I just returned from a truly wonderful massage, so I feel relaxed and smiley now. I took the two ladies there thank you cards I had painted. They seemed to be happy with them. When my massage had finished and I came out to drink my little bowl of tea, the older lady pointed to the wall where she had hung up my card to her! I showed her where I had left a review of the shop on Google Maps. This was in answer to her asking if I would ‘tell all my friends’ about the shop. She doesn’t know I don’t know many people here. I found out that Google Map reviews are read by many, many people, and that they can help people grow their businesses, so I left a review for them. It was a happy time for all of us this morning.
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The workmen were supposed to come and paint my door this morning between 10 and noon. Brian came to sit in my place waiting for them since I needed to leave for my massage. It’s now 12:20 and no sign of them yet. The door paint is cosmetic, so I’m not standing on one foot and the other waiting, but ‘Thai time’ is something to which I need to adapt.
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Khun Nong comes to clean my place this afternoon, so we will go to the cafe to get out of her way. I’m going to sketch more Christmas cards plus do some sketches in my sketchbook. I have the latest three book trilogy by Nora Roberts, “The Lost Brides” on my Kindle. I decided to start over and re-read the first two before diving into the book 3 conclusion.
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Next week my new windows and frames are due to be installed. We’ll need to move a bunch of stuff away from the current windows, into the middle of the floor from the living area, the art alcove and the bedroom. I’m thrilled that we are on the schedule to be ‘healed’ and not need the ‘bucket and towels brigade’ any longer.
I hope you’re having an enjoyable day. Please remember to inject kindness into your day wherever you can.
In The Two Towers, Samwise Gamgee delivers one of the most powerful monologues in cinematic history. He tries to remind Frodo why they are on this long journey to destroy the One Ring by speaking of the great stories — the ones that really mattered. He explains that the people in those stories kept fighting because they were holding on to something. When Frodo asks him what they are holding on to, Sam picks him up off the ground and replies:
There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.
It’s been a difficult week, a tough month, and a challenging year when it comes to bad news. And yet, even in the midst of it all, these words linger in my mind, reminding me that the world is full of kind souls quietly doing good, helping one another, and keeping hope alive in ways we may never see. No matter how long or dark the night feels, the stars are still shining. Or, in the words of Samwise:
How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.
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It’s remarkable how, no matter how dark it gets, the world always finds a way to shine again. Sometimes it begins with a single act — a small gesture of kindness, a work of art that touches someone’s soul, or a life saved by someone’s empathy. These moments ripple outward, reaching far beyond what the eye can see, brightening days, changing lives, and revealing the profound beauty of being human.
Here are five stories that remind us of that beauty, and the extraordinary ways humanity can shine…
1. Sebastião & Lélia Salgado: A Forest Born from Hope
There’s an old proverb that goes:
A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in.
Many years ago, Sebastião Salgado, the legendary Brazilian photographer, returned to his family’s land in Minas Gerais only to find it ravaged. “The land was as sick as I was — everything was destroyed,” he said at a climate meeting.
“Only about 0.5% of the land was covered in trees. Then my wife had a fabulous idea to replant this forest. And when we began to do that, then all the insects and birds and fish returned and, thanks to this increase of the trees I, too, was reborn — this was the most important moment of my life.”
With his wife Lélia, he founded Instituto Terra in 1998 to replant native trees, restore watersheds, and rebuild biodiversity. Over decades, they planted more than 2 million trees, bringing back insects, mammals, and 173 different bird species.
Salgado once reflected:
Like to grow a baby, you need to teach it to walk, to speak, and then they can go to school on their own. Trees are the same. You need to hold them close for a while.
2. A Voice That Survived Death
Margaret McCollum lost her husband, actor Oswald Laurence, in 2007. His voice, however, lived on: Laurence had recorded the now‑famous “Mind the gap” announcement for the London Underground.
Years after his death, Margaret would return to Embankment station regularly just to hear him. When the recording was replaced during system upgrades, she wrote to Transport for London. Moved by her grief, TfL not only gave her a CD of the announcement but also brought back her husband’s voice at Embankment station, the one she regularly traveled through.
As she put it: “I love the fact that he’s back there … I can go and listen to him. It does bring him very close to me.”
