Hopeful Signs

Before winter I cut back our Rio Samba rose bushes. They had gotten to the point where I figured they would either like the pruning a lot or would croak. The jury was still out until a couple of weeks ago. In fact, my husband was talking about digging out the plant below and replacing it with a new one. I asked him to give it a bit more time.

Happily, the plants are not only putting out new growth, but there are BUDS on the plants. (I’ll have to check a third plant today while I’m wandering around in the yard later to see how it’s doing.)

Perky Pet

Another hopeful thing is that my husband told me yesterday he saw a hummingbird at the feeder. We aren’t “awash in hummingbirds” by any measure, but the fact that we’ve seen three thus far gives me hope that we’ll have a nice spring.

Home

Ram Dass – LakeGirl

One Reason I Have Hope

Rio Samba Rose Bush

Wisteria Lived Through the Freeze!

These are actually photos I took yesterday, before the freeze, fearing that the overnight freeze would kill our treasured wisteria. I’m happy/relieved to tell you it is alive and well, maybe a bit worse from wear, but hopefully will continue to bloom more and more daily.

This wisteria has lived through freezes, snows, ice, thunderstorms, gusting winds, droughts, etc. Seeing it bloom like this really fills me up with hope for the future.

Hope – A Definition

Etsy.com

Hope Springs

We just got home from doing several errands, all in the rain. We had to put on coats and hats for the first time, so it’s beginning to be a bit more believable we may have snow Sunday.

The last stop on the errand list was buying $10 worth of hope in the shape of a lottery ticket. The ‘pot’ is now up to over $440 million – a nice, tidy sum. Though my husband and I don’t agree on how we would spend the money (remember, we don’t even use the same salt), the ticket is in MY name, so he’ll need to listen carefully if he wants a part of my winnings.

High on my list is our son and his financial security, and that of a dear friend who can’t afford to retire. She will – if she wants to – if I have a say.

It’s nice to hope the rest of the day.

Hope This Makes YOU Smile, Too

BoredPanda.com

Springing

This is one section of our yard I love to watch. Right now, the red bud tree behind the yellow forsythia make a nice picture. Later our wisteria in this same area will make a nice display.

Our tulip tree is starting to lose its blooms, but it’s glorious right now.

I’ve counted 8 red bud trees on our property this year. Some are very small, but the lovely color shows up very nicely whether large large or small. Our land is too rocky to plant things in the ground much; hence all our brick planters and our raised bed, square foot veggie garden, but we treasure the things that come up naturally here.

In town there are some people who have a red bud with a white dogwood tree close by – a really stunning combination.

Things are ‘springing’ around here – bringing up my spirits and filling me with hope.

Glory

The past two days I have spent outside.

There are things left to be done of course, but my main spring garden is planted. I weeded two brick planters yesterday and got my tomato plants in, too. We have ordered new sprinklers for the main garden, and the irrigation system for the yard needs to be tested. We need to replace a PVC pipe that waters one planter in the front yard. I have two celery starts that need to go out to the main garden. These are details.

I’m still overwhelmed by how my SPIRITS lifted when I bought the plants and worked to get them into the garden. I guess I’ve let the state of our world sit on my shoulders too much. It’s hard to stay upbeat when there is so much bad stuff happening all around you. I felt good feelings FLOOD into me, though, with HOPE for the future as I found places for all my plants the past two days.

I’m smiling as I type, ready to get back outside and see what details I can handle today. :0)

I hope there is something wonderful flooding YOUR heart and soul today.

Medicine

Eric Swensson – KeepInspiring.me

Hope is Still Alive

iStockPhoto

The news is depressing. It seems to accentuate the hostility that some have for others who have different beliefs. I remind myself of the wonderful friends and family I have, to look at people as individuals, rather than painting with a broad brush – and not to fall into the trap of labeling people.

There are so many good, talented people in our world. There is such beauty. Sometimes we just have to dig deeper and search harder, while keeping hope alive.

Little Whisper

QuotesIdeas

Petition

“Crossing the Line” – oatawa – Getty Images – iStock photo

We have been stuck at home due to the weather the whole past week. It’s 9 degrees F. right now, with a biting wind, but nothing is falling from the sky at the moment. With the forecast of snow and more snow starting later today, we’re going to try to gather our mail from our mailbox at the bottom of our driveway (hopefully not ice-covered now, as it is 650+ feet down and STEEP.) We’re also going to try to get supplies before holing in again – probably until the end of NEXT week.

I am starting a petition to do away with February – completely. Just go straight from January to March. If you’re in, please let me know and I’ll add you to the list. (I’m not sure where I will send the petition, or how many we would need to make this change, but we have to start somewhere…

I continue to HOPE things get better regarding the pandemic, our country, and the people living in it. I HOPE that qualities such as love, understanding, compassion, kindness, and courtesy are not becoming things of the past, gathering dust due to disuse. Much like I tell myself on keeping moving and exercising, “If you don’t USE it, you LOSE it.” We never really know what’s happening to the people we care about. Let’s give everyone some extra slack.

I hope that you are able to stay safe and warm today. It’s a wonderful day to have a warm, dry home.

Hope

Pinterest

Hope is Where You Find It

There is SO much hate and hostility now sometimes coming at us in waves. To combat this, I am looking for hope where I can find it.

This morning when I let our yellow lab, Amber, out, I noticed that our silly daffodils have shot up greenery in preparation for blooming in the spring. We have a good 6 weeks or more of really bad weather for daffodils, maybe even resulting in their deaths. Yet here they are, giving life their all, full of hope that things will get better.

