Sometimes being sweet matters

 

I hope Thanksgiving gave everyone a moment to ponder what they are grateful for.  I know I have much to be thankful for.  My family of course.  We all have a place to call home.  We all have enough food to eat.  Those who want them, have cars that get them to work and home.  We have power in our homes to heat it, have hot water, and ect ect ect.  I am thankful we are all healthy.  Much to be grateful for. 

My daughter in Law hosted dinner this year.  We all helped and brought part of dinner.  One of my requirements was to bring the pies.  Always.  So I brought 5.  2 Pumpkin, apple and raspberry.  Also a Butterscotch.  That one is kind of a silly one, a family joke that has hung on for years and years.  Now it's a tradition.  Dinner was consumed.  VERY yummy of course.  It came time for the pie.  I was cutting pieces and handed one to Monkey.  He ate it.  Looked at me oddly.  We shrugged and went on.  Bugs who is my BIGGEST pie fan had his piece.  He looked at me and said "this tastes odd.  Almost like nothing.  I can taste the pumpkin but it's just blah..." I was hmmmmm, retracing my steps in my mind.   Then I had an AHA moment.  I didn't add any sugar to the pumpkin.  NONE.  Eggs and spices and milk.  No sugar.  SEE! Sweetness matters.  LOL I just threw it all away.  There wasn't enough whipped cream to make it palatable.   No one was going to eat it.  So we had the other kinds and called it a good day! 

When Monkey and I went through the storage unit this summer and got rid of so much stuff, one of the things I couldn't' part with was my china and crystal. I was talking with DIL and I told her how much I missed using china for special gatherings.  She said bring it for Christmas.   I cried it made me so happy.  I put them away where they were easily reached.  I brought them home Tuesday and washed them all and then took them to DIL/Drummers house.  She set a beautiful table for our dinner.  She is so very sweet and is sensitive to me.  I love her for all that she does for me/us.  I loved using them again.  I know that "good" dishes is sort of on the way out.  I LOVE mine.  I love using them. The day felt very special.  I'm getting used to things being different.  Things cannot always stay the same.  Some of us were there and some not.  There is always something or someone to miss.  I am grateful for everyone that could be there.  A good day was had! 

I hope you had a good day!

Peace

Loud

 My family is very opinionated.  The boys are very passionate about different things.  When we have family dinners it can get quite loud.  Sometimes I just go outside and let them do their thing. I've tried to tell them it's not a " The loudest one wins" thing.  They all have different political direction. We have always told them to think for themselves.  And they have, sometimes much to my dismay.  We are loud because we are a large group.  It isn't always in debate or frustration. 

I heard something the other day that has really stuck with me.  "A debate is not a conversation".  That is a huge statement to me.  It falls in line with The loudest one does not win.  There is no winning in a debate/argument.  Trust me I know we all want to be "right".  Whatever that looks like. Instead of getting louder and louder, where everyone stops listening and just starts thinking of their next thought, not listening to what is being said to them. I think we should start asking each other, What would it take to change your mind?  We all have those things that we won't change our minds no matter what.  Those hills are the ones you choose to die on.  However, I do think that we all have things that we should listen to the other side/person and maybe, just maybe they have a point that we should consider.  No one is right all the time.  Are they?  Not in my world anyways. I just don't know whose mind you are changing when you are yelling at them.

How about we just lead with kindness when we are talking to each other.

Peace

Merry Christmas to us

For Christmas last year our older kids got us a weekend away in one of my favorite places.                 Friday Harbor.   I simply just love it there.  It feels like you are far away from reality.  To me anyways.  We left early Friday morning so we could beat some of the weekend traffic on the ferry.  It was so beautiful out. The wind always blows on the island so that wasn't a surprise.  

When you take the direct ferry, one that doesn't stop at the little islands, it's faster, but still a bit of a trip on the ferry.  It's a beautiful ride.  We of course, walked it end to end.  We did sit and people watch for a while, but it's nicer standing outside and taking it all in.  No whales spotted.  

Someday I will stay at this hotel.  It is stunning there. There was a farmer's market/craft fair going on.  There was a beautiful necklace there.  I've regretted not buying it since.  It was expensive for me.  BUT worth it, it was handmade by the artist.  Totally worth what she wanted.  I just couldn't justify it for me. 

San Juan county park.  We almost always see whales here.  The ranger said they hadn't been by in several weeks. 