3. Bill Murray: How a Painting Saved His Life
In a moment of despair early in his career, Bill Murray wandered into the Art Institute of Chicago and found himself before The Song of the Lark, an 1884 oil painting by Jules Breton.
He later recalled: “There was something about her face… it felt like she had been through something hard, and yet there was hope. If this girl in the painting can keep going, maybe I can too.”
That sudden epiphany — that another soul, painted in a field at sunrise, kept living despite hardship — gave him a reason to stay alive when he had none left. He later said: “It gave me some sort of feeling that I too am a person and get another chance every day the sun comes up.”
I want you to think of this story the next time you feel your art is futile or your creative pursuit isn’t worth the effort.
4. A Sanctuary for Stray Dogs
In Gravatá, Brazil, Father João Paulo Araujo Gomes saw stray dogs — vulnerable and abandoned — and opened his parish to them. Throughout the week, he cares for dozens of dogs in his rectory, and every Sunday he brings one to Mass, offering it a chance to find a loving home. Thanks to his compassion and dedication, many of these dogs have been adopted, finding safety and care they never had before.
His belief is deeply rooted: “They will always be able to enter, sleep, eat… for this house is of God and they are of God. Three of them stay with me. Today, they are my children and sleep in my bed.”
5. The Guardian of the Golden Gate
In 2005, Kevin Berthia stood on the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge. Officer Kevin Briggs, known for his work preventing suicides, approached him gently and said, “I’m not going to touch you… I just want to talk… and to listen.”
For 92 minutes, Briggs listened — not to fix, but to understand.
Berthia later reflected: “It was 92 minutes… and every one of those minutes it was me talking and him mostly listening.”
That moment didn’t just save Berthia’s life — it transformed it. Berthia went on to marry, raise a family, and dedicate his life to suicide prevention, saving countless lives in his own right.
Ten years later, he and Briggs met again on the same bridge, this time under far brighter circumstances:
Briggs has earned the nickname “Guardian of the Golden Gate” for having saved the lives of more than 200 people…
As Matthew McConaughey said in his 2014 Oscars acceptance speech:
It is a scientific fact that gratitude reciprocates.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and exhausted when our attention is consumed by bad news, outrage, and endless negative stimuli. Social media algorithms divide the world into toxic echo chambers, and those in power profit from keeping us at each other’s throats. In this environment, it’s all too easy to start seeing only the worst in the world — and in one another. And yet, beneath it all, there is still immense goodness, and countless people quietly making a positive difference every day.
It’s precisely because of this that I believe we should act as if what we do truly matters… because it does. The examples you’ve just read demonstrate it.
Throughout human history, we have a duty to resist evil and keep it at bay. But I believe our greater responsibility is to focus our energy on doing good — to move ourselves and those around us toward the light. The best way to defeat darkness is to build the world we want to see. Salgado did this through his work, planting trees in places where the land had been devastated and hope seemed lost. But hope is never truly lost… As Alexandre Dumas once said:
All human wisdom is summed up in two words: wait and hope.
It is NOT raining! The last of my towels is on the drying rack out on my tiny balcony and should be dry by afternoon. The sun is actually shining!
And my DOOR is still opening and shutting with a turn of the doorknob just like a real door! It’s a miracle. The workmen didn’t come yesterday to paint. I’m hoping they come today, but the paint is just cosmetic. The important thing has already been done. 🎉 🥳
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I’m enjoying sketching Christmas cards for my local people here. I’ll get them all sketched and then I’ll start painting them. Meanwhile, I’m going to paint some of the sketches I did recently at the cafe.
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The dolphins jigsaw puzzle is coming together slowly. I have learned that it really makes a difference how much you pay for a puzzle. The two I’ve finished were both wood pieces. The dolphin puzzle is cardboard. The pieces don’t hold together well and they ‘travel’ on the table. I think I told you that we tried to order my turtle puzzle from Lazada. They canceled the first order and I chose the dolphins puzzle. Then Brian tried again to order it. They canceled again, so now he went to Amazon and ordered it. We’ll pay through the nose for shipping, but I think this is the first thing we’ve ordered from Amazon since I moved here 7 months ago, so I don’t feel as guilty about the cost as I might. I am SO looking forward to that puzzle!
