Spontaneity

Spontaneous: acting in accordance with or resulting from a natural feeling, impulse or tendency without any constraint, effort or premeditation.

Wow, what a concept! Yesterday we were able to do the above. We made a quick decision to go cross country skiing in the St John's woods. It was so beautiful, peaceful and challenging. It felt joyous to be spontaneous. So much of our lives are planned, routine and constricted. To feel truly alive one must follow their instincts once in awhile and just do what feels natural. Be impulsive, instinctive and involuntary.

Thought for the day (simple yet profound) Carpe diem

The Good Old Days

With both my parents now gone and with reaching the age of 50, I find myself quite often reflecting on my life. Lately I have been feeling thankful that I was able to experience things that no longer exist. Here are a few of those:

1. Rotary telephones and party lines

2. B & W television with only one channel

3. No remotes of any kind

4. Country school with two grades to each room

5. No answering machines or voicemail

6. Small town grocery store where you charged your purchases

7. No air conditioning

8. Wringer washing machine

9. Milk in glass bottles

Life seemed to be much more simple and slower paced, and I am so grateful to have had the chance to have those experiences as it shaped who I am today.

Thought for the day: Very little is needed to make a happy life.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

I am very much an advocate for recycling, using things more than once and reducing consumption. In fact, I think about it almost every time I put some thing in the garbage or see an item in the trash that should have been recycled. I also like to compost. Well, winter has made it difficult for me to recycle as my bin is buried in the snow. My items have been piling up in the kitchen as I contemplated how to dispose of them properly. So this morning under the cover of early morning darkness, I took my bags of items for recycling and headed down my alley to find recycling bins left out by those people wiser than myself. They got the bins in the house before the snow came for the season. I managed to get rid of the two bags but had a few items left. I took our dog for a walk and headed down the alley in the opposite direction and deposited the rest in another bin. Gee, I hope no one saw me!!

Thought for the day: I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument, while the song I came to sing remains unsung. Rabindranath Tagore

Fat Old Cats

I have always been a cat lover. Growing up on a farm, I had quite a few cats in my life. We had a hayshed in which I would some times tame wild cats by sitting there very patiently while they got used to me. Also, I would meow as if I thought they wouldn't notice I was human. There have also been house cats over the years, and the two that are pictured are what we have left. I find that as I move into my mature years, it's getting more difficult to deal with litter boxes and cat hair.

Our cats are Hope and Precious, and they oddly have the same personalities as my husband and I. Hope is just like me, and Precious is like Brian. The spooky thing is that Precious showed up on our doorstep shortly after Brian and I got married. So it's as if they personify us as cats. Hope is now 17 years old and Precious is at least 15. When they are gone, my plan is to get my cat fixes from visiting the humane society.

Thought for the day: If there were to be a universal sound depicting peace, it would surely be the purr.

Sweet Dreams

I don't think I've mentioned yet how much I love sleep. It seems to run in my family as my dad and his siblings loved to nap and could sleep anywhere. When I'm not working, it's my ritual to sleep at least two hours in the afternoon. I also look forward to going to bed every night. We got a new Amish bed a couple months ago, and now sleep is even better!! I didn't think that could be possible. In the winter, it's not unusual for me to sleep for 9-10 hours and then have no problem napping later on. Sleep is not a problem for me, and I always dream. That's another aspect of sleep that lures me in. It's amazing to me what strange adventures our minds can conjure up. It's also a way for me to connect with those who are no longer with us such as my parents. When my dad passed away last May, I waited quite awhile before he came to me in a dream, and I was so looking forward to that.

Mark Twain is one of my favorite people, and he used to greet his guests from his bed. What a guy!!

Thoughts for the day: How beautiful it is to do nothing and then to rest afterwards. Spanish proverb

I have never taken any exercise except sleeping and resting. Mark Twain ( the subject of sleep deserves two thoughts)

Let it Snow

It's a good old fashioned winter with lots of snow. Today was another "digging out" day after 8-10 inches. It's so amazing to me how much people like to talk about the weather. It just isn't some thing that I do because it doesn't make sense. It's totally out of our control, and if you live somewhere that has distinct seasons, it's inevitable that it will be cold in the winter and hot in the summer. I guess most people enjoy small talk, and they like to be able to complain. I love the changing seasons and all that goes with them. It seems like it runs parallel to our lives, and we should learn to take note.

Thought for the day: For Everything There is a Season - Ecclesiastes 3

Wonderful Weekend

Wow, did I have a great weekend. Went to Brainerd to my daughter's house to celebrate Melody's birthday and an early birthday for Tahnee and Olivia. They will be 26 in March. After a long week and a small meltdown on Friday afternoon, I was able to recover myself and enjoy time with family. We are receiving yet more snow as winter settles in.

Let's hope this is a good week with a bit less stress.

Thought for the day: Nature does not hurry; yet everything is accomplished. Lao Tzu

Melody in the snow

It's Thursday!

Last day of my work week. I spent the whole day yesterday with my almost four year old granddaughter, and I survived. She kept me busy. We walked to the library and got three movies and three books. We watched The Grinch, Sleeping Beauty, Toy Story, Little Mermaid and Dora (most difficult). We played games and briefly went outside to play (too cold). Thankfully, we also took a two hour nap. Finished off the day with a bath and reading books that belonged to my kids. It was fun to see their names and notes in the books. Another reminder of fleeting time.

As you can see in the photo, Melody was worn out, too.

Thought for the day: Make yourself necessary to someone. Ralph Waldo Emerson (think maybe I take that one to the extreme)

Is it only Tuesday?

Wow, this has been one busy week at work. Feels like it should be Friday already. I have the pleasure of having my daughter and granddaughter here for a couple days so no work for me tomorrow!! Melody and I plan a trip to the library which she just loves. It's close enough for us to walk. In about a week, she will be four years old. It truly seems like only a year ago that she was born. A reminder to seize the day as it all goes so fast.

Thought for the day: Live each season as it passes; breath the air, drink the drink, eat the fruit. Henry David Thoreau (can you tell he's a favorite of mine?)

Monday, Monday

Have to admit, I really don't like Mondays. I worked 9 hours today, and it was BUSY. I generally come home and get nothing done except watch a little TV and go to bed. The bright spot was taking our dog, Maxine, for a walk in the fresh snow and watching her dig ferociously until she came up with a frozen piece of stale bread. I had thrown it out for the birds awhile ago. She seemed quite pleased to show off her superior olfactory system and to come up with her buried treasure. It is the simple things.

Thought for the day: Thank God men cannot fly and lay waste to the sky as well as the Earth. Henry David Thoreau (if he had only known!)