Staying/Getting/Doing Well – Moving goalposts or fixed target?

[Paw Prints]

Hi, this is my first post, though I have been reading the forums for some weeks. I’m probably expressing myself badly when I say that I have found reading about other people’s journeys reassuring. Finding a community of people who “get it” even when they have a wide variety of experiences and lives lived is not something I thought I would ever find.

Though people talk about getting well & there is a section Staying Well, I’m curious as to what this actually means to other people and how they manage their expectations. I noticed some people refer to being well as ‘being like themselves before they got ill’, whilst others don’t express an exact aim.

My idea of being well has changed over the years. I was first diagnosed as an 8 year old child back in the late sixties. The doctors told Mum that the voices in my head & the sudden crying bouts were because I suffered from ‘nerves’ & I was given meds to calm me. Of course such things were not discussed back then & I was told not to talk about it to anyone, not my school friends nor siblings, just Mum. For decades after my idea of being well simply meant being able to hide my illness from others.

A number of events in my life caused my illness to worsen, until some years ago I became so ill I needed to be hospitalised for my own safety. This lead to my current diagnosis of Major Depression, Anxiety & PTSD. I’m no longer in that dark place, but each day is still a battle (though I can now believe in a future). For now only my siblings & one friend know about my illness, though some things they still don’t know.
So, what does ‘being well’ mean to me, it is ever moving goalposts. If you had asked me 5 years ago would I be as well as I am now I would have thought it impossible as I couldn’t envision a future. If you had asked me last week (during one of my down periods) I would have said my progress was all an illusion & I was fooling myself that things can get better.
For now my idea of being well is being able to believe that things can change for the better, that I will one day be able to manage the everyday things like housework, caring for myself & caring for my dog & maybe, just maybe I will even be able to enjoy myself.

Paw Prints
**I took the tip to give myself time to write my post by writing on a word doc & then paste it.

[Eagle Ray]

Hello Paws,

I'm glad you have had the lovely days. I absolutely love fogs. Having the valley fog and the sea fog at the same time sounds fascinating. I love your description of the sun illuminating the leftover haze from the fog. Once I was down at the Swan River at sunrise in Perth. I was at a place called Point Walter. Usually the fogs roll in from the sea side, but this fog rolled down the river from the east. I literally saw it rolling towards me and minutes later I and everything around me was enveloped in fog. It was so mystical and magical.

Yes, you don't want a snake as a hot water bottle 😮 I've heard of people ending up with a snake in their swag. There are tiger snakes in the woodland across the road from here, so a snake in the backyard could happen. A little while ago I had a couple of quendas (bandicoots) hopping along out there, though I think the possum would be the most likely to climb on me. I have camped in a friend's swag under the stars before. Kangaroos were thumping by in the night and I did worry a little they may land on me. That type of swag was open to the elements, but I looked at some online yesterday and they seem to have see through mesh you zip up now, so you are sort of covered in them. I guess that may keep some things out.

I hope you found some animal videos you enjoyed this morning. I was imagining having a pet baby rhino today. It would just get a bit unworkable indoors once they grow up 😂 I can imagine a lot of things getting knocked over in a comical fashion. I did see a program once about a family who had a pet sheep who hung out in the lounge room with them.

I am feeling brighter today thank you. I hope you had a nice day.

Hugs,

ER

[Paw Prints]

Hello ER,

I spoke to soon about having lovely Autumn days, yesterday & today were back to 28/29 degrees though they both felt even warmer.  I put the cooling on this afternoon as the house warmed up surprisingly quickly.

I love fogs too as long as I don't have to drive.  That would have been magical watching the fog roll towards you.  This time of year the valleys here are usually foggy in the morning & it often reaches up to include here.  Sometimes though the fog settles down from on high rather than moving up the valley.  I have such a variety of fogs here each developing in different ways & having different consistencies, sometimes I feel I need as many different names for each type of fog as the Inuit people have for the different types of snow.

Your possums may well choose to snuggle up if you slept outside they can be bold & cheeky.  Did you see the one on the news that was in the stuffed toy section of the Tassie airport shop?   Dare I confess I don't miss having possums or more accurately I don't miss having them thumping about in their hob-nailed boots on my roof.  I'm sure there are possums in the forest across the road, but I haven't encountered any on my property since I moved here.

A pet rhino would be wonderful especially one that was house trained. 🦏🦏 I would happily get rid of most of my furniture to accommodate a full grown one inside.  Hmmm... I think the doorways would need to be widened, then again removing all the internal walls might work better.  Though I think it would be wisest to sleep in different rooms, too easy to be squished if it rolled over.  