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I received the third book in the Lost Brides trilogy by Nora Roberts a couple of days ago. I have now started reading Book 1 again, now that I can read all 3 back to back. I’m in Heaven!
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The only errand we have today is to get cash for me to pay for my massage and leave money for my housekeeper tomorrow. I’m taking some thank you cards I made for my massage therapist and the other kind lady in the shop,
and I’ll leave the money with the thank you card I make every week for my housekeeper.
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Brian brought us a smoothie we shared yesterday mid afternoon. It was made with avocado, banana, and strawberries and it was absolutely delicious. It has a zillion calories, though, so I really have to watch how often we get this. I really want to get to my goal weight. I am trying to expand my horizons a bit on iced coffees. So far I like mocha, latte, and cappuccino. Brian is researching what other things are available that he thinks I might enjoy.
“You cannot do kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Make it a priority to be kind. If you have to think about it, you’re not doing it enough.
Andrey K. – Unsplash
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop
Kindness should be so natural you don’t even think about it. You just do it. An example of this is holding the door open for someone, or letting someone who only has a few things in line behind you at the grocery go ahead of you.
Jonas Vincent – jonasvincentbe – Unsplash
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain
You offer to return someone’s cart in the parking lot. You hold the elevator door open so a person doesn’t have to hurry to get in. Every once in a while, you pay the person’s bill behind you in line, or pay for the person’s order in a fast food drive-through lane.
Sunshine House Early Learning Academy
“Kindness is like snow. It beautifies everything it covers.” – Kahlil Gibran
You compliment someone on the pretty thing in their hair, or their blouse, their smile, or… It will make their day and they may smile from time to time just thinking about it later.
Pinterest
“Kindness is a gift everyone can afford to give.” – Unknown
You never know what others are dealing with in their lives. If you see someone is struggling and there is something you can do to help, do it.
Pinterest
“Kindness begins with the understanding that we all struggle.” – Charles Glassman
Listening, caring, and time all cost nothing, yet mean everything.
Johan Dahl – paintings provided by The Culturist – Substack
Apparently whoever is gathering these paintings I’ve been displaying lately shares my amazement and awe of anyone who can paint water, a thing we all know is impossible…
Jatayu – “King of Vultures- bird sculpture – James Lucas – Substack
“The Jatayu Earth’s Center features the world’s largest bird sculpture, created by sculptor Rajiv Anchal. “According to local lore of Kerala, it is believed that Jatayu fell on the rocks in Chadayamangalam in the Kollam district of Kerala after his wings were clipped off by Ravana. The name “Chadayamangalam” is said to be derived from “Jatayu-mangalam”.[citation needed]Jatayu Earth’s Center Nature Park in Chadayamangalam features a 61 metres (200 ft) wide statue of Jatayu, which is credited as the world’s largest bird sculpture.[6]“ – Wikipedia
I thought this was amazing and huge – until I noticed the MAN standing on his wing. My jaw dropped.
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Today was a ‘bucket and towels brigade morning. Before we went to the gym, I put rolled up towels on the sills of all my windows. When we returned, about half of the towels were damp, but none needed to be wrung out. I’m trying to dry the towels now on my drying rack that I dragged inside. The rain has stopped now.
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I haven’t heard from the repair people yet today, but I’m still hopeful they can make the time to come and do whatever painting they plan to do on my miraculous door. I’m speaking of the door to my condo that now opens and closes at the touch of the doorknob! I’m thrilled at my regained independence and freedom. The paint is only cosmetic. It will be nice, but I can wait, if needed.
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I have started the sketches for the Christmas cards I’m going to paint for the people here in Chiang Mai. They have made me feel so welcome. Some go out of their way to inquire how my husband is (through Brian, of course.) Some cross the room when they are working to say ‘hello,’ or smile and bow. Some even give me a much needed hug, something that almost makes me cry. The cards are such a little thing, but I’m hoping that when I give them, each person will know how much they mean to me. It’s fun to think of particular people as I choose the theme of their Christmas card. I’m going to sketch all of them first, and then start painting.
