We Need A Little Christmas!

Haul out the holly
Put up the tree before my spirit falls again
Fill up the stocking
I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now

For we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute
Candles in the window
Carols at the spinet
Yes, we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute
Hasn't snowed a single flurry, but Santa dear we're in a hurry

Climb down the chimney
Turn on the brightest string of lights I've ever seen
Slice up the fruit cake
It's time we've hung some tinsel on the evergreen bough

For I've grown a little leaner
Grown a little colder
Grown a little sadder
Grown a little older
And I need a little angel
Sitting on my shoulder
Need a little Christmas now

For we need a little music
Need a little laughter
Need a little singing, ringing through the rafter
And we need a little snappy
Happy ever after
Need a little Christmas now
 

Weekly Wrap-Up!!

*Got absentee ballots in the mail.  B and I filled them out, signed them and then B dropped them off at the Township Office in person. Will be happy when this is over.  We are so tired of the political calls on the phone and ads on the tv .

*Put snow shovel and broom on front porch by front door in preparation for accumulating snow.

*Schwan food order came in.  Freezer filled with food for winter as well as coming holidays.  Pantry is full in preparation for winter during the pandemic.

*Tried a new recipe for a meatless dish.  I made a chinese vegetable side dish which can also be turned into an entree by adding shrimp and rice. B is my taste tester since he is the picky one in the family.  Dil does not eat meat so I have been looking for and making meatless side dishes and entrees.

*Firewood, newspaper and fireplace matches are all refilled and ready for cold winter nights.  Also, flannel sheets put on all the beds as well as extra quilts.

*Took my cat Al to the vet for his yearly checkup and vaccinations.  He is in good health and has started cuddling with me again after avoiding me for a couple hours after the shots. Also, dil clipped his nails.  It is amazing to me how he just sits there and lets her do it without giving her a hassle.

*Took youngest son to the dentist for a root canal.  Going to the dentist is quite expensive these days.  Thank goodness for dental insurance.

Escape

This year has been one of cancellations, disruptions, upheavels of all kinds and anger.  There is so much going on between a pandemic, a faltering economy, cruel and bullying attacks during a presidential election, people turning against each other over so many things.  It makes one wonder why getting out of bed each morning is necessary.

Yesterday (Sunday) I decided that I needed to be part of something that never changes.  Something that comes at the same time each year without fail.  Something that even a pandemic cannot cancel.  Yesterday I went out for a walk on my road and immersed myself in Autumn.

I walked down my dirt road and looked at the trees covered in their Autumn colors of red, gold and green.  I felt the chill of the changing temperature fill my lungs.  I watched and listened as a flock of geese in "V" formation flew across the blue sky toward their winter home south.  I enjoyed the quite solitude that comes when one lets the world of nature push away the "noise" of 2020.

I eventually had to come home from my walk; but for one brief hour, it was good to be surrounded by something that had not been canceled or postponed, something that had not changed because of disease or the self-centered meanness of others.  I am certain I will take many of these walks in the future, if only to remind myself that there are things that remain constant in this world.

Autumn

Well, Autumn is here in the UP!  It is time to enjoy the beautiful colors that come with the change of season.  It is also the time to do all those tasks to prepare for the coming months of cold and snowy weather.

We began our annual Autumn tasks by straightening up and cleaning the garage.  It is amazing what can be accumulated over the summer months.  However, room had to be made for all the summer things being put away.  

Once the garage was prepared, we took all the outdoor furniture off both the front and back decks, storing them in the garage until next spring.

Then we tacked down an indoor/outdoor carpet runner on the front deck making a path from the front door to the steps.  The deck gets extremely slippery during the winter and the carpet runner makes for a safer walk to the driveway.

Plastic outside insulation was tacked up on a number of windows on the house specifically those that get the most wind during winter.

Plants and bushes were trimmed down to their winter growth and bird feeders were hung in places easier to get to after the snow comes.

The snowblower was sent out to be repaired. 

In the coming weeks, I will be going thru the freezer and pantry to see what items need to be replaced and/or added.  Also, summer clothes will be put away and winter items will come out.  Anything that needs to be repaired or replaced will be done then.

My craft box which contains everything I have been saving for the cold indoor days and nights has been organized and my piles of books (which seems to grow constantly) are at the ready.
 

Update

 Between...

                  Covid19 Pandemic
                  Presidential Election Politics
                  Natural Disasters

I find that I am at a loss of what to share on this blog.  I am more content
to focus on my family and friends during this time and wait until life resumes
some normalcy in the future.

