For the last couple of months I’ve been blessed to have a personal librarian. Ramona works in our kitchen at school and loves to read as well. She has been lending me great books to read. I’ve read Ruth Ware, The Dry by Jane Harper and now Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah.
I’ve been distracted this week from reading and writing. My son Branden fell on the ice walking his dog and broke his ankle and leg. He’s been in the hospital since Monday. Surgery was successful and now he’s having pt to get stronger to go home. The problem is that he lives on the third floor and has a dog Jasper, who he usually walks during the day. Once he learns how to walk the stairs, he can go home and recover. I think his job teaching Animation to high school students will continue but by remote. Emma Jo, Branden’s girlfriend ,has asked friends to help walk Jasper as well as hired a dog walking service. Please pray or think positive thoughts for him! ❤️ All My Best,
Well it’s still winter here but with February winding down we are certainly edging closer to spring! As snow continues to blanket every inch and corner of the yard and slippery ice lines the driveway, it doesn’t leave many outside activities to do. There are outside sports such as walking, ( with careful watch of ice), snowshoeing and hiking. With that said, I must get snowshoeing!I have a pair in the garage but haven’t been at it this year or last.
Check out my podcast library for some ideas! It’s free with the Podcast app.
Lately I’ve been listening to podcasts such as Suzy Orman, the Financial whiz, the Goop Podcast with Gwyneth Paltro, and a few Homesteading podcasts. Listen to Simple Farmhouse Life with Lisa Bass, Old Fashioned on a Purpose with Jill Winger and Live Simply with Kristin Marr. They all present handy and interesting podcasts about cooking, planning, being frugal, canning, etc. I’m not a homesteader but I do live in a country home in a rural region of northern New Hampshire. I try to be frugal, plan my meals and costs according to supermarket sales and buy local meat when I can.
This is an old picture of me relaxing. I sure do miss that kitty Katie!
It’s a good season to watch Netflix as well. Tom and I have watched the first three seasons of Outlander and the fourth season on a Netflix dvd ( sent in the mail). We also watched Yellowstone with Kevin Costner. This series reminds me of the 80’s classic Dallas, about a turbulent family who are ranchers who fight, cheat, brand and even kill their hired help. Even though it sounds rough, it’s an entertaining show. Your guy seeking tv adventure will enjoy it!
If you’re looking for sentimental and feel good programming, check out Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings. It’s a season of mini stories about life, love, marriage and forgiveness. The mini season Virgin River is really good too! It features a young nurse relocates from busy LA to a rural small town in Northern California. Alexandra Breckinridge is outstanding and you may recognize her from playing Sophie on This is Us.
Other Netflix shows to watch are:
Eat Pray Love
When Calls the Heart
Holiday in the Wild
An oldie but goodie chick flick, The Notebook
I hope it’s just over a month until our snow melts and I post pictures and thoughts about outside, gardening and of the backyard.
What are you watching while experiencing cabin fever?
It’s Read Across America week, a carnival of sorts with guest readers in the elementary classrooms, special Dr. Seuss themed snacks, movies and activity events in the afternoons. We celebrate now instead of March as it’s the best week to celebrate, a week before February vacation!
Wacky Wednesday!
Yesterday was wacky Wednesday…a day of mismatched socks, backwards or inside out clothes, funky hairdos and loads of laughs.
Everyone is allowed to be wacky once in awhile! We are all wacky in some ways…let’s sport it proudly! Haha!
I truly LOVE my job! Thank God for my 15 years at school and the loads of fun I’ve experienced!
Presently I’m reading Michelle O’Bama’s autobiography Becoming. It’s on my Kindle, not my favorite way to read but it’s convenient. My old fashioned nature loves the crinkle of the paper pages and the hard binding as I read. But I’ll go with the times and sometimes read on my i-pad.
In the first few chapters O’Bama pens that we should all own our story. For you’ll always have it and no one can take it away. I know I’ve heard this before in different words and by someone else. Reading this recently was a great reminder to me that I am proud of my story, whatever has happened to me from the time I was a child to now is totally mine. I believe that everything that has transpired in my life has been for good reasons.
Let me ask you this…are you proud of your story? Has it molded you into the person you are today? Probably. If you’re not happy with what has happened in your life or who you really are you can change your narrative. You are the author, the person who can control how it goes.
I’m enjoying this autobiography. So far it describes her childhood and family as she grew up on the south side of Chicago. I look forward to hearing about her married life and of her daughters. I would recommend this book for a fresh look at Michelle O’Bama’s life.
As another year closes and I excitedly look forward to a new year, I think it’s imperative to briefly look back on where I’ve traveled ( spiritually not just physically). For in order to know where you are going, you must dwell and learn from the paths you’ve tread on . Don’t you think? This past year held fun new places we explored as well as a few surprises in the mix. I also grew more spiritually and my self esteem boosted as I maneuvered through the year. I invested in myself a little bit more and I think it shows.
In January Branden’s girlfriend Jojo came to visit and we all made our own pizza!
I learned that planting inside in dark New Hampshire isn’t a good idea starting in February! Bahaha!
