Monthly Archives: September 2022
Wow
Wow. My head is still spinning. When we were about half-way down our driveway this morning, a ‘parade’ of SIX deer leaped one at a time across the driveway in front of us! We have had TWO jump across the driveway as we started back up the driveway in the distant past, but we stared in amazement as one after another kept leaping. We unconsciously counted them, agreeing that we had seen SIX.
I’m not sure why they were all in the yard. I guess the sound of our truck coming down the driveway spurred the decision to cross the driveway and go somewhere else. We have so many trees we didn’t see anything until one leaped across the driveway. Then the ‘parade’ of gorgeous animals started.
Such a stunning sight!
Filed under Amazing Animals, Delightful Surprises
Beautiful Drawings
Filed under drawings
Friday Thoughts 9-30-2022
It’s frightening how quickly things can change. I’m still reeling from the before and after pictures of Ian’s legacy on southwest Florida and the islands west of there. So many people are devastated. It just rips your heart out, doesn’t it. My good Florida friends thankfully weathered things fine. Today my thoughts are also with my SIL and her husband in Charlotte, hoping things go well for them.
We go to Lunch Bunch in about an hour and a half to catch up with our good friends. I’m not sure who will be there, but I’ll be happy to see whoever is. Afterwards, we’ll do errands. I’m so thankful that my life is ‘routine and SOME might think boring’ right now. :0)
Today is DAY 77 of my daily yoga practice. It’s becoming a normal part of my afternoon, and I consciously make time for it sometime before dinner. I’m still on modified practice because of a spot in my back, but I found a neck pillow that I put under my back that allows me to do most of my poses.
I find it hard to believe that today is the last day of September. Our mornings are definitely cooler, and our afternoons are calming down, now, too. I couldn’t be happier. Heat and humidity really sap my strength. I’m much more able to function when the weather is cool. :0)
We had a flurry of activity yesterday afternoon. I received an email from our tax guy, saying he had THOUGHT that our returns were done a long time ago, but that his people had just finished things up YESTERDAY. They sent forms to us for us to sign and send back to them. We don’t owe anything and we don’t have to go to the slammer, but this was really disconcerting. We’ll still need to go get our records and our copies of the returns, but the important part is being handled. Whew!
I hope you’re staying safe and well today.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
“Life in the Folds” – Origami
I just read an article by Hae-Yang Chang called, “Life in the Folds” regarding his love of origami. He says, “One of the most striking features of origami is that all models are folded from a single square sheet of paper.”
Filed under Origami
Trashed
Yesterday my husband came in and told me he wanted me to see what he found at the bottom of our driveway. I assumed we needed to go pick up trash strewn by some critter or other who got to our bags before the trash people got here. I went out to the garage to find
a trash receptacle left by our trash service! I’ve seen the cans before, but I figured that we didn’t get one because we aren’t in the city limits and that rural people would just go on as usual. You can see that the new receptacle makes our ‘heavy-duty, extra-large’ ACE trash can on wheels look like a small waste paper can. I think this should easily hold the two leaf bags of trash we usually gather in a week.
There are a couple of concerns at this point –
CONCERN ONE – The thing is heavy. It’s meant to be kept in a garage, or close to the house, filled up and then rolled out to the end of the driveway to be picked up. We have a 650+ foot long, STEEP, gravel-covered, bumpy driveway. There is no ‘rolling it’ down to the bottom of the driveway. It will take both of us to lift it into the back of our truck, then out again at the bottom of the driveway, muscling it over to the place we leave our trash. It will be easier to get it back into the truck when it’s empty, but I’m not at all sure I can do it by myself.
A friend wrote recently, suggesting my husband make an enclosure for our trash bags at the bottom of the driveway – keeping the bags safer from critters. My husband wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea, but I’m NOW thinking of re-introducing that idea, so we could leave the container at the bottom of the driveway, driving our trash down as usual and putting it in the container. He probably won’t like that idea, either, but I’ll mention it.
