Wednesday, 5 June 2024

Wednesday Witterings . . .

 

 

I love these mornings when we can get together for a good gab with each other. This morning the sun is shining and everything looks all fresh and green. They mowed the lawns last night and the air is filled with the scent of fresh cut grass. There is nothing on earth so wonderful as the smell of grass right after it has been cut.  Okay, there is, but this morning that is what I am enjoying.  I love to open my front window early in the morning on these sunny late spring days to let in the fresh and let out the stuffy from the night before.  It's a bit nippy, for sure, but it's also pretty wonderful, and the cats love it as well!

Sometimes even Chippy visits and of course when I throw peanuts out for him the Jays and Blackbirds follow. Sometimes I look out and a morning dove is strutting back and forth across my railing delighting the kit kats to no end! Its all go here in the mornings!


 

 
Cindy and I had the pleasure of meeting together with our cousin Sheri for lunch yesterday.  Sheri is our youngest cousin. I was almost 17 when she was born and she was the cutest little baby. She is a good friend to us and we love her dearly. She is my Aunt Freda's daughter all the way, and as a good friend and helper to mom all through the years.  We all love her to pieces, and we love getting together with her. 

We had a lovely time. We laughed (a lot), we even cried a bit.  It was just really good to spend the time together and always we said why didn't we do this more often, but then again, perhaps it is because we don't do it often enough is the reason why these get-together's are so precious to us.

She is the cousin I got my two beloved furry felines from and Cindy got her little Mac from.  We all love our gingers.

Cindy and I were both saddened to learn of the passing of our cousin Anne just before Christmas. I had been going to call Anne many times. I had her phone number, and every so often I would think I should call Anne, but  . . .  I never did and now it is too  late. I cried a few tears to learn that now I never would have the chance to be able to tell her I loved and  missed her and would like to see her.

If there is someone you are thinking of, that you haven't spoken to in a while, that you are wanting to get in touch with, do it now. While you still can. Don't leave it until its too late. Say the things you need or want to say  . . .  today. Tomorrow could be too late.



 


I have to say it. I don't like this new co-pilot thing on Windows. I find it very intrusive. It is always nudging me, asking me if I want it to write or rewrite something. NO thank you very much!  I like to do my own writing. If I need you, I know where you are and I will ask. Just stop interrupting me! Blah!

Dad came for his supper on Monday evening and we enjoyed each other's company for while he was here.  It was just a simple repast. Omelet, fried potatoes, baked beans. Toast.  The best part was having each other's company. He stopped to have a few words with Sheila next door on his way in. She was tickled pink. I spoke to her yesterday on  my way back from checking my mail and she told me how charming she thought he was.  


He has always been charming. Especially with the ladies. Maybe its the French accent. Women do love an accent. How many of us swoon over a charming accent. I am not immune I confess.


This morning Cindy and I are going up country with what we hope are the last few things for Value Village, but you never know, there could be more.  I so enjoy these little adventures we get to take together. They get us both out of the house and we get to spend some much treasured time together.




This is a photograph that Cindy sent me on Monday from the Dinosaur exhibit in Halifax.  Dan was really looking forward to seeing the dinosaurs. What a fabulously atmospheric photograph this is of Dan and what looks like a huge crocodile!  Very dramatic.

I wish I could have taken Dan to the Dinosaur exhibit at the Natural History Museum in London. He would so have loved going to all of the museums there, and I think Cindy would have as well. 


 



There is this game on Facebook where you can have your face put into different hairstyles, etc.  I thought I would try on a few new "Do's" as both Cindy and I are thinking of getting the chop. I am also thinking of having my hair colored, all one color not this annoying color that it is, not brown or black or anything in between. Just an annoying salt and pepper.  I like all of these, but need reminding that I am not a person who wishes to fuss with her hair. I can handle straightening it, but I am wondering if my natural curls would be enough for some of the longer curlier layered bob's. 

I know, hair will grow back so it is not the end of the world if I end up with something I don't like, but you do have to be able to live with it for a time, so it does bear thinking about.  I'm also not quite as good looking as these pictures have made me seem! I do not have a flawless face. Never have done. I look ten years younger and 50 pounds lighter in these!



 

REMINDER
One day you'll wake up
and all of a sudden
the weight of the last few
weeks, or months, or even years
will be lifted off your shoulders.

