Truisms

Truism

Something to remember

Good morning.  It is Sunday and it is a rainy day or so the weatherman predicted.  I haven't opened my blinds yet been busy visiting Facebook and sending off a note or two.    Time to blog and I have no special words this morning.    I spent yesterday afternoon with Patricia watching Netflick movies and munching 'good stuff'.   It was cold and dark when I got back to the apartment, turned on the television, sat in my easy chair and promptly fell sound asleep.    I guess that is what nonagenarians do best and I have it down to a science..smile.

I had an interesting telephone call from an old neighbor.  She delights in telling me all the gossip of the neighborhood.  I am sure I told you all about her last call and the news was about the same. One neighbor needs some one family member to tune in and see that she needs attention as she is beginning to show signs of Alzheimer.   It has been coming on for some years now and she really should not be alone.  She has a cat she wont leave.   Her brother offered to take her and the cat nearer to where he lives, but I think she just doesn't want to leave her home.   It is sad to get OLD;  it is sad to have to face the changes that develop.   I don't think we know how to prepare for those inevitable changes.   So, take a look around your neighborhood and keep an eye open.  Maybe you will be a good neighbor to someone who could use a helping hand.     Just keep in mind 'what goes around, comes around' ...be one of the good guys.   We talked about some of the cooking we shared during the holiday seasons.   She is one who loves to bake and goes really all out during the holidays.  I will miss the fruit cakes which she used to make for me.    I like fruit cake.  Her favorite was mince pie so I shared.   Good neighbors are special and make our lives  a little bit nicer.  I hope you have good neighbors to share with.  

Here at Ridgemont we had our first celebration of the holidays which I told you about.    I am not sure how many will join their families for Christmas .    I think I'll decorate my door this year.   Not sure what I'll do yet but I am going to think about it.    I have candy put away to do something with; maybe I will think up something to hang on the neighbors doors.   I wonder how many will be here;  some have families nearby.   I'd better check and see what kind of decorations I have from last year and go out and shop for a few more to add to the pile.    Not even Thanksgiving day and I am concerned about Christmas decorations.....yep, we are all nuts.....well I know you are thinking about Christmas too...it comes with the territory....smile!

Enjoy today,  don't worry about Christmas as you have to enjoy your feast for Thanksgiving first.   Enjoy your seconds TODAY, no sense rushing the season.  It is something we do naturally and that is just the way it is.  Take one day as it comes, enjoy the seconds as they tick by.   As the old timers used to say, 'take one step at a time' and that was good advice.    Enjoy today as the seconds tick off, plot and plan so you are not rushed . . . just put one foot before the other and everything has a way of falling into place.  Do not let the holiday season scare you....be wise, be frugal, be loving and take the time to include someone who has no one. . . be YOU.  Hugs to all.

Dinner!!!

Good Morning!   The sun comes up, the wind blows and the flowers grow . . . Ah!  Life is Good.

The weekend is here for us to enjoy.   The weather is what it is and all we have to do is make our plans for today and enjoy it.    I am regrouping from dinner last night.  The annual affair that our manager and family put on for us.   They brought up every table and chair set they could find and filled the upstairs dining area to the brim.   The family worked very hard to make a successful dinner for all of us.    We had our table number, our table set with a lovely centerpiece, a glass of bubbly waiting for us and the aroma of a turkey dinner filled the air.   The food was delicious, plenty of it and seconds if you wanted them.   The family outdid themselves this year and each one deserves a thank you for treating us like Kings and Queens.    Delicious, delightful and memorable.

Christine and Patricia came and enjoyed it all.   Rosemary was our table mate and we enjoyed having her with us.   All in all it was a grand affair, the food excellent and plenty of it.  Turkey an the trimmings and ham if you preferred.   A good time was had by all.  It is going to take at least a month and a half to downsize the love handles.

I woke up at three a.m. and am blogging after spending time looking for a picture or two to post.  I go back into the files and pull up one of the picture albums and then get caught up in looking the pictures over and restoring a memory or two as I look for a picture to post.  Do you think I could find a turkey picture today...not on your life...where are they when you need them?   After last nights banquet, I swore I wouldn't eat again forever but here I am waiting for the coffee to be done and I have a special muffin waiting.    A new day, a new breakfast and I am hungry enough to eat it.  I'd share if you were here.

