“A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.” ~ Henry Ward Beecher
“A sense of humor is a major defense against minor troubles.” ~ Mignon McLaughlin
“A sense of humor… is needed armor. Joy in one’s heart and some laughter on one’s lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.” ~ Hugh Sidey
“A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life.” ~ William A. Ward
“Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.” ~ William James
With all of our labors in trying to take an old fluorescent light fixture down and install a new one yesterday, I didn’t do my yoga stretching. I’m trying to get back into exercise again, doing yoga MWF, so I’ll do a session this afternoon to make up for yesterday.
While I was at the post office this morning, I saw my friend, Hieu, a beautiful little lady from Vietnam who heads up the post office. We have visited here and there, in quick spurts of conversation as she processes whatever I have brought. It’s amazing how you can get to know people like this, care about them, considering them friends. She never fails to ask about our son. I ask about her mom, who was sick with Covid, but made it through.
Hieu was sick this past week and today was her first day back. She said she lost weight while she was sick, and is now down to 87 pounds. My left LEG probably weighs that much! I graciously offered to donate some of MY fat to her cause. Maybe we can figure something out.
This photo above is very similar to what we saw going to town and then returning from errands this morning. It felt almost as if they were running along side us, like a dog tries to chase cars. Happily, they didn’t try to cross the road or crash into our truck. Beautiful animals.
Postal Store – USPS
Did I tell you that I hate to do anything involved with the IRS? Our son lives in Thailand, but still has to file income tax stuff for the states. I try to handle the stuff for him. I mailed a self-employment deferred Social Security ‘whateverwhois’ certified with return receipt for him this morning. I’m hoping this is the end of things for him for awhile. My eyes glaze over whenever I try to read letters from the IRS. I send images of whatever it is to our CPA, who ‘translates’ it for me and tells me what I need to do. I do it, send him copies, and breathe a sigh of relief until next time. You would think I was an embezzler or something with the huge negative gut reaction I have to things like this. :0)
The NY Times
We have a cell phone with base that acts like our house phone. We have extensions all over the house. I thought about changing carriers recently, thinking maybe we could save some money. Though I could get less expensive coverage for my personal cell phone, I gave up because we would have to buy another cell phone system and couldn’t get the extensions we have. The system also has an answering program that we love that requires callers to push # or something to indicate they are a real person and aren’t selling anything before we hear a ringing phone. It really cuts down on calls we don’t want. I’ve actually had people laughing when I answer, then wanting to know where we got the answering thingie.
Recently we got a letter from AT&T saying they wouldn’t cover our house phone cell system anymore because it was only a 3G. They said they would send us a replacement phone that they WOULD cover. We have no idea whether the new phone is anything like our present one, our answering program, if it will have extensions, or we can use the ones we have, etc. The only thing that MAY stay the same is our phone number. UGH. We really don’t like change.
Cards Recycling Service
Under that same heading of not liking change is that we got a letter saying our trash contract was bought up by another company. The new service started 1-3-2022, according to the letter. We have no other details as yet. We put out our trash as usual this morning, hoping for the best….
Amazon.com
While trying to put in new fluorescent tubes in a fixture in the kitchen recently, we dropped the cover, breaking it. We tried to find a replacement cover for it, but couldn’t find one wide enough, either locally or online. Yesterday we decided to buy a 2-tube fixture, using it to replace a 4-tube fixture in our office, and using the cover for the kitchen fixture.
Hours later, we finally had the new fixture installed and working and the cover transferred to the fixture in the kitchen. No lives were lost. If we need to consider this again, I’ll opt for candle light.
Actually, this sweet dog is doing a better job right now than I.
Today I’m restarting my exercise program – my effort to move more, get more flexible, improve my balance, ease some back pain.
I’m starting my yoga stretches again slowly – just Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons, and will see how that goes. It’s mystifying that I have to keep MAKING myself exercise – proving to myself over and over how much better I feel when I do.
Exercise is just above house cleaning on my priorities – I guess I’m a slug.
I’m feeling a bit frazzled this morning – not sure why.
Our son left us a URL to a video featuring Peter Green. He was playing a really soulful guitar and singing, “Fool No More.” I don’t remember ever hearing him before. I think he’s amazing.
Our day is pretty today – lots of sunshine and plenty of cold temperatures. It’s 24 right now. I haven’t switched gears to having winter yet. When we’re home and relaxing in our recliners, I’ve turned on my heat pad to warm my bones. :0) We have several errands to run, and a pretty day to run them in.
We have no evidence yet of more raccoons, but I don’t think we have EVER had just one…
bizwaremagic.com
On my list of ‘things-to-do” today is exercise. I will do my yoga stretches this afternoon and see if I can actually build a habit this time.
Good morning! I hope 2022 will be a great year for you!
Although my husband scoffs, the weather people were absolutely right about what the weather would do yesterday. Temperatures fell all during the day and it was 17 degrees F. this morning. We didn’t get any snow flurries yet, but I don’t think you’ll hear any complaints. It is COLD and gray outside, with some stiff breezes.
I got the ingredients for beef stew into the crock pot first thing this morning, so we’ll have a nice comfort meal this evening. I also got a comfort gift – having a chat with our son. He’s in Thailand and has almost forgotten how cold it can get in Arkansas. He considers wearing a hoodie and shoes other than sandals “cold” there. :0) He fondly remembered my fixing beef stew in the crock pot while he was growing up. Although crock pots aren’t big in Thailand, he’s thinking about trying to order one online so he can fix his own stew. It was a wonderful way to start the morning, talking with him before he goes to sleep. (He’s 13 hours ahead of us this time of year.)
