Christmas Flashback 2010

It gives me comfort to look at photos from years past when I was able to decorate the house and enjoy the holidays with friends .  Some of my flashback photos have been posted prior to this year .

This is a favorite tree .  

This tree topper is a Porcelain Lladro Angel with pink that reigns nicely on top of the tree .  It was 1990 when I got it .  As you can see the tree is highlighted with many pink toned ornaments .  With lots of souvenir ornaments from different locations .

Who is that wearing a Santa hat ?  Is that a "stink eye" little Lily is giving me ?

I really enjoy decorating for Christmas and the Holidays but I am just not able to do what I would like to do especially since my knees are misbehaving .  Happy to say that the pain is not quite as severe as it has been .

Happy - Happy to All .

Mary

More Thankful Than Ever

Each day I say many words of thanks because I have so much to be thankful for .  And , I am more aware of it than ever . Especially for the most recent years when I have been blessed with the gift of contentment following a life filled with restlessness , questions , uncertainties , fear and striving to fill empty life spaces .  I never could have envisioned a life filled with mornings that were blooming with excitement for what the day may bring even when many days are filled with uncertainties , challenges and unknowns . That is just the way life is .  I don't have to feel like I must excel for life or any person for that matter to look favorable upon me .  With a long life filled with seemingly many problems , the calm and beauty of my life is a huge blessings and sometimes feels unbelievable .

I pray that the burdens that soo many people are feeling with life and especially with the Pandemic be lightened and the comfort of shelter , health , food , money , loved ones and healthy minds become their life .

Wishing Joyous Holidays to All.

Mary

Veterans Day

Mary

Happy Big Face

In years past I have always enjoyed decorating for the seasons inside the house and a little something outside the house .

It seems like I am forever (because it is) trying to get my garage cleaned out !  Well , guess who I found in the garage ?  Big ol' Pumpkin Man .  I have had him for years .  Isn't he great ?  And , he is Big .  Look at his size compared to the house door . He is a nice statement piece sitting alone and not needing other decorations -or friends . As he feels quite comfortable with his imposing stature .  😊 And , he only takes a night-light size bulb .  He sits on the side of the house where he is easily seen by all during their daily travels.

He has such a nice cheerful face and I like him .

I don't usually have any Trick or Treaters coming to my home because there is a very small subdivision near by that in the past before the pandemic put on a huge display of decorations and candy at every house .  The street is closed off and there is sheriff control for safety . I am not sure what the plan is for this year .

Who would have thought that we would see drive-in movies again and here in my home town area ? Seeing this ad in the local newspaper sure was strange .  I guess it took me back to my youth over 60 years ago .  How can it be that many years ago ? I can't say that I recall having attended a drive-in movie all that often . I guess perhaps the religious rigid parental control of my youth may be the reason .  But , I certainly recall the reprimand when I would come home from a date later than approved of .  And , that was my senior year in high school . And, it wasn't long after that I was living away , working on my education to become a Registered Nurse . It still amazes me the amount of control that continued even though I was supporting myself by working evenings and weekends . And , never did they assist financially and they certainly had the means .  After earning my licensure as a Registered Nurse at age 19, I married and was able to become a little more independent and able to escape the harsh control . Maybe , sometime I'll write about how I happened to attend schooling to become a Registered Nurse.  Not a typical trajectory for the day .

How interesting that a notice in the newspaper can take me back to a time in my life from long ago .  I feel so blessed to be experiencing contentment with life at this time . Sure , life has it's hills and valleys , but it is nice to be the driver at the wheel .

OK , I'll drive back to living life in this lane .  

Just read that the "Halloween Neighborhood" is going forward with celebrating .  Marking their sidewalks with every six foot markers and using assistive devices called Pick-Me-Ups to hand out candy .  Masks required .  Pretty Clever !!!

Mary

Just Another Day

Or is it ?

Do you see anything different in the above Blog Header below the photo that says - Life Is Good ?

Well , first off , life is really good even when it is difficult . You already know that perspective is my new found gift ! The reoccurring thought that I think of almost the moment that I awaken each day is my gratitude to have lived to this age and finally found who I am .  And I like it and I like her !!! WOW , now that is a huge statement coming from me .

