In the Quiet I Can Hear ...

Today is my favorite day. A weekday when I don't have to work, be anywhere or be anything to anyone. I'm walking to the beat of my own heart this morning and it is life affirming.

First off, I made myself a cup of coffee. Then I turned on the Christmas lights and left the rest of the house in darkness. No music, no podcasts, no outside interference whatsoever.

I could hear the furnace cutting in and warming the chilly morning air. I listened to the train whistles as they bustled through our little town. Eventually Mom's clock woke up and started chiming the hour. Bong! Bong! Bong! Bong! Bong! Bong!

It was 6:00 a.m. and I marvelled at how time travelled at such a slower pace without my regular morning diversions. I sat in my rocking chair, opened all the blinds, enjoyed the view and heard my thoughts bubbling to the surface.

I grabbed a pen and pad. I started writing little lists of hopes, dreams and aspirations. First, thinking of my home. Next, looking inward and thinking of my personal wish list. My personal thoughts were capital letter items. 

The house and yard dreams came with a price tag. My personal wish list was priceless. Write. Move. Invite. Remember the joy of puttering. Re-create boredom to find stillness and space to feel the creative juices again ...

Then the clock started chiming more hours away. The closer I got to 8:00, the more practical my list became. 

Get a landline. Goal - use my cell phone as required but not for emails, podcasts, scrolling, shopping, checking the weather or highway conditions. Use the computer for "all of the above". Be INTENTIONAL with my cell phone usage.

Final words as I put my pen and paper down to write this:

JUST BEGIN

THREE DAY WORK WEEK IS THE GOAL

... and that is just the front of the pages ...

2024 Price Check

I don't know which obsession is taking up the most space in my brain - new calendars for the year 2024, or the ability to check prices over the course of the past few years.

My calendar needs are pretty basic. One wall calendar for personal use; one desk calendar for business use; one daytimer for business use. Amen. End of story. End of my needs.

I have received a wall calendar annually thanks to being on a high school reunion mailing list. It is the perfect size; the boxes allow enough room to make notations; and it is FREE. It wins first prize for all my needs. The only pitfall is it didn't arrive until the last week of December, so I panicked and picked up a calendar for $1.25 at the dollar store. It was much bigger than needed, took up too much space on the wall and (worst of all!), I spent $15.54 on unnecessary chocolates and treats when I bought my cheap calendar. I wasted time and money on an unnecessary purchase. 

Calendars to the left - total cost $7.75 + taxes + $95 (!!) extracurricular spending while in the dollar store in search of a bargain priced calendar.

Calendars to the right - FREE!! delivered to me in the mail, with no added costs.

Meanwhile, my obsession with the higher costs of living these days had me comparing prices between calendars purchased over the years.

2023/2024 - $1.50 NO increase

2022/2023/2024 - $3.50 NO increase

The moral of the story seems to be:

 "Keep some prices the same to lure customers into the store and spend their money on impulse buys".

They got me hook, line and sinker. Fool me once - shame on them. Fool me twice (or three times, as I am almost certain I didn't buy the 2022/2023 calendars without overspending) shame on me.

I know better. In 2024, I will try harder.

The only consolation I have, is the number of times I talked myself out of take-out, which most likely countered the impulse purchases (aka: cookies, chocolate & chips - the 3 deadly C's). 

My average monthly take-out spending has decreased by $100 monthly since COVID (yes, I keep track of these things), 

so all things considered my obsession with calendars over the years probably balances out in the end.

Just my meandering thoughts this morning. 

Carry on!

I Didn't Need a New Car ...

... I just needed to wash windows!!

Amazing what a difference it makes to drive around with clean windows after a messy winter season.

Cheap, quick fix. I highly recommend it.

Simple Joys

I have been going through the paces of living and not really soaking up the sunny moments of life.

I haven't stepped out and let nature entertain me.

I haven't spent time savoring the antics of our (aging) cats.

I haven't found the magic of an inconsequential moment.

I have just been living my quiet little life,

sorting my clean socks by the amount of wear left in them as I pair them up.

It is nearing the end of sock season so I've sprung quite a few holes in my socks lately.

