I am thinking<\/em> about what I just heard on the news about the sardine population collapsing, which has prompted a halt on fishing<\/a> season for them. Officials say over 90% of seal pups died this year because of starvation; they had no sardines to eat. I eat sardines often and feel both guilt and selfish concern about what this will do to price and availability. This news coincides with my having finished a book — captivating and dire — called The Sixth Extinction, by Elizabeth Kolbert. Human activity has triggered enough environmental change that we may be moving into a new epoch, from Holocene to Anthropocene<\/a>. <\/p>\n I am thankful for<\/em> ordinary life. My neighborhood cat-who-is-not-quite-my-cat whom I feed and pet; Bean’s marvelous and spirited self; social media connections; quietude; coffee, and books.<\/p>\n I am wearing<\/em> black jeans and a black shirt, which is unusual for me, and it feels like too much of one color.<\/p>\n I am creating<\/em> new connections in my brain now that I’m playing more with numbers. I’m also writing poetry, and making a little art.<\/p>\n I am hearing<\/em> the hum of silence; my laptop hard drive, the refrigerator, a distant car motor, the high pitch of plugged-in electronics. It has a walled-in aspect to it, and is vastly less restful than the silence of camping outdoors. <\/p>\n I am remembering<\/em> twenty years ago. My father recently sent me letters I’d written to him in 1995, after I moved to Austin. In these letters I talked about the growth of the Internet, and how that would create major change in the world. I was on a search for a new career, and very torn about my varied interests. <\/p>\n I am going<\/em> to feel some regret in the morning for staying up this late.<\/p>\n I am reading<\/em> poetry by Lucille Clifton<\/a> and Gwendolyn Brooks<\/a>, and I’m about to dive into a novel, The Diamond Lane<\/a>. <\/p>\n I am hoping<\/em> to motivate myself to clear my workspace so I can make some more collages.<\/p>\n On my mind<\/em> is the fact that I’ve committed to co-leading the Project Cornerstone<\/a> program at school next year, and I have many ideas as to how to increase community awareness and involvement with it. <\/p>\n Noticing that<\/em> I’ve been avoiding exercise again, and indulging in more food, and forgoing tracking this. <\/p>\n Pondering these words<\/em>: growth mindset and fixed mindset<\/a>, coined by Carol Dweck. <\/p>\n One of my favorite things<\/em> is snuggling in bed with Bean at the end of the day, singing a lullaby to her. <\/p>\n From the kitchen<\/em> I’ve been cooking a variety of crockpot meals: chicken tortilla soup, pork roast, red beans, pot roast.<\/p>\n Around the house<\/em> I’ve been culling items that get little use and trying to stanch the flow of paper that floods us weekly. I’m also still unpacking and sorting from the camping trip.<\/p>\n A few plans for the rest of the week<\/em>: Friday will be an errand day. Saturday I have a SoulCollage\u00ae<\/a> session from 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., after which I will take the car to get a smog test. Sunday is church, and then the Mighty Daring Girls<\/a> will meet to make masks. Then I’ll roll into the next week with training at Project Cornerstone, taking Bean to choir practice, and all the usual routines of the school week.<\/p>\n Here is picture I am sharing<\/em> of an ATC I recently made.<\/p>\n
![\"ATC](\"https:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7617\/16835770790_36661bdba7.jpg\")
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