Now I know that Spring is really here!

What a joy it would be to keep the windows open on a day like this to chase away the dust that settles while I'm at work.  I couldn't wait to get home so I could open everything and let all that fresh air through the stale house.  It was a particularly beautiful day, bordering between Spring and Summer.  The sun shone with all its strength but the breeze toned down the heat.  So I opened every window.  And then I went to the sliding door to the deck.

And waiting for me on the deck was my "orphan" tomato plant  ;)

I just found out that my neighbor is about 95 now.  (I had guessed her to be almost ten years younger!)  Every year her son starts tomato plants from seed.  He brings the seedlings to her and she "gifts" one to me, leaving it on my deck.  I let last year's "orphan" get too tall and lanky so it didn't produce well but this year I am determined to have a healthy plant that will make her proud.  Stay tuned :)

Perspective

.....or, the Treasures of Aging

A friend of mine has been under a lot of stress.  Coupled with the pressures at work she is dreading her fast approaching birthday.  This will be the big five-oh for her, a milestone that she looks at with fear.  She has a loving family (children in high school and college) and a very active lifestyle (just taken up running) but for some reason she equates being fifty with "old".

I've never considered a number to determine what I am.  Forty was not the end of youth.  Fifty was not the beginning of a decline in body or spirit.  I was blessed to have grandchildren begin to arrive when I was in my forties and love being called "Nana".  Until they moved cross-country a few short years ago I would help them build snowmen in the winter and ride bikes with them in the summer.

Along with my treasure chest being filled with children, grandchildren (another one on the way!!!), and friends, it is overflowing with experiences.  Every job I've held and what I've learned there.  Every cut, scrape, bruise, and banged toe.  Every joy and every sorrow.  It's all stored away.  It's what makes me, Me.

I've swung a hammer, mowed my own lawns, raised beautiful vegetables, ridden bikepaths in five different states, and attended concerts in amazing locations on summer evenings. (And I intend to continue to do more of the same!)  I have looked for the elegance of Nature, be it a silent snowfall or the sunlight filtering through bright orange Autumn leaves.

More than this, I look forward to what tomorrow will bring.  I have been intrigued to hear about people launching a "second career" upon retirement and can't wait for the opportunity for myself.  My own retirement savings are not what they should be so I intend to continue on in some fashion.  Aside from that, I cannot see myself sitting still once my last paycheck is cashed.  I don't want to sit home and watch the world on a 23-inch screen, I want to be out there in it!  My friend doesn't understand this, though.  She is more concerned with covering an increasing number of grey hairs.  It will be interesting to talk to her in a few weeks time to hear her reaction once the date has passed and she has realized that it was just another day!

This tire isn't flat, it holds potential.  It will be filled again and by the end of the day it will have rolled many more miles!


Here's to a wonderful week filled with good experiences!  Wishing you more "jewels" to add to your treasure chest    :)

Tireless

For the past week there's been a large sheet of paper on my sliding glass door.  My neighbor has now put one on her door.  This robin is still aggressively charging his reflection, thinking it is another bird in his territory.  We had hoped that he would calm down if he didn't see his reflection.  I guess not.

Yesterday morning as I was getting ready for work, a movement out by the cars caught my attention.  I watched as the robin sat on the sideview mirror of one car and flew at the passenger window of the adjacent vehicle.  He flew off when I opened the front door but this must have been going on for a while, since the two cars involved were splattered with droppings.

Then I saw the mess deposited on my car, too........  and yes, I had just taken it to the carwash the day before!

Any ideas on how long this bird's aggressiveness might last?  Or if this is a bird with a problem?

Yellow

Here in New England we are in one of the prettiest times of year.  The crocus have finished, but the daffodils, tulips, and forsythia are putting on a wonderful show.  The flowering trees are also decked out in their many shades of pink and white.  Dogwoods buds are showing promise.  While all of those are carefully planted by loving homeowners, there are other Springtime flowers that greet us if we are lucky enough to find them.