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I may be becoming a little bit acclimated to the higher temperatures and higher humidity here. Part of that may be due to my finally being able to lose another 27 pounds since I moved to Thailand. Right now my phone says it’s 72 and it’s started to rain again. I shut off the a/c because I felt cold. I then changed my regular shirt for a sweatshirt…. This will all probably change when “The Hot (and Smokey) Season” starts. Brian says he’s comfortable at 92. Yeah, right.
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Brian just texted me, asking if I want a drink. He’s going to bring me an iced mocha as soon as it’s delivered. Am I a totally spoiled rotten lady or what! 😜
Today Brian and I visited my husband, Harvey, at the nursing home. Today is Harvey’s 82nd birthday.
I took a picture I painted –
and Brian brought a packaged apple pie.
Harvey didn’t realize it was his birthday, even when I showed him the picture and we explained it to him. His nurse jumped in, though, joined us in singing, “Happy Birthday,” and said it was okay that I put the picture on the wall where he can see it. She also arranged for him to have a precious cup of coffee with his pie.
He didn’t say anything that made sense today, but seemed to be comfortable and definitely enjoyed the pie and coffee.
Later the nursing home sent us a video of the staff surrounding his bed holding a ‘cake’ with fruit all around it, plus two lighted candles, singing, “Happy Birthday” again, and passing around another plate with fruit that they all shared while celebrating with Harvey. He dived right into the plate, grabbing a sliced banana 🍌 after trying and finally succeeding on blowing out the candles.
I can’t imagine a nicer gesture. It brings me to tears that they dropped everything today to help make his day as pleasant as possible.
My problem wasn’t being locked out, but my door being so swollen that I could not get out or in again. I actually had to have my son come and get me, forcing the door open, and then fighting it open when we got back.
Yesterday two men came, took my door off the hinges, set it up in the foyer outside my place and worked on it for about an hour. They used a hammer and chisel, plus planed the door, plus new screws in the door hinges, until they got it the way they wanted. Then they hung it back up. They are coming tomorrow sometime to paint either the edge they planed or the whole door – I’m not sure which.
The wonderful thing – something I will never take for granted again – is that I can unlock the door, turn the knob, and the door opens! Really! And – when I step through the doorway, push the lock on the doorknob and pull gently on the knob, the door shuts! Just like that! Like a real door!
No putting my foot on the door frame and trying to pull it open or closed without bruising my fingers. No loud sounds as the door opens or closes. No texting for help.
And – And – My freedom to leave and enter my place has been restored!!!!! I can leave and return any time I want to. I can meet Brian at the elevator without him having to rescue me! I can go buy something or take my laundry, or take a walk now on my own volition!!!!! HOOOOOORAAAAAAAAY!
I met Khun Arm, the main maintenance person for the building, in the elevator later yesterday and thanked him profusely. I don’t speak Thai and he speaks very little English, but he knew how happy and grateful I was and left the elevator grinning🙏🏻 from ear to ear.
Next up is my windows that leak each time it rains – the latest time this morning. Khun Arm and a glass expert came this afternoon and measured my windows. It looks like they will replace all the glass and all the frames. We okayed things, but relied on his expertise on what works best in the building what is repairable, etc. I have no idea when this work will be done, but it looks like the “towel and bucket brigade” might be a thing of the past in the near future.
The work of this fine artist was provided by The Culturist on Substack. He finds artists he thinks haven’t received the recognition and acclaim they should and displays some of their work.
This pampered lady took her clothes (the largest part of it) to the laundry. It will be ready to pick up tomorrow a little after 9:00. Can you believe that? I have never been able to take advantage of a service like this before and I am loving it! 😊
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The repair men are due here around 1:30 to 2:00 this afternoon to see if they can fix my door. I sure hope they can do something so I can just walk out of my condo and back in again any time I would like without having to text my son…
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I lost another bit of weight, and now am 7 lbs from my goal. I may adjust that once I get there, but it seems like a good weight for maintenance purposes. It’s in the healthy range for my height on the BMI chart. More importantly, I am FEELING better now than I have felt in a long time. The combination of eating twice a day, watching my portions, not eating between meals, and then exercising are finally coming together.
I’m walking on the treadmill, doing online balance exercises, old lady yoga stretches alternating with exercises with water bottles for my arms so I do each every other day. I’m dancing to wonderful music on my computer, just to be moving around and grinning like an idiot.
