Resourcefulness

Good morning all.

1.  I have never tasted a macaron.  Just sayin'.

2.  I had a strong flashback of my mom pasting lace curtains over board walls, then pasting wallpaper over that.  Johnny asked if it wasn't gauze, but I distinctly remember the lace flower pattern in the curtains.  He said that they used to use gauze over the boards to make them smooth before pasting the wall paper.  

Then we had this whole discussion about the way people used to use things they had on hand to save money.  They used everything UP!  The clothes were passed from one child to the next and if you were in line for your big brother's summer shorts, then that is what you wore even if you were a girl.  The examples of their frugality are endless.

This morning I was on Instagram looking at a woman's bathroom renovation.  To me, her current bathroom is something I am still dreaming about, but to her, I guess it is time to go.  Out with the old, in with the new.  It will be interesting to see her before and after photos; however, I wonder and question about the necessity of throwing the old in the landfill.  For what gain?  

On this beautiful day, I wonder what my mother would think about the resourcefulness of this renovation. Her thoughts would probably run along these lines.  1.  Isn't that (old) bathroom beautiful?  2.  Why?  3.  Is it broken?  4.  Are you going to do it yourself?  5.  Can't you reuse that toilet?  6.  Are you going to give the old fixtures to someone?  7.  How much is that costing?  8.  Again, why?

So, Mom, I have to hand it to you.  You were the queen of resourcefulness.  You are still my inspiration.  

I love you.  

I wonder how different our world would be if we USED IT UP rather than fill our landfills with things we discard just because we no longer like the color.  

   

Paint-by-Number Nostalgia

 Good evening everyone from my bright and sunny sunroom.  So bright I can hardly see what I type.

As the sun in my eyes I am reminded of painting a paint-by-number scene in 2020.  The pandemic was in full force and had us stuck at home, so I ordered the paint kit.  I worked a month on that thing, April 2020.  The light at this time of day, from 6:00 to about 7:00, is ideal to see all the tiny, tiny numbers.  A couple of years has gone by, but the memories are still strong as I sit here tonight.  That painting is by no means a master piece, but as Johnny often tells me, it is about the process rather than the end result.  He asks me questions like:  Did you enjoy picking it out?  Are you having fun?  Are you keeping your mind off other things?  If the answer is yes, then the end result does NOT matter.  

Time has marched on, but we all have the memories.  Thankfully, the strong memories in this room at this time of evening are pleasant.  Not everyone has pleasant memories of that time.  Be thankful, Regina.  Be thankful.

Tonight, I am thankful that my family came through the pandemic relatively unscathed.  

I am thankful that my five senses bring forth such vidid memories.

I love you.   

Ironing

Guess what, I have gone Marie Kondo on my closet.  That is right, everything out!  I haven't discarded much so far, but I have gotten all my summer clothes in the closet and ironed.

Friday, I ironed all day.  All those white blouses are now pressed ready to be worn; however, I cannot bring myself to wear them right now.  I think they must hang in the closet for a while, maybe all summer, just so I can admire my work.  I can look back at those shirts to remind myself that on April Fool's Day I actually worked.  

I love to iron.  I bring the iron and board into the living room and turn the TV on to a classic movie.  I am all set with a tall ice cold glass of tea.  I just love the process of ironing.  I love the monotony, I love the steam in my face, and I love getting the immediate gratification of watching those wrinkles disappear.  

Wrinkles:  That brings me to linen.  I love linen and I have been shopping online for a few things to update my wardrobe.  They will require ironing.  But I have come to the conclusion that I am not a person who could actually pull off wrinkled clothes.  I think it takes a certain person with a level of income to have the right accessories; very expensive jewelry, purses, scarves, and sandals to pull off the "I don't care about wrinkles."  I am not one of those people.  I just don't have the look.  

Fun fact:  I once did some ironing for a lady.  I got $1 a shirt and that was in 1984.  I like ironing, but I won't be ironing for hire anytime soon.

I love you, linen.  Maybe someday................