You can't control when that day comes;
all you can do is to stay strong
and know that it is coming.
~Charlotte Freeman


When you are going through "it," it can be very hard to see that whatever it is you are being asked to go through will come to an end. But it will, and  one thing that life has taught me is that you will be better, stronger, happier, for having gone through whatever "it" was. There is light at the end of every tunnel. To keep on walking, trying, hoping, believing . . . carry the weight with Grace and know that "this too shall pass."

And with that I best leave you with a thought for the day.  The time it is a passin!

A thought to carry with you . . .

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

 *.˛.°Silence is the language of God,
all else is a poor translation.
~Rumi  ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •




In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Easy Slow Roasted Greek Lemon Potatoes These are fabulously delicious.  They have crisp, gilded almost sticky edges and the flavors of lemon and garlic are right into them. These deliciously melt in the mouth.



Have a beautiful day. I hope the sun is shining down upon you and that you are feeling happy and content. Whatever you get up to today, don't forget!


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And I do too!    

   







Tuesday, 4 June 2024

A Daybook . . .

 



FOR TODAY, June 6th, 2024


Outside my window ...



Its a cloudy day today. This photo is from a few days ago.  Cinnamon loves to sit on the window sill and watch the world go by.  If I put a few peanuts out in the morning, the blue jays come and squawk and make a lot of noise. The cats both enjoy that. Not a lot happens on this street which is a good thing because that makes for a nice and quiet life.  I have had more than enough excitement in my lifetime. A quiet life is all I want now.

I am Thinking ...


This is that stupid game on Facebook that you see everyone playing at the moment. It takes one of your photographs and you can switch the hair etc.  I used that photo of 17 year old me from the other day.  I ended up looking like a movie star.



I liked this one too.  They do look like me, when I was 17, although I don't think my skin was ever that smooth and polished and blemish/freckle free. It is fun to play those games, but I think, too, that they can make you feel really dissatisfied with how you really look, and I don't think I need to be any more dissatisfied with how I look than I already do!  These are very glamorous photos to be sure, but they are not the reality.  



Even the reality of way back then was a far cry from those glamorized photos. I had long and curly hair that I despised. It got frizzy in the slightest bit of humidity.  I thought I was fat. (As if.) I never thought I was pretty at all.   I would like to be that fat now and even a fraction of that good looking!  I think if I had had the ability back then to switch out my photos for these glamor photos I would have been even more dissatisfied and critical with myself.

We live in an age which is always distorting the truth.  Visually, mentally and in every which way that it can.  We can't really trust what we see or hear any more.  We need to be even more vigilant, careful and discerning about the things which are presented to us. 


I am also thinking ...

This is your reminder to be present. Stop living your life in a day, week, month, or year that hasn’t begun yet. Life moves far too quickly to be living in a time other than this moment. If you spend too much time worrying about the future ( or the past) you’ll miss the beauty around you right now. ~Charlotte Freeman

Love your life. Here. Now. It is okay to challenge yourself to do and to be better, but really, do try to find joy and beauty in the here and the now. If you don't, you will always be dissatisfied. Comparison truly is the thief of joy!




In The Kitchen ...

In The English Kitchen today, a Small Chocolate Cake.  A lovely six inch layer cake. Rich and fudgy, with a decadent melt in the mouth chocolate buttercream filling and frosting.  This is the cake I baked for  Dan's birthday celebrations. It turned out lovely. My dad, who really doesn't like chocolate cake (We had to remind him that it wasn't HIS birthday so it wasn't his choice, lol) actually requested a second slice!




On my "To Bake" list  ...

Torta Del Nonna.  From One Sarcastic Baker. This looks amazingly delicious! 





Good to know ...

From Patricia Freeman's Book entitled, This was Meant to Find You.

I would love to create ...




Daisy Farm Crafts. Infinity Scarf pattern. Free. 




ATERCrochet on Etsy. Crochet Garland. Not free, but also not overly expensive.  




 Lola J Folkart on Ravelry.  Crochet Necklace. Love the primitive colours and styling. This would be a great scrap buster. 




Whistle & Ivy. Colourful Clutch. Free pattern.  




Lia Griffith.  DIY paper houses.  




Oh My Goodness ...

