Happy Easter

Happy Easter!  Wishing you God's blessings and a joyful celebration of the traditions you hold dear in your family!  Thanks for stopping by ~  With love - Me

 

Spring fever

It’s spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you’ve got it, you want – oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!  - Mark Twain

March 30th and raining...oh dear...I just remembered Sarah told me to stop talking about weather so much!  She will also wonder why I can't figure out the settings on my camera.  I'm pretty sure the blue tones of the pictures below are not supposed to be that way.  They do kind of reflect the mood on a rainy day.  Guess I'll have to get out the manual to see what I need to do to correct it!  A perfect thing to do on a rainy day. Anyhow, being that it's raining and gloomy out, I do think I have Spring Fever!  

Happy Saturday - March is almost over.  Thanks for stopping by!  Get out your umbrella, go jump in some puddles and celebrate the change in seasons!

Be flexible and let go, it is just stuff!

Once we see that everything is impermanent and ungraspable and that we create a huge amount of suffering if we are attached to things staying the same, we realize that relaxing and letting to is a wiser way to live.  Letting go does not mean not caring about things.  It means caring about them in a flexible and wise way. – Jack Kornfield

Spring is a great time to begin clearing out stuff no longer needed.  Even if it feels easier to just leave things as they are.  Especially if it takes a lot of energy to "clear" the stuff out.  I'm talking about emotional energy too.  Letting go of stuff from a time in our lives when it was important and replacing it with stuff someone else wants takes energy.  Caring about both the old stuff and the new way requires flexibility.  It's wise to let go of the old to bring in new energy.   Letting go of the stuff that is "old" to you, and giving it to someone else, by donating or giving it away keeps the cycle going.  Letting someone else clear through the stuff and discard what is no longer needed is another way.

Or, you can do like my daughter, claim the area as her own, box up my old stuff, and have the muscle man move it to another area.  An area that now, I have to clear out.  I'm starting to question the "relaxing" part of the process.  Maybe the boxes in the way will motivate me to let go faster this time.  I can't wait to see what she does with the newly claimed area!

Thanks for stopping by!  Blessings to you this Good Friday ~

Lots of "crafting" supplies....how many
years in between trends does stuff
come back in style??

Good thing I know of a great
3 year old teacher who might
enjoy some of these things for her
little crafters!  

Smiling is painless

It takes a lot of energy to be negative.  You have to work at it.  But smiling is painless.  I’d rather spend my energy smiling. – Eric Davis

My daughter reminded me this past weekend that I've been referencing the weather a bit too much in the blog.  But...one more time won't hurt!  The warmer weather sure does make me smile!  Just seeing the snow melting slowly makes me smile.  Just knowing the winter coats can soon be put away makes me smile.  I know when I see that first Robin, I'll smile too.  Ah...see, I feel better already, no more negative talk about the weather!  A few moments of smiling is a great way to spend some energy!

Happy Thursday ~ Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy many smiling moments today!

A smile brightens the day!

You can't help but feel better when you smile!

Creativity and construction

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this:  that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists. – Charles Dickens

 This past weekend we visited the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN.  As we drove up to the building they have a carefully designed fence blocking the view of what is being created.  Their fence is a piece of art work just as much as the creation behind it.  The anticipation created with the fence there helps draw the interest in as well as prevent someone from entering into the construction site.  I'm sure the artists are already in love with their creations!   The people visiting the art center can't help but leave there feeling the desire to create!

Gotta love creativity!  Happy Wednesday - thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy your moments of creativity!

 

Nursing your dreams

We grow great by dreams.  All big men are dreamers.  They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter’s evening.  Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true. – Woodrow Wilson

The full moon is here again, just like every cycle.  The light from the moon at 3:30 am versus 4:49 am is worth getting up for.  With the snow covering the field and the moon shining bright, there was a beautiful rose color to the clouds along the horizon and a bluish glimmer to the snow.  It was definitely picture worthy.  So of course, I made an attempt to capture it on film.  I'm such a dreamer...one of these days, I'll figure out a way to capture a picture of the moonlight on the snow.  Guess I'll just have to keep nursing that dream!

Happy Tuesday ~ thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy nursing your dreams and the growth you experience doing so!

Just above the middle of the
picture is the faint clouds.
They were gorgeous, nothing like
what it looks like here!

Attempt # 2 - no better.
Keep dreaming...or maybe I should
have still been sleeping?  