In April Tom and I visited Las Vegas and stayed at Harrah’s a few nights. We explored the strip and rented a convertible to explore Hoover Dam. It was a magical trip for me and I appreciate that Tom humored me by going. It was my way of welcoming and celebrating my 50th birthday!
In May mom and I traveled to Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas to see my nephew Spencer graduate from TCU. It was a wonderful trip with family!
My dad gifted me a greenhouse in the spring and I was fortunate enough to use it the whole growing season.
My daughter in law Lexy and I attended a beautiful bridal shower for my niece.
In June I hosted my own birthday party. It was filled with friends, family, music and laughter.
My paternal cousins and I met one afternoon to eat yummy food and connect. We all looked at old photos of our dads and moms. It was lovely and I hope we do it every year!
Over the summer my handy husband Tom built a gorgeous deck off of our kitchen. It’s a magical place to be! I can’t wait for spring and nice weather to sit out there again!
My mother in law Theo came to stay over the summer. Despite a nasty fall and visit to the local emergency room, we made the best of it. My sister in law Bev stayed with us during this time. We had a lovely dinner with my nieces Michele and Sheryl and Sheryl’s new husband John. We all sat on the deck and magically a Pilated woodpecker flew in a nearby tree and blessed us.
Michele and SherylMy sister in law Bev and my mother in law TheoJohn, Bev, myself, Sheryl, Michele and TheoTheo and I
2019, what a year it was! I started feeling better about myself and investing in my weight and health even more. I exercised five to six days a week, drank more water and ate healthy portions. I did experience a health scare for several months with bladder troubles. After an ultrasound, several pelvic exams and a cat- scan nothing showed anything abnormal despite the painful symptoms I was having. My urologist said it could be institial cysitis, a condition that certain foods irritate the bladder and cause pain and urgency. I have adjusted my diet a bit and started taking an antihistimine. It’s 100 percent better! Boy did I take my health for granted! Never again! This trial brought me closer to God and his peace. He carried me through and I am eternally grateful for that!
I wish you happy and peaceful moments in the new year! Cherish your family, friends and your good health.
Recently someone recommended Outlander, a mini- series on Netflix. I started watching one afternoon while Tom was hunting. It took just a few scant minutes to become hooked…I absorbed the beautiful scenery, the costumes from the 19th century and a refreshing air of adventure drew me in. It starts out slow and sets the scene for the story. Hang in through the first few episodes. Picture a married British combat nurse during the post World War 2 era. All I say ( without giving too much away ) is that she goes to an ancient site where she slips back in time to the age of 1743. There her life takes a swift turn in the Scottish Highlands with the McKenzie clan. It’s riveting, exciting, has sexy scenes and more!
Watch Outlander and try not to get hooked! I can’t wait to turn Netflix on now…to fill up on the scenery and adventure! It’s simply wonderful and a vacation back from your armchair!
For the last year I’ve abandoned reading fictional novels and started reading self help books. Now after reading Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway by Dr. Susan Jeffers and You are a Badass by Jen Sincero, I’m desiring a good fictional book to read for the summer. Sometimes I look at my local library as well as a revisit to my bookshelf for a book that was so good that I’d read it twice or more.
I recommend any book by Anita Shreve. I loved The Pilot’s Wife as well as The Weight of Water. Jodi Piccoult, an author who lives in my native state of New Hampshire, is one of my favorites as well. She’s written Nineteen Minutes, a novel every educator should read about school violence and bullying and who is at fault. Other of Piccoult’s titles include Plain Fear, a mystery of a dead baby set in Amish country, House Rules, a story about a teenaged boy with Asperger’s Syndrome who is obsessed with solving crime scenes until he becomes a suspect himself.
Shared from Bibliolectors.tumblr.com
Years ago I read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe, an amazing story that I read in just a few hours. ( I loved the movie as well!) Fannie Flagg is the author, a writer with a poignant style of writing, who portrays the characters with such precision, I feel that I have met them in person! If you love that book you may enjoy Welcome to the World, Baby Girl and Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven.
My latest book wish list is tucked in my pocketbook and I’ll bring it to the local library on my next visit. It’s close enough to walk to on a clear sunny day. If they don’t have the book, the head Librarian Karla signs up for an inter library loan and obtains the book from another library.
Here’s my generated wish list:
Conviction by Denise Mina
Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane
The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
Ask Again Yes by Mary Beth Keene
The Summer Demands by Deborah Shapiro
Don’t you just live these little Free Libraries? I found this one in my sister- in- law’s town of Northampton, Massachusetts.
What good summer books are you reading? Do you have any great suggestions for me to add to my list?
On a side note we started walking our cat Smokey last year because he was obsessively licking off his fur in patches. We thought it was a skin condition but the vet thought he had anxiety. Maybe his stress was from not being able to go outside. Our daughter- in- law suggested taking him for walks on a leash, like she does for her cat Smokey Joe.
Over the years we lost two cats to coydogs and one was hit by a car by our driveway. We don’t want to go through that again and so our two kitties were always stay in cats. In March we lost our oldest cat Katy to kidney disease. Now poor Smokey is alone most days when we work. I imagine he sleeps most of the day. I have the summer off so I’m here to keep him company but even so, he’s a cat so he sleeps most of the morning. After lunch we walk around the yard, sometimes twice a day if he’s in a good mood and he behaves on the leash!
