Process Note: The Albion Inn is in escrow

Our bed and breakfast here in Ashland, Oregon, has found a buyer and entered escrow. If the deal continues forward, we'll be vacating here October 15th. 

Our first plan is to travel around a bit in the motorhome with the husband, dogs, and cats, stopping at bookstores along the way. I'm working on a lecture series of The Simple Explanation and hope to expound upon it to anyone who will listen. Stay tuned for further developments. Meanwhile, if your bookstore or group would like to invite me to speak, I'm ready.

Meme Share: Happy Holidays / Holy Days To You

Christmas tree at the Albion Inn, Ashland, Oregon

Dear Simple Explanation blog Followers and Subscribers,

Holidays/Holy Days are universal memes shared by all human societies. And, while it is the memes we do not share that define us as separate cultures, it is the memes we do share that bring us together.

Our customs and rituals, songs and prayers may differ, the food we share with loved ones not at all alike; yet do we not all share the concepts "feast," and "family," and "reverence"? These are the memes we share. This is what we celebrate.

So, when I say "Merry Christmas to You," please pay no attention to whatever negative memes you may attach to the phrase, for those are not the memes I mean to invoke. When I say, "Merry Christmas to You" the memes that dance in my head are peace, love, and joy, and I am hoping to share those memes with you. Let us rise above the particulars that divide us.

Love to you,  cyd

Cyd and Gary with dogs Franny and Zoey,
Christmas in Tucson, 2010

Autumnal Tori Abound

Here's today's centerpiece on the table at the Albion Inn. A lovely example of the toroidal pattern imposing itself upon pumpkins, squash, and tomatoes. Enjoy!

Toroidal pumpkins, squash, and tomatoes.

Process Note: My Birthday

Can't let my birthday go by without blogging. Our season here at the Albion Inn will soon be drawing down as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival season comes to a close. Then I will have plenty of time to philosophize with you here at the Simple Explanation blog.

Franny and Zoey beaking on the bricks in the Albion Inn's rose garden.

Meanwhile, we have had a very pleasant busy season, full of good weather, great theatre, beautiful flowers, and excellent guests. 
Many more fresh blog articles are pending in the notes pile, including updates on how some of us have been putting the Simple Explanation into practice. I'm also going to be turning the articles into a single, cohesive book.

Tell me: would you be more inclined to read a book called "A Simple Explanation of Absolutely Everything," or "A Simple Fractal Model of the Conscious Universe"? Please leave your answer below as a comment if you would. Thank you.

Process Note: My Typical Day

Last year one of the guests at the inn suggested I write Process Notes in order to put a more human face (mine) on my blog. It's her thought that people will be more inclined to read the blog regularly if they feel connected to the writer. What do you think, readers? Will you comment below to tell me if you appreciate these personalized articles?

Why can't I turn out more of the philosophy articles? It's simply a matter of time. Here's my typical day.

Misty

3:00  AM.  The cat begins biting my arm to wake me up. I resist her until 3:15, at which time I give in and get out of bed. The two dogs also wake up and join us, and the four of us go downstairs. I feed the cats and dogs, and open the pet doors so they can go out.

3:30 AM. Computer is turned on. I look for inn reservations first, then open up the blogspot and check the overnight stats. Four people online right now. I look at where they are, what articles they are reading, and I back trace a couple of referring URLs to see how they came to my site. I read the articles they are reading and imagine their reactions.
4:00 AM. The dogs and I go back upstairs. My husband, Gary, is up and brushing his teeth. I give the dogs a couple of beef bones to keep them occupied while I do my bathroom necessities. I grind some half-regular/half-decaf coffee beans and put a pot on to brew.
4:15 AM. Gary and I do a Yoga/Chi Kung stretching routine together.
4:40 AM. We all go downstairs to the meditation room. Gary, the dogs, and I sit on the couch. Gary and I read outloud to each other from a variety of spiritual and philosophy books, while we drink a cup of coffee. This morning we read Chapter 5, Galatians (Bible, New Testament); a couple of pages of Richard Feynman's The Meaning of It All (philosophy of science); a couple of pages of Aldous Huxley's The Perennial Philosophy; and two translations of Verse 4, Tao Te Ching (Mitchell and Star).
5:15 AM. Meditation, followed by the Lord's Prayer.
5:45 AM. We go upstairs and get dressed for work.
6:00 AM. I listen to NPR while I make our breakfast blender drink and lay out the vitamins. We drink breakfast and listen to the radio.
6:30 AM. Gary walks the dogs and then drives to his job. I walk across the yard to the inn to begin breakfast preparations.

