Thursday 2-17-2022

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The weather experts were right. I’m not aware that we got the ‘heavy downpours’ that were predicted, but we have the rain, and the cold front is moving in today, changing us from the high 40s now to the 20s this afternoon with a wind chill in the teens. BRRRRR! Did I mention I’m more than ready for spring?

I brought some of the sweet daffodils inside so we could enjoy them, particularly since the ones outside blooming or budding now will freeze today. :0( I’m glad I saw these so they could be appreciated.

123RF

Yesterday was a 2-Star day. The first star was for finishing the ‘cleaning-out-and-finding-my-desk’ project. The second star was for the combination of my yoga practice, the fact that I ate nothing between lunch and dinner yesterday, and am weaning myself off of no-added-sugar ice cream, resulting in the loss of almost a pound. Hopefully, I can build on that today.

We’re going to go out – probably after lunch – to run errands. We’ll get our mail, buy replacement tarps to cover the garden raised bed planters again, and stop at Real Food to see if they have some good dinners for us. After that, we’ll ‘hole-up’ in our warm, dry house and enjoy being out of the weather.

I hope you’re safe from the weather, too.

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I “FOUND” It!

Before
After

The biggest thing that doesn’t show is that the things IN the desk have been reorganized. I deleted, changed, and added files that will save me work at the end of the year when I have to organize things to give to our CPA for taxes. Other things were moved to my art room upstairs, to shelves in the office, etc.

I have to admit that the only time my desk looks this clear is when I’m not doing anything. :0)

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Find Something That Works for You

Soulestice

Our son is really into meditation and it has really helped him.

He used to have quite a bit of frustration. At times it would erupt – one time resulting in broken bones in his hand when he ‘punched a chair.’ (The chair won.)

Over the years he has practiced meditation, even going to places where he could receive instruction in how to do it better. He has taken bits and pieces and made his own form now. He practices every day now, getting up early so that he can practice before he starts his work for the day. I don’t know if he does it again in the evening or not. It has made a world of difference for him. He is content and happy now, able to handle even really frustrating situations with an amazing maturity.

He has tried to get ME to try it, and I have. I’m a dismal failure. I guess I don’t want to do it badly enough. I simply cannot turn my mind off, rechannel my thoughts, or use any of the many suggestions he has made. I envy him and now look to HIM when I need help dealing with things.

The best thing I’ve come up with is finding Art – like that above – in which I can lose myself. Music is a huge help, too. Music I loved in the past transports me to where I was when I first heard the song. I’m finding new music and new artists I find amazing. Frustration, anger, and depression simply melt away. Books help. I dive into the worlds of characters I love, leaving my concerns somewhere else as I immerse myself in their lives. Yoga is becoming a coping mechanism, as well. It’s really hard for me to totally relax, but I come really close when I practice my yoga stretches and poses. When I finish, my mind is calm and my body feels looser.

The world is a very complicated place now. I hope you can find something that works for YOU.

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Thoughts on a Wednesday 2-16-2022

Petr Vaclavek – Dubanci.cz

We have some interesting weather here in Arkansas the next couple of days. We have a ‘wind advisory’ today – even warning about being watchful of gusts when driving! THEN we have ‘heavy downpours,’ ‘thunderstorms,’ and possible severe storms late this afternoon and overnight, a cold front moving in tomorrow, with possible FLURRIES (It’ll be in the 60’s today…). It’s ‘hold-onto-your-hat weather!

I MAY finish the infamous ‘Find-My-Desk’ project today. My husband mentioned that he saw there was a piece of furniture under the piles yesterday, but then his intelligence kicked in and he wisely shut his mouth rather than adding to his observations. :0)

Tenor

My simultaneous ‘Shut-My-Mouth-and-do-More-Yoga’ project has a good start now, though the results may not show for quite awhile.

youshouldgrow.com

A third project I’m beginning to think about is my Raised-bed, Square-foot Garden project for the spring. I’m getting out my grid paper and will start to plan what I’ll plant and where I’ll put it in the garden. This is all based on where I put things last year, so I’ll have reasonable crop rotation, and then I want to have a ‘square’ between like plants (like I don’t plant broccoli plants in adjoining squares) so cut down on any disease problems. I use up lots of grid paper as I dream, making notes on when I should start looking for plants in our local stores. I want to be ready to plant broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, and spinach, for example, as soon as I can get them into the ground. I’ll group them so I can cover them each night with tarps until the weather is more cooperative, making their growing season as long as possible.

