Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way

1) See the picture on the left?  I entered "Fatima" and "The Gals" into a juried art show.   One, and, I don't know which one, was accepted.  I'll find out tonight when I go to pick up the "declined" project.

2) My knee surgery is rescheduled!!!!  

3)  My blood sugars are much more in control now than they were two weeks ago!  Yes!

 

 

Yesterday was a Beautiful Fall Day

Last night, before I went to bed, I changed the sheets.

I crawled into my bed, with its clean sheets,

and 

it was wonderful!

There is nothing, no pleasure, like jumping into a bed with newly laundered sheets!

Absolutely, nothing!

I felt the movement of the sheets as I shifted my body to get comfortable enough in bed to read.

I thought of the time when I was young, and my mother put newly laundered sheets on my bed!

They were stiff.

They were uncomfortable, 

and

it took a few days for me to get used to them.

By then, it was time to wash the sheets again, and hang them outside to dry.  

Today, and ever since I was married and moved away from home, I continue to wash my sheets weekly, but I don't hang them out to dry.

I don't know.

I don't buy into the myth of sheets dried on the line.

You see the commercial where the wind is blowing, and the kids are playing, all the while, Mom, or in these days, Dad, is hanging the sheets on the line to dry.

That night, everyone has beautiful smelling, clean sheets.

Nope.  Not me.

I want to wash my sheets in a machine,  use my unscented fabric softener in the dryer.

I want my linens to be crisp, clean, and soft.

Wrinkles are all right.

The wrinkles come out quickly, but this myth of childhood, when things were "better," well, I'm not sure they were better, they were different.

Different is all right.

I still want machine dried sheets!

(PS: The Title has nothing to do with this blog post!)

(Insert a smile and a wink here!)

Worth Repeating: The Leaves Are Gone

Sculptures,

living and strong.

Bare

Open

Naked

Ready for the rigors of winter.

Twisted,

Gnarled,

Reaching Beyond the Earth.

A sign from the grave of winter,

The sculptures will bud.

5 Things I Learned About Life This Summer While Working in the Garden

1) Not every seed that's planted will grow, and even if all the seeds you plant grow, only the strongest ones will survive.  Not only do you have to grow, you have to be strong.

2) Many times, birds and other critters will try to steal the seeds you've planted and eat them.  You have to guard the parts of you that are growing so that someone who is destructive will not tear you down.

3) Water is to the growing plants like music is to the soul.  We must have that beauty to grow.  We must be nurtured, aka, watered frequently to grow and produce well.

4) When growing potatoes in a container, the best potatoes are the ones that are in the deepest parts of the container.   They are the most difficult to harvest, but they are the most delicious when harvested.

5) Gardeneing, like life, can be a dirty business.  You go out there clean, and, if you're doing it right, you come in dirty.  That's just the way life is.  If you want to live your life to the fullest, you have to get a little dirty.  Life is too short not to live with your heart and soul.

Random Thoughts on a Cloudy Day

I think I need more sleep.  I slept in, on Sunday, until almost 9 AM today.  (I went to Mass yesterday, so there was no need to set the alarm. )  I dragged around all day Sunday. I took a morning nap, too.  I guess I'm not sleeping enough.  That needs to change.

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I'm entering some of the "Gals" into a juried art show tomorrow.  They all have names now.  In frame #1, it's Felicity, Doris (pronounced Daw-ris), and Sabrina.

In the single frame, Fatima is her name.

I guess I have to get used to cloudy days again.  It is fall.  This will be interesting.  I'll be pulling out my Happy Lights.

My daughter is an amazing cook.  She makes a killer pasta and a tomato and potato soup, yes, she combines them, that are to die for, literally.  Wow!  If she writes these recipes down, I'll post them here, too.  The FB friends are waiting for them.  She makes her own pasta sauce from scratch.  Wow!

Fred, the cat, seems to be accepting that Pixie will be living with him now, and that she's a dog, not a cat.  Ok, Fred would rather she were a cat, but he thinks she's a very bad cat, as cats go.  So far, they cannot be friends.  Marvin, the cat, is more accepting.

The tomatoes have slowed down.  I think there is only one cucumber left on the wilted vines.  There might be a  couple of small pumpkins left there.  It was a great growing season!  The summer was perfect for the crops.  Next year we'll have even more crops to harvest!

My next random thought is:  Thank you for being a reader.  I'm not sure how many people read my posts, but thank you, if you do.

 

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way.

1) I'm very pleased with "Never Kiss a Chicken."
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2) I'm feeling better.  I felt the side effects from my flu shot, but I'm much better now.  I'm very thankful that there is a flu shot available.  I've had the real influenza!

3) Yesterday was the first day of fall!
Yikes!  Where did summer go?

Thoughts of Autumn

red leaves

yellow leaves

crunchy leaves

cooler weather

socks and sandals

light weight jackets

jeans

cool winds

rainy days

light frost

killing frost

dead leaves

gardens empty

leaves on the street

freezing rain

heaters

sweaters

short days

long nights

raking leaves

winter's coming

closing the woman cave

storing the garden tools

finding the snow shovel

putting away summer clothes

hanging up the winter clothes

sorting clothes for give away

wearing gloves

turning off the air conditioning

ordering seed catalogues

wishing it were spring

Worth Repeating: Dear September

Dear September,

When I was a kid, I loved September!  September meant going back to school with new school supplies, notebooks, pencils, pens, cigar boxes for our school supplies, but most of all, a box of new crayons!

