All Things Nice . . .

 

 

(source)

Praise God for warmth -- for little rooms that hold

A warm bright fire, shelter from the cold,

For love that bids us welcome, holds us dear,

For Peace that hovers like a pigeon near.

Praise God for warmth, when winds are keen and high

Driving grey matted clouds across the sky

Whines like a dog outside the kitchen shed

Like banshees wailing for their troubled dead.

I never hear the wind against the door,

But I am reminded of the homeless poor,

It is their voices crying wild and deep

That haunt my dreams and will not let me sleep.

Praise God for warmth -- oh heart, for warmth and light

For walls that shut us from the lonely night,

For He who wandered homeless knows the way

Footsteps turn homeward at the close of day.

~Edna Jaques, Praise God for Warmth

Beside Still Waters, 1939

It snapped bitter cold again late yesterday.( -8*C/17.6*F at present.)  We awoke this morning to a world covered in white.  But it is a dry white  not a damp. I watched the young lad shovel the drive and the snow was like sand. Not packy and wet. So, its not snowman weather. All-told we really have not had a lot of snow this winter. Not compared to my brother in Ottawa. They got over 200cm. according to my brother.  That's over 78 inches.  So quite a bit! You would want a snow blower with that much.

As I was going into bed last night I glanced upon my two Mrs. Albee woven pictures.  These were Christmas Gifts from Avon to my mother when she was an Avon Team Leader in appreciation for their "constant dedication and excellent work."  Mrs. Albee was Avon's first Representative. My mother was so proud of these. They hung in her bedroom for years. They were made in England by J and J Cash.

My mom loved selling Avon. Like everything she did, she was very good at it.  Mom was not one much (during her working years) for having friends, but selling Avon got her out of the house and socializing with her customers, most of whom really enjoyed her company.

Dad used to get involved as well. He would help her pack up her orders and get them ready for delivery. I'm not sure how much mom actually made selling Avon, because she used to buy a lot as well.  She was probably one of her own best customers. She had a huge collection of the figurines, bottles, etc.  I am not sure what happened to all that stuff when she passed away. I think we only ever saw it as dust collectors, but they were in reality,  mom's pride and joy.

I am so grateful that I have these two woven pictures.  Every time I look at them I am reminded of my mother who was dedicated to all that she did and who always put in her best efforts to all she turned her hand to. She was a wonderful example to each of us.

There is not a day go by that I do not miss her. It will probably always be so.

I have been on the lookout for some good old fashioned wooden spoons, like the kind my mother used to have.  Not expensive or fancy ones. I don't want ones with slots woven into them or holes, etc. Just plain wooden spoons. The kind you use to beat things and stir things.  All I seem to be able to find is fancy ones, or ones that come in groups with slots and flats, etc.  I just want a set of simple wooden spoons.  

I watched Pamela, A Love Story on Netflix yesterday and came away with a new found respect for her. No, she has not always made smart choices. But we all make poor choices in life.  She owns them however, and I don't think she deserves all the flack and negativity she has always gotten because of some of them. That sex tape thing. That was something personal that she and her husband had done for themselves, and it was stolen and put out into the public eye. 

Nobody has ever been taken to task for that or charged. Its so wrong that a person can get away with such exploitation. I don't care who is on the tape.  If they were playboy models, or rock stars or whatever. That was highly personal stuff and stealing it, putting it out there and making money on it was a criminal act in  my opinion. 

Unlucky in love. Who am I to talk.  I have never been lucky in love myself, but I am not famous so its not talked about. (At least as far as I know!) But she is a survivor and keeps rolling with the punches and coming back. Raw and honest I came away with a new sense of respect for her after watching this program.

I had bought a loaf of bread at the store day before yesterday when I was here. I need to check out the dates on things better. It expired the day after I bought it. I had just assumed it was fresh that day. It will make good bread crumbs.  

Yesterday I baked myself a loaf of my Milk Bread in my bread machine. It is my favorite kind of bread that I bake in it. It always turns out perfect and keeps fresh for a few days at least. yesterday I used all 60/40 flour, so it was more whole grain than just white bread and it turned out lovely.  That's what I had for my supper last night.  A nice thick slice of that with butter. A smidgen of honey (Drizzle Ginger Shine) in one corner and peanut butter on the rest.  It was so good.

The simple things in life really do give me so much joy.