I stumbled upon these last weekend.

 

 

If the weather stays nice this week, I'll take some evening walks to look for more.

Spring jacket refashion

I've got a serious Spring wardrobe deficit.  All my clothes are grey, black, and white.  Now that those beautiful flowers are brightening up everything outside, I need to brighten up me.  So I drove off to Goodwill this morning to see if I could find anything perky.  I did find one yellow top and this bright orange-y red jacket.  (I apologize about the photo color...it doesn't accurately show how bright it really is.)

With yellow price tags reduced by 50%, this was only $6!  If I mess up this refashion, it's not a big loss  :)

First thing was to rip out those overbearing, outmoded shoulder pads.

 

 

Next I cut off the lapels and gathered them before reattaching.  I cropped the sleeves and the bottom hem, and cut off excess front so that it no longer buttons closed.  In retrospect, I should have taken in the sides to make it more fitted since the original jacket was somewhat boxy.  But for $6 and 3 hours of work, I think it will brighten up my workday!

 

 

I'd like to make one in fuchsia, so I'll be searching through another thrift shop next weekend.


Wishing you a great evening!

A comeback, of sorts

Well, in the midst of shedding Winter and gearing up for Spring (now that it's really here in the northeast!), there was a small story on the news today that merits mentioning.  Here in the U.S., we "lost" the baked goods company that produced many age-old snack products and breads that were popular for many, many years (since before my time .....now that's old!)  Bits and pieces of the company's rights have been sold off, resulting in the comeback of the Twinkie sometime this summer!

I was never thrilled over these little gems.  They always disappointed me.  The filling was too sweet for my taste, and the cake was bland.  But they had quite a following, based on the "twinkie hoarding" before they disappeared.  Wonder bread, on the other hand, was an indulgence I partook about once every other year or so.  Having grown up taking sandwiches made with Wonder bread to school, I sometimes wanted to re-live that.  (Yes, it's a plain carb with no redeeming value and it sticks to the roof of your mouth....but we all have our guilty pleasures ;)

Well, the Twinkie returns.  Can Wonder bread be far behind?

Have a great Friday!  Here comes the weekend  :)



Who knows, I may be the first in line to buy a Twinkie when they hit the shelves just to see if I was wrong.

odd bird

It is a rare Sunday morning that I have the opportunity to relax with a cup of coffee, no pressing errands ahead of me.  This past Sunday was one of those mornings....catching up on emails and planning my day.  Until I heard the "thunk".  Followed a few minutes later by another "thunk".  It turned out that there was a somewhat confused large red robin sitting on the railing of my deck.  He saw me through the glass door and flew off.

 

 

(Please excuse my verrrry dirty glass door!)

 

A few minutes later he was back, hitting the glass again and again.....and again.  I peeked around the doorway to the kitchen so he wouldn't notice me and watched as he sat on the railing and attacked the glass.  Fearing for his safety (and not wanting an injured bird on my conscience), I went out in my nightclothes and washed this winter's residue from the sliding door.  Could he have thought a speck of dirt was an insect?  Well, let's rule that out.  Satisfied that the dirt would no longer attract his attention, I poured a fresh cup of coffee.

Yeah, right, I'll get to enjoy that....he came back!  When he saw me he proceeded to attack my neighbor's door!  I heard her chase him, too, so we chatted and she told me he had been doing this to her door on Saturday!  I made a quick call to relatives and was advised to hang something "flutter-y" in front of the door to chase him.

So now there are two aluminum foil "icicles" blowing in the breeze on my back deck, hanging from the joists of the deck above.  It's a windy morning so they should work!  They may look like a crude lawn ornaments but I know what they really are   ;)


Updated: My neighbor informed me that he came back on Monday morning while I was at work, but he didn't stay for long.  Does anyone know why he's doing this?  Any advice on how to stop him before he gets hurt?????