CONCERN TWO – The paper that came with the container says our trash is supposed to be left for pickup by 5am the day of pickup. That would mean we would have to leave the trash down there overnight. I’m not at all sure this container is heavy enough to withstand critters trying to pull it over in order to get at the ‘goodies’ inside. (THIS refers to the DISCUSSIONS we’ve had that are ongoing about when to leave our trash….. )
With all the problems in the world, you would think that TRASH wouldn’t even be CONSIDERED, and yet, some marriages have dissolved because one person stubbornly leaves the cap off the toothpaste tube…
Filed under Challenges
I’m Still Grinning
Yesterday we got to talk to our son via “Whereby” a wonderful program kind of like Facetime, that allows us to talk and see each other securely, even though we’re across the world from him. We don’t get to do it often because there is 12 hours difference in our time during part of the year, and 13 when we’re playing with Daylight Savings Time. We talk on our chat program on almost a daily basis, leaving messages, pictures, music, videos for each other, but it’s SO good to be able to SEE him.
I’m still grinning, feeling happy deep inside. He’s happy. He’s doing well. AND I watched him smile several times, and even laugh. Priceless.
Due to Covid restrictions on both ends, I’m not sure when we’ll actually get to have him home again. I don’t want him to risk anything just because of my greed in wanting lots of his world-winning hugs. To be able to communicate, and SEE him sometimes, is enough.
Wednesday 9-28-2022
Good morning! I’m watching Hurricane Ian as it closes in on landfall in Florida. I know several people in the path of the storm and I hope they all get through it as safely as possible. We are all in for a long week of watching and hoping.
Today is DAY 75 in my efforts to make doing yoga practice a habit/regimen. I have a sore spot in my back that is causing me to have to modify my practice some, but I’m able to work around it, just stretching the area as much as I can before any pain.
I’ve been feeling lazy about working in the yard this week. I’m trying to talk myself into doing something outside each day, but I haven’t convinced myself yet…
Yesterday I marked my Linda Howard book collection with year of publication. Today I’ll arrange them in the shelves so that I can go back one day and enjoy re-reading them from her earliest work I have to the latest.
My art room is starting to call to me.
I hope that you are somewhere safe and that your day is a happy one.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Delight on the Way!
Linda Howard writes wonderful books into which I can escape – a priceless thing. I can immediately immerse myself in a world she has created, shedding my concerns, relaxing, and restoring.
Between Thrift Books and Amazon, I can get good prices on used paperbacks. I just bought 6 books online for the price of ONE hardback book. When I buy 4 or more, I can get free shipping from Thrift Books, though they take longer to arrive than if I order from Amazon. I just plan ahead so I don’t run out before I receive my next treasure trove. :0)
I’m saving these books because I know I’ll enjoy reading them again. I have so many I have a list in a spreadsheet on my computer so I don’t mess up and buy a duplicate. I refined my list today by alphabetizing the list, instead of just listing them in the order I’ve purchased them. Upstairs I’m shelving them by publishing year, so I can enjoy her earlier work first when I re-read. I also have any series of books she’s written placed together on the shelves.
I almost lost my love of reading when I was in school. I was forced to read so MUCH, having to regurgitate it in what passes for ‘learning.’ By the time I had my Masters’ Degree as a reading specialist, I read everything as if I would be tested on it, give a synopsis of it, discuss the symbolism, or other such drivel. I taught reading in public schools in Tulsa, OK for eight years and then in my own private reading clinic for another three. My students got me excited about teaching THEM the joy of being ABLE to read, and read for pleasure, but it took ME several years to believe it again for my own reading.
One grateful lady here that I got it back!
Stupid Argument
My heart goes out to all the people in Hurricane Ian’s Path. May you come through the storm safely.
___________________
If you rated married couple’s arguments on the basis of how important they are, ours wouldn’t even get on the rating chart. We almost never argue about anything important. This morning’s argument, before I even had my eyes fully open – trying to get a cup of coffee – was about trash. Yeah.