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I am getting started on sketching and hand painting Christmas cards for the locals here. This will take me some time, so I’m trying to work on the project a bit each day so I won’t feel rushed toward the deadline. I will be giving them to people as I see them, so the distribution will take some time, as well. What a happy way to spend time between now and Christmas!
I did a little research on Christmas in Chiang Mai, and discovered though most people here are Buddhist, they like the idea of giving and receiving gifts, Christmas decorations, music, and festivals, so there are several ways to celebrate. I’ll be sharing some of that with you in the coming month.
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I hope that this is the beginning of a really nice week for you.
This is one of the mailbox decorations my husband and I made.
And this is one of the metal critters in our yard we made out of an old propane tank and scrap metal in Arkansas.
Thanksgiving quotes include the famous line, “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings,” by William Arthur Ward, and John F. Kennedy’s advice to “find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”
I am filled with gratitude these days, and so take the quote by William Arthur Ward to heart. Each night I take 5 minutes. I get into a comfortable sitting position with my feet on the floor. I concentrate on something that makes me feel grateful. Two things that I concentrate on lately is (1) a photo I took of Brian kissing Harvey’s head before leaving the nursing home, and (2) the feeling I get when Brian hugs me or kisses my head. That’s it. Usually I end up in tears as the gratitude fills me up and spills over. Just 5 minutes and I’m calm, thankful, and full of gratitude.
Second, I am trying to show people how very much I value them. I tell my good friends how much they mean to me and how much I love them. I thank Brian, and tell him I appreciate him taking such good care of me. I have made some ‘thank you’ cards I will take to my massage Friday to let the two ladies there know how much they are changing my life and how much I appreciate that. I’m painting individual Christmas cards for the people here in my new country who make a difference in my life on a daily basis. I want them to know I don’t take them for granted and realize how they go out of their way to make me feel welcome.
Thanksgiving is EVERY day – not just one Thursday in November. We gather the family, have a special dinner, enjoy being together – but that should just be the beginning. How amazing our lives are and how much we have for which to be thankful!
It is an absolutely stunning day today here in Chiang Mai. It’s only 82, sunshiny, and a nice breeze blowing. It was really foggy early this morning, causing some planes to have to delay or divert, but burned off pretty quickly. Brian said the fog is really unusual.
We visited Harvey at the nursing home this morning. Harvey wanted us to buy him a camera with a long lens and a truck. When we asked him why, it took him a long time to answer. Over the course of half an hour, we finally got that he wanted the camera to take pictures of the nests of the white birds that were congregating in the rice fields outside his window to prove that the birds were having babies, not just ‘tourist birds.’ Ooookaaaaay… The truck was a dual display Izuzu he saw on TV. It doesn’t need a key and responds to voice commands. Can you imagine him trying to d
rive this truck when it takes him half an hour to say, ‘no key,’ and ‘dual displays?’ Not to mention he can’t get out of bed… Since he was calm, showed some interest in what we were telling him, and didn’t seem to be in any pain, we declared the visit a success.
ZenArtSupplies.co
I’ve decided to paint Christmas cards for the people here who have been so nice to me. I have 14 people on my list so far. It isn’t much, but it will at least show them I’m thinking about them and am grateful that they have gone out of their way to make me feel more comfortable in my new country.
ElaineNeoWedding
We have been invited to a wedding at the end of this month! It’s supposed to be a very informal affair. I can’t wait to see what it will be like. It’s exciting to see a couple at the very beginning of their lives together.
Pngtree
I learned a lesson today. I was groggily awake at around 4 this morning when my walkie talkie on my nightstand started making noise. We got these as an emergency measure if I have trouble in the middle of the night when Brian turns his phone off. The device was saying, “Check the battery.” over and over. I charge it twice a week, starting when I get up at 5am. I unhook it from the charger when I get back from breakfast at about 8. Wednesday I was up super early and went ahead and plugged it into the charger. It was charged up before we went to the gym, so I unplugged it. Turns out the hour or so made all the difference on when it needed to be charged again. I won’t do THAT again…
Freepik
The building fix-it guys are due to come tomorrow morning sometime to work on my door. I’m counting the hours. I’ve taken a lot of things for granted over my lifetime, but being able to leave and come back to my place whenever I wanted without the door trapping me on one side or the other didn’t even make the list of noticeable things! I will be really glad if they can make me independent again!