Sense of Smell

Yesterday, Audrey, Shawna, and I were in Target just browsing.  We needed a couple hours out in the real world.  We walked by the crayon aisle and I picked up a huge box of Crayola's and squeezed the box to see if they smelled better than the stale box of crayons I have at home.  Oh my goodness, I was nearly knocked over with nostalgia.  I was right back in first grade with my box of oversized box of crayons.  The smell of the crayons plus the smell of the cardboard box reminded me so much of my Big Chief Tablet and my crayons.  First grade.......

Also, it reminded me of Kress' basement looking for paper dolls and coloring books for my sisters for Christmas.  Sometimes things just hit me..............  Tears were beginning to form in my eyes and I moved on..............  There's a time for sentimentality, but maybe not in Target, on Saturday, at noon!

By the way a new box of crayons will be in my shopping cart next week.  They definitely smell better.

I love you!  

  

I Guess my Life is PERFECT

Do you ever have something that just makes your life seem better than what it actually is?  Something simple?  Well, I do.  It is the white miniature string lights that are around the ceiling in my sunroom.  (We sit out here almost every evening just to catch a glimpse of the wildlife.  Most often it is the fox and deer and we were not disappointed tonight.)  When it gets too dark, we turn on the tiny ceiling lights and immediately my spirits are lifted. Dare I say the magic of Christmas?  There's something about these lights reflecting off the seven double glass doors that is mesmerizing. They look like airport runway lights and go on forever and ever and ever.  

Didn't we have a beautiful Sunday?  Such a beautiful night after a beautiful day.  We have had several of those this year.  I suppose that will make up for 2020 ice storm which left our trees in tatters.  Nonetheless, our 2021 fall is beautiful.  Each year we wait and wonder what fall will bring to our little area.  This year isn't as brilliant in color as other years (I keep hoping we are not at the peak), but each time when I meander through our tiny woods, I see autumn and nature at its finest.  You will find beauty everywhere.

Another thing that makes my life seem so good is mowing the yard.  When I was mowing yesterday--perhaps for the last time this year--I was reminded of all the autumns of the last 73 years.  Those 73 autumn memories melded together to make me, ME.  To make ME remember the good times.  To make ME enjoy the smell of a bonfire.  To make ME love the changing colors.  To make me look forward to more autumns.  To make ME want to share my joy of autumn with those I love.  To make ME cherish the life as I live it. 

I follow a lot of Instagram home decor accounts and while they do have beautiful homes, I feel no jealously.  There is something about our humble abode that that keeps me grounded.  Travel here and there, but this is where I want to be!  

Here are some photos of our yard, Autumn 2021.  I guess my life is PERFECT.  

I love you!

2021 New Mexico Adventure--Trip Report

Leaving home.  A kiss for luck and we're on our way!

Years ago we used to write trips reports after we got back from TDY trips.  This time I am writing my trip report to help me remember.  As hard as it is to admit, memory fails from time to time.

We left a week ago Monday on an impromptu trip to New Mexico.  We had to stop for gas in Elk City (Love's which was horrible to maneuver for gas but extremely nice restrooms--IMPORTANT) and turned NW toward Clayton, NM.  We stayed the night in Clayton at the Best Western.  When we checked in, there were seven gang cops checking in also.  We felt safe for sure.  I would not hesitate to stay at this Best Western again nor would I hesitate to recommend it to others.  Actually, there are very few hotels in this area so your choices are few, nonetheless, I would chose this over other hotels had they been available.  It's that good.  Breakfast was complimentary and delicious.  All the ingredients were there to make yourself a breakfast burrito.  (That was the last time we were served breakfast even though the hotels were double the price of the one in Clayton.)

The next morning we decided to stay a couple of nights in Taos.  We often change our route on the spur of the moment.  If we see a road on the map that we hadn't traveled, we would just go down that road to see what's there.  We traveled to Taos via Red River and stopped on I25 to get gas.  Johnny got himself a black Route 66 t-shirt with a 1960s Corvette on it.  We stopped at two places, the Mercantile and the Fudge Shop.  Didn't buy a thing at the Mercantile, but bought a pound of fudge.  If you buy a pound, you get a quarter pound free so it is a MUST that we buy a pound.