Lately I’ve had the travel bug surging through my veins! I think it’s something to do with more time on my hands and the stark fact that I’m turning 50 in a few weeks! Turning this age is a milestone, a bend in the road where one should lean into it and ride with the wind as a motorcycle rider would. I feel it’s a gift, a chance to really live without inhibitions, to cruise through without a care in the world!
If you browse through my recent posts you’ll see photos and recounts of Las Vegas and Dallas. A couple of years ago my husband and I visited family in sunny Florida. Wherever the trip takes us, it can be an adventure. While visiting Florida we saw the ocean on the West coast and alligators and tropical wildlife in Lakeland. In Nevada we saw flashy neon lights, other travelers with a live it up attitude and desert lands coupled with rising western mountains. Once we were lost on a Native American Reservation! All these adventures are tucked away in my memory box, ready to emerge when I glance at photographs.
Although traveling can be stressful, (especially for me since I don’t do it much) it highlights how special home really is.
Experiences away are amazing. These moments make me realize that HOME is a place where I belong, where I breathe easy and rest comfortably. It’s where I am myself the most. It’s my sanctuary in a world of chaos. I love going away and the sensations I feel along the road, yet HOME is where I belong, where I love and will continue to be my greatest adventure!
All adventures eventually lead HOME!
Do you have a memory book of exciting adventures? Even so, isn’t home the best place to be yourself?
The Paris Hotel and Casino Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas.
In this post I continue to share details from my recent Las Vegas vacation. After seeing the amazing Bellagio Fountains, we ventured over across the boulevard to see the Paris Hotel and Casino with the Eiffel Tower observation deck. Like the other casinos we toured, there were colorful fancy carpets, a slew of slot machines and people everywhere.
The inside of the Hotel leading to the elevator of the Eiffel Tower observation deck.
We both decided we would enjoy going up in the elevator in the Eiffel Tower to see the lit up city at night. We paid for our tickets and walked up the stairs and through this enchanting walkway mimicking a French bridge. The wait was only a few minutes and then we boarded the elevator. In only 30 seconds we were whisked up with fleeting sights of the neon signs that lined the strip.
Through metal bars one could gaze at the vibrant lights…what the Las Vegas strip is known for. A heavy screen held the observer back but lets in the cool night air. Every few feet there was a square hole( a break in the bars to take pictures) where you could fit your phone in to snap photos. Walking around the deck, you could get a different perspective of the city every few feet. The Flamingo, Caesar’s Palace and the High Roller at the Linq all glowed with an alluring radiance.
You can stay up on the observation deck as long as you wish. We stayed about twenty minutes and then joined the line of people that wrapped around the deck headed back down. I must admit that I panicked slightly when I saw how long the line was for the elevator. I asked myself, “ What do we do if we NEED to go down as soon as possible?” Then I calmed myself just as quickly. All is well. God is good.
I grew up in the seventies and used to watch the Donny and Marie Osmond show every Friday night. Marie was a little bit country and Donny a little bit rock and roll, I remember these lyrics from one of their songs. They are presently playing at the Flamingo. I had to snap this photo of them…they look the very same as they did so long ago!
This is where we stayed, Harrah’s.
I took this photograph from one of the many pedestrian walking bridges overlooking the strip. At just about each block an escalator goes up to a walking bridge. With all the energetic walking, we were relieved to rest our legs on the moving escalators!
A lovely sight at Caesar’s Palace
On Wednesday morning we took the bus southbound to The Luxor Hotel. There was the Titanic Exhibit our niece Bri had told us about. If you are interested in this history of the Titanic that sunk near Halifax, you must not miss this! I couldn’t get photos as they are not allowed. As we started for the bus, this adorable fountain in front of Caesar’s Palace caught my eye. Isn’t it gorgeous?
At the beginning of the Titanic experience you are handed a boarding card with a passenger’s name on it. As you follow the exhibit you may read about your person and a short biography of his/ her life. The last display of the exhibit reveals all the passengers’ names and if they survived or not. My female passenger was 22 and newly married. She survived but sadly her husband did not. Tom’s passenger, a male captain, died. Many men died as mostly women and children were saved on the few life boats.
While walking through the exhibit, I felt sorrow consume me as broken dishes and teacups were on display. A comb, a mirror with an ivory handle, a chamber pot all brought me back in time. Many objects from bedrooms and the kitchen showed their age as well as the underwater damage.
In front of the Luxor
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The cost of the Titanic tickets was worth it…even though seeing the monstrous part of the mid ship was devastating, it brought us to a place of understanding. It was humbling to learn more and see discovered artifacts from the shipwreck. I should have said a prayer for peace while we were there, but didn’t think of it.
My next post I’ll share my thoughts on Circus Du Soleil The Beatles Love show as well as our trip to Hoover Dam.
Greetings! I’m passionate about the natural world we inhabit; the written word; and photography. Oh, and I should mention – I’m an eternal optimist. My cup is always half full.
heartandsoul974 