hauling the lines on a sailboat. Beyond that - like what kind is best for what situation - I usually refer to Stu.
This is an oil filter. It is made by Racor. Again, beyond that - I don't know much. I know there are different sizes and that they're measured by microns, like a 2-micron filter or a 10-micron filter. I know how to order them. I know roughly how much they cost. I know they look kinda pretty, at least when they're clean and new.
These are ropes. Also known as lines or sheets. This is part of our rope stock. The clip attached to the rope has information about that item. That's my handwriting!
These are either cotter pins or clevis pins. I CAN NEVER REMEMBER. (They're clevis pins, I checked.)
Stainless-steel screws. According to its tag it is a 1 and 1/2 inch long, #8 flathead. #8 refers to its diameter. It will also cost you 18 cents to buy one. Plus tax.
This is what I see all day, every day. The MMS screen. It is our Point of Sale program, through which we control our inventory both here and in Dundee, our sales, our work orders, our clients and our accounts. And it also happens to LOOK like it belongs to 1995. What the eff, MMS.
Barometer-head! Also known as me.
The island I live on, divided up into charts.
Being as I love typography, of course I couldn't resist this beautiful calendar's type. That lower-case g just kills me. And the numerals! Ooh!
For the sharp-eyed - see if you can spot this calender in the picture above of me at the desk.
This photo is for Haya, devoted reader and (I think) employee for Transport Canada. These are the guides to boating safety that I give out to people.
This is my cat. One of three. This is the one who sleeps on my bed and runs down the stairs to my bedroom any time I go there myself and she's around. I've got her trained! The book is one that Grandmaman sent (another shout-out to a reader!) last month with the family that visited. It is called "The Kingdom of the Cat". My cat is allowing it to co-exist with her in HER kingdom.
This is a Monkey's Fist. I made it! We're featuring knots in the newsletters and I was testing the one for the Fall newsletter. It kind of looks like a volleyball.
Again with my kitty. This is one of two matching chairs that I bought at auction. I quickly realized I should abandon any more furniture purchases until (ahem) I have a house to put it in. Or at least an apartment. Mum's not too pleased with me bringin extra furniture home when we're already trying to scale down our existing possessions.
Those drums are my brothers' hand drums.
So that's it for now! I'm writing in my little break between the marina and the library. But - even though it will be another month at least and perhaps two before I'm actually done at the library - just knowing that it's on its way out means I don't mind so much the long days.
Oh and one more thing: I signed up for the Cabot Trail Writers' Festival, for some workshops! It will be the first time taking part in this event for me, as well as the first time I've done a workshop with a teacher, on writing. (As far as my memory serves, anyway. That actually means - it's entirely possibly it HAS happened before.) Anyway, it looks pretty cool - Michael Crummery, Marq de Villiers and Sheree Fitch are all doing workshops.
I'm doing my best to remain rested and inspired, amidst all the work and craziness. I realized the other day that - I'm pretty hard on myself, in general. It's amazing how lessons cycle back around, again and again, isn't it? I thought I'd learned the one about hearing the critical voices in your own head, and sending them lovingly on their way. Combatting those voices you have that are constantly telling you you're not good enough, et cetera. So how come it feels like I'm learning it for the first time, all over again? Complete with what feel like mini-breakdowns, crying and feeling upset. It doesn't help that I'm coming down off a busy summer, and my body takes time off and decides it's not going to be able to do much of anything.
That's all part of being human, I guess. One day at a time. Rest and take care of yourself, face the fears, ride through it.
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