We Have Snow!

Yes, I know it’s January, and I’m in South Central Oregon, and snow is normal. But, other than a not-so-nice storm at Thanksgiving – one that prevented by family from being together — it’s been a mild winter with more rain than snow. I was enjoying that. Snow belongs in the mountains, which was where it had been falling.

But now – we’ve had snow for the past 3 or 4 days. Some days have dropped more of it than others, but it’s been white. Yesterday it got more serious, and this morning I woke up to this:

All I could think was “I should have gone out every few hours yesterday and shoveled”. But I hadn’t, because. Because. I didn’t want to, is probably the real because. So today I shoveled, at least paths on the deck and back porch.

And now we’ve gotten at least another inch or so. I need to go shovel again. Where is that young man who feels sorry for the old lady and comes to shovel her out? Oh yeah – there are no young people in my neighborhood. Sorry, neighbors, but it’s true.

And I’m feeling sorry for the birds. I haven’t been feeding them, and today they’re obviously looking for food. I’m guilty. But maybe, when I go shovel again, I’ll see if there are some dribs and drabs still in the can out there. When I bring in the wine too, because I’m absolutely certain I’m going to want it this evening.

For you winter aficionados, I’d be happy for you to take all this snow – I wouldn’t miss it these days. A bit ruefully, I remember when I lived in Southern California and I missed snow in winter. Yeah. If I had known then what I know now. . .

The good news is this cat, who races to escape when a door is opened, is now quite content to spend her time in front of my little electric stove, where it’s nice and warm.

Because this cat is not stupid.

Okay, so can spring come now? Please? I’m ready.

What? It’s a New Year?

How did that happen? I wasn’t done with the old year before it got pushed off into wherever old years go – history, memory, wherever. Fine! I’ll just start all over. Again.

I do hope this year will bring better news than last year, although it doesn’t seem to be starting off auspiciously. I’m just hoping that start doesn’t end with a bang.

What will we all do with another year, do you suppose? I’ll undoubtedly spend it like I spend most of my years nowadays. Doing my thing, enjoying my family, my friends, my furry kids. Grumping about Washington and that ilk all over the world. Looking for hope, peace, unity. Knowing we’re all human so I should temper my expectations.

That was not the direction this post was intended to go, as much sense of a direction as I generally have when I start typing. Most of what I do is stream of consciousness, go with the flow kind of writing. But I did have some concept of words I wanted to put down – before I started, that is. Not sure where my thoughts go when I need them, but they apparently have a safe place to hide from me. Like the safe places I put things. Do you do that? Find a place that seems perfectly logical when you’re putting something away, and then have no idea where that is when you need them again? Yeah, I do that all the time. My current mystery is where the heck I put the little adhesive thingys for the nosepiece of my glasses so it won’t slide down every time I look or bend down. I have looked and looked, to no avail. Someday maybe they’ll turn up – in a perfectly logical place.

Last night I had TV on – it was on, but I seemed to be mostly dozing through the programs I had chosen. There was one I wanted to watch, but it was two hours long and since I was already dozing off, I decided I should just record it and watch tonight. Then I was awake. Wide awake. Another of life’s mysteries? How and why does that happen? Perhaps to keep me on my toes so I don’t get complacent. or something.

Anyone need stuff? Like the stuff I have in my bookcases? Books, none of them fiction because those are all gone now – coffee table books, how-to-books, what to do when the year 1999 ends because we all know that’s the end of the world – everyone needs one of those in 2020, don’t they? Whatever do you do with old books anyway? That room has become my craft room, and I want to remove the bookshelves and create a more effective storage unit for all my craft stuff. Because my craft changes often, which means I have a large and varied supply of supplies.

I think that should end this ramble, but I wanted to let you all – those of you out there who actually read this dribble I write – know that I think of you often, I appreciate your visits,  your comments, your “likes”. Thank you for being you. I hope that, in this new year, all of you have enough.

Why Can’t I?

I was going to share my world, but then this rant was racing around inside my head, screaming to be let out. So, fair warning: this is political. This is my viewpoint.

If the President can go out into the street and shoot someone and get away with it, why can’t I? No, he hasn’t done this, but he said he could -so why can’t I?

If the President can lie and call people names and be supported while doing this, why can’t I? If he doesn’t care about how people feel, why should I?

If the President says it’s okay to pollute our waters and our air, why can’t I? Why can’t I just run my sewage into that stream behind my house, that feeds into a river that feeds into an ocean? Why can’t I? Why can’t I just ignore my community’s clean air rules, if it’s okay for corporations to do so?