Love LOVE these glasses. I have always had a fondness for glasses which had pictures on them.

I am Reading ...





The Sweet In-Between, by Sheri Reynolds 


 Kenny Lugo has grown up in a family that’s not really hers. Her mother died of cancer when Kenny was very young, and Aunt Glo–who is, in fact, her daddy’s girlfriend–took her in when her father was sent to jail for drug trafficking. Now, as Kenny approaches her eighteenth birthday and the end of the government checks Glo has been receiving looms, she is desperate to prove that this house and these people really do belong to her. But when a senseless murder occurs next door in their small coastal town, Kenny can’t get it out of her mind. She has always been consumed by the ways in which she is different–and inherently unworthy–so the unjust death of a young woman with everything to live for becomes an obsession. 


 In the end, hers is a story of an unforgettable young woman whose redemption comes from a source she never would have imagined. Only just started this one.  Its a slow go. I wish I had more time to just read  . . . 

Things I love ...



 



Big fat bumblebees  . . . 



 


Fresh berries  . . . 

 


Red and white  . . . 


 


Embroidered flowers  . . . 





A nice front porch . . . 





Something to watch ...

The Chosen Season four. On the Angel App. Finally.


A Thought to Carry with You ...

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

 *.˛.°If everyone is thinking alike,
then somebody isn't thinking.
~George Patton  ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •


And that's my daybook for this week!



  ⋱ ⋮ ⋰
⋯ ◯ ⋯ Take time to enjoy the small *´¯`.¸¸.☆

  ⋰ ⋮ ⋱ blessings in life.*´¯`.¸¸.☆ 




✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.• ╬♥═╬╬═♥=╬╬═♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥═╬♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥
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Have a beautiful day!  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!    

   

Monday, 3 June 2024

Small and Wonderful Things . . .

 


"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny? It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. What you see is what you get." ~Anne Dillard 


 A few of the small and wonderful things which bring untold joy into my life. It's the small things in life which truly mean the most. Simple abundance . . . it's the best.




A beautiful sunrise this morning. We were all looking out the front window at it. It has rained during the night, something we really need here, but, everything is looking lovely and green! I love this time of year when the days are lovely without being "too" warm and there is not a lot of humidity in the air.  When we get beautiful sunny days, and nights that are comfortable for sleeping. 




We must always be kind. You never know what is going on in another person's life. Often people will try to present a positive image to the world while their life and their hearts are falling apart. Sometimes they may come across as being brash or arrogant or even rude as a coping mechanism to keep the hurt inside.  I try always to give people the benefit of the doubt, as hard as it can be at times.  Life is just better that way. How much better it is to believe that somebody is just having a bad day rather than that they are being deliberately rude or hurtful.




Fledglings.  What a beautiful reminder each spring of the love of mother's for their children. Be it human, animal, bird, etc. I love to see them.  This natural instinct to care for the young, its a beautiful thing.




This weekend was our church's Stake Conference for the Spring.  They are more localized than the General Conferences of the church and pertain only to our area.  This time we had Elder Ahmad S Corbett in attendance. I did not get to hear his talk on Saturday night, but I got to hear and watch him speak yesterday morning and it was a wonderful talk. Very inspiring. I am grateful that we have such a wise caring and loving leadership in our church. 


 

Folding laundry. It is one of those tasks in the home that you can do without a lot of effort. I just take my laundry basket into my bedroom and sit on my bed while I take things from the basket, one at a time, and fold them, organizing them into piles. It is a time when I can just be quiet with my thoughts.  Funny, when my children were growing up it was not something that I enjoyed, but getting old (er) had given me the blessing of being able to enjoy certain things in life that were once drudgery.  Sometimes the cats try to help me. Those are fun times.




There is naught that comes into the house or that I do that those two lovely creatures are not trying to be a  part of. Yesterday when I got home from Church, Nutmeg was sitting in the window awaiting my return and as soon as he saw me he jumped down to greet me at the other side of the front door. Cinnamon too.  They are such welcoming little souls.  When I make the bed, it is always with Cinnamon's help. They had never seen my top dresser drawer open before and yesterday while I was folding laundry I had it open and they were very curious about it. I do not mind. Not at all. They are lovely companions and beautiful company.  I have been watching videos about cats on YouTube, learning how these fabulous creatures work, what makes them tick, how to keep them happy, how they express love, etc.  I find them fascinating.  What a wonderful resource YouTube is.  Whenever you need to know how to do something, there is always a video on YouTube to cover it!