We couldn't check into your motel until later in the day.  We wondered all over the island.  English camp to the British camp.  There was a pig war.  A lot of history there.  I love the lighthouse there.  We've seen whales there many times.  NONE this day.  Infact, spoiler alert, NO whales whatsoever.  I was so disappointed, BUT we had a blast nonetheless.  Salty sea air and the sound of waves.  What isn't to like. 

Day 2

I finally made one work!

Back at the county park to wait for the whales to show up. 

Dh took my camera. 

HORRIBLE picture, BUT...  it was just at dusk, so lighting was awful.  It is a fox eating a roadkill dear.  We stopped and watched for a long time.  In part because another car was watching too, and we really didn't want to interrupt his dinner.  He was beautiful.

You can't tell but he has a big chuck in his mouth. 

Ahhh the hot tub. 

Not shown was our massages and time in the spa.  It was so relaxing. 

Day 3, headed home. 

We went to the coffee shop to get coffee and tea and a donut while we waited for our ferry.  This guy was sharing our table.  I don't remember his name, but he was funny.  He wanted to have a bite of our donuts.  He had his own.  I guess it is their Sunday tradition.   

I think this would be fun to travel, or just ride in/on.  I've never been on a sailboat. 

As we are leaving.  

Headed home.  

People are lonelier than they have ever been.  We are also more connected than ever.  But we tend to talk less.  Just texts and emoji's.  No emotional connection.  

It meant the world to us to just escape, the 2 of us. To shut most of the world out.  It was just what we needed. 

Peace

Oh Canada

 

In July I had the chance to go to Canada with my cousin and friends of his here from England.  Cousin's wife was unable to go so I rounded out the 4.   I had been asked earlier in the month if I wanted to go.  If you know me at all you know I love to travel.  I'd go just about anywhere.  

We planned on the day/time and all the details.  On the morning of our departure, I grabbed my passport and realized it was expired.  UH OH.  I called Cousin and he said just come up and we'll figure it out.  So I did.  Off we went. 

On the way we joked about hiding me in the trunk and all the funny ideas.  None of it was necessary.  I handed my passport and driver's license and they didn't even bat an eye at me. We all sighed with relief.  I said, Well Canada doesn't mind, but coming back through, the USA might.  We went up to Whistler/Blackcomb.  

It is so beautiful there.  I never dreamt at how busy it would be in the summer.   I was shocked! So many people.  I have since heard that it is probably just as busy if not more than in the Winter.  Who knew!  There is hikers and mountain bikers and all kinds of kid camps and such.  We rode the gondola to the top on the Blackcomb side.  Then we rode the Peak to Peak one.  We were going to go down on the Whistler side but it had a huge line wo we rode back to the other side and went down the way we came up.  While we were headed down there were hikers and people on bikes all over the place.  In the middle of it all was a bear.  He was beautiful.  No one cared!  I was glad to be on the Gondola! I didn't take pictures of him.  They wouldn't have been good so I just watched and enjoyed him. We had drinks at the top of the mountain.  It really was just so beautiful.  

Cousin and friend

Peak to Peak

From the Olympics.  

Fast and freezing cold. 

Mr. and Mrs. Visitor and Cousin and I.  This was a joke on Cousin's wife.  She told us the ice-cream in Canada was icky and we wouldn't like it. We did!

We went to several places in Vancouver. It has some beautiful places to see. It reminds a bit of Seattle.  We went to Stanley Park and walked all over.  It has beautiful gardens and a totem pole section.  There is a fancy tea room Cousin wanted to take us to.  It was closed for a private party.  That was disappointing.  Nice for the group that reserved it though, eh? We tried to get to Granville Public Market.  NOT A CHANCE.  We could barely drive to get out of there when there was NO place to park.  So instead we went to Gastown.  We saw the steam clock and had a lovely lunch.  Our waiter has the same name as one of our guys.  It's not common so it caught me off guard.  

It was a really fast beautiful trip.  I was so thankful I was invited to go.  I will go back.  There is things to see in Vancouver and I will always want to go to the mountains.  

Peace

Pardon me

I don't really make New Year resolutions. However, this year I made a goal for my year.  Me being me, and society being what it is, we say sorry all the time.  It comes out so casually and about things we don't need to be sorry about. When someone walks by you or in front of you, we all tend to say sorry.  It's almost as if you are apologizing for being on planet earth. That is so silly. We all have the same right to be here and in the same store shopping, trying to buy the same things.   I am the worst offender I know that does this. I had an aha moment.  If we say I'm sorry for all the little things that don't need an apology, how sincere is an apology when it's really warranted and needed? One of those things that make me go hmmmm.  