If the Senate can work with the White House on an impeachment trial, why won’t the prosecutor work with me, the defendant, when I’m on trial? Why won’t the prosecutor do it my way? If it’s good enough for our government, shouldn’t it be good enough for me?

If a political party can make up its own rules and call a criminal action not a criminal action, why can’t I?

If our government can ignore integrity, morality, honesty – why can’t I? Oh yeah – because I couldn’t live with myself if I did that. Because I’m not willing to sell my soul to gain power, or keep power, or be given a lifetime of more than adequate income.

So – how do those people in our government live with themselves?

Share Your World – 12/11/19

It’s been a long time since I shared my world with Melanie or all of you – now seems to be a good time to jump in.

What is truth? (Credit to Ursula https://anupturnedsoul.wordpress.com/2019/12/05/which-side-of-the-mirror-are-you-on/ ) I’m not sure I know these days – we hear so little of it anymore. What I am sure of is that my truth and your truth may well differ. We are so overly sensitive anymore and take offense so readily, it’s hard to speak honestly – maybe that’s why truth is so elusive.

What’s one thing people would never know about you just by looking at you? Wait, while I go ask someone. I can’t answer this. Perhaps it would be that I dabble in so many different arts and crafts. I know a bit about many things, not a lot about any one thing. I’m opinionated – I don’t think you can tell that my looking at me.

Do loud noises bother you? Yes. A lot. I prize quiet.

If you were guaranteed the correct answer to just one question, what would you ask? What will happen next to our world? No – not that. Instead, I’d like to know if we’re going to survive this political holocaust and the division we are currently experiencing.

Watching the news last night, a ranting blog post was formulating in my brain. I did not act upon it, and the words have filed themselves away for now, but one question I had last night remains – and haunts me. How is it that one man in the Senate can decide not to bring to a vote a proposed healthcare bill the House presented? How is it one man – whether it be the majority leader of one of the houses of Congress  or the President – has so much individual power? Is this the way it was meant to be? I think not.

Maybe that rant didn’t go away completely.

I wish you enough during the rush of this holiday season.

I’ve Been Thinking. . .

First off, I knew it had been awhile since I posted, but I had no idea how long it had been! Other obsessions have been occupying my time. The family was to all be together for Thanksgiving, and my son did make it here before the weather got cranky and decided to obstruct our time together. My daughter and her partner started for here, hit nasty snow and wind, and had to return home. So instead of the four of us and a friend who cancelled her flight to be with us because of the weather, it was my son and I. We did enjoy the holiday and we did have fun sharing the cooking chores.

In the meantime, my daughter and her partner were going to have a quiet wedding at my home the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but obviously that couldn’t happen. Instead, they had the ceremony at their home and shared the day with friends. I’ve been thinking – the wonders of technology that allowed them to share the day with those of us who were not there via Facebook Live. Yay!

I’ve been thinking about the oddities of life – or at least my life. When I was young and had skin that was firm and without those aggravating dark age spots, I worked very hard to apply layers of makeup to give the illusion of perfect skin on a daily basis. Now I am older and the under eye dark circles are forever ingrained as well as a couple of age spots here and there – I use a B&B cream if I plan to leave the neighborhood. Gone are the concealers, the pancake foundation, the mascara, the eyeshadow. I’ve been thinking – isn’t this rather backwards?

I’ve been thinking how each of us seems to choose what we believe, who we stand with, what is reality. While I am thankful for this freedom, I wish I could understand the reasoning of the “other side” – as I’m sure they feel about “my” side. And I’ve been thinking about how much I dislike the whole “sides” thing – yet here I am. Picking my side.

I’ve been thinking that I am rather glad that I am old, and that I will not have twenty years to see where this world goes, because I have a sinking feeling about that. Although – at my annual doctor’s visit a few days ago, my doctor insisted I have a certain test because she expects I should live at least another ten years. I’ve been thinking how her comment made me feel so good, so secure, so relaxed. I’ve been thinking how silly it is that I didn’t feel that way before the visit, at least about my lifespan.

I’ve been thinking about how many hobbies/interests I’ve had in my life. It’s a revolving door, me and my hobbies. My most recent thing is weaving, and I’m loving it. I like the woven look better than knitted or crocheted, so now I spend my days at the loom, creating projects that maybe I’ll offer for sale one day. Or maybe now, for a couple of them. I’ve been thinking it would be good to recoup the cost of the materials so I could buy more materials. Shall I share some of what I’ve done? Yeah, why not?

