Making Ready

Progress can be painful but also sweet.  I had been dreading getting rid of the Christmas decorations that I love.  I am very attached to all the things I have collected over the years.  I am always so happy to see my ornaments every year when I unwrap them.  And I hate taking down the tree.  I wait as long as possible to take the tree down and pack away my treasures.  I promise that when I packed them away last year I never thought that I would not be putting that same tree up for  Christmas this year.

We had a fun day last Friday when we had a "Christmas in July" sale with tons of ornaments and decorations marked "FREE".  Because I live in a Senior community we have lots of friends who no longer decorate and do not put up trees.  Most have down-sized and many just don't go to the trouble.  I had lots of foot tall trees that were a hit and mean that some neighbors will have tabletop trees this year.  Some bought decorations that will brighten their homes even without a tree.  For those who have a problem stretching their dollars the free items provided a fun shopping experience.  I know that at the end of the day we were hot and tired but we had so much fun.  All our customers were happy and laughing so that it seemed Christmas was in the air {though 90 +  degrees}/  It was fun to share the things we have bought over the years and see people happy to find one of a kind items.  We sold a few items for $1, 2, and $3.  Their fun made the heavy heart I had experienced  at the thought of selling my treasures seem as if they were going to new homes where they would be loved.  At then end of the day I felt very blessed to have shared with neighbors and to know they will think of us when they decorate their homes this Christmas.

Cleaning House

We are cleaning out and listing things on online yard sales that we do not have time for or a need for in the next few months.  Dale listed a table full of yarn, knitting needles and my old knitting basket this morning and within a few minutes it was all sold.  It looks like craft items are going to be a bonanza for us. We hope to get all the rest listed today.  Then we will get back to working on the storage building.

This is what keeps us going, pictures and blogs and people we hae met online who will answer any questions that we have.  So now I will share a picture of a rainy day in a city that has cobblestone streets even in the residential areas.

Research, Research, and Weed

I never thought I could be so involved in daily research and never get bored.  In fact, some days I get so frustrated when I can't find new things to read.  Thank heavens for the wonderful bloggers I have found, the groups I have joined, and the people who are so free with their advice and good wishes.

Conflicting airline and customs rules can make a person crazy.  Especially when it concerns forms that you need and fees to pay that will keep you out of a country.  It is so important to cross every t and dot every i.  Visas depend on it all being perfect. Get a form filled out, send it here to get it processed, get it back, forward to another city for more processing and get it back all in the 10 day limit before flying out.  On my!  Does it ever work?  That's scary.

Then to decide what to pack!  Two suitcases will have to hold everything you will need and weigh less than 50 pounds.  When you are excited about a journey and happy about your decision life seems like a fun journey.  Until it is time to whittle your possessions down to 2 suitcases.  Is this what they mean when they say "Nothing is perfect"?

Enough whining!  I have had a very good week with friends here that I am so lucky to enjoy.  And I have made new acquaintances that I hope will become friends soon.  I have met some very warm and sharing people and I am grateful for the advice and warmth they have extended.

Go U.S.A.!  And Happy Fourth of July America!

My How Time Flies

It is funny how long or short a time it takes to make a life-changing decision.  Then there is the realistic time that it will take to accomplish what you really are excited about doing.  But to be planning ahead for a year or more is really difficult.  There are days when you feel that you must hurry.  Then there are days when you think "there is nothing I can do yet".  So making more lists is the only action available.  And yet you know that the time will come when you thing "why did I not do more ahead of time"  The moral of the story is that long range planning is the pits.                                                                          

I guess I should at least admit that our plans involve a trip out of the country.  For 2 adults who have never needed a passport this is an exciting thing to do.  One of the reasons for the far-out planning is the financial part of the trip.  But the day will come when we will be able to tell all our friends and family how reasonable priced international travel can be.  That is all the details I will reveal for now.

So, I am spending some part of each day researching details, reading blogs, and trying to decipher the conflicting information that is out there.  It is also hard to face the fact that while there are so many things to be excited about, there are also so many things that are different or are missing where you will be going.  I think the long wait will help accept what you can not change.

 

Adventures

Apparently I forgot that I promised to do a better job of updating this blog.  Apparently I forgot I had a blog.  I know that I have done fun things, made new friends and even learned a few things so I have no real excuse.