We got to Taos early afternoon and stopped at the Overland Sheepskin Company.  I got a bowl of soup at a little restaurant there and Johnny got key lime pie and cup of cocoa.  We stayed the night at Don Fernando Hotel which is a Hilton Tapestry hotel.  I cannot say it was worth the $200+ a night, but it was a very quiet, comfortable place to stay.  It was almost like condos with 8 or 10 rooms in a building.  Next time, if there is one, we might try the El Pueblo.  We walked around the town square the next morning.  We had planned on going to the Indian pueblo but they were closed due to Covid.  Of course, we had to eat Mexican food twice and both were delicious.  Orlando's on the outskirts of Taos.  The best!

Thursday, after getting gas, we headed to Santa Fe.  We stayed at the Santa Fe Motel and Inn which was .6 miles from the town center.  We headed straight there and walked and walked.  We are so blessed to be able to walk.  We split a BLT and avocado and sat on a picnic bench outside.  Delightful time.  We bought nothing except a t-shirt for me.  (Had to keep up with Johnny.)

We were tired after walking downtown, so we ordered a pizza and walked to pick it up (a couple of blocks).  We ate outside our room on a beautiful evening and had one of the biggest and best pizzas we have ever had.  

The motel where we stayed in Santa Fe deserves its own paragraph.  It was the cutest place and we DEFINITELY would stay there again.  I had read their reviews which were phenomenal and a short walk so we wouldn't have to move our car (which didn't move while we were there).  It was a quaint, quiet place that had all the New Mexico vibes.  They didn't have breakfast, but had biscochito cookies and coffee in the lobby along with apples, cuties, and bananas.  Hibicus tea and biscochito cookies were in the lobby at checkin.  I just can't explain how enchanting this place is.  Love!  

Next morning (after checking out the caution light--nothing wrong) we headed for home with the option to stop somewhere along the way if we got tired.  Neither one of us were tired so we drove straight through to Oklahoma City.  Got gas and and ice cream at McDonald's.  We got home around 7:30.  NO PLACE LIKE HOME.

ANOTHER TRIP IN THE BOOKS.  

I love you.

Road Trip Talk

Last week we took a road trip.  We drove for about 1500 miles and only had the radio on for no more than 5 minutes one time!  Did that mean rode in silence??????  Oh no!  We talked and talked and talked as if we had just met and were falling in love.  

And  we observed.  We observed all wind turbines along our route, discussed them, counted them (by the way, there are too many to count).  We always look forward to a Route 66 icon, Lucille's.  Sure enough people were stopped to take pictures.  We wondered who they were and about where they were going.  (By the way, we often make up scenarios of people we see on a trip.  Are they married?  Have kids?  Grandkids?  How they make their living.....we make up our on fun.)

We discussed the lack of restrooms along I40 in Texas and New Mexico.  We pointed out every interesting thing in both those states because, well...........there are relatively few interesting things in some areas.  Cows, now and then.  A few antelope.  A few cars...a very few.  We had long conversations about how the residents make a living in those remote areas and how far their children have to ride the bus to school.  What are those kids doing on a Friday night, who they date, and how are they going to meet someone to marry?  And the all important question:  Where is the Amazon based and how many miles do they drive in a day.  

We discussed and resolved ALL the world issues.  That took some time, but we figured out.  You can rest easy tonight.  

We talked about you.  YOU!!!  Yes, if you are reading this, your name came up along the way.  It is easy to become a psychologist when you have time to think things through.  So if your ears were burning last week we were probably wondering and talking about you.  

Kids, we talked about you, too.  Grandchildren, too.  We went down memory lane the whole trip and what a lane.  What a life!

So many things to talk about.  It feels so good to know that after 49 years together, we still find things to talk about.  On the way home, I looked over at Johnny and my heart overflowed with sappy, sentimental love.  We've had such a blessed life and the fact that we can just chat comfortably for hours at a time is icing on the cake.  We still have a lot in common (we discussed this).  