My favorite fuzzy black socks (that must match my black pj's) are nearing the end of their life.

I have one pair that is better than the other so I've been saving the better pair and wearing out the other pair sufficiently so they will be completely used up before I toss them.

Yesterday was laundry day and the few pairs of socks I have left were in the wash.

So after my bath I lathered up my feet with body butter and put on a brand new pair of socks.

I felt like I was walking on a cloud.

The body butter/new sock combo was a gift I didn't see coming.

All for the bargain price of $0.83 plus tax!

The best things in life are all around us.

May you find your joy in something simple today.

Then simply savor the moment.

Air Show

When heading out for my walk this morning, I went directly towards the storm water oasis I have recently rediscovered. It did not disappoint.

Three pelicans were still swimming and I noticed one of them scooping up and swallowing something to eat while I was watching. 

The red winged blackbirds were the background accompaniment and continued to interact with at least one pelican when in a certain area of the pond. Are the pelicans swimming in their turf when these exchanges happen? The pelican nips at the bird in flight and they don't appear to be aggressive in their actions. But what do I really know? I'm just a quiet observer.

As I was circling the pond, looking for a better vantage point to watch the wildlife attracted to the water a large bird swooped high overhead. I was curious, as I believe it was the same unknown bird I spotted yesterday.

It flew off to a far away light post when I approached the pond but after some time passed, this same bird flew around and around the pond. I felt pretty fortunate and immediately wondered if this "bird of prey" (that was all this amateur birdwatcher could distinguish) was putting on a show just for me.

Wistful thoughts of Mom's comments on eagles and how she would love to soar like an eagle made me think of her and I wanted to believe her presence was close by. 

I desperately tried capturing the flight on video but nothing beats the naked eye to watch and marvel at a soaring bird.

My personal air show went on for quite some time and I was so glad I showed up to witness this special event that I was starting to believe was "just for me".

Then, the bird swooped into the pond and just as quickly flew off with a fish in its talons. It was heading north when I last spotted it. The air show wasn't for me. The hunting bird was gathering its breakfast meal.

The birds are watching me just as much as I'm watching them. This particular bird of prey perched atop a lamp post far away from where it was when I first spotted it. It is my guess that when it felt I wasn't a threat, that it came back to concentrate on its fishing expedition.

Ahhh. The moments I find when I'm close to home instill my personal belief that there is no place like home.

Magic and Miracles

I often marvel at the magical and rather miraculous little life I live.

It is a simple life measured by small regularly occurring miracles such as good health, living in a safe/comfortable/affordable home (and country) which houses all of my needs/wants/desires. 

I have the ability to provide for myself and be self reliant. 

I am beyond grateful for the supportive community of family and friends.

I am content and at peace with where I am, who I am and where I think I'm headed.

I live in a magical fairy tale land where I create stories and happy endings to put the story-teller part of my mind at rest.

It is a wonderful little life I am living.

Then? I looked at the household products I reached for this morning:

MAGIC Eraser

MIRACLE Cloth

Can this stuff be bought? Maybe.

Whatever little things it takes to add a dash of magic and small miracles to your day, may you find just a few little magical moments as you navigate throughout the hard day in front of you.

May the force be with you!

Taking a Moment

June 30th comes with all kinds of deadlines in my bookkeeping world. 

All the more reason to take a step outside this house where I live with my work and listen to the birds:

My bird identifier app identified these bird calls as "Brown Thrasher" and "Black-headed Grosbeak". 

I gazed up into the trees and never did spot the birds who were singing so sweetly.

Thank you to my anonymous bird choir.

It was a most excellent way to start a busy day.

Take a moment to stop, listen and inhale deeply before you step into your day.

When you can't change what is going on within your world, 

remember you do have the power to impact a moment.

Felines at Rest

While robins, mourning doves, sparrows and even the grackles add a spark of joy to my Weekend Oasis,

 my Monday to Friday home includes enjoying the antics of our two furry felines.

After a brief game of tag around the house, these guys are ready for a rest:

There is nothing like watching a cat hard at rest to lower blood pressure and put a person in the moment. 