This is a great day to have a warm, dry home. My heart goes out to the people in Colorado who are now suffering through such awful devastation of hurricane force winds driving wildfire. I hope help comes soon.
I’ve become a slug. I’m not exercising as I should. I’m trying to “get back on the horse” exercising three times per week and see if I can actually keep that going. It is said that you can build a habit in three weeks. I guess it takes longer for me. I’m not really kicking myself, having learned that that isn’t productive, but I HAVE written it on my calendar, and hoping to check it off. Fingers crossed and trying to build determination. I’ve also gotten back into cronometer.com an online program for tracking your food, drink, and exercise. Things CREEP in insidiously. You THINK you’re only fudging a bit, and one bit is added here and then there, and…. OUCH. As my friend Maria encouraged me to do, I’m breaking my goal into “doable chunks ” and I plan to reward myself with stars, time to play in my art room, etc. to encourage success.
I hope you have a warm, quiet Sunday, doing something that brings a big smile to your face.
After my husband filled our bird feeders on the deck two days in a row, only to find them completely empty and one hanging askew, we knew we had the last raccoon of 2021. My husband set up our humane trap on the deck, placing it so the trapped animals wouldn’t completely demolish our grill cover again, eat a chair, or other related incidence.
The first night nothing happened. This morning the trap was FILLED with raccoon. The biggest we have ever had. My husband estimates he weighed 20 lbs.
When we had a break in the rain, we put the trap in the back of the truck and drove out behind our home. I guess we travel about 5 miles on the winding road. There is a creek that runs under the road that is away from most of the actual houses and yards where we let the raccoons out.
This raccoon just stood inside the cage with my husband holding the end open for him. It was like he was deciding if he wanted freedom or not. He finally turned a bit, realized the end was open, and was gone in a flash. We could watch him land in the water and swim away.
I guess we’re awful neighbors, driving the raccoons out away from our home and ‘dumping’ them where there is a chance they will be a problem to others, but we really want to give them another chance at life.
Since they don’t ‘share’ the seeds, but eat every last one of them, and then sometimes trash the feeders, we think they don’t play well with others. We hope they find other family members, dance for joy at their regained freedom, and stay away…
Maria, of Floating Waters Art is a wise lady. I often visit her blog and not only read what she has to say, but make a note of it. She posted this recently on her blog and I wanted to share it with you.
It’s hard to believe that there are only 23 days until the New Year and then we’ll be in 2022. With the holidays in full swing many of us have busier than usual schedules. But this is the perfect time to start thinking about the New Year and what you want to accomplish.
A good place to start is to see where you are on your resolutions from this year. Did you get to where you wanted to be? If you did that’s awesome! If you didn’t, then take a look at what may have thrown you off course. Think about how you can improve on that for the next year.
When deciding on New Year’s resolutions, choose ones that resonate with you. And I mean something that you “really” want to attain. Don’t make resolutions for things that you feel would be nice to do or have some day. Those half hearted resolutions will never get off the ground because you’ll never fully commit to them. And by not reaching them, it’ll have a negative impact in your mind.
So stick with fewer resolutions that you’re passionate about. Put all of your heart into reaching your goal and you will. Stay focused and remind yourself everyday of what you’re aiming for. Check in weekly to make sure you’re staying on course and if you need to adjust your resolutions a bit, that’s ok they’re not set in stone.
Quick Summary:
Set New Year resolutions that are attainable and that you’re passionate about.
Decide on 3 resolutions at the most. Too many are overwhelming.
Give yourself deadlines to make your resolutions a reality.
Look at your resolutions everyday to keep you on track.
If life throws you a curve ball, adjust your resolution a bit.
Most important, be kind to yourself and celebrate the journey!
I hope you enjoyed this post. Thanks for stopping by!!
Share the Happy
“What the New Year brings to you will depend a great deal on what YOU bring to the New Year.” ~Vern McLellan
Thanks to Susy, we can all enjoy Matt Dixon’s January image.
And, enjoying the beginning of January 2022 from a different standpoint –
I thank the Australia Firefighters for creating this calendar and making it affordable, reminding me that “I ain’t dead yet.”
On this, the 1st day of January, 2022, we caught a BIG raccoon in the humane trap we set on our deck, trying to catch whoever was eating all of our birdseed the last week or so. Last night we caught him, and will give him another chance at life later today, ‘relocating’ him about 5 miles from us, in a creek beside the road. Hopefully, he will enjoy the rest of his life, forgetting where we are.
Our weather is awful. The day started at 61 degrees with pretty heavy rain. It is still raining, and the temperatures are falling as a cold front barrels in. The low is supposed to be 19 tomorrow morning. We have rain now, the possibility of severe storms this afternoon and evening, and the chance of snow flurries tonight into tomorrow. Happy New Year….
I’m going to get a beef stew in the crock pot tomorrow to ‘comfort’ us about the change in the weather.
Help for my friend, Kay, seems to be on the way. They are now working to expedite the okay on insurance coverage and she should get some definitive surgical help in the coming days. Fingers crossed.
creativeartworksblog 