All Things Nice . . .

 

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Red is such a cheerful shade

In the lining of a coat,

Scarlet is the color too

In a happy robin's throat,

I just wonder what we'd do,

If we lost this vibrant hue.

We would have no fire then

No red flame or glowing coals,

No bright candles in a church,

For the comfort of poor souls;

What a dreary world t'would be

Without Christmas and a tree.

There would be no garnet rings

No wide drapes of bright cretonne

Shutting out the dark and cold,

With red roses patterned on;

No red flowers by the walk

Bleeding hearts or hollyhock.

No red lips to laugh and sing

Or red curls to catch your eye

No gay flags above the town,

Weaving patterns on the sky,

What a drab world it would be

If you couldn't look and see,

Mounties clad in scarlet coats,

With tight buckles at their throats.

~Edna Jacques, Red

The Golden Road, 1953

The color red has always been one of my favorite colors. Especially when combined with white. Gingham, seersucker, linens . . .  when we built our house in New Brunswick some 30 years ago I really wanted a red front door. I bought the paint and painted it myself. Oh, how I loved that door, and that house . . .  

 Mom used to give us $100 every year to get ourselves new clothes for school.  It was up to us how we spent it.  I remember one year I fell in love with this winter coat in the Sears Catalogue. It was red and had white lamb's wool cuffs, collar and pocket trim. Oh how I wanted that coat. It would take most of my hundred dollars to get it, but I did, imagining in my mind just how beautiful it was going to be. I was in my last year of high school. I know that because I recognize where this photograph was taken of me and I know how old I was then. I got the red coat and was so proud wearing it that first day on the school bus, until I heard the dulcet notes of "Here comes Santa Claus" following me down the aisle of the bus.

All of my joy disappeared in a puff . . .  and I was tortured the rest of the day by the thoughts of that red coat.  I never wore it to school again. I did wear it at the weekend though as I had no other choice really, and despite it reminding the kids at school of Santa Claus, I did really love it.

 

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We took dad and his friend Mary Ann up to Greenwood yesterday to the mall so they could have a visit with each other. She was so excited to see him. She thinks of him as her boyfriend, although he is very quick to reiterate that he is not, that they are just friends. It is a nice relationship however and I know he does enjoy going to the mall with her. We had not been able to get them out together since just prior to Christmas.  What with the holidays and then the road conditions, it just never happened.

The first day of Spring is one month from yesterday. 

 

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After we had dropped them off, Cindy and I went and did a few errands.  First we went to Dollarama. I wanted to get another laundry basket so that I could put my darks in one and lights in another. That way I am thinking I can prevent any more accidents color wise with my laundry. I also got a little plastic basket with handles to put my shampoos and shower things in.  

I know. Why more than one bottle of shampoo? I have a medicated one which I use several times a week because I have eczema and then I have a few others, just because I like the smell. Then there is the conditioner, etc.

I got a basket to hold all of my candles as well so that I can organize them a bit better.  

They also have the milk chocolate covered rice cakes at Dollarama that I like to much so I had to get a couple packages of them.

After that we went to WalMart and then to Giant Tiger and before we knew it, it was time to pick them back up and go home.

 

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We dropped Mary Ann off and then took a trip up the mountain as we wanted to get some eggs.  The roads were not too bad, although not great either.  We had to drive a bit slower, but I don't mind driving slow. You get to enjoy the scenery more when you are driving at a more leisurely pace.

We got our eggs, and she had the frozen local organic ground beef in, so I picked up a package of that.  I think Cindy got three. They don't always have it so it's best to pick it up when they do.

We were asking the lady about bird flu, was she concerned, etc. She didn't seem too awfully concerned. She described for us the precautions they take, etc. 

Then it was back to Cindy's to drop off her and dad and then back home to mine where my furry little family members were waiting patiently for my return.  They are always happy to see me and give everything a good sniff over.

 

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They had had quite an exciting morning yesterday actually. There is this dark grey tabby, I think a tom, that comes and sits on my veranda railing from time to time and he showed up yesterday morning.  This time he was being quite aggressive however and was growling and spitting at them from the other side of my living room window. There was quite a bit of hissing going on from inside as well I can tell you. They were not impressed with this particular visitor.  He kept batting at my window from the outside, digging his claws into my screen and growling at them. I had to go out and shew him off with the broom.  I basically just shook it at him and scolded him, saying shew, shew.  He did take off eventually.

He may be a very nice cat, but I am not wanting him on my deck spraying or threatening my two babies. He sits on Sheila's from time to time as well driving her little yorkie silly.

You actually see this cat out and about a lot. I think he comes from across the road towards the motel way.