Oh, to live the life of a cat who has a safe and happy home. 

It is my ultimate retirement dream to be as content as these two guys. 

To sit in a sunbeam,

marvel at watching the birds and rabbits who pass by,

have the easy companionship of one you know well,

to be content, healthy, safe and know where your next meal is coming from,

to have the sense of "ahhh"

and then

find your most favorite resting spot 

and have a little rest.

We all should be so lucky.

A Robin Story

For the purposes of my imagined dialogue between the robin couple featured in the short video to follow, I am referring to the robin with the bright red breast as Poppa Robin and the more mottled looking chirpy robin as Momma Robin.

This couple grabbed my attention while I was enjoying my morning cup of coffee. There was a lot of chirping going on so I grabbed my coffee and enjoyed the drama unfolding in my very own back yard.

Momma had a lot to say and Poppa was just trying enjoy his Sunday morning. He kept hopping ahead of her and she kept right on his tail feathers. Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!!

This went on for quite some time before Poppa finally flew up to the roof of the shed. Then two little birds made a few feeble attempts to join Poppa but it took a few tries to reach the rooftop. I felt a little thrill bubble up inside me. I saw a robin building a nest in the tree right beside the yard. Could this be the babies?? I heard a lot of baby-sounding chirps last weekend. Could the babies have left the nest? Could these be the babies?

It fits the storyteller within my mind to believe these little birds were baby robins. So instantly I translated Momma's incessant chirps to Poppa to: "I just need the yard to myself! Go! Take the babies out!! Teach them to fly. I need them to leave the nest. I'm tired!!! I just need some quiet!"

So, Poppa and the babies flew off. I watched Momma for quite some time and eventually Poppa returned. Momma still chirping away at him - probably worried about the kids, "What do you mean they flew off on you? Where did they go? Why didn't they come home with you? Why??!!"

The couple flew into the front yard and I lost sight of them in the tree where their nest had been built. I thought that may be the last I saw of this couple but I was wrong. 

Momma Robin had quite a distinctive look. Her feathers were mottled and she looked "old and grey". Her tail feathers were short. I think I could have identified her in a line-up of robin suspects because of her uniqueness.

So when I heard some insistent chirping at the living room window when I was settling down for the night, I had to investigate. Sure enough. Momma Bird came back and was staring right at me through the window:

I think I made a friend! 

Ahhh!! The best things in life are free.

In Your Own Back Yard

I'm feeling a tad wordless this morning (thank goodness, you may be thinking as you read this),

so I have returned to a post I started last week.

As I headed out on my morning stroll, I admired the lilacs in bloom in our own back yard. This is the view from the catwalk beside our house:

Hidden out of view in this picture is a rabbit who I followed into a neighborhood I rarely, if ever, explore on my walks. I was focused on the rabbit and where it led rather than taking in the scenery all around me. It was an incredible journey.

When I returned home, my attention was once again focused on the lilac tree in full bloom right in our own back yard.

[yes, I see the tree is in need of some trimming to get rid of the dead branches]

As invigorating as it was to get out, walk and explore the neighborhood, returning home brought the sense of "ahhhh" I have come to know and love. 

I could hear the echoes of my daycare days when every nook and cranny of our back yard was put to use.

I envision each of our (past and present) cats enjoying our yard in their own unique ways.

I remember when Mom and I sat on the deck one cool Good Friday morning and she told me, as she had told me many times before, that Good Friday is often overcast and dreary. The sun usually comes out Easter Sunday.

I reminisce about the many visits I've had on our deck. Family gatherings, one-on-one visits, sharing a "cold beverage" after a hot day or a cup of coffee on a cool COVID-restricted-visiting day.

I think of the times I simply stopped and savored the present moment, listening to birds, watching the sky, letting my thoughts wander ...

Sometimes we only have to go as far as our own back yard to find exactly what we are looking for.

A Robin Family

My happy little Disney Princess life continues ...

I spend a lot of time sitting with my aunt on her deck and Mother Nature rarely fails to entertain us. My aunt is wiser than I, when it comes to birds so she is often identifying sparrows for me. I'm a pro on crows, magpies and robins - sparrows? Not so much.