On our travels today, I noticed a shop that was called something like, “Overseas Pet Shop.” We went by it very quickly, but I thought, “I want to visit that place!” Then, as I thought about it more, I decided, ‘No, it would be best if I didn’t visit. I would want to adopt most, if not all, of the animals there, and wouldn’t be able to even get ONE. That would break my heart. (I researched it when we got home and found my instincts on NOT going there are correct. I’m in love with the PICTURES I found.)
Finally, this is the latest painted sketch.
I hope your weather is wonderful where you are and that you’re packing your day with fun things.
My friend Marsha sent me a group of photos taken at the exact right time to create something extraordinary. I love these and wanted to share some of them.
I can’t express how MUCH I love trying to put together jigsaw puzzles. I’ve always loved to do it, but my hobby irritated my husband no end. It aggravated him when I started one because it took away time I might have spent with him – supposedly. He was annoyed to see the pieces all over a table – not sure why because he was certainly not a neatness freak. It bothered him that it took me a long time to finish one – mainly because I spent more time with HIM to try to make up for the puzzle being out…
End result – I gave up puzzles for years. Now I have a puzzle table right in my living area. The pieces, boxes, and sandwich bags are in one area ready for my attention whenever I want to spend time there. No one is affected that I leave it out or how long it takes. I’m having a blast choosing puzzles, finally finishing some, getting glass prints made of each one, starting another!
This is my special shelf in the living area where I keep things I truly love. I plan to keep adding to these – even spilling over into another area if this one fills up. It’s my ‘Statement Shelf.’ No one else has anything like it. ❤️
This was my first finished puzzle. I honestly didn’t know if I would be able to do it. It was easily the hardest one I’ve ever done. It was difficult to tell what I was working on. I moved whole sections of ‘finished areas’ toward the end because where I THOUGHT the section fit wasn’t correct. Difficult, character-building. I LOVE owls and the wonderful colors in this.
Brian ordered a glass print of the finished puzzle for me! I can always have the image and I felt good about giving the actual puzzle to someone else to enjoy.
This is the reason for the Statement Shelf. Brian took a picture of this while we were still in Arkansas, each packing one suitcase and one backpack to move to Thailand, leaving everything else we had collected over the past 40 years there to be given away or auctioned. My dad painted this. He said it was a ‘personality portrait’ of me. It was true. I recognize that expression. 😛 The fact that Brian took the picture and then ordered a glass print of it to give to me as a condo-warming present meant everything to me. My dad is now here with me in Thailand. This will always be the centerpiece of my Statement Shelf.
This is the newest addition to the shelf – the 2nd finished puzzle. This was really difficult because of all the black in it. It was really a challenge to try to separate the shades of grey, grey-green, blue-gray, and then black, and THEN figure out which area of that color I was working on.
This sweet rabbit was sent to me in a letter from a dear friend (actually a relative of my husband’s) in Texas. He has always sent a print of an original painting with his Christmas greeting. I have always loved and saved each one. Again, something I had to leave behind. When I received this in the mail here in Thailand, I teared up. I thought I would never see another one. We immediately went to find a frame for it so it could get a place on my special shelf.
This is the puzzle I’m working on now. My puzzle table is square, 74 cms. on each side. The puzzle is 50 cms x 75 cms. Just wide enough that the border of the puzzle is too wide for my table. I said several bad words when the border pieces once again fell onto the floor and had to be put together again. I finally used the edges of the box I cut off in order to put the puzzle picture on the wall above the table, taping them together, folding them lengthwise, and then taping them to the two sides of the table. This SEEMS to be working so far. This is one of my second choices when I ordered a new puzzle. I love dolphins, and this one DOES have one larger and a couple of smaller turtles, so I’m having a good time with it.
This is the puzzle I tried to order. Lazada (like Amazon) canceled the order, so we ordered the dolphins. Brian tried to order the turtle puzzle again, but just found out the order has been canceled again. In the meantime. he found out it is offered on Amazon, so will order it for me today. Hooray!