As soon as I finish at the computer, I’ll get to work on my desk again. I’ll post pics when this project is done. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

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Love and Joy

thedodo.com

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More Carol Kroll Gourds

Artichoke
Adobe
Light Prism

CarolKrollArt.com

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Hopeful Tuesday

I just came back in from driving our trash down to the bottom of our driveway and getting our mail. When I started to go down the driveway I caught a glimpse of yellow out of the corner of my eye. When I got back, I got my camera and went out in the yard to find two groups of daffodils budding and blooming in the middle of February! Talk about something that really lifted my spirits. I wanted to share them with you. I KNOW that they don’t realize that it’s still the middle of winter here and that they’ll get frozen one day soon, but their determination to bloom in the middle of whatever is happening around them is motivation for me to try to do the same.

My “Find-and-Re-Organize My Desk” project is going slowly, but I’m definitely making progress. Instead of just stuffing things away somewhere else this time, I’m really trying to re-think where it makes the most sense for things to live – rather than piled on my desk. This takes more time, but will be helpful in the long run. I’ve already cleaned out my tax records file drawer in the desk, caught up with January 2022 records on new spreadsheets on my computer, and filed January’s stuff in old-plus-added folders. It won’t look like I’ve done anything on the project until it’s finished, but I’m plugging away at it with several sessions during the day, with walking out to the shop and back between sessions to enjoy the weather and get my body moving more.

Giphy

I actually did a session of yoga yesterday afternoon. It felt so good I’m going to do another today, rather than waiting until Wednesday.

I hope that you enjoyed your Valentine’s Day yesterday and that you’re having a hopeful Tuesday, too.

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Never Enough Calvin Nicholls

Calvin Nicholls 3-D Paper Art – Margherita Cole – MyModernMet.com

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Back on the Wagon

Dogster-shutterstock

Okay. The Super Bowl is over. I love it that they were so evenly matched. I was happy the Rams won because they won it the same way they got to the Super Bowl in the final game that won their place there – a come from behind win. I switched allegiances several times during the game because I love a really close, nail-biter game more than anything. (My husband is still rolling his eyes because I liked the uniforms of the Bengals MUCH better than those of the Rams.)

We enjoyed our splurge dinner of chili mac with onions and cheese, thoroughly enjoying every forbidden bite. :0) Splurge mode is officially over now. I’m using cronometer.com to track my eating. I’m still trying to work out how to eat the foods that are supposed to be good for my husband’s and my various health concerns – building a master list of foods to INCLUDE as often as possible and ones to AVOID. I’m adding to it as I read more and reprinting the list so I can keep it on the fridge to remind me.

I have a yoga session on my calendar for today. I’m also going to include a walk out to our shop and back each time I take a break from my ‘find-my-desk’ project started yesterday and continuing until the emergence of an actual piece of furniture, rather than a pile of STUFF.

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Relativity

email from a friend

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Gourds by Carol Kroll

Stairway to Heaven
Natures Reclaiming
Energy Bowl

Carol Kroll Art

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Will You Be My Valentine?

Mary Krupa-ba-bamail.com
Readers Digest

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Forwards

This explains why friends forward jokes. I’ve never thought of it this way before.

A man and his dog were walking along a road . The man was enjoying the scenery when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road.
It looked like fine marble.

At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.

He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, “Excuse me, where are we?”

“This is Heaven, sir,” the man answered.

“Wow! Would you happen to have some water?” the man asked.

“Of course, sir. Come right in, and I’ll have some ice water brought right up.” The man gestured, and the gate began to open. “Can my friend,” gesturing toward his dog, “come in, too?” the traveler asked.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t accept pets.”