I could never let my babies wander. I keep them safe indoors.  That is a super busy road there at the end of our street and I would never want anything to happen to them.  Indoor cats live longer than outdoor cars. It's a proven fact.  God forbid mine ever get out. I would be a basket case.

 

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Why is this so hard to do?  This year I have vowed to be much kinder to myself. I tend to always put myself last in the scheme of things, but really, I certainly deserve not to come last all of the time. And that is what I almost always do.  Put myself last. If I always put myself last, how can I ever expect other people not to do the same.  

So, this year I am being kinder to myself. I am looking at myself the way God looks at me, or at least how I think God might look at me.  I remind myself every day that I am His beloved daughter and that He wants the best for me. He wants me to have joy and to live a peaceable life.  He wants me to treat myself with the same respect and kindness that I choose to treat others with. It is not conceit or selfishness to be good to yourself. It is self-care. and after almost 70 years of life, I think I deserve a bit of self-care.

 

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The Valley where I lived is a fairly rural area.  An area of great beauty dotted with small towns and hamlets, filled with historic older homes, winding roads, farms and rolling countryside. It is a nice place to live really. The pace of life is slow and not a lot of really exciting things happen. Life is casual and evolves at a much slower pace than it does elsewhere. It is a good place to bring up your children.

There are drawbacks as well. There is not a lot of choice when it comes to dining out or shopping, etc.

Yesterday the new Wendy's opened up near us. I guess the traffic leading to it was positively insane. I saw photographs on Facebook that showed the traffic stretching back as far as the eye could see.  I suppose with it being Friday people were wanting to get a bit of a treat for supper for their families. I felt sorry for anyone who was just on their way home from work or whatever being caught up in that. 

The drive through was packed and the cars were stretching out along the road back, back, back. It must have been hellish for anyone who wasn't wanting Wendy's for supper. Heck, it must have been hellish for anyone who was wanting it!

As I said, not a lot of choice for fast food in the area.  A bazillion pizza places, a nasty Chinese food place, Tim Hortons, two fried chicken places, the Golden Arches. Subway, a pita place (if it's still open and I am not sure it is), and a few other odds and bits.  This Wendy's has been months in the planning, but the location is in a very poor spot, just before the lights which lead #1 towards the base and #2 towards the mall. So, lots of traffic anyways, but add a drive through fast food place into the mix and it can very quickly turn into hell on earth.

Hopefully today will be a bit better for people.

 

 

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So, will I get my cushions sewn today?  I wonder.  I have been planning them for weeks now and never gotten to them yet. I keep getting distracted by other things, events, happenings.  I need to be more disciplined with myself and not be so haphazard with getting things done.  I bought new pillow forms to use and I have all of the fabric. All I need to do is to measure, cut and iron it and then actually start sewing. Once I have all of the pieces cut it should not take too long to put them together. 

I am such a procrastinator, and my ADHD does not help. I am like a dog that sees a squirrel every time I turn around.  It does not take much. I am that person who starts to clear out a closet and before you know it, I am doing everything but clearing out the closet.  I have a difficult time focusing on just one task.  Perhaps I need to make a list and then stick to it, ticking things off as I go along.

Making lists is a good thing and something I really enjoy doing! It's also nice to have something to look forward to.  So, in a way, not getting everything done is a good thing.

This is me in a nutshell. I have never been a person who craved big things, excitement, city life, etc. I have always embraced and espoused simplicity when it comes to living my life. Except for the messy bed part. That I can't stand. I want clean crisp sheets, unwrinkled and smooth. Any wrinkles in my bedding drive me crazy. Tell me I am not alone in this. I am like the Princess in the story about the Princess and the pea.  If there is even a tiny grain of sand etc. in my bed, I will find it and it will drive me nuts until I am rid of it. It might as well be a boulder for all the bother it causes me. Nobody is going to be eating crackers in my bed. Nobody.  How wonderful it is that I don't have to share my bed with anyone.  That means I can keep it just the way I like it. Wonderful also to be able to call my days my own.

Well, my head/mind has been a bit all over the place this morning and I really must get off here and get started on the multitude of chores that await me. Will I get many of them done?  I sure hope so!  In the meantime, I will leave you with a thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

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

 *.˛.In a society that has you
counting money, pounds,
calories and steps,
be a rebel and count° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
your blessings instead.° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

In The English Kitchen today  . . . Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins. The small batch. This recipe makes half a dozen light, fluffy, delicious muffins that I think you are going to love!

Oh I do so hope that you have a lovely weekend, filled with love, light and more blessings than your cup can possibly hold. 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!