Albion Inn's garden and back porch

6:30--7:00 AM. I open curtains, turn on lights, put on classical music, set the table, brew and set out coffee.

7:00--9:00 AM. Making breakfast. Notice toroidal flow in sliced apples and kiwis. 

The sliced apple demonstrates toroidal flow.

 9:00 AM. Serve breakfast.



Breakfast table at the Albion Inn

9:00--10:30 AM. Chat with guests during the meal. We talk about the plays they saw the night before, where they ate dinner, how their children are doing, what the weather will be like today.

We talk about the Word of the Day, which happens to be "factotum." Then we discuss the Simple Explanation of Absolutely Everything for as long as the guests appear interested. I show them my new t-shirt and we talk about what the UC looks like to them.

10:30 AM. Clean kitchen. Load dishwasher.

11:00 AM. Give hugs to departing guests. Wave goodbye from door. Finish tidying up dining room and kitchen. Sweep floors. Put towels and sheets in washer.

11:30 AM. Go back to the owner's quarters across the garden. Change out of my chef's clothes into blue jeans and t-shirt.
11:40 AM. Take dogs to the woods for a walk. Commune with nature. Commune with the Universal UC. Hug trees, wet hands in icy brook. Say hello to other dog-walkers.

Franny and Zoey

12:30 PM. Stop at market on the way home to buy food for next day's breakfast.

1:15 PM. Move towels and sheets into dryer. Eat leftover breakfast food for my lunch. Watch TV. Bake cookies for guests.
2:00 PM. Sit at computer. Check emails. Take care of reservations and bookkeeping duties. Check in on blog.
2:30 PM. Go over to inn and set out cookies and apples on sideboard. Go back home to sit at computer until paged.

Cookies and snacks on the Albion Inn sideboard

3:00 PM. Check-in arriving guests. Unload dishwasher. Prepare pie crust for tomorrow's quiche. Grate cheese. Set out butter for tomorrow's scones.

4:00 PM. Fold sheets and towels. Iron sheets and pillowcases. Take linens back over to inn. Chat with guests about garden.
5:00 PM. Go back to owner's quarters. Clean up. Feed cats and dogs. Make salad for dinner.
5:30 PM. Gary home from work. We have a refreshing drink. We eat dinner and watch TV.
6:45 PM. I cannot keep my eyes open. I fall asleep on the couch. Gary plays a videogame (Tiger Woods Golf, wii).
7:30 PM. Wake up; bring in the cats; lock the pet door for the night. We go upstairs to bed.
8:00 PM. Lights out.

That's the daily routine. This is our life. Not enough time to write many substantive articles. This easy article has taken two hours to write and insert the pictures and the hypertextual jumps. A substantive article takes me about four hours to complete. So far, I've only been able to write on days when there are no breakfast guests, because I am at my best in the morning. So it's either write or cook. We've had a busy early spring, and I've been in the kitchen more than usual. Perhaps when I retire I can write full time...

This morning we laughed about using Twitter to spread the Simple Explanation memes rather than the blog. As if I could tweet the Simple Explanations that continually flow through my head... "pelicans find their young not through eyesight but through vibratory signatures..." ... "a tree's karma is visible for all to see..." ... "the Universal UC is the autophagosome of the metaverse..." and so on. Would anyone enjoy receiving such esoteric tweets? Let me know if you would...

Zoey, Cyd, and Franny