I’ve been thinking you might be interested. Let me know if you are.

I’ve been thinking that I am very fortunate. I have enough. I have my family. I have my friends. I have my furry kids. I have my freedom. Let’s all think about how we’re going to vote next year and do our best to preserve our freedom.

It’s Been Awhile

I haven’t written in a while because – it would have been, and undoubtedly will be, a rant. A rant without joy. Filled with frustration. Even fear, perhaps. But here I am, and we will see what comes out of it.

Hearings – justified? I think they are, from my viewpoint, which might differ from your viewpoint. Will they result in anything positive? Probably not. I seem to be viewing mankind with a sense of fatality these days. My truth is that the electoral college has put into office a man that should not have any control over the lives of humans, and now he has control over a whole country full of them. And even some in other countries. When I hear someone say “he was elected by the people”, I cringe. I turn shades of red and purple. I want to shout back that “NO, he wasn’t. He wasn’t”. Because we’re too smart for that, right? I mean he showed his colors during the election, didn’t he? Blame this on the Electoral College. Ah well, maybe we aren’t as smart as I thought we were. You were warned. This rant over.

On the other side of my world, I have decided I want to learn how to weave, so I am expending time and funds on weaving related things. It’s really a great way to ignore household chores an duties too. Although – one benefit – I have started reorganizing, sorting, cleaning out, my craft room. So far I have one little part that is organized, and one pretty big pile of trash. Amazing, the things I save that might have a use in some future life. Then forget I have. This decision followed a visit to the shop of a weaver during an art tour while I was in New Mexico – I have knitted for a long time, but oh how I love the look of woven products. So far, I keep coming up with new ways to make mistakes, but then I guess it’s all a learning process, isn’t it? I’m loving it. My current project – just my second, actually – is this:

It is not mistake free, but hey, I’m a beginner! Mistakes are how I learn.

We are entering our time of grey skies here, although a great deal of it now is air pollution. We have some kind of inversion layer or something happening – missing our usual winds which normally blows out the yech. It’s like a fog out there, but not a clean, damp fog. Rather, a smelly, ugly haze.

Thanksgiving is nearly here already. My family will be at my house, and I am soooo excited! I think I have it all under control – or at least my plans are to have it all under control. Do as much as I can ahead of time, save the cleaning for the last minute because who wants to do too much of that nonsense anyway? Pretty sure I’m going to have to plug in the energy hog refrigerator in the garage for a few days. It’s going to be needed, starting when it’s time to thaw the bird that’s in the freezer.

Wishing those of you in the USA a very happy Thanksgiving – and to all of you, happiness, love, peace, joy. Pretend reality is all good stuff.

Share Your World – 10/29/19

I haven’t played along with Melanie for awhile now but today seems like a good day to join in on the fun.

1. Where’s the line between respectful disagreement and being downright mean (bullying) to someone?  Respectful disagreement requires that voices be modulated and reasonable, with each party explaining their viewpoints and refraining from being pushy. Bullying involves less tempered words and far too often, name calling. Bullying is what you see too much of on social media, and hear too much of from the man who sits in the highest seat in the nation.
2. Would you prefer to live in a world where alcohol was free or where politicians were honest? That’s an easy one. I’d go for honest politicians any time, since we the people are the ones that end up paying for everything anyway.
3. What’s one habit you have that your family or friends think is rather childish? Ummm – this is where respectful disagreement comes in, I think. My family and friends have not pointed out to me that I’m being childish if I indeed am – just as I do not point such behavior out to them. Some things need to be handled with diplomacy.
4. Would you rather go to a big party and rub shoulders with the rich and famous or go to an amazing quiet Garden that hardly anyone has ever visited? Another easy one. The quiet garden calls to me. I am not among the rich and famous and am quite certain we would have no common grounds to share anyway.

Halloween Question:    What do you think of the idea of “trick or treat or money for a charity” as a way of making Halloween more useful? I am not a fan of Halloween, although I certainly was when I was a kid, but I think supporting charities of our choice should be something we do because we want to help and are in a position to do so, and there’s no need to set a specific time for that. Besides, the way the world is today, someone would end up twisting it into personal gain for themselves.

Maybe we’’d better get back to the gratitude questions quickly – I seem to be quite jaded today. Apparently I need reminding of the good things in life.