My husband was ADAMANT that I NOT put out the trash first thing. His argument is that they never pick it up before 2:30 in the afternoon and that putting it out before then invites the neighborhood critters to strew our trash all over the place before the trash people pick it up.
We tested this theory once before, when my husband insisted that we keep the trash in the back of the truck when we went to town and put it out when we came back. We quickly figured out, as we drove home, that the trash at the houses we passed had already been picked up. We ended up having to keep our bags of trash in the garage for another week.
This is a running argument. We are stupid because we KEEP arguing about it every week. Each of us has a point and neither will back down. This morning I told my husband that I would wait until we could get our mail (9:30). We did that, and we’ll see if the trash gets picked up as scheduled or if the critters strew it all over the place.
Earth-shaking reason to argue, isn’t it.
Filed under Challenges
Advice from Dogs
“Don’t be afraid to try something different.”
“Accept everyone for who they are.”
“Give hugs.”
“Take naps whenever you can”
“Make sure the people you care about know it.”
“Get into mischief.”
Breadth
I’ve of two minds on our change to a more Mediterranean style eating plan.
MIND ONE:
Part of me is VERY happy that I feel better. I’m not eating Mediterranean recipes much – since my husband gets hostile when I talk about veggies and the recipes I’m finding lean heavily toward veggies he doesn’t consider ‘food.’ I’m basically just trying to focus on adding more veggies and fruit to our diet.
When I make beef stew, for example, I’m consciously adding more veggies than I used to, loading it up with less beef and more veggies. The same with casseroles.
I’M consciously choosing frozen dinners which concentrate on veggies, such as Healthy Choice “Steamers” and “Power Bowls” while my husband loads up on Pineapple Chicken or Sweet and Sour Chicken dinners. When we have the frozen dinners, or leftovers from my cooking, I add a side veggie, plus a fruit.
MIND TWO:
The other part of me is frustrated at my slow weight loss. I’m trying to watch my portions and track my calories on My Fitness Pal, but the scale is still laughing at me. I want there to be less of me. I am eating healthy, doing my daily yoga practice (DAY 73) and trying to be more active in general. I keep telling myself, “One day at a time…”
Filed under DIET!, exercise, Mediterranean Eating Plan + Recipes
Monday, Monday
“Monday, Monday, so good to me
Monday mornin’, it was all I hoped it would be
Oh Monday mornin’, Monday mornin’ couldn’t guarantee
That Monday evenin’ you would still be here with me.” ~ The Mamas and the Papas
While you’re in school, teachers and parents make choices for you. If you marry, your choices are modified by your spouse and your children, plus working full time.
If you’re a woman, much of your life stays the same even after you retire – taking care of your spouse, running the house (hey, that rhymes!) etc, but you now have some free time to start doing what you’d LIKE to do – maybe for the first time in your life.
Even though I have enjoyed my work over the years, I always dreaded Mondays. They signaled moving in lock-step for another 5 days, where, when I finished at work, I would come home and continue working at fixing dinner, throwing another load of laundry in the washer, cleaning up after cooking, getting things ready for work, making lunches for everyone to take the next day, hurrying around, etc. Weekends were spent doing all the things I didn’t have the time or energy to do during the work week, plus running errands to the places that were closed when I went to work and closed again when I finished work. The guinea pig on the treadmill.
NOW Mondays are just another glorious day. I cherish quiet days where I can wake up slowly, enjoying my coffee, deciding what the priority for the day is, deciding what order I want to do things, the freedom to change my mind. and more.
I have so many things I like to do that I never have enough time or energy to devote to them. I have the luxury of writing my blog, looking for more proof of how creative and talented some people in the world are, watching a demonstration of a new art technique on YouTube, seeing someone do a pose new to me for my yoga practice, listening to music, reading a book, spending time in my art room, spending time outside in my garden or my yard, enjoying a beautiful morning on our deck or back porch, playing with our cat and dog, taking a walk, catching up on the news, and more.