So, I'm off to have my coffee.  I hope your day is going to be one of those sunshine days, you know the one that brings out the best in YOU....be good, be kind, be gentle and cook up a special dinner tonight and invite a friend or two.    It is Saturday all day and that means beans and hot dogs...well it did in my day and apple pie out of the oven for desert...sounds good to me.  And...I swore I wouldn't eat for a month...well that was last night...this is now and I am hungry.  Wish you could join me; seems forever since I got a look at you....sigh!!!!   Maybe you will win a lottery and come for a visit. . . well dreaming never hurt.   Enjoy today!! Hugs to all.

Tea Cup.   I have been given some lovely tea sets just like this, some beautiful floral patterns by my neighbor Evelyn who had a collection and has a box filled with them.  She has decided to give them up and is donating them to the Gallery for the High Teas.    They are really beautiful and Christine is going to make her a guest of honor at the December tea.   Evelyn will love it.  

A good cook....a pinch of this and a dob of that!!!

A Granddaughter is one of life's blessings and my granddaughter Erin was , and is, the love of our lives.  She makes the world bright and beautiful, just like her.   We knew, from the beginning, as you can see from her baby picture, that we had a crown jewel to love.    Happy Birthday love, may you be blessed with many more.  

 

Another day, another dollar....old saying.....wish it were true...I could use some 'other dollar' to go shopping for the up coming holiday feast.  I am not cooking, daughter Christine wants to.  I offered to take the ladies out for a treat but they seem to want to hunker down by the kitchen stove and play with all those wonderful fruits and vegetables , and ,  yeah a turkey.   Christine is a wonderful cook , as is Patricia, so I get time away from the kitchen ...finally....smile.....but, I don't like that. I like being in the kitchen as it is familiar, fun and what will I do with me????   Watch some of the Hallmark movies;  um....I can do that.   A glass of wine, feet up ...nah, I'd rather be out in the kitchen peeling, paring, beating ....I must be nuts.....think I'll try the seat in front  of the TV and let the girls do their magic.  Retirement from life's activities is pure hell...or is it???  um...maybe I'll get used to it.  I am about to give it a try.   Banned from the kitchen...humph!!!!  But then what's not to like?   

We are going to have our first holiday feast tonight in the dining room as our manager puts on a feast for us.  She enlists the aid of her family and they all gather in the kitchen and cook up a wonderful dinner.   We are allowed two guests so my girls are coming.    Karen, our manager, has a great family and her grandchildren do an excellent job of waiting on all of us.    I don't know about you, but I find it hard to believe that it is holiday time already.    This year has been a fast one.  As a nonagenarian I find the years fly bye faster than the wink of an eye.    It reminds me, to remind you, that if you have not been taking good care of YOU, then it is a good time to start..today....check your habits. . . they do get you into trouble.....check your diet.....vegetables will not kill you, no matter who said so.....know your mind is the most important part of your whole being....use it....make good decisions for YOU.....let everyone else take care of their own.....be wise, be smart, be loving and for heaven sake know that hugs are the best gift in our world.    Share YOU with those you like and love.    Today is a great day to start!!  Hugs to all.

Special...Nah!!

John sent a picture of his house in Delaware.  He is busy trying to get it fixed up but has a long way to go.    There was a big porch like attachment tot he front which he had removed.   He has plenty to keep him busy.   It looks like he will have to buy shutters to keep up with the neighbors.  Wonder if they ever use them.

I thought it was somekind of a birds nest but it is the bird itself....peek a boo!!!

A good shot of the super moon.   We didn't get a chance to see it here as there was to much cloud cover.    It seems it is what we use to call a Harvest Moon....beautiful anyway you look at it.

I have my refill and wish I had a lot of wonderful tales to tell but I do not...I helped get the newsletter for the Gallery out yesterday, a job I enjoy.   Pat and I made a good team and had it done and over with in short order.    Pat had made a chili that was delicious.  A real outdoors man chili with elk and deer meat and spices I never heard of.   She is an excellent cook.    We had some corn bread too, a favorite of mine.   No crumbs left as you can well imagine.   Delicious!!  We missed having Jock with us as he is the great hunter that comes up with the 'makings' of some very delicious dinners.     He probably made a pot of hunter stew on his own as he is a great cook too.  The table talk was of a little town called Manchester;  a ferry landing there but not much of anything else.   Pat and I run away there every now and then and have lunch at the only restaurant there.    The food is good and there is a small library there but nothing else.   A commuters haven.  It is a good retirement community if you do not mind driving out for all needs.    Not a walking community as it is hilly.   A good place to visit but I don't think it is for the old folks, more like a haven for the young and they want city living.   A far cry from the good old days when you had roots in one place for a lifetime.   We moved so many times to so many different places that we have no roots and that is not a bad thing, but, at this time of life it is really a chore to even think about change.    The spirit is willing but the body has ideas of its own.    As I have often told my children ..home is where the heart is.....you make your home where ever you settle be it for a short period of time or a long one.   There are no guarantees as life brings on a myriad of changes.  So you go with the flow and make each day , every day, the best it can be.   