I just looked over and could not help but take his picture. He is such a funny little character. He brings smiles into my life on a daily basis.

So does Cinnamon. In the evenings, you will find Nutmeg laying next to me on the sofa and Cinnamon laying behind me on the back of the sofa.  Always close, these gentle, loving furry family members of mine.


 

My father is coming for supper tonight.  Cindy and Dan are going into Halifax today to visit the museum there, so dad is coming here. I am looking forward to it. It won't be anything too special, as my father likes things simple.  I am just going to make him a cheese omelet and fried potatoes, maybe some toast. He thought that sounded good. I am looking forward to spending time with him.


 

A life which affords me the luxury of being able to putter, doing all of my chores in my own time and at my own speed. I am a great lover of puttering . . . 

 

The caption to this photo said "Happiness is Homemade."  I would have to agree. Happiness is indeed homemade.  

The homemade life is the best life of all.   Life is good. I cannot complain. Not at all.


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


° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~
\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★
 *.˛.You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us.
And the world can live as one.
~John Lennon° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •




In The English Kitchen today, Chicken Parmesan Pasta Salad.  This delicious recipe came from an old Pillsbury check out recipe booklet that I picked up second hand. Its simple to make and fabulously tasty! I cut it in half to make only three servings.


I hope that you have a lovely day, filled with lovely things and people.  Whatever you get up to, 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!    

   

Saturday, 1 June 2024

All Things Nice . . .

 

Real spring has come, not shifty windy rain,
But violets growing down a quiet lane.
Not sudden gusts of cold from off the sea,
But quivering wings in every budding tree.

Real spring with days like jewels set apart,
And all its age-old hunger in your heart,
An aching need for sun against your face,
And all the old sweet freedom of the race.

Real spring with wide brown furrows wet and bare,
A new young greenness showing everywhere,
New lambs and colts in pastures warm and clean
Old orchard trees and daisies in between.

A mother-hen at shining dusk of day,
Finds a warm corner up against the hay,
And makes of her own body safe and crude,
A kindly shelter for her tiny brood.

Wide fields of wheat whose petals one by one,
Push small green fingers up to find the sun,
Whose roots lie deep below the furrowed plain,
Seeking their substance from the sun and rain.

Real spring, with all the fragrant lovely earth,
Pulsing with gracious life and joy and birth,
A quickening in the hidden heart of things,
Across the starry dark, the beat of wings.
Edna Jacques, Real Spring
Beside Still Water, 1939


I know we are almost into summer now, in just a few weeks, but I wanted to share this poem before the Spring was truly ended. Around us, the summer seems to be in full fledge, but the temperature this morning was only 5*C/41*F  when got up, so it was a bit chill in here. Not enough to put any heat on as I know it will warm up during the day and then be quite comfy, although not quite as warm as yesterday. Strong wings are expected at mid-day.  The sun is shining and the birds are singing.  All is well  . . .  all is well  . . . 


 

Every time you remember, forgive again.
Forgiveness is not a one time thing,
you will choose it repeatedly, over and over again.
Even if the offense and sin happened years ago.
So it's good to be reminded that every time you remember,
Choose to forgive again. For your freedom, joy and peace.
Don't allow bitterness and pride to be planted
and grow in your heart. Surrender it quickly to the Lord.
~Jonalyn San Diego

I have always said that forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves.  It can be very difficult to forget however.  When people really hurt us, the memory of that hurt is bound to surface every now and then. We are only human after all  . . .  but to forgive is Divine.  So, I believe that it is important that we need to forgive again,  and hand it back to the Lord every time the memory of the past hurts surface. And sometimes that is, yes  . . .  forgiving yourself.  The past is something which none of us can undo.  It simply was.  I firmly believe that when people know better they do better. Some people take longer than others to know better. Some people might never know better in this life time.  Just let it go.  Forgive, forgive, forgive  . . .  Your mental health will be exponentially better for having done so. Life is far too short to hang onto hurts and failures.  Be free. Joy comes in letting go of those things which do not help us grow but which hold us back.


