Spring..

Is popping out all over!

I'm so enchanted with the meadowlarks.  They perch on the highest point of some bush branch that doesn't look sturdy enough to hold up a bug, and they warble to their heart's content.

I hope for a heart content enough to warble.  In the lovely spring sunshine.  Or even the spring rain.

Food / Unexpected

Had my first ever taste of Korean food.  My sweet friend treated me to lunch and what a fun time I had!  I loved the food even though I was afeared to ask exactly what was in it.

The Husband took me off to dinner and wouldn't you know it?  I had no trouble scarfing down a whole 'nother meal even though I was still full from lunch!

The Unexpected:  I indulged myself with the gift of an ice cream cone at the end of dinner.  Offered to share, The Husband only had a little.

By morning those bathroom scales will read 187 for real!

(Clocked 11.5 miles on my bicycle this morning and even heard the meadowlark sing.)

Pennies / Driving / Scales

Watched stupefied (while waiting to cross the street) this old "lifted" pick-up truck come barreling down the street, all the windows completely opaque with frost (it was 25 degrees out) the driver's window down 2/3 of the way while the driver stuck his head out to see where he was going.  (As My Daughter said, "time management issues.")  It was actually a pretty scary sight.

Also watched stupefied when I stepped on the scales to check my massive body weight only to see the numbers start at 27, head up to 164 and hover at 187 before settling back onto the expected number.  That was also a pretty scary sight.

"Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck..."  So what happens if you find 2 pennies and a nickel?  Besides being 7 cents richer, I'm counting on a bounty of good luck over the next 7 days!

But I'll be looking out very carefully before crossing the street.

Monday Morning Thoughts

I intended to post this the first thing this morning.  Now, nearly dinnertime I'm just getting around to it.

I read this early this morning and wanted to make it my motto for the day.  Since I've spent most of the day at home, interacting with only The Husband, perhaps I should make this my motto for whenever I leave the house.  And wondering if having that thought in my head might provoke something interesting to happen:

"What you're doing places you in your perfect place to do the perfect thing, whatever that may be."

Causes me some thought at any rate - have I ever been in the perfect place to do the perfect thing?  (And did I do it?)  I wonder.


I'm still fully committed to the concept of steadfastness.  I love how that makes me feel.  I want to be steadfast - to be immovable in the cause of goodness, kindness, charity and all those other wonderful qualities that makes someone a steadfast supporter of God and His Plan.

I've also come to think that being steadfast can be an invitation to be "taken advantage of".  Patience, then, and forebearance is required in dealing with such a situation.  Which in turn provides opportunities for growth and self-control.  I have a long, long way to go.  Hopefully I will be steadfast.

Sunday Highlights

The Husband's suggestion was for me to post the best parts of today.

I'm thinking......

thinking.....

thinking....

thinking...

Well:

fresh cooked bacon and eggs for brunner (breakfast, lunch and dinner all combined into one meal)
winning two-out-of-three games of Sequence (so glad it's the playing and not the winning that counts)
having FHE and enjoying the participation of all the participants
homemade chocolate croissants / cinnamon croissants
not coughing quite so much (less gagging, more voice)
my jammies

And I guess that all the best parts of the day were--ALL the parts of the day.

Saturday Is A Special Day

So, slept in this morning, puttered around (still coughing) then picked up our friends and off we went for food and a movie.  We so like those restaurants where you can get breakfast any time of the day.  Went into the movie with low, low expectations and weren't disappointed.  "Sucker Punch" won't win any awards, and I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone; BUT, I'm not sorry we saw it &  I wasn't bored in it for even a second.

Stopped on the way home to treat ourselves to dessert - the battle of the pounds is not going well.  The pounds are winning.

Settling in for the night, wish it was dark enough for jammies, loving that I'm seeing trees that are blossoming with the spring and loved the fun day with The Husband and the Friends.  Yes, it was a special day.  Not extraordinary, just special-ordinary.

Activities

Chocolate frosted chocolate doughnut for breakfast, (The Husband took pity on me cuz of my cough)
A haircut,
Winning at solitaire,
A couple new books from the library,
Snow that doesn't stick,
A freshly vacuumed floor,
Visiting with friends after dinner,
Fun plans for tomorrow...

It all makes for a wonderful friday end to the week!

Ode To...

My Cough

Oh, Cough, you've been my constant "friend"
Though absent you, I'd really mend.

I hack and spew and nearly gag
I'd rather put you in a bag

And heal my throat, my voice regain
And speak without a frog again.