So today, get up, get out of bed and make up your mind to appreciate just where you are.   Look around your home and see that it is neat and clean and lined with pictures and books.    Spruce it up if it needs it and then make a point of planning an open door for some neighbors and friends to drop in.   If you do not have cookies in the cookie tin, then get out in the kitchen and make some.    Just don't sit on your laurels doing a lot of nothing....seconds count and once gone you cannot get them back so do not waste them...they are very precious....just like you.  Go.....be a sharer and a carer today...as only YOU can.  Hugs to all.

Quiet of the Morning!

Silence

Beauty

Remembrance

World War II picture of Cornelius and his brother Jimmy who met overseas.  One standing in line for 'chow' when the other arrived in time to meet up....

I believe it is 'hump' day, if it isn't it should be.    The weather is playing games with us as it goes from spring to winter and back again.   Can't make up its mind so one doesn't know whether to get out a sweater, an overcoat or a bathing suit or whether to keep the door open or closed.   Iffy weather.    Pneumonia weather.   But weather is weather and there is little or nothing we can do about it but enjoy it for what it is.    Pat and I went out in her car and visited a thrift store yesterday to see what they had in the line of a treasure.  There were lots of Christmas  decorations and a lot of folks out and about trying to find some treasures.   You know that saying about one mans junk is another mans treasures.    I have been on the look out for small leaf dishes.  I am going to gift my table mates and fill them with candy.  I haven't made up my mind what kind yet but then I had better not buy any early or I'll wind up eating it all.    Do you ever do that?  Buy candy to share and the longer it stays right there in the cupboard the closer you are to finishing it off before you know it.  I know, the store has plenty more.   I am just not to be trusted with 'sweets'.   I bet you are not either.

Here at Ridgemont the loss of our Samantha shows.  We miss her.   Our manager stepped in yesterday to give Gina a break.    We haven't heard of any new hire;  um...if you are looking for a job I know where there is one...smile.

I am off to get a refill of coffee and heat a Doris muffin.   I hope your day is going to be a fun one;  it is up to you to make it so.    Think of what you can do to put a little sunshine into someones life today.    An invitation to lunch out;   a stop for a visit to a shut in;   a trip to church and light a candle or two;   a kind word, a big hug, a soft kiss on the cheek....um....you can stay busy all day.  Be a person who loves to love and get on with your day.   Be YOU....that wonderful YOU...Hugs to all.

More of the Same!

A truism. . . and a prayer for a 'gentle day'.

The musicians played for hours without stopping and the folks who came to the reception really enjoyed them.   Soft Western music, some I knew some I didn't but humming is always good.   Note the Sea-hawk (favorite team here) on the manikin head.   

The BIG moon. . . beautiful!!

Tuesday all day, Pat and I are going to go junking for a little while.  It is a rainy day and we are looking for treasures with a Christmas theme.  The outside doorway needs a little Holiday  Spirit, maybe  I'll find an elf or two.    

Yesterday proved to be visiting day for me.   Vinnie came with grapes to thank me for the treat I brought him.  He brings me magazines and treats all the time so I thought it would be nice to give him a special treat so chose four different pieces of fudge at the candy store.   He was surprised and stopped bye for a visit and a thank you.   He said if I was a lot younger (the nerve of that man) he would let me be his girl friend....smile....being his friend is hard enough.    Pat came over with Emma and visited but didn't stay as Ron came in to visit.   He didn't stay long as he was heading out to shop.   Then Lois came in and tried to find a puzzle piece.  She didn't have her glasses so that was a lost cause.    She stayed on for a cup of tea and some chatter.    So it was open door day for me and that is always fun.    I must remember to have the girls pick up one of those big packages of tea bags on their next Costco trip and some more cookies.  The cookie jar is empty again.   As it should be.  I hope your cookie jar is empty and needs refilling.