 


Sometimes in life it can feel like we just can't catch a break. That old two steps forward, one step back . . .  but even that is still one step forward.  Remember, your turn is coming, your time is coming, your happiness is coming. You can rejoice in the happiness and success of others and know that you already have  much to be grateful for.  Remember the blessings in your own life without allowing the blessings in others to darken your own light.  Your journey just looks a little bit different, and as different as it may be, that doesn't mean you are not any less worthy of recognition.  You have moments that are worth celebrating, moments which often get overlooked in the shadows of the accomplishments of others.

There have been many times in my life when I have thought to myself, this life is not what I wanted it to be, planned for it to be, hoped for it to be. Why can't I be this, do that, have that, etc.  Am I not deserving of the same kind of love as anyone else?  That kind of thinking is  self-defeating. It can get exhausting saving all of your smiles for other people.  We need to remember . . .  daily, just how far we have come and to be proud of who we are,  in the here  . . . and the now.  We need to be able to take pride in our journey,  in our growth, in the one step forward.  Everything coming to you?  Its worth waiting for.  How to find joy in the journey?  Celebrate everything along the way.  Always remember, comparison is the thief of joy.


 

Oh what a chore yesterday was as Cindy and I went through and disposed of all of the out of date food stuffs in dad's cupboards. We filled three large compost bags. He ended up with only two cans of soup, a jar of mustard and a tin of sardines.  The rest of what was in there was severely out of date, a great deal of it more than 10 years out of date.   And with everything we were throwing out, he was sitting there asking us, "What is that?"  And we would have to tell him what it was and justify the getting rid.  Some of it was too liquid to just throw and needed to be flushed down the toilet.  It is not a lot of fun when chili that is 15 years out of date splashes back on your face when you try to dump it into the toilet of a man that you know is never completely flushed.  Because he flushes while he is still peeing.  (Men!)

But you try not to think about it, about the germs . . .  the ick.  You take some clean water and you rinse your face off and you remember that you love him and that is what this is, a labor of love.

It almost seemed as if he wanted to punish himself for every single thing that we were throwing away. Hence the questions . . .  I had to remind him several times that we are all guilty of buying stuff that gets shoved to the back of the cupboard and forgotten and then needs to be thrown out eventually.  It is a very common thing.  Who has not been lured into the promise of a bargain or a good deal and succumbed to it . . .  purchasing that "special" that we never even went to the store to buy, because it is too good an offer to pass by???  We are all only human after all.

Yes, it is a waste, but it is what it is . . . and we all do it from time to time.

There is one can there that we did not dare to open up. It was bulging at least an inch and a half out from the top and the bottom. How it had not already exploded we do not know, but neither one of us wanted to take the chance of opening it and wearing it.   It will go out in the next black bag, intact and can blow up at the dump.  I know  . . .  wicked  . . .  life is filled with wicked things and there are far worse things than dispose of an intact tin of peaches ready to explode. . . 



 

I really need to get back into my embroidery.  Every time I see a photograph of something like this, my heart longs to ply my needles and threads.  But what  . . .  perhaps the edges of all of my white pillow cases?  Some flour sack tea towels that are languishing in my linen cupboard?  The buttonhole edge of a favorite sweater?  There are so many things in my home that I could embellish with beauty via my needles and threads. So many  . . . it would be a shame not to.

Even if it is only ever myself who gets the joy and pleasure of creating it and seeing it finished. Joy in the journey. Its a good thing.


 

Now there's a nice idea and I find myself thinking  . . .  why didn't I think of that and then I remember  . . .  I already did, kind of  . . . 




All of my Jenny Linsky books.  Holding up the red carriage clock I bought at a yard sale for $10 a couple of years ago  now.  Looks good to me! Joy in every corner.

Note to self, don't forget to advance the calendar page for today!

And with that I will leave you with a thought for the day!


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

 *.˛.The beautiful spring came,
and when Nature resumes her loveliness,
the human soul is apt to revive also.
~Harriet Ann Jacobs° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •






Oh my goodness. In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Oreo Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls.  So deliciously decadent.  Quick and easy to make as well.  Your family will love these.  I promise you! Very nice!


I hope you have a nice, nice, nice, day and a beautiful weekend also.  Whatever you get up to be safe.  Find joy in the journey and don't forget!

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And I do too!