Down the Rabbit Hole

 Alexander  said, " I'm having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. That's what it was, alright! and I'm moving to Australia." 

"Alexander,'" his mother said, "some days are like that, even in Australia." 

Tasmanian Countryside (thanks Vreni for the photo) 

 My thinking is, "It can't be terrible in Australia, because I am leaving my computer at home!." And if that is not enough I learned that my seven year old computer will not live long. 

"Laptops," Karena said, "only have about a five year lifespan." 

"After all the money it costs to buy that computer!," I screamed, struggling to be calm and relaxed. 

Thus, we began the moil and toil of laptop shopping, two weeks have passed and so far we are all still living, thanks to Norman Nerds for the clean up job on the computer. 

As if by touch magic, this morning we saw a round of robins in the back yard. We watched with unusual interest as they flew into our Nandina bushes and began eating the red berries, and jumping on them so that they dropped to the ground for the other robins. Our neighbor, Julie, shared with me stories about the robins eating her Holly berries, and getting drunk on the juice. She said they often flew into her glass windows when they drank too much.  As if on cue, a plump red breasted robin hit our windows. Stunned, it sat in the yard for over ten minutes, collecting its senses. My mind went down the rabbit hole searching for the right word for such a large number of robins. I discovered, in the rabbit hole, that we were watching a carol of robins, or a bobbin of robins. No, I think it was a riot of robins. On second thought it must be a rouge of robins. Actually,  I think I like a ruby of robins, best. ABC's of Collective Nouns

Oh, my mind does wonder around, and finds the craziest things.

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.

“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cheshire Cat

While working on my other blog, Miami Golf and Country Club History, my fingers have traveled all over the keyboard to words and commands that I didn't know. Australia is looking grand.  The blog requires hours of research and rewriting in chronological order. I must admit I've found hours of delight in reading this history, and I've lost numerous hours when my eyes and mind became distracted with a headline and picture. The 1935 headline read: 96 YEAR OLD MAN BECOMES A FATHER. The picture showed a tall gaunt man standing beside his wife and newborn son in a small bed. Another child was sitting on his lap. The story continued that the man was a veteran of the Civil War and hoped to have at least two more children before he died. Time to stop reading, I thought, or fly to Australia. 

“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.

“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”

 —Chapter 6, Pig and Pepper from Alice in Wonderland

All of the typing and writing has caused my right shoulder to flare up in striking pain. As aggravating as it is, I still continue to work out three times a week. Twice a week I am working with a trainer to gain strength without hurting myself. Now what is wrong with this picture?

Sanjay Gupta's newest book is about building a better brain. I just want my brain to keep working. I even tell my brain, "I Love You." One of his suggestions is to learn something completely new. "Dear Mom, I still don't want to learn how to play bridge." I do, however, think it would behoove me to become left-handed. I began doing Sudoku about a year ago left-handed because it seemed like a smart idea.  I've been successful. I noticed that my left-hand moves so slowly and deliberately that I rarely make mistakes, in order, in adding, or placement. Whereas, my right hand flies and crashes regularly either from moving too fast or pinching my shoulder nerves. I can put makeup on left-handed, ever so slowly and find it relaxes me, rather creating a frantic pace moment that I cannot maintain. Left-handed writing and drawing has failed, so far. Perseverance...

About two weeks ago, I decided that I would begin cooking, pouring, and drinking left-handed. Can you imagine that?  I discovered that the kitchen is designed for right-handed people, the stove top has dials on the right side, can openers are made for right-handed people, nails and hammers are made for coordinated people. I have my computer and supplies set up for a right-handed person.

And the moral of that is—‘Be what you would seem to be’—or, if you’d like it put more simply—‘Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise.’” —Chapter 9, The Mock Turtle’s Story