A Day Book . . .

 

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW ...

This was early yesterday.  We did get a bit of snow, but not a lot as compared to past years.  This January is very odd. We get snow, but it seems to get washed away by rain or milder weather. I am not complaining, but I do think it very odd. Out west they are getting extremely cold temperatures.  In the U.K. cold temperatures, even snow in some places.  It just seems odd that we are not.  

I AM THINKING ...

I have decided that the town I live in is very lazy when it comes to snow removal.  When I went to pick up Cindy the roads here in town were very greasy, slushy, not nice.  As soon as you hit the town limits and crossed over the bridge. Clear. Totally clear.  Even on the back roads. Apparently the county sprays some kind of salt mixture on the roads which melts the snow and clears the road.  In town here, they only drop grit and do not have much in the way of snow removal.  And yet the town property taxes are really high.

I AM ALSO THINKING ...

I got myself a Fitbit yesterday. I was needing a watch anyways. I have gone long enough without one.  This one is good in that it is going to encourage me to get up and get moving. I am also interested in checking out my sleep patterns. I haven't figured out how to do that yet. I will have to get Cindy to show me. I thought it might be uncomfortable to wear in bed but it really isn't.

 

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HARD TO BELIEVE ...

Dad will be 90 tomorrow. I would have never believed that he would have outlived our mother if you had told me that 30 years ago. Like me, dad has always struggled with his weight. He goes up. He goes down. Mom was always slim.  They were both fairly active and liked to go dancing on Friday and Saturday nights.  I think the difference is that Mom smoked and Dad quit smoking when he was in his 20's.  Mom smoked right up until after I moved over to the U.K. She always chewed Nicotine gum however. Even after she quit. For quite a while. I am not sure about after Cindy moved down.

I don't understand, with all of the knowledge we are armed with about tobacco smoking,  why young people start smoking, and yet many do.  A lot do vaping I think, which is probably just as bad for you.  

 

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CUTE ...

How cute is this. Warm and welcoming.  To me it looks like a little one room cottage. I would love to see inside it. Maybe there is more that we just are not seeing, hidden by the bushes, etc.  My first husband's grandfather lived in a little tar paper shack on the corner of their property. It was just one room. Inside was a bed, a chair, a small table, a wood stove and a television.  The walls were papered with and insulated with old newspapers. That was his happy place.   It was actually very cozy.

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TRUE THAT ...

This is so true. It is the comfort season.  A time of year when we are perfectly happy to be lodged inside by the fire, under blankies, sipping hot drinks, reading good books, watching films, having cozy chats.  A time when we can enjoy jigsaw puzzles etc. without feeling the pull to get outdoors and pull weeds or some such.  We can dig out our paints, or our knitting needles and feel grateful for the warmth of a growing blanket upon our laps.  I need to get stuck back into mine. I have been taking a break from crocheting, but the lure of the hook is calling to me.

 

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BEAUTIFUL THINGS ...

It looks like a marshmallow exploded. A blizzard can be a beautiful thing if you are tucked up all safe and warm in your house. Looking out from your windows you can watch as the snow falls and the drifts form, piling up, muffling the world in a thick cozy cold blanket. The world goes silent it seems.  Unless the wind is blowing overly much.  The pines stand black green in the veiling snow.  The sugar maples lift their bare arms towards the pewter sky welcoming the flakes as they fall and envelop their branches in a cold blanket. No two flakes alike you think as you watch thousands of them falling and wonder at the miraculous. How can this be, and yet . . . it is fact. No two flakes are alike.  How wonderous is that!

 

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UNAPOLOGETICALLY ...

I love the foods of winter unapologetically.  The soups, the stews, the heartiness of it all. Pot roast for instance. It waits for everyone, and only gets better with the long slow cooking. Baking beans, thick with molasses and flavored with salt pork, crusted over with brown goodness.  Begging for thick slices of buttered bread to sop up all of their tasty juices.  I could happily sup on that every night.  Indian pudding, brown bread, corn muffins and breads . . . hot and steeped with plenty of butter melting into them. A pot of hearty oats bubbling on the morning stove top, bacon curls crisping up in the oven.  This is the time of year that we can enjoy these things like no other.  Unapologetically.  We need them.