So, my plan for the year has been to stop saying "sorry" when it isn't needed or necessary.  I try to say pardon me or excuse me.  Sometimes I catch myself and sometimes it slips out, out of habit.  Isn't that weird?  Just 2 little odd words.  I'm sorry.  I really believe that the words have lost their meaning. We say it so often and flippantly.   As often as I can, when it is said to me in a store or somewhere I say no sorry necessary.  I almost never talk to people in the line at the store.  That just isn't my style.  A lady said sorry to me about something unnecessary.  I said no sorry needed.  I then talked to her about my plan for the year.  About saying pardon me. or excuse me when it's necessary and leaving apologies for the big stuff and when it's really necessary.  She told me that was a great plan, and she would try to do the same.  That made me chuckle but pleased.  Hopefully we will get the word out, one sorry at a time.  I wonder if it's more of a women's thing or if guys do it too.  

So, all that to say, how about we all let our sorrys be genuine and when they are really warranted. In the other situations let's say excuse me or pardon me.  Everyone deserves to be here on planet earth the same as you and me.  Just a thought.

Peace

It's a snotty proposition

I like to walk, I love to hike. I do not like to run.

 A few years ago, I had a health scare that made me REALLY aware of my weight and what I was doing to my body. I started to walk again.  Because of where we live, I have a few specific routes I have that I'll walk.  If anything happens my people will have an idea of where I was.  

When Bugs moved out he decided to not take Amelia.  It wasn't in her best interest at that time to take her with him.  Not a problem she's been here since he got her for graduation.  Well.... She has become my walking partner.  We tend to go early in the morning.  Before it gets hot and I get involved with my day and talk myself out of it.  I was getting bored so I decided to kick it up a notch and start jogging.  I use that term VERY loosely.  But I've gone from walking a 20 minute mile to my best time of 14.30.  I'm pretty proud of that.  I usually walk a block, jog a block.  It's still a bit boring to me, the same routes all the time, but it is what I feel best doing. 

Well Smarty Pants Amelia has figured out the jogging part really well.  We missed a bunch of July for a host of reasons, but we were out of practice.  When I started back up in August, I didn't want to start out running.  So we just walked the first time out.  Amelia kept starting to jog at the streets.  She KNEW we were supposed to be jogging!  All this to say the dang dog has pressured me into a faster speed!  LOL  I still don't like running/jogging, but I love how I feel when I'm done. 

So back to my title, why does your nose run when you are jogging?  I googled it, that wasn't very helpful.  Oh well.  I will keep at it for my health and keep a tissue in my pocket. 

Peace

You must walk through it

 

Grief

Sometimes it just smacks you upside the head.  

I do not know how people who don't have a faith in God get through this. He is so much bigger than any pain I have.  You can't take a step around one small moment of it.  So just lean in on it and feel all the feelings when they come over you.  There have been days I haven't cried though.  I remember the first time I noticed I hadn't cried. I was amazed.  I didn't really think that would happen. I still miss the members of my family that are missing.  I don't know what the lesson here is, but I don't like it.  I don't have to like it, just get through it. I know God is going to make things clear eventually. I also want to feel the grief.  I miss my dad. I miss my sister. I miss my aunt.  Grief is because I love them.  

Aren't fingerprints amazing.  Each and every one of us on this planet earth have a different one.  They say that everyone has a doppelganger. When I was in high school, I was told that there was a girl who looked like me that went to school up North from where I lived.  It was a small town.  I don't remember ever seeing her but was told after away games and such that they had seen her.  BUT no matter how close we looked to each other.  My fingerprints are mine.  Hers are hers. It is rumored that we all have one.  Isn't that weird? Any way...  

I keep seeing things that remind me of my sister.  Facebook memories, crows, art or knickknacks that I know she would have loved.  I miss her. 

Since I started this post a while ago my husband's mom passed away. She was 106 years, 235 days old.  She had a very long life.  My heart hurts for him.  It has been a lot in the last 2 years.  My kids are hurting, one of them is so worried about his dad.  He said through tears, Mom, dad sounds so tired!  I know he was.  It was a really long week and a half.   He is trying so hard to get all the things done.  He isn't an only child but I'm sure it feels like it.  He isn't making decisions alone, but I know it feels like it. All I know how to help is to just love him and do what I can to make things easier.  Things happen, it's just life.  All we can do is try to keep up.  

I guess we just keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

Peace