I hope you managed some time outside by the river today

hugs

Paws

[Eagle Ray]

Hello Paws,

Yes, driving in fog can be a bit worrying. I used to finish work at a call centre at 9pm, and one night when I came out there was a thick fog. It did feel hazardous driving home. Even the light poles were barely visible until you were almost right next to them. And in the country there can be wildlife plus the odd stray cow or sheep that don't become visible until the last minute in a fog. But fogs are so beautiful. You comment about needing a variety of names for different kinds of fogs peaked my curiosity and I looked up to see if there is a culture where that exists. And there is. In the Faroe Islands they have 37 words for different types of fog. If you do a google search you will find some articles on it. The Faroe Islands, which are near Iceland, are one of the places I would love to visit. They are a popular place for landscape photography.

Yes, I did see the possum at the Tassie airport shop who seemed to be at home among the stuffed toys. The possums here galumph across my roof at dawn and dusk. They don't seem to be active inside the roof at the moment and I think their presence keeps away rodents. However, they have made a mess of my shed. To go in and clean it up I will wear a mask and gloves, just to try to make sure I don't pick up any possum diseases. I did hear the sound of what was like something snoring in the ceiling a while back and wondered if it was a possum. It was a definite snore - even weirdly sort of human-like 🤔

You have made me laugh at the thought of a full size rhino in your home. I imagine they have a loud snore 😂 And I just realised from your post that there is a rhino emoji after all! 🦏 Yay! I think we need to lobby for a walrus one. Speaking of the walrus, we could introduce a full size rhino into the igloo as company for Croix. I'm sure he won't mind. I mean rhinoceros's are not traditionally found on icebergs, but the novelty alone would bring in all the penguins and kiwis out of curiosity. That way Croix will be nice and toasty in the igloo with lots of other creatures keeping it warm. A special greenhouse could be built for growing grass, just to feed said rhino.

It's been very windy and grey here for a couple of days. I did a walk out by the airstrip yesterday and through some bushland. I was quite sore afterwards and went to sleep on the couch. I think my body is a bit run down and I don't think I'll be getting out for a walk today. Just taking it very easy. But hopefully I will feel more like it in the coming days. I hope your warmer weather cools a little so you are back to the lovely autumn days.

Hugs,

ER

[Croix]

Dear Paws and ER~

I've not been to Tassie Airport so have not seen a possum there, we do have one at home. I think she is passive aggressive. I explain to her at length she is a guest in my workshop - the next night all the stuff on the top shelf which goes all the way around is on the floor again.

I thinks this stems from the fact I had to cut down her tree, an enormous gum that was leaning over the workshop and might even have hit the house if it fell from the normal wind direction. As a result of removing her home I let her make a nest in the roof of the workshop, which from her point of view worked out well. It felt like the fair thing to do.

Like you at the moment neither she nor the others are clumping across my roof in their army boots, I guess it must be a seasonal activity.

I’m not sure igloos or icebergs are meant to be warm, so the prospect of a rhino, snoring or not, plus even more penguins and inebriated kiwis might simply melt it all away.

No walks for me this last week as I had to go away 😞 maybe later this week.

Croix

[Paw Prints]

Hello ER, Croix, wave to all,

Igloos can be very warm & snug, historically they even had fires in them for cooking & heating.  It is possible for someone to take off their outer layers of clothes & expose their hands & faces without worry.  I'm sure a rhino could settle quite well in one.  Snuggling up to a walrus on one side & having piles of feathery kiwis keeping the other side & top warm like a down filled doona would be very comfy for sleeping.  I can see the rhino adjusting to eating kelp, after all sheep & cattle have in some parts of the world, this should make it a welcome guest as it would leave the clam supply alone.  

I did google the names for fogs in the Faroe Islands... I think I would break my tongue trying to pronounce them properly.   Google kept wanting to show me names of dogs in the Faroes... now was that the algorithms based on my usual searches or did it just think 'fog' was a typo...🤔🤔   I did like that I share so many of the fog types listed & that someone else thought they each needed to be named... perhaps I'm not that daft after all. 😂

Thankfully I don't have possums in my sheds.  Then again I might prefer that to the tiger snakes that like to wander in now & then.

hugs

Paws

[Eagle Ray]

Hello Paws, Croix and All,

Paws, before you reminded me that igloos can have warmth inside, I was thinking the penguins might have to knit an extra large sweater for the rhino. That may be a good idea for venturing out of the igloo anyway. But, yes, I'm sure while indoors that Croix won't mind a rhino snuggling up for warmth. I'm sure kelp will be very nutritious for the rhino too. And how lovely to have the feather doona effect from the kiwis who will create such a relaxed atmosphere with their inebriation.