 

 

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SOMETHING I MISS ...

Something I really miss is the snap, crackle and smell of a wood fire.  For years my ex husband and I depended on the warmth of a wood stove in the winter months to keep the house warm.  And it did.  I loved the smell and the sound. I loved to lay on the sofa and watch the flames flickering behind the glass  . . .  most mesmerizing. Lulling you to sleep almost.  I never  minded the mess. The pleasure of the warmth and flickering flames was well worth it all.  I always kept a pot of water filled with warm baking spices simmering on the top.  Mingled with the smell of the crackling wood, our home always smelled so wonderful to me.  I have a candle now that I like to burn.  Oak Barrel and Cider.  It's flame will have to do.

 

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JOY ...

What brings you joy?  For me it is the simple things. Good music. Good, yet simple food.  Good books. Faith, family, friends. A comfortable home.  A place to call my own.  I don't need gold and pearls, diamonds and luxury.  To me the simple things in life are luxury. I  rejoice in them and they give me great pleasure.  A warm pair of socks. A pair of wooly mittens. A flannel nightie.  A blanket on my lap and a cat purring next to me while I dig into a good book, an intriguing mystery on the television, or the dulcet tones of the Mormon Tabernacle choir on YouTube. The smell of bread baking in my bread machine while a soup bubbles on the back of the stove.  I know many might not enjoy or appreciate these things. Many crave much more excitement than this. But it is more than enough for me.

 

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TRUTH ...

A reminder to help us embroider our words and actions with the threads of love rather than angst . . .  to relish each moment given and to participate in life with presence and meaning.  Make each day count for it is a day that will never come again.

 

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SOMETHING I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED ...

Bird watching.  Feeding the birds.  Listening to their song and chatter. I don't get many here. My sister does. Yesterday I was watching cardinals and chickadees at her feeders. Squirrels too.  Her garden is a really interesting place to be and to watch.

SOMETHING TO READ ...

The Magic of Ordinary Days, by Ann Howard Creel

The powerful story of one woman's passion in a world at war. Olivia Dunne, a studious minister's daughter who dreams of becoming an archaeologist, never thought that the drama of World War II would affect her quiet life in Denver. But when an exhilarating flirtation reshapes her life, she finds herself in a rural Colorado outpost, married to a man she hardly knows. Overwhelmed by loneliness, Olivia tentatively tries to establish a new life, finding much needed friendship and solace in two Japanese American sisters who are living at a nearby internment camp. When Olivia unwittingly becomes an accomplice to a crime and is faced with betrayal, she finally confronts her own yearnings and comes to understand what she truly believes about the nature of trust and love.

Also reading my scriptures, poetry, re-reading Susan Branch, etc.  There are never enough hours in the day.

SOMETHING TO WATCH ...

I started to watch this last night. I like a good mystery. Not a fan of gratuitous sex.  I don't see the need for it.  There was one scene. Not a fan.  Other than that though I was intrigued with the show and am looking forward to the next episode when it comes out.  I am a fan of Jodi Foster.  Always have been. She is an actress who has made the transition from childhood acting to adult acting and done it well. She also looks the same as she always has. I don't see much plastic surgery there. I admire that.

 

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MAKES ME SMILE ...

Blue has always been one of my favorite colors.  Blue and red.  Those two colors bring me joy.

CORNERS OF MY KINGDOM ...

When will I get to it?  Soon I hope! Lego for the adult woman in me.

CRAVING ...

Corn salad and bean tacos. These look fabulous! From This Savory Vegan.  I love tacos.

IN THE KITCHEN ...

Breakfast for Dinner Naan.  These are quick easy and delicious!

TRACING THE GOODNESS ...

Finding joy in small and simple things and pleasures. Faith.  Family. Pets. Home.  Friends.  These things matter most and are the source of true joy.

 

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A THOUGHT TO CARRY WITH YOU ...

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

 *.˛.You have within you the strength,

the patience, & the passion

to reach for the stars, ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

to change the world.° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛

~Harriet Tubman° * 。 • ˚ 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

And that is my daybook for this week. I hope that you all have beautiful days.  Blessings to you all and don't forget!

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
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And I do too!