Dear Neighbor . . .

 

(source)

 
ESTATE LANE, N,S.
-10*C/12*F

snowing

Dear Neighbor,

It's a chilly one out there this morning, cloudy and overcast although it is still dark. I am just letting you know what it says on the weather app.  I am sitting here in my cozy little house with a blanket over my lap.  The cats have had their breakfast and their treats, and all is well in my little corner of the world.

It is my father's 91st birthday today (at the risk of repeating myself.) How blessed we are to still have him with us.  He lost his ring this week.  He had this gold and diamond ring that he wore on his left hand.  It was very expensive, and somehow, he has lost it. We are hoping that someone will turn it in. It is a bit of a ridiculous ring to us, very big and garish, but it is important to him.  He grew up with nothing in a very poor family. His relatives used to call him the "penny boy."  "Here comes the penny boy." his uncle would say when he saw him coming. My father would do chores, etc. for a penny. A penny was a lot of money to him.  Being able to buy himself an expensive ring "just because" meant a lot to him as well. I hope it gets found.

 

(source)

Both our mother and our father came from very humble and poor backgrounds.  Neither one of them had much of anything when they were growing up.  Both of them worked very hard to take themselves out of poverty, and to provide a good life for the family that they would one day have together.  

Growing up we did not necessarily have the best of everything, but we had all that we needed.  Mom held the purse strings, and she was very thrifty.  We did not want for anything even if we did not always have what we wanted to have. We were loved and cared for.  I will always be grateful for the childhood I had.  I was taught important values as well as how to be a good and a kind person, not simply a nice person.

Nice does not necessarily mean that you are good or that you are kind.

 

(source)

I did go out to the lunch yesterday with the ladies from church. I wasn't sure if I was going to go right up until I actually left. I was undecided for most of the morning, but in the end I went.  It was snowing as well, so I broke out of two of my comfort zones.  I battled my social anxiety, and I battled my fear of driving in the snow. I consider that a win.

I did enjoy myself. It was nice to get out of the house and breathe in some fresh air.  It was nice to spend time with and talk to people I have known for many years, to break bread together.  There was about 12 of us, which was just a nice crowd.  They had four tables joined together for us.  

I had my usual, fish and chips.  I did not eat most of the chips. I knew that I wouldn't. Jacquie was seated next to me on one side and Glenna on the other. Glenna was a good girl and had a salad. Jacquie had the fish and chips and ate all of her chips.  It was really delicious though. My fish was very nicely cooked and the batter was lovely.

But what was even better than the food was the company. To be in the company of like-minded souls and people whose company you enjoy is a special blessing.  I just wish that doing such things came much easier to me and that I didn't have to "make" myself do them.

Maybe with practice I will get better at it.

 

(source)

I was awake very early this morning.  I had been dreaming about my youngest son. He was still a young boy in my dream and there were lots of hugs. He was really quite coddled when he was a child. His father was away a lot, and he was a child that had a lot of fears.  He used to sleep with me most nights. It was very difficult to get him to sleep in his own bed.  There was a huge age gap between him and the older four children (7 years).  They used to tell him things to scare him a bit, as older siblings do.  He had also been a bit sickly when he was really small, with asthma.  There were many nights I had to sit in a chair and hold him upright so that he could breathe and of course there were the breathing treatments that had to be given frequently during the night. Oh, he would scream and cry through them, but the Doctor said that was a good thing as it meant that he would get more of it into his lungs.

One time he was hospitalized with it. I slept in a cot next to his bed the whole time he was in there so that he would not feel alone. I did not get much sleep to be honest.

He used to love me to read to him.  I read him lots of stories every night, him nestled in the bed next to me. He liked my made-up stories most of all and he was always one of the main characters in the stories I told. We used to watch movies together.  Our favorite one was "Our Vines Have Tender Grapes." Margaret O'Brien was in that film, and I think he may have had a little boy crush on her.

We were always really close. I suppose that is why I am having a difficult time understanding what has happened. It just makes no sense to me. It probably never will.