I dug up our daffodils several years ago, transplanting them around the yard. I dug deep and thought I had gotten all the bulbs out, since it’s kind of a pain to deal with them around the well house. Some came up anyway, despite my efforts, determined to put on a show.

Each year they are thicker and stronger, and I look at them as determined, hopeful, heroic, happy plants, believing they should come up wherever they want and be treasured wherever they are found.

May we all look at the ‘silly daffodils,’ full of hope in the middle of a hostile environment, determined to add their beauty and optimism wherever they are – and emulate them.

Where will you bloom?

Look for It

30 Seconds

Hope 6

Dog Waits 8 Months To Find A Home, Gets Adopted By Caretaker On Christmas

Meet Hiccup, We’ve Given Him A Home For Christmas

These signs of hope were provided by Inga Korolkovaite of BoredPanda.com

Back in the Saddle

“I’m back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly gypsum weed
Back in the saddle again” ~ sung by Gene Autry

PictureQuotes.com

I earned 2 stars yesterday for exercise, so I’m feeling ‘back in the saddle again of daily exercise :0) When I finish getting some blog posts up, I’ll head for the garage and my elliptical trainer. I’m hoping that both the scales and my tape measure will show some progress by the end of the month. One can hope!

Speaking of that, I’m really trying to find good things lately in an effort to not be buried in gloom. My husband was doing a bit of the ‘whine and cheese’ bit last night, and I gave him a pep talk about concentrating on the GOOD in our lives, rather than the bad. He saw my point, particularly when I was able to give him several examples that were personal to us. I really think this is important for our sanity and general health.

One hopeful thing is that we might be able to get the COVID vaccine eventually. I read a thing online saying that people 70+ could start getting it Jan. 18th at one pharmacy locally. I called, discovering that they weren’t taking names to add to their list right now, since the list was several hundred people long. She suggested that I call back the 1st of Feb. to see if they had opened the list again. The fact that we MIGHT be able to be added to a list in the next month or so is good news.

Yesterday I took a bunch of new products to the shop where I share a booth with a good friend. I rearranged everything and am hopeful that someone will take a look, like what they see, and take something home with them. :0)

I hope that you are having a good Thursday.

Stay safe and well.

Hope 5

13 Years Ago Today We Found Her Hiding Under A Christmas Tree At Lowe’s. We Decided To Take Her Home “Just For The Night” To Feed And Warm Her

She’s been lying about not being fed ever since.

This Is Cyrus, My Girlfriend And I Adopted Her Today. She Was Surrendered The Day After Christmas For Being “Too Much Dog”

We took our new pup to a park for 30 minutes and played some tug-of-war, and she’s been like this for over an hour. Guess she’s the right amount of dog for us.

I Don’t Have Room In My Place For A Christmas Tree, So My Mom Made Me This Wreath With Built-In Lights And All The Ornaments From When I Was A Kid

Neighborhood Kids Were Using This Lady’s Yard For Sledding Without Asking. She Responded By Blasting Xmas Music Out Her Window, Putting On A Santa Hat With A Beard And Joining Them

Thanks to Inga Korolkovaite of BoredPanda.com for these examples of why we can still hope.

Hope 4

Didn’t Get Any Gifts For Christmas Except From My Landlord. Has No Idea I’ve Been Struggling Lately

I Planned A Christmas Surprise For My Parents, It Went Better Than I Could Have Hoped

My Daughter Was Hospitalized Over Christmas Three Years Ago. Since Then, Every Year She Collects Toy Donations For Kids Who Won’t Be Home For Christmas

I’m proud of her. Merry Christmas! Over 150 toys this year!

Hope 3

The Story Of How A Mysterious “Prowler” Saved His Family’s Christmas Nearly 40 Years Ago

We Spent All Our Christmas Tree Money On Adopting This Guy Instead

These examples of why there is still hope were gathered by Inga Karolkovaite of BoredPanda.com

Hope 2

“I’m Really Crying Right Now. I Thought I Was Calling My Mom. But I Had The Wrong Number And – ”

“My Father Has Alzheimer’s. I Brought My New Dog Home For Christmas, And He Said, “I Know I’m Going To Forget A Lot, But I’m Going To Remember This Dog For A Long Time”

“This Is What I Woke Up To On Christmas After I Broke Down & Told My Brother That I Couldn’t Afford To Buy Big Presents This Year Since I Could Barely Feed Myself”

Hope

“Last Year, I Spent Christmas With A Gun In My Mouth. This Year, We Grilled Steaks And Played Catch. She Has Given Me My Life Back. This is my service dog, Emma, on the night I met her (about a month ago). I am a veteran and she helps me with my PTSD to keep me grounded.”

“A UPS Driver Delivered Nearly 200 Packages A Day Through Lockdowns And The Holiday Season. This Week, Hundreds Of Neighbors Came Out To Give Him A Hero’s Salute.”

Inga Korolkovaite – Bored Panda

Where There’s Love, There’s Hope 5

Thanks to a friend for forwarded email with these wonderful photos.

Where There’s Love, There’s Hope 4

Thanks to a friend’s forwarded email for these wonderful images.

Listen

Shel Silverstein via Reader’s Digest

Where There’s Love, There’s Hope 3

Thanks to a good friend who forwarded these wonderful photos to me.

Where There’s Love, There’s Hope 2

Photos forwarded by friend

Where There’s Love, There’s Hope

Thanks for a friend’s forwarded email.

Things Will Be All Right

Depositphotos

Whispers

Unknown – SayingImages.com