Robins are frequent guests in the park-like area my aunt's deck faces. Every now and again I'll spot a small bird close to a robin and ask my aunt if that could possibly be a baby robin. She tells me time and time again, "No, it is a sparrow". The little bird (okay, sparrow) soon flies off leaving the robin on its own so I must believe what my aunt tells me is true.

This time, it was different. I spotted two adult robins and a little bird flitting back and forth between the adults with the odd flight into a low lying tree. Then it would go back to the adults. There was no sign of confrontation between them. There was a "parental" vibe going on. I asked my aunt once again, "Could that be a baby robin? The storyteller in my mind really wants this to be true." 

First off, she replied that it was a sparrow. As we continued to watch, the nature of the relationship between the birds appeared to be supportive and co-operative. Then another little bird joined the trio on the lawn. And a third. Bird #2 and #3 seemed to have honed the skill of flying more than the little one who kept going back and forth between the adults. 

By this time, even my aunt was convinced we were watching a family of robins. We watched the show they put on for at least ten minutes. When it was time for me to leave, I noticed another neighbor watching the Robin Show and she too, was talking herself out of believing the little bird was a sparrow. We marveled at the fact we may be watching a family of robins who were newly out of the nest and trying out their wings.

More time passed and this little robin family was still together and within sight. I walked to my car and I was fortunate enough to capture this: 

When I got home, I googled "baby robins" and from what I read and enlarging the video footage on my phone, I am 99% certain we were indeed watching a family of robins who had just left their nest.

Mother Nature, you are amazing me on a daily basis. I will be watching for baby geese and ducklings now. I can't wait!

What is amazing you when you stop and let Mother Nature entertain you? If it isn't coming to your own back yard, I highly suggest going for a leisurely stroll. It's good for the soul.

Wordless Wednesday

I have been living life "intentionally" for just over a week now and I am exhausted.

In an effort to keep to my commitment of blogging daily, I thought posting a picture that brings me joy would suffice. 

This picture is my definition of bliss. Sitting at the table in my little oasis away from home, a cup of coffee, pen and paper and a picture perfect view. I look at this and I feel the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders. The word that most often falls off the tip of my pen when I sit down to write at this little piece of serenity is "ahhhh".

This picture was taken October 24th. Seven months ago. I am not saying that is the last time I felt a blissful moment such as this. I feel it each and every time I sit in this spot as I write my morning pages and greet the day. But it made me realize I should stop and take a picture when I'm in a moment when I'm fully present and breathing in the day more often. 

Maybe that can be an easy way of reinforcing this "intentional life" - to not only stop and smell the roses, but to snap a picture to mark the moment so when I wake up to a wordless kind of day, I can sift through my pictures and find one that says it all.

Not such a wordless Wednesday, after all.

Weeds

Have you ever had so many weeds, you decide to pick them according to species? My guess is when most people have that many weeds, they simply spray them with a broad spectrum weed killer and annihilate ALL the weeds. That is most likely what I should have done but instead, my day began by telling myself "I'll just pick the thistles".

As I was picking thistles, I noticed a yellow flowered invasive species dominating the front yard. My research tells me these are "goat's beard". I knew they weren't dandelions but they certainly looked like a weed. So I picked thistles and goat's beard, deciding to leave the dandelions, clover, portulaca, yet another yellow-flowered weed, fox tail, a silver leafed variety of weed and more weeds than I can name for another day. 

I have no idea how many fir trees there are in this lot. What I can say, is there are so many that they have created a privacy hedge between the house and road. There are fir trees in the front yard, the back yard, the side yard and the yard that goes beyond the driveway. Add a drought to a lawn that is fighting for survival due to the root system of all the trees and the only sprigs of grass that have survived are quack grass. 

Mowing the "lawn" does little more than kick up a dust storm and spread the weed seeds around. There is really little, to no grass to mow. Thus, I set out on my mission to pick weeds by the type I most wanted to be rid of.