So rest easy my pretties!  Johnny and I have everything figured out.  Turn off the radio and talk.  What a life!

I love you.

Get on the Plane or Don't Get on the Plane?

Get on the plane or don't get on the plane?  That is the question.

It is totally dark in Oklahoma City at 8:55.  The weekend is almost to a close although a weekend means little to me.  Retirement does that to one.  Days run together and that's just the way I like it.  

Lots going on with the Delta Variant of Covid 19...ramping up affecting those much younger than us retirees since we have had the vaccine.  We have been asked to fly to Las Vegas to join another couple to have a few days just running around, shopping, and enjoying some great restaurants.  Neither couple gamble so that would be pretty much our agenda.  No pressure, just some quiet fun with a fun couple, laughing and eating.  

I would really love to go and so would Johnny.  We even used our points for plane tickets.  Then we slept! And thoughts ran rampant through my night-time brain.  I thought about our risk and all the what ifs.  Will we be safe?  Will we survive a bout with Covid?  And then there is the cooped up plane ride.  Will a mask be enough?  Probably not.  But.............I STILL WANNA GO.

Tomorrow perhaps we will turn our tickets back in.........and then that door will close.  Oh Covid!  I despise you and how you have changed our lives, our world.  Get on the plane or don't get on the plane?  That is the question.

It has been a long time since I have written here.  I have said this many times on this blog, but I will say it once again.  I love you and hope to have another conversation and blog post tomorrow......maybe.

I love you.

Snow January 1, 2021

SNOW JANUARY 1, 2021

Look what happened while you were sleeping!

Happy 2021.  So sometime after the clock struck 12 when Guy Lombardo played his haunting and nostalgic and most memorable version of Auld Lang Syne on our Alexa, but before our 7:30 wakeup, this happened.  

Some might look at this snow as another taxing issue left over from 2020, but I am going to look at it as a beautiful landscape painting.  Our whole vista is covered in deep billowy clouds of whipped cream frosting; a feast for the eyes.

We don’t know what this year will bring just as we didn’t know what 2020 had in store.  Living through last year makes me realize how quickly things can change.  With that in mind, I can going to try to live each day as if I have received a blessing, because, frankly, I have.

I love you.  Happy New Year.

Special Moments

Here it is, the end of a year; one of the worst years that I can think of for many reasons. Not only the pandemic hit us all unexpectedly, I lost several good friends. It seemed every day was a new challenge.  

Today, on Facebook I linked an old blog post about Pop Dixon and making our New Year’s Eve special.  I reread a comment regarding that post.  The commenter said life is a string of special moments. Looking back over 2020, I didn’t, at first, remember any special moments; all doom and gloom, certainly no string of special moments. Then it began to dawn on me that there were a lot of special moments.  In fact the whole year was made up of special moments, perhaps smaller than in years past, but nonetheless, SPECIAL.

There was a one last Dallas trip to meet special friends just as the pandemic started.

There was a overnight trip to see our favorite guitarists right after Covid reared it’s ugly head.  Weighing all the risks, we decided it was worth the effort....and it was, indeed!

There were the date day trips we made to Walmart grocery pickups.  We made those trips fun just watching the world drive by on I40.  

The trips for fast food only to eat in the car in the Target parking lot were entertaining.  We, again, called them date nights.  

Easter was different and challenging, but my immediate family got to share some social distancing on the front porch, even working in an Easter egg hunt.

Some of the best special moments were those warm evenings watching the deer enjoy the corn that we’d provided......then the foxes, opossum or two, even a family of 4 skunks waddled in a time or two.

Black and white movies became a new passion.  Gosh, what productions those were.  I enjoyed just looking at their movie sets, maybe more than the plots.

So.........here I set, corned beef simmering for Rueben sandwiches later, just about to work in a little nap because we will be up late making another sweet special moment.  Friends, life is made up of a string of special moments.  Make one, even if it is just for you....it takes effort.  Maybe even an afternoon nap is special.

All my love for a great 2021.