Wednesday Witterings . . .

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What a lovely and uneventful drive we had taking my father to his Doctor's appointment yesterday. Everything is turning so green and the blossom is starting to pop on the apple trees in the many orchards we passed along the way. Another week or so and they will be a sea of pinks and whites, and the smell should be intoxicating!  Happy to report that my father is in excellent health for his age.  My sister takes good care of him and feeds him a healthy diet filled with lots of things that are good for  him.  He eats his veggies every day, even if he doesn't always like them.

We both love our father very much.  Having him with us still is such a blessing for us.  He is such an easy person to get along with. Not much fazes him.  I think that may be one of the things that has helped him to be around for so long. He doesn't stress about anything. Seriously. 

 

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I was watching an old episode of Grey's Anatomy last night and it was the one where Doctor Bailey and her husband had to give her son "the talk."  A young black boy had died after having been shot by the police trying to crawl into a window of his own home having lost his house key. I hate that we live in a world where parents have to caution their children in this way.  Where the lives of young black boys are in danger every time they walk outside the doors of their home.  It really saddens me. I am not sure what the answer is, or how to change that.

There are a lot of things about this world that sadden me.  The plight of the homeless and the mentally ill, and the way they are so easily dismissed and looked over.  The plight of the indigenous women and people's of any country and the way they are marginalized.  The fact that cruel despots are still in charge of some of the most powerful countries in the world and wreaking havoc on the innocents. That children in the world still go to bed hungry, afraid, cold, and unloved . . . that not everyone has access to clean drinking water.  Global warming . . . I could go on and on.

It can all be a bit overwhelming and change does not happen overnight.  Change begins with me, with one.  I think if we all try to do a little better within the realm of our influence,  and to speak out for those who cannot speak out for themselves, then perhaps little by little things can improve. I am not powerful. I am not rich. But my voice and opinion still count, even if only in a small way. If enough of those small voices gather together, they can become a mighty roar for change.

Or at least I like to think that they can.

 

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I had another really bad night of sleep last night. It must have been 3 am before I finally fell asleep and I was awake at 6.  I think I know what the problem is. Chocolate.  Some nights I have a small nibble of chocolate in the evening. I like the Chocxo dark chocolate peanut butter or almond butter cups. If I have one, its only one. They only have 5g of sugar and don't use erythritol.  I don't have one every night, just every now and then. I think perhaps the chocolate is making it difficult for me to fall asleep.  Its not that I am not tired.  I am really tired but my mind just won't turn off, and my brain won't kick over into sleep mode. 

When I am tired, I have no willpower.  I hate that. I will need to take a nap this afternoon I think.  I hate naps also. I am always a bit afraid that if I have a nap in the afternoon I will mess up my sleep at night.

Yes, I am sleep obsessed.  No wonder that I am a bit of an insomniac, that is probably why I am sleep obsessed. Its a vicious circle.

 

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I am not one much for labels. I find labels stifling in a lot of ways and somewhat harmful.  I do however totally identify with this one and I am proud to be labelled as such. I believe this to be true, and embrace it totally. Knowing this to be true is life-changing. 

 

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Soon, soon . . .  it will be strawberry season soon and then I can enjoy my fill. I only eat strawberries locally sourced and in season. The rest of the year they are excruciatingly disappointing. The Strawberries in the UK were so delicious.  We had our own plants and there was nothing on earth that was more delicious than those.  Eaten within seconds of picking. So yummy.  There have been berries in the shops lately but I am not sure where they are from. Probably Mexico.  They are a good price, but I have not caved and bought any because I know they just will not taste as good as the ones I will be able to eat in late June, early July.

When I was a child, living in Manitoba, there was a railroad track that ran along the back of our house, just beyond the wire fence.  Wild strawberries grew around the wooden beams of the tracks. I can remember picking them, none of them any larger than the nail of your baby finger. Oh how delicious those were.  Sometimes we would pick enough that our mother would wash them, hull them and pop them into a small bowl for us with some cream and sugar.  A little taste of heaven on earth.

 

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Soon, too, the lilacs. The bushes at  my sister's place are loaded with buds.  I love lilacs. They are so beautiful and smell so pretty.  When I was a young bride of 19 and awaiting the birth of my oldest son, we lived in an apartment in an old house in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, just up the valley from where I live now. The whole drive next to the house was lined with a lilac hedge. I can remember how very pretty it was and how it smelled when I was pregnant for my son, who was born at the end of May.  I would go out every few days and pick a few to pop into a vase to keep our apartment smelling beautiful. 

I will forever associate the birth of my son with lilacs and apple blossoms. He is the only one of my children born in the Spring. The rest were all born in the Winter, from late November to early January.  All four of them.  Funny that.

I was so excited to have my firstborn child.  They did not tell you what you were having back then. It was always a surprise.  I was so young and naïve,  I had a lot to learn, but I was also so in love with him. I had come from a small family and had always wanted a large family myself.  I can remember wanting/wishing my mother would have a baby. Becoming a mother myself was a dream come true.  All I ever really aspired to be, deep in my heart, was a mother and a wife.

I love all of my children dearly.

 

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I love the smell of beeswax candles. They smell so beautiful.  I have a few and I need to burn them. No good saving them for a special time or purpose.  Why not enjoy then now, or else why even have them.

Why do we do that?  Save things for good and never use them. I am trying to make it a point to use the things that I have more often and get pleasure from doing so. 

What is the point of having nice things if you never use them?  Their joy is lost or wasted if you never use them.

Oh, I have this candle. It is called Coffee Shop. Now, I don't drink coffee, but this candle smells amazing. It smells like fresh coffee and cake. I love the smell of fresh coffee. One thing in the UK that I really loved was going to coffee shops.  To have a hot chocolate . . .  but the ambiance, the smell  . . .  the sound of  the coffee brewing, the sound of conversation . . .  all lovely.

Best hot chocolate I ever had was in Todtmoos, a small village we stayed in, in the Black Forest. I remember them asking me if I wanted whipped cream on my hot chocolate. I said yes.  WOW!  Amazing.  It was towering with whipped cream.

That was such a fun trip.  This is the hotel we stayed in and that church you see up there, so beautiful. Although I had lived in the Black Forest as a young child when my father was stationed there back in the 1950's, I had no real memories of the place. Being able to go back as an adult was a real blessing. 

My sister was born in Germany, in Baden Baden.  Such a beautiful corner of the world. I am grateful that I got to see it as an adult.

 

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Supper out with my dad and Hazel tonight. Marilyn isn't coming any more for some reason.  I look forward to these supper's out. Its just nice to spend the time with dad. The waitresses all love him. Almost every one of them will come to say hello to him when we are there. Sometimes even the owner will come out and speak to him. They all love him. I think that is because he is quite a pleasant man and never complains.  He's also a good tipper, which doesn't hurt.

And with that I best leave you with a thought for the day . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

•。★★ 。* 。

° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚

  ˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛

 ˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

*We make a living by what we get,

but we make a life by what we give.

~Winston Churchill  •。★★ 。* 。

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Cacio e Pepe.  I love this simple and easy pasta dish. I could sit and eat a bowl of pasta with nothing but salt, pepper and butter quite happily. This fab dish has only five simple ingredients and is sized for two.  Pasta, pepper, olive oil, cheese and pasta water. You can't go wrong!

I hope that you have a wonderful Wednesday. Its dull and overcast here and a bit chilly this morning. Its also going to be a rainy day. I don't mind. We need the rain.  Whatever you get up to today, stay safe, love and be loved and don't forget! 

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And I do too!