 

(source)

I've always been a cloud watcher.  Even when I was a child. My eyes have always looked to the heavens and I have always enjoyed watching the clouds. Sometimes they are fast  moving and I wonder at that as I watch them glide across the sky. They can foretell bad weather, or good weather. They are filled with dreams and pictures.

I remember learning all about them in science when I was in grade six, about all the different kinds. I couldn't tell you now what is what, but I remember the terms cumulus and cumulus nimbus and stratus, etc.  Don't ask me to put what name with what kind of cloud. My brain doesn't work that way.

I simply can't remember and as I am not a weather man, it doesn't really matter.  What only matters is that I find them beautiful.

 

(source)

I never did have my lunch with friends earlier this week. My days got away from me and then it was too late to invite them. I told myself, I don't need it to be Valentines day to invite some friends for lunch. I will invite them another time. 

I spent the day trying to get ahold of my insurance people so that I could set up car insurance payments instead of paying it all in one lump sum.  People are not so good at calling you back these days it seems. I hung around  my phone forever and I didn't want to go out anywhere just in case they called. I wanted to be near my insurance forms, etc. So I just hung around and waited.  So I didn't get to the shops to pick up what I thought I was going to do for lunch, and so I just didn't bother inviting them.

It will happen another time.  However, in the waiting, I did get a few things done that I had been wanting to get done so all was not lost.

 

(source)

I find that as I get older and older, my brain takes me on these wonderful jogs down through my memories.  I get to enjoy some of the finer things in my life again as I remember with fondness some of the happier times through my years.  I probably should write some of these down in case they get lost forever. But maybe it is only me that they have meaning for?  I don't know.

Some things are beautifully clear and yet there are other things that I should remember that I forget. Like how much each of my children weighed when they were born, or the exact timings of their births. etc. Most people have written records of those things. I do not.  Lost in divorce, not translation. I wasn't allowed to have those things when that marriage broke up and according to my ex sil, he burnt it all anyways.

But I do remember the wonder of holding each of them in my arms right after they were born and the love that was there.  That's what counts right? Not how much each one weighed or exact times.

There is a scene in that series The Chosen when Christ is looking into someone's eyes and he says, "I know you."  That is how I felt when I held each of my children in  my arms for the first time. I looked into their eyes and I "knew" them.  I had had an intimate relationship with them from the moment they had become and was now able to look into the eyes of the souls I had already become very familiar with.

 

(source)

Will it be long now before we start to see the early Spring robins return?  I think not. Already I see small buds forming on the tree branches in anticipation of the warmer days which we know are coming. It won't be but a few more weeks now.

When you were a child did you gather pussy willows?  I loved to gather pussy willows. I think my mother let us have them in the house, but I am not sure. I can't quite remember.  It is one of those elusive things which is out there, but that I cannot quite grasp.

I as talking to my friend Jaquie yesterday and I was telling her about this memory I have of being a child and watching my mother scrub our floors on her hands and knees. She would do it at night when my father was out and my brother and sister were in bed. She would sit me in a highchair with a bowl of cereal and I would be eating the cereal and watching her work.  The carpet rolled up, me safely tucked out of the way.

Mom was such a hard worker.  She kept a fine home for my father and us children. I am not sure we always appreciated it like we should have done.

Don't you just love the way cats can sleep.  I wish I could sleep that deep and comfortable. They seemingly find comfort anywhere in any position.  Not me, when I go to try to go to sleep I feel all of the wrinkles in the sheets, every little irritating thing that is out of order.  I become very ocd.  I hear all the noises, feel all the wrinkles and pils . . . it is all I can do to put the days happenings out of my mind. 

I have a white noise machine which drowns out all the small stuff, and I always listen to a sleep story to distract my mind from thinking too much. It really helps.  Before I know it I am drifting off to LaLa land. I am such a creature of habit.  I have my ways and comforts.

That is why I don't like travel very much (except from my armchair). I like to be in the comfort of my own bed, with all of its familiar wrinkles, with my pillow that is shaped just to my head, knowing that in the morning when I wake up not much will have changed.

And with that I best get myself off here and get on with my day  . . . 

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛.You have to count on living 

every single day in a way you believe

will make you feel good about your life - -

so that if it were over tomorrow,

you'd be content with yourself.

~Jane Seymour•。★★ 。* 。

Worst pictures ever of the most delicious Sticky Sweet Lemon Rolls. Forgive me. It was too late in the day to get good ones, but I had to share them. They are so delicious!

I hope that you have a beautiful weekend. Be happy, safe, warm and blessed, and don't forget! 

═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════ 

⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════     


And I do too!