A cool Thursday

  One of the apples on my fruit lawn tree. lol  It has quite a few this year...

  It is a chilly morning. Well--relative chill. About 66 right now at10:30 AM and cloudy. Perfect grass mowing weather, if I could just get out there and do it. But I have all these grand ideas of OTHER stuff I could do...like clean and grocery shop (a local store has chicken breasts -bone in- for .99/lb) and I probably need to go get those.  If I thought I could be sure that the Irishman would mow this evening, I might risk it.  But in his head, he's already on vacation, I'm afraid.

  I have friends possibly coming out tomorrow afternoon. Not sure that I can count on that, because, well...you know how people are. And these 2 are very...um...spontaneous...about plans they make. Like changing them at the last minute. I've known them for a couple of years, out and about, but they've never been to my house before.  We'll see.


   I have lots of weeding that needs done as well. And a friend who is very broke right now and is fishing for some work. I may just take him up on it.  I could pay a little....might not be enough, or he might be grateful for anything. Won't know until I ask, I guess.  I'm always afraid of offering too little...I know I feel MY own time is more valuable than other people think it is.  lol Times are hard these days for everyone, I guess. And we all need to feel like we can share something...at least, that's how I look at it.

My spare change jar (that I just cashed in to give the Irishman a little extra pocket money in WI) contained over 65 dollars this time.  It has a label on it that says:

     This is an abundant Universe.
     I always have more than I need.
     I always have wealth to share.

  A good reminder, there are always things I can share. No matter what.

  Okay. Enough of this dilly-dallying.  I have a massive dog hair eradication project to embark upon. Groceries to shop for.  And decisions to make about the nature of my grass mowing--as in, who's gonna do it?  lol

  I am off for 2 days and will have plenty of leisure to get things done without killing myself over it. That in itself is a relaxing thought. Tomorrow I will spray the veggies...altho this cool snap might just take care of some of the imminent problems for me. (It's really not THAT cool...I just am chilly in here with the fans blowing on me....) sheesh...

  My chickens and cats and dogs love the days I am home because they get extra attention.

  Even the cockatiel Chico seems to know when I'm going to be here to chat with him all day and whistle back and forth like we do. He's been singing me love songs all morning.

  I have more beautiful butter yellow lilies open this morning ut front around the bird bath and the feeder pole.  The flowers are HUGE. So bright and cheerful. No signs of flowers on the Rose of Sharon yet...but the bush itself looks grand.

  I pruned the bejeezus out of it this spring, and was a little concerned since I usually prune it in the fall.  Worked out fine though. Mother Nature, while very exacting sometimes, can be very tolerant as well.  Thank Goodness.


  Have a fine day y'all...rain or no rain, sun or no sun.

 

 Namaste.

That Fickle Mother Nature...

 MY chives...and now Mama Pea tells me I should have chopped them before the flowers. Dang! Well, even at my age, you live and you learn...lol   But...they're soooo pretty!!

  Yesterday barely missed 90 degrees. It hit 90 the day before and today is supposed to be the same. The humidity is brutal.  We seem to have warped straight from winter to summer and almost left out spring. With all the rain we've had the last few weeks around these parts, it's nice that things have dried out just enough that we can plant. And by we, I mean me, and the farmers. I get stuck behind farm machinery every single day now out on the road.

  I finished the corn, green beans, edamame and a few errant peppers that the Irishman missed planting. This was yesterday. It kept threatening to rain out my planting day, but never quite happened. When it did rain (after I was finished) it was just enough to wet things down a little and then go it's merry way. South of us, they got some pea sized hail. We had thunderboomers, but that was all. It's amazing how different the weather can be just 15 miles south of us...

  I will spend today housecleaning and cooking and puttering around before I leave for MissB's. Taking it a little easy...

  Tomorrow I will drive down and pick up my baby sister and bring her up here to Honeysuckle Hill to spend the day. She hasn't seen my newly painted walls yet, or the gardens. She had a little setback on Monday, so I will try to cheer her up. I had a rotisseried chicken yesterday and the leftovers will make a nice chicken salad for us for lunch. Today I will fix some kind of  wonderful  thing for my husband's supper tonight while I am gone...something he can easily heat up in the microwave after his 10 hours at work.

  Hopefully the sweet potatoes will be in by the weekend and we can get those in and then except for the marigolds and nasturtiums that I border my beds with for bug control, the garden will be fini! (I just realized that I didn't put any parsley or cilantro in yet!! I can tuck those plants in about anywhere...in the salad bed maybe, or near the chives.) This is life on the little homestead...it's never finished, and just when you think you're done, other things pop up.

And I wouldn't trade it for anything...




Namaste.

Sunday musings...

 Here are a few things I absolutely LOVE...

• Old fashioned flowers, like hollyhocks and rose of sharon, and lilacs.
• The smell of coffee brewing, first thing in the morning.
• Embroidered dish towels.
• Vanilla anything...ice cream,. lattes, hand cream--you name it!
• The feel of a baby in my arms.
• Puppy breath.
• Vintage clothing.
• Vinyl record albums.
• Journaling-in pretty journals.
• Laughter.
• Bird song.
• Hand made rag rugs.
• The feel of silk against my skin.
• Poetry.

• Being at one with God and nature.

 And it's been a long day and I am ready to sleep...perchance to dream...of spring??  In a week or so, I can start the process of starting seedlings for transplant into my gardens.  I'm going to try a 2 stage transplanting method I've been reading up on.  We will sit down next weekend with journals and paper and start planning the bounty.

  On Friday we are going to the St. Louis Art Museum and spend the afternoon there, and wind it up with a free concert being given by a group called  the Carolina Chocolate Drops.  A 3 person group , accomplished musicians who play primitive instruments and jug band type stuff...they are remarkable.  The woman, Rhiannon is a trained opera singer. The 2 male members of the band are classically trained musicians as well. Their music is wonderful, and I'm really looking forward to the day. A great date with my best friend...