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed.

There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

“Excuse me!” he called the man. “Do you have any water?”

“Yeah, sure, there’s a pump over there, come on in.”

“How about my friend here?” the traveler gestured to the dog

“There should be a bowl by the pump,” said the man.

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, and then he gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.

“What do you call this place?” the traveler asked.

“This is Heaven,” he answered.

“Well, that’s confusing,” the traveler said.

“The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.”

“Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That’s Hell.”

“Doesn’t it make you mad for them to use your name like that?”

“No, we’re just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.”

So , sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding stuff to us without writing a word.

Maybe this will explain it.

When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do? You forward emails .

When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you forward jokes .

When you have something to say, but don’t know what, and don’t know how… you forward stuff .

A ‘forward’ lets you know that
You are still remembered,
You are still important,
You are still cared for.

So, next time if you get a ‘forward’, don’t think that you’ve been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you’ve been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile

Forwarded to me by a dear friend.

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The Incredible Calvin Nicholls

Calvin Nicholls 3-D Paper Art – Margherita Cole – MyModernMet.com

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Ooh, I Love This!

boredart.com

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Food for Thought

The Writing Cooperative

I’ve told you several times that I’m really trying to eat right. This quest is not only to lose the lard, but also to improve my husband’s and my health.

It’s easy to Google things like, “Increasing your fiber,” or “foods that clean your arteries,” or “low carb foods”, etc.

My newest pet peeve is that a food that is on ONE list is not on another. (An example would be foods to increase your fiber may be really high in carbs.)

I have several issues for which I’m trying to eat the right foods. My husband has another list, including foods NOT to eat since he is a Type II diabetic.

I’m trying to make 2 master lists:

  • Foods for us to include in our diet as much as possible
  • Foods for both of us to avoid

The foods to avoid is easier, but you might be surprised at how hard it is to find foods that meet all of our needs. It seems that the PAPER the food comes in might be a better bet than the food IN the container or bag.

I’ve now printed several lists from the net and am in the process of comparing them to see if there are any foods on ALL (or most) of them for my master INCLUDE list.

THEN there is the whole issue that the two new frozen food places in town we love that provide real food with no preservatives that TASTE good, help us with portion control, and are actually good for us, include foods we are supposed to be avoiding for one reason or another. ARRRGH!

In my next life, I will be a nutritionist specializing in creating custom food lists to address health problems or issues about which people care.

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More Soft Sculpture

tita.livemaster.ru

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Today’s Project 2-13-2022

I will at least get a start on unearthing my office desk today. The poor thing is buried with the residue from several projects. Some have been going on simultaneously, but some of this STUFF is from projects that have been finished for awhile. It’s now to the point where I can’t find anything, or if I do and try to pick it up, things fall. UGH.

It’s a very good thing my husband didn’t marry me for my housekeeping skills. He is wonderful, in that he doesn’t seem to notice when things get awful, like my desk, but DOES notice it if it’s suddenly clean. That a wonderful survival skill for him – since he isn’t great about cleaning, or helping to clean…

This will probably be a several-day project, particularly since the Super Bowl is this evening. I will work on it a bit at a time. Eventually I will find the furniture under the pile.

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Thread Art by Olga

Olga – Teplolino – Russian Thread Art – livemaster.ru – MyOwlBarn.com

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NO DIET Today!

Cheezburger

In honor of the Super Bowl, we are officially ‘off the rails’ on our diet today. We’re looking forward to one of our all time favorite splurges – chili mac (chili with macaroni) with cheese and onions for dinner while watching the game. We may also throw caution to the winds and enjoy a bowl of popcorn!

If there were a competition for excuse-making for not eating right, I would win it hands down. No need for an actual official contest. But I’ll enjoy today to the fullest and then redouble my efforts ‘tomorrow.’ (Like Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind).

Our weather is nice again, though chilly at 38 right now. The sun is shining brightly. I’m hoping that the 60-70% chance of precipitation Wednesday and Thursday is in the form of just rain.