I am enjoying being able to indulge my hobby of working jigsaw puzzles again, choosing images that speak to me in some way, fighting my errant thoughts that I might not be able to put one of these together, embrace the joy of seeing one come together and then the moment when it’s FINISHED! The further joy of FEELING the finished puzzle with my hands on the table. It’s a texture delight unlike anything else. 🧩
I hope that you have hobbies that bring you joy. If you do, dive into them, spending as much time as you possibly can. Life is too short to NOT make a happy space of time for yourself each day.
Scott Helfrich – http://www.nwf.org Photo Contest – The National Wildlife Federation Blog
It was raining super hard this morning when it was near time to go to the gym, so we decided to cancel. I spent the morning with my bucket and towels trying to contain the window leaks. This was one of the worst rains we’ve had, with water rushing down the street, water-water-everywhere. Brian came down to help me, then let me out of my place so I could go get my massage, and then met the building handyman and another man, who both looked at my door and my windows.
They will confer, decide what they think will fix each of my problems, and get back to us with a plan, costs, and time as soon as possible. Help is finally on the way!!!!
I was exhausted from spending from about 5 this morning until I went to my massage at 10 wringing towels out and moving things that might get damaged. I almost went to sleep on the table under Khun Weaw’s expert hands.
The sun is shining now and I moved my drying rack back out onto the balcony with all the towels on it, hoping I can get some serious drying accomplished this afternoon.
Soon we will go to the cafe to get out of Khun Nong’s way while she cleans. I have the place pretty well put back together now so she CAN clean.
My first “Rainy Season” will remain in my memory forever. Hopefully, the NEXT one will be one of fond memories of what I DON’T need to do anymore. 😃🙏🏻
“Handle every situation like a dog. If you can’t eat it or play with it, just pee on it and walk away.” – Unknown
Tim Burgess – Chainsaw Sculptor
“Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul, chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we’re the greatest hunters on earth!” – Anne Tyler
I’m having real trouble with the door on my place. For a while, it was just a challenge to open and close. It got so that I had to put my foot on the door frame when I was inside to get enough leverage to finally pull it open. Same thing on the outside with my key, with my foot on the door trying to force it open. Finally it has gotten to the point where I cannot get in or out by myself.
Fortunately, Brian lives in the same building, so he comes to get me and forces the door open and closed for me, brings me supplies, checks on me regularly, and has called the problem in to the building handyman who is trying to make time to come look at things. He will either think the door can be fixed and arrange for someone to come and do that, or will tell us that it cannot be fixed and we’ll have to buy a new door with a new lock and he will arrange for someone to bring those and install them for us.
Either way, my job is to show patience. This is an annoyance, rather than a big issue, since Brian is so careful to take good care of me. I’ll be very happy when leaving and coming back to my place isn’t such a challenge.
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We went to visit Harvey this morning. We had trouble getting a Grab because graduation day was happening at a bunch (or maybe all) of the schools and there weren’t enough Grabs to accommodate everyone who wanted to go somewhere. The streets were especially clogges, and lines of students in their various uniforms were everywhere on the sidewalks.
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Harvey seemed comfortable and more alert than sometimes. He announced that ‘they’ had tried to kill the head nurse there by filling her nasal tube with salt…. Other than that, he seemed to follow things we were telling him, so the visit was what passes for success these days.
People had been harvesting more of the rice growing around the nursing home. There were at LEAST 30 birds – some completely white and some gray and white – all with long legs – in the water in the fields while we were there. Their wings caught the light and it was really a nice sight.
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I’ve had a short afternoon since the trip to see Harvey took a good 4 hours or more today, so I’m late writing blog posts. I’ve also been trying to do my chores in getting ready for Khun Nong, my housekeeper, to come tomorrow.
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I did these two drawings on small cards for Khun Nong, but yesterday I did full sized images of them. I had a great time.
I hope that your day is fun filled and that your face hurts from smiling.
These photos of fall and winter make me a bit sad because I realize that I will never enjoy these sights in person again here in Thailand.
(1) Spring and Fall were my favorite seasons. I loved planting flowers and veggies every year in the spring. Fall in Arkansas wasn’t like the absolutely glorious images in Maine or surroundings, but I enjoyed the color we had, always trying to preserve leaves to use in art projects, my heart bursting from all the beautiful colors!