Yes, I noticed the words for types of fogs on the Faroe Islands are incredibly complex. They seem similar to those impossible to pronounce Icelandic words. With regard to google wanting to show you dogs on the Faroes, I think google must secretly be psychic and knew you would love to see dogs 😂 Actually, maybe not, as I just tried it and it thought I wanted dogs too. But then I also love dogs, so maybe the internet can read my mind. It was cool seeing the names for dogs there such as Thor, Loki, Odin, Rune, Ulf and Astrid. I love the horses that are often photographed in Iceland. I find those remote places fascinating.

I may have spoken too soon about possums in my roof, as something was making a lot more noise than usual in the daytime in my roof today and it sounded bigger than a rodent. I am hoping they don't settle there as a shelter for winter 🙈 They can hang out in my shed, I just don't want them messing things up in the roof.

Sleep well.

Hugs,

ER

[Paw Prints]

Hello ER & Croix,

Iceland is worth visiting I loved it & the people I met there.  It was nearly 40 years ago when tourists only came in small numbers so it might not be so friendly now.  Did you know the Icelandic horses have been isolated for over 1200 years.  No horses are permitted to be brought to the island & any that leave can never come back.  This has been the rule for centuries as they treasure their horses special traits.  The horses spend most of their time roaming free in herds led by the mares, rather like elephant herds are matriarchal. 

I'm sure the rhino would love a knitted sweater for when it emerges from the igloo to enjoy the great outdoors.  Perhaps some knitted trousers might be the go to or a padded day bed to lounge on.  I definitely think a beanie to keep it's cute ears warm is a must, I wonder how long it will take the penguins to manage all that?  

Croix clearly the top shelf in your shed is a necessary travel route & putting stuff on it is just making a shelf version of roadworks & we all know how grumpy they can make everyone.  Obviously as you have offered this new home to your tenant it is also up to you to provide clear access free of top shelf stuff.  Failure to do this may result in a sternly worded letter from the penguin lawyers who I'm sure are watching this matter unfold. 

Stay dry with all the weird weather 

hugs

Paws

[Croix]

Dear Paws, ER and all~

The p.a.possum has a perfectly good access point on the rafters which is what she uses, it is nowhere near the top shelf which goes all around the shed underneath. She pushes the containers off and then sits up in the rafters and snigger as I try to clean the mess up.

I've just threatened to take away her army boots, maybe that will convince her I do not like being entertainment for a possum.

"...igloos can have warmth inside", well  maybe the person that sold me the refrigerator was not conning me after all. The inebriated kiwis do use it to hold their beverages.

Croix

[Eagle Ray]

Hello Paws and Croix,

I would love to go to Iceland. It looks truly spectacular and unique in many ways. I had heard something about the Icelandic horse population being kept isolated but didn't realise that had been the case for over 1200 years! That's amazing. It would be just wonderful to see them there. In the photos I've seen, they look like wild, happy horses living the life they are meant to. That's interesting about the herds being matriarchal like elephant herds. There's some beautiful photographs of them in the Icelandic scenery. I love them 🐴💖

A rhino would look so cute in a beanie and sweater 🦏😍 I think if we have enough penguins, it won't take too long, especially as Professor Porpoise is now very proficient with his penguin replicating machine. Speaking of the iceberg, MK has informed us on Croix's thread that she has arrived there and dined at the Snail and Walrus restaurant. So who knows what mischief will ensue. Hee hee!

I'm quite sure my possum visitor wears army boots too, very audible at dawn and dusk on my roof. Said possum is in my fruit trees right now as I type this.

I hope you haven't put any Galactic Gargle Blaster in your fridge Croix, as who knows what that will do to the kiwis if they get hold of it 🤔😮

Hugs,

ER

[Eagle Ray]

Hello Paws,

Just checking in to see how you are going? I hope you are ok. No need to reply if you don't feel up to it.

There was a story on the ABC website a few days ago about a King Penguin from Antarctica who turned up on a beach near Esperance here in WA. It's the sort of story I thought you would like. The penguin has been given the name Hope and looks like a character. I think Croix's iceberg could do with a few more penguins of the larger variety. There can never be enough penguins 🐧

It has been balmy here today and it's a bit like a summer evening at the moment. There is possible fog forecast for tomorrow so I am going to try to get up early and go out with my camera if it is about, and attempt to create moody images of things in the mist.

Hugs 🤗

ER