Sunrise, sun rays

Opportunities are like sunrises.  If you wait too long, you miss them. – William Arthur Ward

Remember when you were little and the teacher told you to draw a sunrise on the paper?   Remember how you would draw the rays of sun like lines coming out of the sun?  Why oh why did we do that?  Then...this morning, I looked out and saw this sunrise.  The lines from the jets reminded me of a kid like drawing of the sun.  I ran to get my camera, and took the opportunity to use my "dusk/dawn" setting on the camera.  The lines aren't perfect like I remember my drawings were when I was little.  Needless to say, a day with a beautiful sunrise is always a great day to take the opportunity to enjoy it!

Ah...the simple things in life, a sunrise that brings a smile to your day.  Happy Monday!  Thanks for stopping by!

Nonsense - Alice style

If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense.  Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn’t.  And contrary-wise; what it is it wouldn’t be, and what it wouldn’t be, it would.  You see? - Alice

Today is simply nonsense.  We took a road trip yesterday and since we had been on that same road many times, seeing the same things and sites, I took pictures of nonsensical things instead.  Nothing noteworthy really, just nonsense.

Sometimes, you just have to do nonsensical things!   Hope you take some time to do something nonsensical! Thanks for stopping by!!

Road trip snacks

The windshield crack

Going the speed of traffic...

My daughter

Daddy with daughter

No snow on the south side of the highway

The windshield w/ the parking ramp in the
background

Empty staircase

Window with a pamphlet someone
left behind.

Seeing is believing

Some things have to be believed to be seen. – Ralph Hodgson

Last Sunday, my Shamrock plant received a "mowing".  I had witnessed it before when my friend did the same thing.  I knew, or should I say, because I saw it before, I believed it would be okay to mow the grass.  I believed it would grow back.  For the last week, I've been checking every day to see if it really would.  I was starting to have my doubts.  That is until this morning when the sun came out, little sprouts started popping up!  Seeing it confirms my belief that it would happen!

A sign of Spring!  Happy Saturday - thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy your moments of believing!

Tuesday...it was looking pretty dismal!

Less than a week later, look...tiny little shamrocks!

One step at a time

When we are sure that we are on the right road there is no need to plan our journey too far ahead.  No need to burden ourselves with doubts and fears as to the obstacles that may bar our progress.  We cannot take more than one step at a time. – Orison Swett Marden

There are moments in life when we take a pause and reflect on how we got to the point where we are at.  There are moments when we look ahead and wonder if we're making the right decision.  Looking ahead or looking back help keep the journey in perspective.  There's the reassurance that we can make it through things when we look back at how far we've come.  Just the boost we need to give us the courage to go forward one step at a time.

One step at a time, especially when we're a little scared about the future.  We can't move forward without taking steps.  As we take the steps it's important to remember to leave behind the pictures of what we think it will look like when we get there.  Creating the path and the journey as we go gives us permission to enjoy the journey.

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Friday ~  Enjoy each step you take today!

2012 Hospice Remembrance Quilt
My mom's name is in the uppper
right hand corner.  

Look at all those names, all
those families who were brave
and who took the journey of saying goodbye
to a loved one, along with me
last year.  One step at a time,
we're all here to see how far we've come.

Happy comparison

Happiness in the present is only shattered by comparison with the past. – Douglas Horton

Yesterday, as I looked out the windows at the way the wind was creating beautiful snow drifts in the yard, I remembered how warm it was last year at this time.  I remember seeing the green grass, sitting outside in the afternoon and enjoying the spring weather.  Ah...nice memories!

If you don't remember...see picture below for proof.  I'm happy to be here, hoping for a slow melt to the snow at the same time being a little sad that last year's spring was a bit more enjoyable!

Happy Wednesday - thanks for stopping by!  Here's to being thankful that it isn't as warm as it was last year. With as much snow as we have on the ground right now, a SLOW melt is exactly what we need.

Last year at this time.

Cool drifts yesterday!

Yes, definitely way more snow
this year!  But the table is clear...

Enjoy the beauty of the hours in your day

Today is a smooth white seashell, hold it close and listen to the beauty of the hours. - Unknown

One of the cool tricks we can do with our mind is we can transport ourselves to another place just by imagining it.  So, as we look out today at the drifts of snow blowing around like crazy, imagine them as sand dunes instead.  Listen closely to the winds blowing.  They are blowing in spring flowers, warmer weather and green grass.  Just like the ocean and sand rubbing against the shells to make them smooth and beautiful, the changing conditions help create the beauty we enjoy.  

See...just for a moment, we all forgot about the snow and the cold right?