(2) Arkansas doesn’t ‘do’ winter well. We tended to have ice and then some snow. My favorite snows were ones with huge pretty flakes – that made you feel you were living in a snow globe someone had just shaken – that covered everything in fantasy, and then the sun came out and took it all away before I had to drive in it. We had a 650+ foot STEEP driveway on our 8 acres. Each year, no matter what we did, the trees on either side of our driveway would fall INTO the driveway, requiring us to use chainsaws to cut and haul our way down to the road. We had definitely gotten too old for this, but couldn’t afford (or find) someone to come do it for us.
In Thailand, depending on who you ask, we either have 3 or 4 summers that make up our year. We just finished “The Rainy Season”– June through October where it’s hot and rains almost every day, with huge hard rains and then remnants of typhoons coming our way from Vietnam – all of which caused my windows to leak.
“The Cool Season,” – from November until mid-February – it’s mid 80s for highs, 50 for a low, lots of sunshine and little rain. (Hooray!) “The Hot Season” is from March through May. Temperatures are above 95 degrees with scorching sunshine requiring umbrellas. Brian also adds “The Smoky Season” as a separate season, where it’s still really hot and farmers are burning off the residue in their fields making air purifiers mandatory. (Officially, this season is lumped in with “The Hot Season” for everyone except Brian).
No “Spring,” “Fall,” or “Winter” anymore. That makes me nostalgic.
What I’ve given up in seasons, though, I have more than gained in the delight of a new life here in Chiang Mai. I’m looking forward to buying some new clothes when I finally hit my weight goal (I’m about 9 pounds away now). I’m going to study up on the best clothes for a “mature woman” – who looks a bit like a Shar Pei now –
should wear in the year of summers I will learn to embrace now. My place is comfortable with lots of windows (some openable), a/c, fans, shades, air purifiers, and lots of water to drink. I carry an umbrella (for rain still now, but also for sun shade especially in the “Hot Season.”
I titled this post “A Bit Nostalgic – 2 and 1” because I’m nostalgic about the loss of fall and winter, but I just received something ELSE to remind me how very lucky I am to be here. My son just went to donate some clothes and texted me to unlock my door. He fought it open to bring me a doughnut! The first I have had in over 3 years. It was absolutely wonderful, but the best part was that he thought of me while doing other chores and brought me something he thought might ‘make me happy.’
We can never thank our veterans enough for all the sacrifices they and their families have made.
We used to live in Greenwood, Arkansas, a community of about 9,700 people. In the center of the ‘square’ is Greenwood Memorial Park where lots of events are held each year. On Veterans Day, U.S. Flags are placed behind the stones of veterans who served us, bought by their families to honor them.
I wanted to get a stone for my husband, Harvey, because he served 4 years in the Marine Corps. He refused, saying he wasn’t in an active fight (although he was on ships offshore several really hot spots ready to go ashore if ordered), but he didn’t consider that enough to warrant a stone.
Memorial Park looks so pretty for this day we honor our Veterans. Assemblies at the schools honor our men and women in uniform. Local veterans attend these assemblies, allowing us to thank them in person with lumps in our throats. A parade goes down Main Street, around the square, and back up to the high school. Bands play and crowds cheer. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.
Veterans Day from Thailand seems weird to me. It’s the first one where I haven’t been in the U.S. to participate. I even had to remember when to write this post so that it would arrive on Veterans Day in the U.S., rather than November 12th, as it is in Thailand now.
We visit my personal hero tomorrow in the nursing home. I don’t know how alert he will be. I would like to be able to talk with him about his service. He joined the Marines when he was 17 and I was 14. We dated on all his ‘leaves’ for the 4 years, letters flying back and forth as fast as we could write and send them. (No texting or social media accounts back in the Stone Age.)
Even the mailman got into the act. If he saw there was a letter from Harvey for me, he would break the rules and put the red flag up on the mailbox because he knew I would be in the house, face plastered to the window, watching him. If the red flag came up, I would dash out of the house, running to retrieve the mail, smiling like an idiot. We would smile at each other, he would tip his hat and drive off.
Harvey won a medal for his sharp shooting in the Marines. He was proud of his service, but always downplayed it in honor of the ‘real veterans.’
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