My entire family is insane.

April 2, 2021 – Photo

I took this photo of a delightful ‘little’ bumblebee on a hike (near my home) several years ago.

April 1, 2021 – A waste of a day.

I feel kind of ridiculous at the moment. I talked a big game a couple of nights ago about all the time I was going to gain by only writing every other day. There’s more than enough to do so I figured that with all of the extra time, I could really make a dent in all of the projects on my to-do list and activities I endeavor to pursue. Today would have been the perfect day to work on the yard or go for a hike or ride my bike or even remove all of the doors in the bathroom and finally paint them. It was an absolutely beautiful day! Instead of doing something productive or enjoyable, I chose to go shopping. My instincts told me otherwise, but I went anyway. I must not have been thinking clearly when I made this decision because I hate shopping! It is one thing to shop for groceries. Groceries are necessary. It’s another to shop for ‘stuff’. Prior to leaving the house, I had written down the following: pooper scooper, robe for hubby, 3 bathroom rugs, winter boots, moccasin slippers for hubby, and a king size sheet set with extra deep pockets. I had also written down Costco, Walgreen’s, Safeway, Marshall’s, and Ross.

March 31, 2021 – Original Artwork

This piece is titled ‘Ripe for the Picking’. It is a depiction of cherries using watercolors. It is one of the few pieces I’ve completed utilizing that medium. I prefer working with acrylics.

March 30, 2021 – Reassessing the Situation

Have you ever decided to do something you have never done before, and then without much reflection, went after it? By this, I mean setting a serious goal to achieve something within a specific timeframe. I’ve set some fairly lofty goals throughout my life. I wanted to have children, I had three. I wanted to get my college degree by December of 2001, I achieved that as well. After my kidney transplant, I wanted to reach a healthy weight and stop abusing my body. I did that, too. In September of 2020, I wanted to start a blog and write every single day for a year. I’m halfway there. If I had set out to complete a marathon, I’d be at mile 13. If I had set out to climb to the top of Mt. Everest, I’d be at the Summit. If I had set out to swim the length of an Olympic size swimming pool, I’d be 82 feet right about now. But those last three things I didn’t set out to do, I set out to author a substantial piece on my blog for 365 days straight. I may as well have set out to climb to the top of Mt. Everest! What the hell was I thinking?

March 29, 2021 – Little White Lies

My husband surprised me today! No, it’s not what you’re thinking. Get your mind out of the gutter! He surprised me because he told a ‘little white lie’ to the neighbor and it’s eating him up inside! My husband NEVER lies. He is all about honesty and integrity and speaking the truth. It’s what he built his career in the military on, and one of the reasons he was so well respected. I feel bad for him because I know how much it’s bothering him. Why? Because I’ve done it myself. All the times that I have told a lie throughout my life, I remember each and every one. I have forgotten so many of the things that have taken place during my lifetime, but the lies remain. No matter how much I try to justify them, they refuse to yield. They stay stuck in my brain like small, festering pockets of shame. Fortunately, there are not many; however, if I take the time to focus on them too much, it can take me down a very dark path.

March 28, 2021 – Memory Lane

I’m not sure why I’m so exhausted because aside from taking a short walk, I’ve done nothing physically strenuous to speak of. All I did today was a whole lot of eating and talking and listening as well as trying to unsuccessfully find a website that would allow me to schedule my Covid vaccination. Despite feeling wiped out, I really did have a lovely day. I had not one, but two different sets of out-of-town visitors. That rarely happens! Both wanted to meet ‘over a meal’, so I met up with my brother (Dapper Dan) and sister-in-law for lunch and my very dear, lifelong friend ‘M’ for dinner. When I say ‘I’, I really should be saying ‘we’, because initially my husband hadn’t intended to join me, however, changed his mind at the last minute. Ordinarily, I love eating out, but this evening I realized that having two meals ‘out’ back-to-back is a bit excessive. I had Mexican for lunch and Chinese for dinner and my stomach replied with, “Ay, caramba!” Still, the conversations we had with both parties were nice. We stayed off of controversial topics and mostly talked about ‘old times’.