Enjoy your day and evening!

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Lovely Watercolors

Pixabay
Saatcjo Art-Nisha Sehjpal-CrowningGlory-Peacock
Sacramento 365
Painting by Artist Sandatharaka Abeysinghe – Woo Arts

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Insanity

Signs of Wisdom

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I LOVE This Tattoo!

shoebill tat-Tracey Veldkamp

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How to Truly Love Someone

Strati Georgopoulos

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Drawings and Paintings I Like

Pip at the Sea Side-Fine Art Print-etsy.com
redbubble.com
Herbie Art Print-Annie – fineartamerica.com
Katerina Sarifa
lightinthebox.com

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Thoughts on a Saturday 2-12-2022

Giulia-flickr.com

Ooh! It’s pretty cold here in Arkansas today. It’s 24 degrees F. with a wind chill making it FEEL like 13. BRRRR! The sun is shining, though, and this is a one-day thing. Warmer tomorrow. :0)

iStock

I’m doing really well with my getting our tax stuff organized in the office efforts. I’m waiting for our investment stuff to be available for download and print. Then we can bag everything up for taxes and dump it on our wonderful CPA.

I made new spreadsheets for 2022 and will enter January’s information into them today. Then file that stuff, having decided to refine my filing system for less sorting at the end of the year. I’ll make the extra folders today, plus reconciling checkbooks.

Once that is done, the next step will be to find my desk again. The poor thing is buried alive with STUFF. You can see there is ‘something’ in that part of the room, but it’s not clear it’s a desk. LOTS of things to put away from lots of projects…

iStock

I’ve figured out a NICE way to tackle this stuff. I listen to music, write blog posts, then tackle whatever the project is. Work for awhile, get to a good stopping point, take a break and listen and type again. This way I get something good accomplished with some good enjoyment keeping my energy up.

Insider

2022 will be a good year for me to get serious about getting rid of more stuff. Seriously. I hit some roadblocks in 2021 on this, with our library not accepting used books and our wonderful Veterans Thrift Town not accepting donations. I will call both first to see if that has changed and then plan accordingly. If they are not accepting donations, I’ll have to find other organizations to get things to people who might be able to use them. Maybe our churches.

I hope you’re having a happy Saturday, too.

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Kindness

Charles Glassman – Declutter the Mind

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Kiyoshi Mino Needle Felted Animals

Andean Cat
Common Kingfisher
Lion
Owl
Red Deer

kiyoshimino.blogspot.com

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Skeleton Life

Just Chillin’ – Pin Lavie
skeleton-4-CensationalGirl
KidFriendlyThingsToDo.com – Better Homes & Gardens

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Lovely Surprise

giftsforthemasses.tumblr.com-giphy

I was as happy as this sweet dog today at Lunch Bunch. When I started to open the door to the restaurant, my friend KAY opened the door! (she is the one who fell and broke a bone in her back about 2 months ago now, and has been on quite a ride trying to fix the problem and find a way forward.)

Her husband is watching her like a hawk, making sure she doesn’t lift anything and is doing all of the housework for her, as well. He’s a real keeper. She is very grateful, and yet was understandably glad to be out of the house and with friends. She ordered a couple of individual pizzas to take home so they could eat together.

It was such a celebration to be able to babble at each other, catching up, giving hugs, laughing, etc. My husband was on his best behavior, only becoming ‘deaf’ when Kay was telling us all her husband was doing to help clean the house. :0)

Aside from a truly enjoyable Lunch Bunch, the weather couldn’t be nicer. Sunny and supposed to get almost to 70 this afternoon. What a treat!

I’m making a note to get outside and walk around our yard this afternoon. We’re getting a cold front tomorrow, dropping our temperatures up to 25 degrees (high of 39 tomorrow), with possible winter storm on Wednesday.

I’m still grinning at my friends finally being able to get together. I’m rich in friends.

Enjoy your Friday!

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Amazing Chainsaw Art

Chainsawing – Tree Sculpting

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