  I have a dear friend who is moving to St. Croix the first of the month.  I'm so excited for her, and everything is just falling into place like magic.  I am amazed...there are people in her life who are beating her up about her decision to make this change in her life. ..what is it with people? Jealousy? Fear?  Most are people who have never had any adventures in their life, and/or are living in the same town doing the same thing they have all their lives.  I am her biggest cheerleader.  I have always believed that God gives us opportunities to spread our wings and soar...all we have to do is find the courage to make the leap.  I will sure miss her...who knows? Maybe this is how I get to go visit the Islands??  lol

    I am feeling so grateful and so blessed to have the life I have today.  There is more love surrounding me than I have ever had the honor of experiencing all the days of my life.  I have a small and modest home in the country, with lots of trees and flowers and beauty.  This morning I awakened and reached over to feel the Irishman beside me.  "Listen", I said..."do you hear that??" He smiled.  Through the rain falling outside, you could hear the song and voices of many birds, for the first time in months.

  Spring is coming.

Namaste.

Monday,Monday

The aforementioned cave...somewhere in Virginia.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love caves. I've probably been in 10 different caves around the country. They are such a tremnendous mystery, so full of rare and exotic sights. I love especially the way they always tell you not to touch anything, because man doesn't belong down there, and even the sloughing skin cells swirling around are changing the ecosystem as we speak. I LOVE places that we don't belong. Reminds me of being up at Pike's Peak, and the park rangers were telling everyone to be careful where you step, as the balance of natuire that high up in the Rockies is fragile. Telling us how many years it took for the environment to recover when people picked the wildflowers up there. And Yosemite...ah....wonderful and brutal Mother Nature.

A laid back day at home today. I did make a Caribbean pork stew for supper that I served over Jasmine rice. It had chilies and dry mustard and bay leaves and fresh ground pepper and sweet potatoes and onions and garlic and celery in it. And carrots and green beans. And thick juicy chunks of succulent pork sirloin, cooked to the point of melting in your mouth. Yes, siree....it were good.

The pups have just come back in and the cats are all accounted for. I guess there's no reason now that I can't go to bed. Got a 10:30 PM call from a sponsee who is working this horrible schedule of doubles 3 and 4 times a week. Mandatory. So, I stay up and let her call late...it's the least I can do. She is starting on her 4th step, (in a very roundabout manner, lol) and trying to fit in life with this crazy schedule. She's only about 3 months sober, and I'm amazed at how well she's holding up. But she has a goal, and she's striving to reach it. Jobs are so hard to come by around these parts, and she is stubbornly taking it all one day at a time. Bravo, little girl!

I'm sure feeling blessed again tonight. And grateful....really, really grateful.



Namaste.

Settle down, it's Saturday!

[The late, great Augie...aka Octavio Augustus]

Just a quick post to say that I'm feeling pretty darn blessed today. All the stars were in alignment and all the little synchronicities fell into place. Made for a very pleasant and comfortable day.

Someone said once, "It's impossible to be hateful and grateful at the same time, so I choose grateful." I loved that. Took it to heart, in fact. The more grateful I am, the better I act. The more grateful I am, the more I have to be grateful for.

Today I am grateful:

*For my family

*For my animals

*For my home

*For my blogging community

*For friends

*For NaNoWriMo buddies

*For friends in general

*Most especially, for my husband, who loves me unconditionally

Life is good.

Monday is the one day...

This is a sculpture from the front of the lodge at Pere Marquette State Park, on the Mississippi River (sort of).

Long day. Lots of emotional storms going on around me, and the worst effect it had on me was when hubby decided to join the parade and I got mad and went for groceries. LOL Big change from the days when I would get mad and change states. Or get a divorce. Or commit murder and mayhem. (Well, not murder exactly, but it lends itself well to the story..)

Had a good meeting at noon, reading Chapter 5. A good crowd too, several newcomers with lots of oldtimers sprinkled in. Sobriety ranges from 2 days to 30 years. THAT keeps the conversation lively. lol Much of the reading was on Step 4...and those damned resentments and such. I got to share a couple of my favorite famous AA lines...."Having a resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other guy to die." "Don't believe everything you think." "Feelings are not facts." Most of the newcomers were women, and I believe we may have outnumbered the boys today.

Hubby is angry because I said something, and he heard something else. So he got mad and took off without saying anything--just drove away. That really pisses me off. Then he came back and was acting like a girl and being petulant and pouty, not speaking to me. Then he took off again--walking this time. And so I thought &^%#$%^& !!! I'll just take off too and show you how it feels. So I gets in the car and starts to drive. LMAO. About halfway to the next little town from us, I'm thinking Shit, what am I doing? And start to turn the car around. But then I remember I need puppy chow, so I go into town and the store. And by the time I come back with a frozen pizza, he's already eaten something (this man never feeds himself--I guess he thought I was not coming back). So I go out and throw it in the freezer and storm back in, because by now, I'M mad. The whole thing is ridiculous, like these things always are. He's still not speaking to me, and I'm rather enjoying the silence.

"Just because the monkey's off your back, doesn't mean the circus has left town."

Tonight I'm grateful for a spare room. For running water. For sponslings who are having a terrible day, making mine look insignificant by comparison. For cereal for my supper. (shoulda cooked the damn pizza).

For snips and snails and puppy dog tails. For having the good sense to turn the car around. For knowing that I don't have to get a divorce today because he looked at me wrong. For having a higher power that I can turn my day over to in the snap of a finger. For getting to write a gratitude list every night...just like I suggest my babies do, because this really IS the easier, softer way.

Time to go read a bit before sleep.