As with most people , life is filled with many bumps and bruises in the travels . I have had my fair share and then some .  Life has been very far from what I could ever have anticipated .  Much , much more difficult than beyond my thoughts .  Especially , after I became a single parent . It was so frightening!  I was so alone in such a big world that was far more complex than my "little mind" could sort out .

Even though I have fallen severely hard to the ground and really really struggled to regain my balance , my inner self apparently trusted that there was more for me in the future that was worth pushing onward to explore .  And , here I am , very grateful to be alive and have been given the beautiful opportunity to be ME and more  expectedly , have more days on my Life Calendar .

In my exploration of my life , issues have been tossed upside down and every which way in an effort to understand and make sense of it .  The benefit of that dissection has been the comfort of truly understanding that so much has been out of my control and what matters is how I respond to circumstances .  It did not matter how hard I tried "to fix things" .   It did not make a difference .  I now know that I did my best and  no longer have to take responsivity for what wasn't mine !  

For being a person who has been very private and protective of self ,  who never kept a diary or a journal for fear it wasn't safe it amazes me that "I Am A Blogger".  And , for more than 10 years !  It has gently pushed me to be more transparent and trusting that what I have to say, really does have some merit !  I guess I didn't think my thoughts and ideas were valid enough and I may be ridiculed if anyone were to see my thoughts "out loud" .  But , here I am telling you lots of stuff about me , my thoughts , my ideas and my aspirations for my future .

The feeling of being cool within myself - is priceless .

So, what is different about today ?  It is My Birthday

Yes , yes , yes - I Am A Year Older - Really Old .  

81 - - - Can you count them ?  Oh, don't bother . I think they are all there !

(google image)

Thank you for being a part of my incredible journey .  The remainder will be just "icing on the cake" !

Mary

July 4th

I hope  you are able to celebrate the Holiday in a safe, but fun way with family and friends .  I don't think I will ever get over feeling a little sad at Holiday time with the constant reminder that my adult children do not wish to have anything to do with me . I really enjoyed and loved all the activity and family that went with Holiday time . And , I appreciate every minute and the memories .  They will always have my Love and Acceptance of their Relationship Decisions for whatever their reasons which I have not had the satisfaction of knowing .

I am so blessed to be in a psychological state of Wonderful Contentment .  I have never experienced this feeling of freedom prior to this past year .  Untold amount of hours of mental health guidance throughout most of my life and a lot of self introspection have been a guiding source .  It is great to feel this healthy , mentally and physically and I will gratefully cherish each and every day !

The Very Best Wishes to Every One of You .  Hoping you honor the sacrifices of those who through many years have been instrumental in making this a Day of Freedom , that we should never take for granted !

Mary

Nice To Have Memories

Of Christmases past .

Not much going on around here .  Some outdoor maintenance of gathering leaves to be hauled away.  And there are a lot of them all over the place.

Too many for barrels, so I have gathered them up in piles on large tarps covered with other tarps so they don't blow all over ! Hard work , but I find that it is easier on my back to use the leaf blower to move them about than it is to is to scoop them up to lift and put into barrels . Another windy heavy rain storm with snow at higher levels is forecast for this evening . I noticed that since cleaning up yesterday the wind over night has blown more leaves down and all over the patio and driveway .  Living life day by day doing what I can .

Hope your Christmas Holidays are being enjoyed by All .

Mary

Walking Through The Holidays

How do I feel ?  I really don't know . It is different than any other year .  For the most part I guess I can say that I am good , not great .  But, the best part is that I have a feeling of calm and peacefulness like no other time in my life .

My cactus plants have been blooming and this is a small one that has a nice pink/peach color .  Even with some neglect this past year they have bloomed .  I  always enjoy when they start to show some color .

My little gal IVY has been a very sick little gal . She is a rescue cat and certainly has had some issues . Her adoption was considered an "AS IS" adoption because she was resistant to being touched thus making care and treatment very difficult. Most often change of behavior patterns can change very slowly . And, it was a couple weeks ago that I thought she was exceedingly restless . Her annual vaccination appointment was soon . But, I noticed a teeny little worm when I was vacuuming ! My response was "oh, NO . As you know , I have been letting her go outside on occasion . AND , I have not been faithful in giving her the monthly Advantage (multi) medication which is so unlike me !