Small Joys

This morning I sat on my porch with my coffee and enjoyed the beginning
of Wednesday.

About a month ago, 2 little wrens took up residence in a birdhouse that
I had put up for decoration on my porch. They brought sticks and twigs
and leaves to create a nest inside.  About a week ago, I heard the small
peeps of the newest members of the family.

This morning, I watched the new parents take turns bringing food to the nest.
In they would go with some food and then come out again with what looked
like a piece of egg shell.  I assume they were trying to clean up the nest while
the babies were distracted by the food. It reminded me of when my boys were
little and I wanted to wash their favorite blankets.  I needed to distract them in
order to get the blankets to wash.

Two chipmunks played tag on the porch completely ignoring their human audience.

The 2nd graders I used to teach had that much energy so early in the morning.

A hummingbird made its way from a pot filled with geraniums to a hanging planter

filled with wildflowers. I suspect it could not make up his mind which flowers

smelled better and tasted sweeter.

My cat, Al, crouched by the window and watched as 2 morning doves sat on the

porch railing, side by side, enjoying the new day.

It was a morning of small joys.

A Timely Poem

I found this poem and thought it was so timely for the times we are in now.

Journey of Joy

I saw the above picture on the Women of Faith website and thought it was so timely for me. This is what I have been meditating on so intensely...the Journey of Joy.  Instead of my looking at it as a journey to get to joy, I should be looking at it as using joy to get to my final destination, almost like following a treasure map to get to where X marks the spot.  On a treasure map, you follow each small step on the trail to get you to your destination. On my journey, I am using an observation a day of something joyful.  It could be something as small as listening to my cat purr as he lays on the table next to me while I journal in the morning or as large as hauling all the returnable cans and bottles accumulated during the lockdown to my former school for a fundraiser.  As I write down in my journal each one of these observations, I am reminded that joy is not something that flashes a neon sign and says "here I am", it is instead something you must look for, notice, pay attention to.  It may not come with fireworks and marching bands, it might come with a whisper.  So I will continue on my journey using joy as my road map to my final destination which is to see life through positive and grateful eyes.

June 2020 Update

Well, it is June and it has been a long time since I have posted something.  Circumstances around me have taken their toll and for that reason, I have not found much inspiration or motivation to blog.  So much has happened since the beginning of the year 2020: the Covid-19 pandemic with the lockdown of the country and the fear of getting it and/or losing someone to it, the lack of leadership during the pandemic which did not allay the fears, the violence and protests which add to the fear and worries and it goes on and on and on.  I am sorry to say that depression has taken me over and I am finding it difficult to  pull myself out of it.  Like the mask I wear when I go out to do errands, I also wear a mask that makes me appear to be handling everything quite well.  But I am not. 

When I started blogging, I did not want to turn it into a pity party but that is what I seem to be doing.  I am trying to find the joy in life once more.  I am meditating and praying within my faith and it is helping.  I read my favorite blogs and am uplifted, if only for a short time, at how well you are all handling the events of the day.

I do not know when I will blog again but until then, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

My place on Sunday, 2/09

In light of the recent political and hate-filled circumstances, I find that this is where I am at.

2019 - A Year of Smiles

As we enter a new year, I feel it is important to look back on the positive events of the previous year.  It would be easy to focus on all that went wrong in 2019 but why do that?  Focus on the highs and move forward on those. 

So here are my smiles for 2019:

*My husband and I tried to take at least one mini vacation a month, even if it was just an overnight at a local casino hotel.  Getting away for just a short time was energizing.

*We went to Nevada to visit our oldest son and dil for 2 reasons. The first being that we try to get out there once a year to spend time with them and the second because their dog (my grandpuppy) passed away and neither of them were handling it well.  We felt it was important that we be with them thru such a diffcult time.  Also, 2 weeks before we got there, they adopted a new puppy and we were excited to meet the new grandpuppy.

*I became a mom to a new cat.  We adopted a senior cat from the local animal shelter and I am so happy to have him in the house.  He is a big cuddler.  I also am a grandma to 2 dogs and 2 cats and loving it.

*We reached all our financial goals set for 2019 which included paying off a loan and upping our credit score.

*We are happy that our sons both have women in their lives who love them as much as we do.

*I have been regularly engaged in Bible Study and Bible Journaling in the past year and have found that I feel much closer to God and have a deeper understanding of my faith.

*Good health for me and my hubby, the senior citizens.  Yay!

Now on to making 2020 even better than 2019!