My fondest wish this springtime eve
Is Cough, would you please from me leave?

Weather

Yay!!!!  Sunshine!!!!  (However briefly, I loved it!)

Voice

For the last week and a half, I have had this cough/throat/loss-of-voice thing going on.  I've coughed so hard and so much that I've got some sore belly muscles.

Got up yesterday morning feeling s-o-o much better.  Then overdid it, helping a friend move and doing errands.

The result:  spent today feeling really punk.  Still coughing.  And unless I keep my throat moistened I sound, well, not exactly like a frog, more like an extremely old man that smokes a lot.

So, I try to not talk.  Most of the time I just sort of "croak" the words out anyway.  I guess some people might think my not being able to talk would be a good thing.

But...that just means I'm saving up those words - perhaps that way I won't run out.

Name

Had a guy come up and introduce himself to me at the grocery today.  Wanted to shake my hand and everything.  (I'm not a big handshaker, feel the need to wash after every shake.)

I decided to try out another name for size.  (So, yes, basically, I lied.)

It felt ok, trying out that other name.

However, my own name seems to fit better, I've had it a long time.

Wonder what name I'll try out next time some stranger wants to know who I am.  I could be anybody...

Olive Garden

Stopped in at Olive Garden this afternoon for a meal (after seeing two movies:  "Battle Los Angeles" and "Limitless"which both surprised me by being better than expected.  There's that 'expectation' thing again.)

As the hostess was taking us back to our table she asked us if we were celebrating anything special today.  The Husband's answer sort of took her by surprise:  "Eternal Bliss!"

I'm planning on some eternal bliss, and some earthly bliss and some heavenly bliss....and maybe even some chocolate bliss.

Post Office

When you want the post office to take their sweet time delivering something, it gets there with lightning speed.

When you're concerned that something arrive quickly and on time, it travels in slow motion.

I'm thinking my new mantra should be:  No Expectations - of any kind.

Tale of Two Cities

We saw this play tonight.

"Tis a far far better thing that I do, than I have ever done before."  Mr. Dickens surely knew how to coin a memorable phrase.  Gives one a goal for every day - to strive for better character every day, to do a little better every day, to lose one's life in doing better things for others.

Apparently

Tonight I'm feeling sad.

Apparently we've lost the vast majority of our rosebushes this winter.

Apparently it has been a common experience amongst the residents of our city - most everyone has lost roses and other plants.

Apparently we didn't have the right kind of cold to harden the plants and send them into hibernation for the winter - went straight from mild to really, really cold and that's what killed them.

Apparently Mother Nature likes to play murderess on occasion.

Apparently I'll be replacing most of my rosebushes - even the ones that were gifts are nothing but black canes with nary a sign of the spring growth that is apparent by this time of the year.

(Apparently, though, the peonies survived as well as 5 of the 6 bleeding hearts - at least so far.)

Apparently I don't have any sort of green thumb, more like a purple claw.

Bed

I've often heard the description of "old" people to include their

1.  Eating supper at an absurdly early hour.....and

2.  Retiring to bed - also at an absurdly early hour.


So, it's only 9:40 p.m. and I'm heading to bed to read.  I did eat supper at a reasonable 6 p.m.  Does that make me only "half-old"?   "Partly-old"?  "Mostly-old"?  Or simply "getting-old"?  (If it matters, I'm still young-at-heart!)

Monday

Just a few thoughts from the weekend....

Heard this man on the radio, talking about his daughter confessing an expensive mistake from 15 years earlier:  "There is no statute of limitations on forgiveness."  He sounds like someone I might like to know.

The Husband made this statement:  "There aren't enough hugs in the world."  YES!!

Angel Food cakes get their name not from those who eat them, but those who make them.

I love mail - especially from the grandchilluns.

The right car makes a road trip so fabulous.

A journey is possibly made longer by lots of stops, but the stops make the journey worth it. (First time to see Glen Canyon Dam - lovely sight!)

If you're going to take a road trip, be sure to have chocolate milk, popcorn, and if you're going to drink a (rare) diet Dr. Pepper, be sure to know where the next bathroom stop is.  (The Husband informed me that yes, caffeine IS a diuretic.)

There's nothing like a trip to see the grandchilluns - loved, loved, loved it!

There's no place like home.

Bicycle

So this morning my mattress was winning the war - my mind was lazy and I didn't want to get up.  That meant that when I finally crawled from my warm cocoon it was too late to do the treadmill, elliptical or walk on the trail.