Well , the long and the short of it is that I told the Vet that I thought she had worms .  So along with her rabies vaccine she was given another vaccine for outdoor cats as well as deworming medication.  I was of the thought that she may have come to me with the worms but with further review of her file I noted that Rescue had giving her deworming medication before adoption .  It looks like I was a bad mommy !

She was so sick the first day after the Vet visit . Did not want to be touched and slept all day except for food/water and litter box .  After a few days she is doing great and is like a new cat . No more frantic running through the house or staying up all night thus keeping me up all night . I am so so happy that she is feeling better.

I have continued my efforts in trying to find a doctor who will assist me in procuring some medication that will help me with my Seasonal Affective Disorder . After contacting about six different medical offices - no luck ! I did find one that would see me in six months .  Another one was a four month wait for a TELE-HELP phone appointment !  Hard to believe !  Just like so many things in our current social order - or - disorder .  We have had so many dark , wet , cold days of late .  I have started using Light Therapy again , but have not noticed any help .  I will continue working on a solution .

Sending Holiday wishes as you travel along these Holidays !

Mary

Thanksgiving Time And Maybe Snow

And, OH, is it ever cold .  The leaves are still falling with the winds that continue to blow through .  I spent a couple hours outside trying to clean some of them up so it won't be such a mess with the rainfall and possible snow .

For many, many days I have spent a lot of time trying to install my security camera at the front of the garage .  Getting the Wi-Fi  connected with a strong signal was challenging me and I was almost at the point of yelling "I give up" .  But, you know those words are not in my usual vocabulary . The motion lights do not work correctly if the camera isn't working correctly.  I was so happy when it started working properly !

My new front porch light needed a little attention .  One of the wire nuts was not secured well . It is now fixed and all is well with the dusk to dawn light sensor.

I have new weather stripping to install on my three outdoor doors.  It amazes me with the amount of cold air that comes in without proper stripping .  My new small power drill/ driver should made that job go quickly .

This colder weather is not playing nice with my aging body and chronic pain .  But , I continue to push forward .

I recently tried a new recipe called Autumn Umami Chicken . Interestingly, one of the ingredients is PUMPKIN PUREE .  Before I go further , I was wondering what is UMAMI ?  The word was new to me .  Umami is Savory taste .  It is one of the five basic tastes) together with sweetness, sourness, bitterness and saltiness). You can taste UMAMI in foods that contain a high level of the amino acid glutamate, like Parmesan cheese, seaweed, miso and mushrooms. Along with pumpkin some of the ingredients included are chicken (duh), onion, garlic, mushrooms , rice, broth and seasoning like smokey paprika and soy sauce . Interesting ingredients !

These ingredients provide a taste that you might find in the common MSG .  It was in the late 1970's when this flavor was first introduced .

These photos are from when I was preparing this very different, earthy flavored chicken dinner entree . Would I make it again ? Yes . Recipe can be found here .

Also, I prepared a dessert called Pumpkin Dump Cake and it is sinfully GOOD.

And, so so easy! You can find the recipe and more photos here .

That's it for today .  Wishing you a Thanksgiving that meets your expectations and shows your appreciation for the life you have including the smallest of joys that you are experiencing.
 
I had to come back and add this entertaining photo that I saw on another blog.

Mary

Let's Make This Quick

A little peek into the garden is better than none - - - Right !

 The old fashioned Ground Hyacinths naturalize nicely and are always welcome !

 These Tulips were planted years ago by me when I was first starting my White Garden .  I believe they are called The Ice Princess - ivory-white blooms with creamy flame accents .

On the left of the photo,  the Autumn Clematis is growing robustly in preparation for blooms in the Fall .  And, on the right side of the photo, White Iris are just about to bloom .

Tulips with a few White Petunias, also.

Many, many White Iris buds at the present time are dispersed among the tulips and other plants already to open with their beautiful white purity .  They will be blooming for a few weeks following the demise of the Tulip blooms .

Iris photo from last year .

  Next,  these "huge white double blooms as pure as mountain snow" are called Mount Tacoma Tulip .

 They are Elegant ! ! !

 And, now a Splash of pink Camellias to close out this little blog post. 

It's a beautiful sunny day and I am on my way back out to the garden .  Lots of weeds to pull  ! ! !

Happy Spring Day To You and smooth preparations if you are getting ready for an Easter Day Celebration !

Mary