March 27, 2021 – Boundaries

There’s a poem by Robert Frost that contains a line or phrase often quoted in the United States (and possibly elsewhere), “Good fences make good neighbors.” How true is that? Without clear boundaries, it seems like we humans have trouble negotiating our way through this life. Boundaries can come in many forms, but the ones I am most familiar with are physical and personal. Physical boundaries are easy to spot and are generally visible to the naked eye. Personal boundaries are another matter altogether. Many of us are taught what we should and should not do with regard to how we interact with others but that can vary greatly depending on where we grow up and who teaches us. Parents and/or parental figures typically introduce us to ‘the basics’ of boundaries. An example of a ‘basic’ boundary is, “Don’t talk to strangers.” Once we leave ‘the nest’, we may discover that what we were taught wasn’t necessarily appropriate or acceptable, especially as we encounter more and more people (from different cultures and/or with different values) throughout our lives.

March 26, 2021 – Second Time Around

As I took my dog on her every-other-day walk through the neighborhood today, I was thinking about all of the things I did the first time around. I thought about major life events, such as having a child, purchasing a home, having surgery, or buying a new car. I also thought about minor life events, such as purchasing a throw rug for an entryway, organizing a space, or working on a landscaping project. Fortunately, life gives us opportunities to do things better the second time around. Of course, that’s if we actually learned anything from our initial (previous) experience. With many ‘firsts’, there is nothing to fall back on, no wisdom or prior experiences to help with navigation. Mistakes have yet to be made. Often, it’s a matter of ‘winging it’. If you’re lucky, nothing catastrophic will occur. Despite efforts made to do things right the first time around, there’ll likely be a significant amount of ‘bumps and bruises’ (literally and figuratively), definitely much more than the second. I wish I could say I always do things better the second time around, but that isn’t always the case.

March 25, 2021 – A light at the end of the tunnel.

I got the best news today! My brother Clover forwarded me an announcement from the assisted living center where my mom resides. After I read it, I was so excited that I nearly started jumping up and down! I chose to refrain, however, as I had a full bladder at the time and didn’t want to have to change my outfit. What is this fantastic news, you ask? They are finally allowing the residents at the center to have visitors INSIDE. Initially, I thought it said only people who were vaccinated were allowed, but I was mistaken. Anyone can come inside! Oh my gosh, I never thought this day would come. It’s going to make a huge difference in my mom’s outlook. Complaining is the norm for her, but at least she won’t be able to complain any longer about not being able to have guests. She can also go and visit people (and even stay overnight) but I’m a bit hesitant to have her out because I’m concerned it’s going to confuse her even further. Because of her dementia, I think it’s important to stick to a routine and not start having a bunch of sleep-overs at different people’s houses.

March 24, 2021 – Craigslist or E-Bay?

Am I the only one that thinks trying to get rid of a bag of raisins on Craigslist is a bad idea? I’ve read so many news articles about people leaving this planet sooner than expected due to a bad Craigslist encounter. Is it worth inviting a stranger to your home and possibly getting assaulted or losing your life over a bag of raisins? I don’t think so. I can think of several ways to put those dried-up grapes to use that don’t involve placing your health and safety at risk. How about making several batches of oatmeal raisin cookies and dropping them off at a resource center? They’d also work out well in some homemade batches of granola. ‘Ants on a log’, anyone? Raisins pair up nicely with peanut butter and celery, too. If none of those options are suitable, how about dropping them off at a food bank or a nearby church? If there isn’t a food bank in the neighborhood, most churches accept food donations. I do have to wonder about some of the people that post items or services on Craigslist. I also wonder if whoever posted the raisins was the same person that posted the ‘used’ chicken bones (several months ago).