It is an endless task. I am no where near complete. The lot is huge. Where the lot ends there is a street-side section of "grass" (more weeds). Then there are what I think are tree saplings sprouting up in a few different areas. 

I concentrated on the front, side and back yard and started picking weeds that are growing on the driveway. It was only when I was walking home from the store when I noticed the excess of yard that has gone wild. I filled a large black garbage bag with weeds and I have not made a dent in the task at hand.

As I questioned my sanity and explained myself to the neighbors who dropped by, I was convinced I had taken on a job that one good spray would have handled.

Then ... I discovered this:  

"Bluebells!!", my inner child screamed inside my thoughts. I have no idea what these are officially called, but I remember walking through the natural terrain on our farm as a child and I have called them bluebells ever since. I was immediately transported to a time where I was young and without a care in the world. 

The next day, I noticed this:

A wild rose. We have a front yard full of wild roses that have been mowed down regularly. This brave little flower revealed itself to me as if to say "Save us! We are here just waiting to be nurtured".

Then behind a few fir trees I found what may or may not be a daisy, on its way out of its flowering season.

If we had sprayed the yard, we would have lost all that Mother Nature was offering.

It was like I had gone for a walk in a field. All this nature was in our very own front yard.

Meeting at the Watering Hole

Our water outage saga continues. It has been almost two weeks since it all began.

Our water has been off, then back on, then off again. Then on again. Off again. On again. Again and again and again. 

I found the green tag deeming our water to be safe to drink three days ago. All our spare water jugs were replenished with safe drinking water and our back up water reserves were full.

Then the water went out last night. And stayed off. 

I have discovered one thing during our water shortage. It takes 8 litres of water to flush our toilet. I emptied two, 4 litre water jugs this morning to do just that. Emptying that much water at one time made me feel a little vulnerable so I decided to take a stroll down the block and utilize the safe water supply (up to this point, I had been refilling our jugs at my aunt's but had no plans to go there today).

As I made my way to the water trailer and back, I spoke with three (yes!!! three!!!) different people. 

First was a City employee (who is working today fighting with this water dilemma), who had no idea our water was off. He said the other end of the block had no water but ours was supposed to be working.

Second, was someone from the area who is also dealing with water outages on (what sounds like) the opposite times of our on again/off again water outage. 

Then came a third from (who knows how far) down the street. They had just about given up on finding the water trailer when they spotted me coming home with my full jugs. When I pointed out where the trailer was located they decided to go home and drive.

I just looked out the window to spot a small group of other neighbors visiting on the street. 

After almost a year of relative isolation and staying-at-home, I cannot tell you how happy my heart feels to be meeting up with neighbors at the local watering hole.

The best things in life are free (and unexpected).

The Wonderful World of Libraries

It is ironic, since I have Mom's library of books showcased and begging to be read, that this year I have rediscovered the wonderful world within our local library.

I have a very hard time holding onto a thought long enough to read and stay awake at the same time. So I have indulged myself in reading whatever has grabbed my attention in order to try to re-instill the habit of reading. 

Even amid the COVID world, I was able to place holds on books that caught my attention, reserve a time to pick them up, then check them out without breaking the 6 foot social distancing barrier. 

The library offers a vast variety of books, old and new. The ability to read for pleasure, to pursue an interest or to educate yourself on whatever piques your interest is available to all. Absolutely free of charge.

Whenever I check out a book, my library receipt tells me how much I've saved by utilizing the library. I find positive reinforcement at every turn.

I have been watching my pennies very carefully this month. Yet I was still able to treat myself to reading Alex Trebek's new book "The Answer Is", thanks to my friendly neighborhood library.

The library is only one of many offerings that is out there available at no cost. 

• Sitting on your doorstep and breathing in fresh air, sunshine and nature
• A walk to anywhere
• Catching up with a friend
• Writing (I would add letter writing but there is the small cost of a stamp which is still the best value for your dollar in my opinion)
• Sitting still with yourself and allowing yourself to dream
• Going through photo albums, cards, letters or memorabilia you have collected
• Housecleaning (hey, it's free and actually quite satisfying once you get past the hard part of starting)

Look around you. See what you can come up with. Some of the best things in life are free.