It is going to be a rainy day today.    I didn't get to see the big moon last evening.  I had high hopes but the clouds moved in and that was the end of sky watching.     The parking area and the hospital windows are directly across from my window, so I get to see what is going on out there.   Many times the ambulance or the fire trucks, or both, come wheeling in.  Not good, as it means another person for hospital care.   They should have designed the hospital wing entrance on the other side of the building away from the apartment windows.   The sirens and the fire trucks are alarming sometimes.   At least if I have hospital needs I don't have far to walk.    With my luck they would probably whisk me off ten miles away to some other hospital.   This whole area of Port Orchard is filled with medical buildings of all kinds.    Hopefully, I will not have to visit any soon.    I think I have an appointment coming up for the yearly check up before the year ends. 

As you can see, I have little or nothing new to report.   I am off to check on Facebook and find out what all of you are up to.   I am happy when I see what you are writing about and that  you are all feeling good and getting out and about.    Stay healthy and happy and get out and about today.  You may not be doing the cooking this year but you do need to keep in mind that a  little token of appreciation for the cook is always a good idea.    If you are low on ideas some of the church folks are opening their holiday bazaars, so you can find something new and different.    New pot holders and tea towels are always needed.  We are prone to use our towels and pot holders until they are almost rags.   Have fun;  bend the knee and remember your family and friends as you light a candle.  Remember it doesn't have to be Sunday to light a candle...those church doors are open weekdays as well.   Light one and think of me;  I light one and think of you.    So here is to good health, a bit of wealth and a lot of smile today.   Be good, be kind, be gentle and share a hug with hose you like and love.  Hugs to all.

  

   

Sign

I bet you didn't know that....see, it is okay to talk to yourself....you are not crazy, just smart...but if you get caught talking to yourself folks think you really are crazy.   Can't win!!

a truism.   Time to change the thoughts to positive.

A truism.    worrying solves nothing.    Stop and think about what steps you can take to end the worries....listen to your heart and change the negatives to positives.

A new week is starting and we have a huge moon to check out tonight.   The weather is changing and it feels a bit colder, jacket weather, no more sweater weather.    The rains want to come but seem to threaten but not fall.   A good storm would probably clear the air and let the sunshine back in.   There was a reception at the Gallery yesterday afternoon and it was well attended. I helped set up the table and filled the plates with all kinds of good foods.    The only thing missing this time was the chips...I love chips...have to enter a complaint.  The table looked very nice when we got it all finished.   A good crowd and a hungry one.   We have one man who comes to all the receptions and he comes hungry.   He parks himself at one end of the table and fills his plate several times.   This time he purchased a few trinkets so he paid his dues.   It is hard not to notice him as he attends every reception and comes hungry.    Probably a bachelor and hates to cook for himself.   Maybe he is one who loves to snack and knows that our snacks are the best in town and free.    The little ones are the ones that are fun to watch.  They look over the plates of goodies and have a tough time trying to make up their minds as to what they want first.   Usually they go with the attitude of one for each hand and one in the mouth!! All in all, it was a really good crowd and they came out in spite of the rain.   Our King Louis has done a great job in  remodeling the Gallery.  He has taken down part of a wall and moved some of the larger items around so it has a bit of 'class' and I'd say a bit more open.    There were three guitar players who have been playing together since high school.  They play and sing well together and played constantly throughout the show.   Folks liked them and stayed to listen.    I recognized a couple of the tunes but most of the music I was not familiar with.  No kids at home to keep me up on the latest version of western songs.  I am still humming the old ones...smile.

I am off for my coffee and wake up....I"m hungry so I think I"ll fix a breakfast this morning.  . . or not. . . I still have a muffin or two that needs to be used up.   Come join me. . . I wish!!   Have yourself a good day all day.  Do something wonderful today.    Think of a good deed or two and exercise your right to share with someone you like and love . . . well you do have to like someone in order to love them...smile.    Motivate . . . get started early and do three good deeds today;  a step up and a needed one.    Put some change in your pocket for those little pails that will be around town soon.   The needy are always with us and all those pennies go to make the holidays worth while.    

Be good, be kind, be gentle and above all, be loving.   What is that old adage about do unto others as you would have them do unto you....wise words ....go be that special wonderful person you really are.    Be a lover today, all day....Hugs to all.