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Tuesday!  Enjoy listening to the thoughts of warmer weather your mind creates today ~

Wish me luck, please grow back Shamrock plant

There’s a dear little plant that grows in our isle, ‘Twas St. Patrick himself, sure, that set it; and the sun on his labor with pleasure did smile, and with dew from his eye often wet it.  It thrives through the bog, through the brake, and the mireland; and he called it the dear little Shamrock of Ireland… - Andrew Cherry

Today is an adventure to see if I have a green thumb.  Well, at least a green thumb for taking care of my Shamrock plant.  It's been looking a little not so happy, so I'm taking a risk and mowing it.  

How did I come upon this little treasured plant?  On one of my last days at work (before the long unemployment month), one of my dear employees and friends gave me her Shamrock plant.  She said she couldn't take it home because of her cats.  I think of it as a gift of good luck.  It reminds me of the good luck I received when I was able to share time working with her.  I smile every time I water the plant or look up to see how it changes throughout the day/night.

The neatest thing about shamrock plants is how they react to light.  They fold up their leaves on overcast days or at night and open up on sunny days when there is light.  A phenomenon is called nyctinastic movements.

Unfortunately, the Shamrock grass is toxic to cats.  I had to place my plant out of reach from our cats.  The spot I chose wasn't the best for the plant, so it is currently in a state of needing trimming.   I'm going to trim it down and take it to work with me for good luck.  The location at work will allow it some freedom to grow in a indirect, sunny window away from our cats.  A little stroke of luck to have a beautiful sunny window to look out for me too!

The Shamrock planted pots need to be positioned indoors where they can get indirect sunlight.  Oxalis plants do not tolerate temperature above 75 degrees during daylight hours. They need nighttime temperatures of 50 or less than 70 degrees. Temperatures differing from these ranges can start plants into early dormancy.  The location I have had the plant in at home doesn't fit this criteria, so another great reason to move it to work.

Since I'm a little forgetful on my watering schedule.  Droopy leaves are usually the indicator for me that it's time to water.  The Shamrock grass is a good match for me there too.  They prefer to be watered once in 10 or 14 days.  Allowing the soil to dry out in between watering.  Supposedly every two months oxalis containers should be flushed to remove accumulated salts from the soil with room-temperature water.   That's something I haven't done, and I don't recall seeing my friend do that either, so...I guess we'll just go with what's been working instead.   I also read that Shamrock plants do best when watered using purified or distilled water rather than tap water.  I've been using tap water, and the plant is still growing.  We'll see if it likes the new water at work before I try the flushing technique.

Overall, it is an easy and fun plant.  Remember it is grass, so watching it grow back after "mowing" is an added bonus to the luck of having a forgiving plant.    

Happy Saint Patrick's Day - thanks for stopping by - may the luck of the Irish be with you today and always!

Just starting to wake up for the day

The leaves gradually open up to the sunshine

Upon closer look though, there's more dying off grass,
time for a mowing.

A stalker appears in the distance.

Just let me sniff it.

Back off cat...it's time to mow, you don't want
your whiskers cut do you??? 

You can just cut off the dried ones, or pull them out.

My friend always cut them all off.  A true
mowing of the grass.

Toss out the grass, so the cats don't get poisoned.

Add water

Set in a nice place, in indirect sunlight.  I'm
going to set it here until I can transport it to
work.  Wish me luck...I hope it grows back!!

Wishing

Wherever I am I always find myself looking out the window wishing I was somewhere else. – Angelina Jolie

Today...more snow...maybe Angelina was looking out a snow when she said the quote above?  Today, I tend to agree with her.  The ground hog wasn't correct in his prediction, spring isn't early.  But...I can always imagine my toes in the water, toes in the sand and the happy feelings return!

Happy Saturday - thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy the moments where you dream of somewhere else, just to keep your spirits up!

Don't cheat yourself of anticipation

Never forget that anticipation is an important part of life.  Work’s important, family’s important, but without excitement, you have nothing.  You’re cheating yourself if you refuse to enjoy what’s coming. – Nicholas Sparks

I can think of a few other things to look forward to in late winter than more snow.  Looking forward to early spring is a toss up on what you'll get for whether though.  When you get more snow, especially when you're anticipating warmer weather, it's a stretch to want to enjoy the forecast for more snow.

On the other hand...won't all this moisture help for the anticipated green grass, spring flowers and over all prevention of drought like conditions?  The effects of all this moisture can be great form of anticipation.  I know I will enjoy watching and seeing the changed conditions.

Maybe for today, we can just focus like a cat watching bubbles.  No matter how many bubbles are coming at them, each one is just as exciting as the last one.  It is exciting waiting for something to appear.   It is exciting to look forward too.  This weather will pass, and for that I'm excited.

Happy Friday ~ thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy your moments of anticipation.  If you see some bubbles along the way...I dare you to buy them and enjoy doing some bubble blowing just for fun!