Decided to chance it on the bike even though it was blowing like crazy and I haven't been on the bike since fall.

What a glorious morning to be out!  I wasn't blown quite to Kansas, I didn't fall off my bike and I thoroughly loved riding.  (I did, however, miss my padded bike pants!)

Still have that music running through my head that accompanies the woman in the Wizard of Oz when she's pedaling along on her bike - sort of quirky-sinister.  I figure I look quite silly (pretty much like she did in the movie).  But I'm old, I'm supposed to.

Jammies

Just before I drifted off to sleep last night, after receiving my good-night kiss from The Husband and snuggling down into bed, I wondered what good it was doing me to wear my jammies.

Now, I love my jammies, they're soft and comfy.  But the ones I was wearing last night have this weird characteristic of stretching out about 4 sizes beyond their labeled size within a millisecond or so of putting them on.  (And I'm famous for getting my jammies on as soon as it's dark outside.)

So there I was - the sleeves up over my shoulders and the legs up around my waist, wondering why I was still cold.  And every time I moved those jammies were so loose they were tying themselves up in knots, with me inside, still cold, but now strangled.

I can't sleep without my pajamas.  But last night I had them on, while not really wearing them and it was difficult to sleep anyway.  Anyone need a pair of stretchy pj's?

Caffeine/Chocolate/Important

Read this yesterday in a book:

"today was a high-caffeine-index day..."

I loved this.  Decided that most every day is for me a "high-chocolate-index" day.  My stash is dwindling even though I try to be rational about my consumption.

I also read this line "There's no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day."

And I think that the most important days include some form of chocolate.

Why They Shouldn't Have a Mirror (Maybe it's just a reflecting display case) In the Produce

Pretty princess primping in the produce found me fleeing from the fruit.

Hats

Went to see a new movie today - The Adjustment Bureau.  Didn't have very high expectations.  So glad those expectations were shattered.  I really really liked it.  Total escapism.  Great love story.

Now, where can I get one of those magic hats that lets you go through those amazing doors?

People Watching

Got to the lunch restaurant earlier than my friend, so I had some time to sit and watch people go in and out, in and out.

My overall impression:  probably 80% of them needed to

1.  Shower

2.  Wash their hair

3.  At least put on some cleaner clothes.


Is there a soap shortage that I don't know about?

Food

So, lunch out today.  Took our son and daughter-in-law to dinner for her birthday, and lunch out tomorrow.  I remember when meals out were a real treat.  They really still are (anytime I don't have to cook) but it's so much food.

Iggy's, Cheesecake Factory, Black Bear Grill.....at least it's not the very same food at each place.  And my Cuban sandwich tonight was so very fabulous.  It's just so much food.

I don't think I want to eat for a week.   Too much food.

(Sunrise on the trail was stupendous this morning.  Even the weather cooperated for me to get out and enjoy my favorite time of day.)

Perfect

I've often grappled with this concept.  It's something we strive to be, understanding all the while that it is basically beyond our reach.  In my mind I often see others as pretty perfect, and myself as a miserable failure.  The reality is those others aren't really any more perfect than I am for the simple reason that it isn't a competition between them and me.  It isn't even a competition.

It is a constant striving to become.  To become...more.

I was reading in a needlework book this morning about the need to practice our craft to become what she termed "more-perfect" since she averred she also has difficulty with that concept of perfection.

How validated I felt that someone else struggles with the term.

Perhaps someday I can find some part of me to be perfect at even some small thing.  Until then I shall keep trying.  And keep trying.  And maybe even my efforts themselves will be of some value.

And we come full circle back to that thing I believe drives us all - Hope.

Maybe I can be perfect at that:  Hope.

Sunshine

Sunshine in the winter makes me happy.  It helps my orchids to bloom.  And fills me with the desire to be out in it.  Left the roof open in the car when I was out and about.

It even made my trip to the dentist more bearable.  No cavities, but filling-patches anyway in areas where my teeth are super sensitive.  Trying to avoid a couple root canals.  Maybe I'll just stand in the sun with my mouth open and expect it to heal all the ills of this old body.  Decided today that a body should just be born healthy, and stay that way until you just drop dead.

Had a mental picture today of The Husband going into the pantry on one of his excursions from his office and having lights blink, horns blare and whistles blow.  Could provide a chuckle or two.  But then the expectations of reciprocation might leave me a "Nervous Nellie".   Best not go there.