I can intersperse what I NEED to do, what I SHOULD do, with what I WANT to do. It’s my choice now and I couldn’t love it more.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Did it!!!!!!
At the risk of alienating you completely, I wanted to tell you I DID IT!!!! I used the new one-gallon sprayer and got ALL the garden boxes sprayed with KILLZALL to kill the weed roots. I finished the job in about 20 minutes from start to finish. I’m going to take the sprayer attachment out of the container this time and run water through it with the hose, hopefully keeping it from clogging up.
HOOORAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!
Juiceless
Just before lunch yesterday our power went off. No storms, no ‘reason’ that we could ascertain, just no juice. Thankfully, the high yesterday was ONLY 92 or so. Our generator came on just as it was supposed to (when it sensed we had no power), so we had most everything we needed. Thank goodness for ceiling fans! The power came on again about 4pm.
We went to Yeagers in the morning yesterday to buy more spray canisters, since the spray attachments we had wouldn’t work. Neither would the smaller spray bottles I had. Everything was on strike. (At least I got some good walking exercise going back and forth out to the garden and back to the house.) I searched for spray attachment replacements, but had no luck. I’m planning to try to use one of the new, lighter, one-gallon set- ups today to spray the weed killer on the garden boxes. Are you shrieking with boredom that I’m AGAIN telling you that? Sorry. REALLY.
My husband requested spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner tonight, so I’m getting set up to make that. We’ve been doing well, injecting lots of veggies into our meals, so we’re splurging a bit and eating an old favorite this evening.
I hope your Sunday is fun.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
“Invisibility of Poverty” Art
Kevin Lee, Haohui Zhou, and Bin Liu combined their body painting and photography efforts to create an incredibly creative way to bring attention to homeless children and raise money for Unicef. They called their collaboration the “Invisibility of Poverty”, showing the problem was right in front of us, but faded into the background.
I found this in an article by Arnesia Young of MyModernMet.com
Filed under giving
Nice Saturday 9-24-2022
Mother Nature may have gotten the ‘fall’ memo to start the day yesterday, but she seems to have mislaid it. We’re forecast to have possibly record-breaking heat today before a possible ‘cold front’ comes through tomorrow. I’m trying to get motivated to both fully wake up and then mix up a two-gallon container of weed killer and spray the garden boxes. Hopefully, I can actually get that done this morning. I’m ready to put the garden away for the season now.
I love to try to grow veggies. I’m particularly glad that we figured out a way for me to continue trying for several years to come by discovering square foot gardening – thereby bypassing our terrible rocky soil – and then the idea of building garden boxes that look like ‘tables’ at my chest level so I can simply walk up to them and plant, weed, and harvest without having to bend over double or get up and down nine million times trying to take care of things. We also figured out an irrigation system so that I don’t have to stand out with a hose.
This past season was a challenging one with unusual weather for us. I was happy to get anything to grow and was very happy to be able to share some of our lettuce and spinach. We had enough ripe tomatoes to feel thoroughly spoiled – although, being greedy – we would have enjoyed a longer season. I’ve recently harvested a good group of sweet red onions that are drying in the sun on a well-draining trailer bed beside our shop.
I’ve already sprayed the garden boxes with EIGHT, a wonderful chemical that kills bugs, but is safe for our animals. I have cheerfully murdered countless fire ants who had the audacity to set up their homes in my garden boxes, ready to swarm me when I tried to harvest the onions. I’m back to normal now, except for some ‘spots’ on my arms, but I have a long memory when things sting and bite me.
After I spray with the weed root killer, KILLZALL, my husband has said he’ll help me cut the weed barrier fabric cloth to the proper size and put it over the Mel’s Mix, but under the wires that delineate the ‘squares’ of each box. We’ll put bricks in to hold the cloth down, and hopefully, the boxes will be ready to plant in the spring.
Have a wonderful Saturday.
Filed under Gardening, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds
creativeartworksblog 