I can still smell the wax when I opened that box.  We could only bring a box of 24 crayons to school, so I looked forward to October, my birthday month, when I would probably get a new box of 64 crayons!  Isn't it odd, though, to think of you and think of the smell of wax when I opened my box of brand new crayons?

I also remember being hot in the early part of September.  It was then that I would smell the green chile  peppers roasting as everyone stocked up on the green and roasted the peppers to put away for winter.  The smell was heavenly!  The taste of those green peppers mixed with our food--beyond amazing!  I loved September for that reason!

Then, September, you began to cool off a bit.  Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as windows were left open and the "swamp coolers" turned off.  You were really lucky if you had a swamp cooler!  Because of the dry air, your air conditioner would put water into the air of your home and cool it off.
You didn't run your swamp cooler a lot because of the expensive electricity, but there were times when you were cool.  You could sit and read inside and still be cool.

In the meantime, leaves were falling off the trees and drying.  I remember jumping up and down in the leaves just to hear them crunch.  Coming home from school, we'd all march in the leaves and come home with miniscule pieces of dried leaves clinging to our socks and filling our shoes.

September, you were a fun month when I was kid.  Even now, I am beginning to see leaves turning yellow.  I see gardens that are mature.  I see fresh produce from family gardens.  Sometimes, I'm even given a bit of fruit from a tree or vegetables from a garden.  Now, we bypass the heat and humidity.  We put on our light weight jackets when we go out.  We begin to harvest what we have sown this summer.  Yes, September, I miss summer, but I do welcome you with fond memories and expectations of the cold winter days ahead.   I'll be looking for a new winter coat this year.  September is a good month to buy a new coat.  There are a lot of sales right now.  September, you're finally here, and now, I'm off to enjoy you.

PS:: Don't tell anyone, but I still jump in piles of leaves when I can.  I also buy a new box of 64 crayons in September.  Shhhhhhhhhhh!  That's our secret, September.  Shhhhhhhhh!
 

Thoughts about Tuesday

If Tuesday were a place,Tuesday would be an ordinary place.  Monday is extraordinary because Monday begins he week.    Tuesday is just Tuesday because it follows Monday.  Like the middle child, Tuesday's place is set in the week and often neglected because it’s the day after Monday. 

For most people, Tuesday is a workday.  We have passed Monday, and we are headed to the weekend, but we are still a long way from that weekend on Tuesday.  Meh.  It’s Tuesday.

If Tuesday were a city,  Tuesday would be dull.  People who lived in Tuesday would all look like someone who could not be picked out of a line up because their faces were very much the same.  Their houses would be plain, not exciting.  Their children would live in Tuesday World, and they'd never know a Monday or any other day except for Friday, because on Friday, even though the people would be grateful,  their lives would be stuck in Tuesday.

I am so grateful that I don't live in Tuesday.  Tuesday is not extraordinary. Wait, I think I do!

It finally Realized...

a blog post doesn't have to be long to be a blog post.

So, in order to write on a regular basis again,

I plan to write

simple,

short 

posts

especially when I feel overwhelmed like now.

Summer has drifted into fall,

and

I didn't realize it.

Suddenly,

the temperatures were cooling

and

leaves have begun to fall.

I've been digging sweet potatoes

and 

regular potatoes, 

and

I missed the change.

Feeling overwhelmed is dreadful, especially when you miss the beauty of life.

The fog appears to be lifting.  

I hope so.

If you can,

whisper a quiet prayer for me. 

I know it would help.

Thank you.

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way.

1) Soon, the frost will be on the pumpkin.  The days are growing shorter.  The temperatures are cooling down a bit.  We are headed towards autumn!  September is here!

2) My walking sticks are almost finished!  I'm now in the process of varnishing them.  Two more coats, and they will be ready to use!  I'll show pictures next week.

3) The garden is still producing.  We are enjoying the fruits of the garden!  Tomatoes, kale, cucumbers.  Nummy!  Soon!  Pumpkins!

August Melts into September

The seasons change again.

August has melted into September

like the wicked witch of the west

melted when the misguided 

bucket of water hit her.

"I'm melting!  I'm melting," she cried.

So, August is over and September has begun.

What do I think of you, Dear September?
I think I love you!
The heat will cool.
The air conditioner will be shut off.
The windows will be open again,
and fresh air will fill the house.

The first frost will tip toe into the air.
Unless it's a killing frost, the pumpkins will not sweeten up.
The vines will die, and the harvest will begin.
On many nights, we'll cover the surviving plants until the evenings are so cold that nothing will save the vines from death.
The good news is that the harvest will be ready.
We'll have potatoes, pumpkins, and what's left of the tomatoes will be on the window sills ripening.

We'll pull out our sweatshirts and light weight sweaters and jackets.
Jeans are so comfortable,
unless the hangars have shrunk the jeans  again.

September, you will lead us into October which brings us closer to winter.
Leaves will be blown into bags.
We'll celebrate a cool, warm day!
That's one of the benefits of autumn.

I think of the ancient ones who walked or rode horses where we now have streets.
Oh, September, I'm anxious to embrace you as I loosen my hold on August.
Let's dance until it's too cold to move.
Now, I'll love you!!!!