 

(source)

I had a lovely facetime call with my friend Tina last evening.  We talk at least once every week. I miss her. She and Tony are going to one of their grandson's weddings in May.  He lives in Zimbabwe. That is actually where Tina grew up.  She is South African, so is Tony. They are very good people, but then, you already know that. 

I think it is pretty wonderful that she and Tony can still travel like they do. They are both in their 80's now.  Tina is registered blind as well, although she can see some. 

Anyways, it was wonderful as always to talk to her. Time spent with a good friend is always worth it and I am so grateful for modern technology which allows us to spend the time together that we do.

 

 

(source)

I have finished the Enid Blyton book.  I loved that it was all intact to the original. Many of her books have been adapted to "modern" audiences.  Health and safety and all that.  How wonderful it was to take this adventure with these children. I had forgotten how the story ended and so it really was like reading it again for the first time.  I enjoyed every minute of it. 

I can remember wanting a parrot for a pet when I was a child. That was never going to happen.  In all truth the novelty of having one would have probably worn off quite quickly.

Mom used to feed the crows when we were living in Gimli. There were several that were quite tame.  I have only just remembered that.  She would have only been in her late 20's/early 30's when we were living there, so quite a young woman.  Dad was young too.  It was so long ago and yet, it seems like just yesterday.

 

(source)

Who knew that posting a recipe for something like a Baked Corn Dog would be so controversial.  "Why don't I post healthier recipes that don't use processed food?"   It's an "affront to the fair-food qualities of a corn dog." etc. 

It seems to have caused quite a stir.  It's not like I eat hotdogs every day or even post recipes using hotdogs every day. They are quite rare on the blog. And so, what if it is not deep fried like a fair-food corndog? 

If you don't like, you don't look or cook, etc.  Everyone is a critic.  It makes me laugh sometimes. But at least they are looking, which counts!  👍

 

(source)

I am pretty much caught up with all of my work for this week and could spend today just doing something fun if I wanted to. It is not very often that that happens. I could sew or I could paint or maybe create a little matchbox doll.  I have no idea what I will get up to, but it will be something, I am sure.  

I have a life which is filled with plenty.  Work, play, family, faith, friends. I don't get lonely. I think that is because my life is filled with purpose, and to be quite honest, I enjoy my own company.  That is a great blessing in and of itself. I don't get bored.

When we were kids, we did not dare get bored or our mother would have found something for us to do! And it would not have been play.  We learned very early on in life how to amuse ourselves. I have a billion things that I could do today.  I could also do nothing at all.  

What a luxury.  To be able to do nothing at all. I do have some journal writing to catch up on.

 

(source)

I had been wanting in the new year to get a wardrobe for the bedroom. I have not done so yet. There is a part of me that is afraid to spend the money, just in case I regret it later in the year. Then there is the problem of putting it together.  Nothing these days comes to you ready made.  You literally have to assemble everything. Not such a hard job when something is small (like the electric skillet I got for Christmas.) But when you start talking about wardrobes, then it becomes a bit more complicated.   I know I could ask my ministering brother from church to do it. His wife and I could have a bit of a visit when he was doing it.  But I hate to bother anyone. 

I could look on Facebook marketplace, but then I might get something which smelled musty or something, worse yet like smoke.  I think a new one is the best option, but it bears thinking about.  I know that Wayfair offers the option of someone putting it together for you but that adds considerably to the cost.

I think I will think about it for a while longer before I buy.

And with that I best leave you with a thought for the day.  Time is marching on and if I want to play, I best get on with it!

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
*.Happiness is the 

secret to all beauty. There is

no beauty that is attractive

without happiness.° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

~Christian Dior° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

In The Kitchen today . . .  Creamy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs. Creamy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs -seared chicken thighs cooked in a creamy garlic sauce.  Simple to make and delicious. 

I do hope that you have a beautiful day today and that your weekend will be really nice also.  Whatever you get up to do stay warm, be happy, 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!