I am beginning an adventure (I think) for the first time in my life so this blog will be the story of that adventure.  Just the thought that I might be able to do this has taken up all my time, thought, and anxiety for the last week or more.  But when all is said and done the excitement outweighs the anxiety so I believe that my daughter and I will begin this adventure together.

There will be lots of hurdles to accomplish this journey and some of those I will discuss here and hope it may be an example to others to pursue a dream at any age.  But in the meantime I will also concentrate on enjoying the little things that come about every day.

I will share the everyday things until "THE ADVENTURE "is closer to reality.  Hope you enjoy the journey with me. Until then I am sharing a look at my tiny new gardenia bush.  I have three of them and they smell like heaven.

A New Day

I tell myself that today is a new day.  I always say this, but today I mean it literally.  Today I hope that I will not see a single campaign ad.  I have never enjoyed them and it seems as if we have been bombarded for 3 years.  More dismaying is the fact that every where you go, or look, or read there is so much anger, hate, blaming others.  Even this morning on Facebook I have read angry comments under every post.

I am not as knowledgeable as I should be about the Bible and God's teachings but I do know that spewing hate and negative thoughts against our fellow men, women and children is not pleasing to Him.  I have read comments filled with hate towards Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and others. Adults saying "she/he has no talent", I hate her/him, etc.  How can any reasonable adult hate a child they have never met and know nothing about except that they are succeeding at following their dreams.

Likewise, how can a person hope to see their President "fail".  Do you really want your country to fail?  If it does, you won't be immune!  It WILL touch you, your family, and your loved ones.  Have we become a country that can't stand to see anyone do well unless it is us?  Who can't stand to see anyone succeed unless it is us.

Have we fallen so far from our Bill of Rights, our parent's teaching, the things we learned in Sunday School?  Where did tolerance go? Where is our love for our fellow man, our community, our country?  And we wonder why our lives are not the idyllic paradise we thought they would be.  We live what we create.  I could cry when I think of the children in America who have to grow up in a home where parents talk like they do on social media.  I know that they don't confine their negativity to just social media but speak that way in front of their children, speaking of hate, blame and intolerance and belittling of others.  Teaching their children by word and deed that it is OK to condemn others because you don't agree with them.

We will all have to live with those who were raised without "character", "tolerance", and "concern for others".  What a sad world that would be.

Thank God for parents who are examples of all that is good, and right, and loving.  We all need to remember  that our country, our leaders, our spiritual leaders, out teachers, our families, our friends, our children and all mankind, yes even perfect strangers, need our prayers.

Don't forget that you can stand up for what you believe without ever mentioning anyone or anything else in a negative way.  It is called being positive!  That would truly be a new day!

IT'S A MYSTERY TO ME!

How could I have just forgotten to update my blog?  Did I not have any inspiration?  Or nothing fun happened to write about?  I have not idea so I guess it will remain a mystery.

Why did I suddenly remember my blog?  Do I have something interesting to share with the world?  I have no idea so that too shall remain a mystery.

It may be that today is finally cool and it seems summer may depart after all.  That always cheers me up.  I have spent this summer making trips to the farmer's market and little bursts of sewing.  The sewing has made me realize that I have a serious flaw.  I am a perfectionist about the things that I do but I never want to do things that are hard.  I look at patterns or things on pinterest and they just look TOO HARD.  I want simple, quick, spend a few hours and have something AWESOME to show for it.  Where did this come from?  Have I always been lazy?  Is this a character flaw that I have had all my life?  How do you get to my advanced age and still not know yourself?

Oh, back to the farmers market.  I have a little cooked corn in the freezer, just ready to be warmed to eat summer corn.  A little squash already cooked, just ready to be warmed.  I have a little fresh tomato sauce fully cooked, just ready to have beef, chicken or mushrooms added for a great sauce. I have never done this before so where did this inspiration come from?

And last but not least I have eaten a fresh farm grown seedless watermelon every 5-7 days all summer.  Now I have to learn to get by without them until next year.  How will I ever survive without those sweet juicy watermelons?

Do you see the pattern here?  I have indulged myself with farmer's market food, bIts of sewing, and who knows how many books I have read.  So is it still a mystery where my summer went?  Or is the answer that I stayed inside in the cool and did NOTHING all summer long?

IT'S A MYSTERY TO ME!