TRUST NOT! 3/5/2018

I said I would write about this "TRUST" matter. Here goes!

Many years ago I met my husband to be and did not know all the trouble I would inherit by accepting his proposal for marriage and to change my name to his. I thought it would be a great signature for my paintings - Karen Kelly. Little did I know that marrying a rich man and an attorney (at that) would put me through "hell and back". Now that I am officially a widow for twenty years this April 4th, 2018, I can report to the entire world what can happen if you marry a "man of means" (by no means - thank you Roger Miller).

Legal documents were drawn up from the "very beginning" - an ante-nuptial agreement - all unfair - but he had been "burned" by two other wives and that gave him the excuse. I often thought he didn't "see" me. I often said to him, I'm not "so and so". My attorney looked over the ante-nuptial agreement and told me not to marry or sign it. Circumstances happened. I married him. The document stood.

Then, the TRUST, the KLK TRUST was initiated, formed and solidified into legal perpetuity - a judgement hammer - a historical memorandum to haunt me the rest of my life on this planet!

The TRUST, the TRUST. I must, I must, I must follow the TRUST!

My word to any woman who decides to hang her future upon the "generosity" of a rich man, may be horrified at the power he holds over her through the TRUST.

WOMAN - be sure you get your education, plan for your own financial future and do not TRUST.

At 81 years of age it's time for me to think about getting another job! No, I won't be a greeter and I won't settle for less than what I've earned.

We can speak of love and sweet words, too. That was all part of the marriage.

However and forever, let these words ring clear "TRUST NOT"!

Widder Lady: STUFF and more STUFF! 3/4/2018

Widder Lady: STUFF and more STUFF! 3/4/2018: Stuff is being sold (gradually) by EBTH (Everything But the House) . It's interesting to see what sells and for how much. With their tak...

STUFF and more STUFF! 3/4/2018

Stuff is being sold (gradually) by EBTH (Everything But the House). It's interesting to see what sells and for how much. With their take of 40% the "winnings" may not meet my expectations. I rationalize and justify the outcome by repeating phrases such as:

1. I'm glad it is out of here.
2. I won't have to dust it again.
3. I have regained some space in my home.
4. I have made someone else happy. (Hoping)
5. It's found a new home and a new adventure.
6. It wasn't ever used or hardly ever used.
7. I don't want to care for it any longer - polishing, dusting, etc.
8. I don't want to have the memory of it any longer.
9. It was never mine in the first place.
10. Better "something" than "nothing" even if it's a few dollars!

I am looking forward to receiving my first check. It will go for the legal fees I'm racking up. (More drama).

Limoges Cow Pitcher

Learning about "attachment to stuff" and "searching for meaning in minimalism" (Zen Zone) has been a major pursuit for me as I reach into and beyond the 4th quarter of existence on this planet. There are others, too, who are on this same journey - some by choice, some by circumstance.

It's the STORY, the MEMORY of the "object", the "thing". What do we know about auctions - VALUE - what makes something have value - it's the STORY - the PROVENANCE! Watching tv programs such as "Antique Roadshow" and "Strange Inheritance" certainly helps a "stuff" person learn if something's worth anything.

With all this "blather" about stuff, I'm still inclined to share the stories of the recent items I've hauled in boxes and on blankets in the back seat and trunk of my car to EBTH. What does it matter that I went to the Indian Hill Antique Auction and bought the beautiful hand-hooked floral rug for $1500.00 and it sold for about $100? What does it matter that those African ladles went for less that $100 bucks? I will go back and reread my list of why I'm auctioning off stuff. The rug was bought on impulse - it was beautiful. I used it awhile and then had it cleaned and wrapped up in brown paper and stuffed under the guest bed. The ladles I enjoyed for many years in my wood paneled "African themed" bathroom. They're gone now, no longer here for viewing I(or dusting). I bought those ladles from Smith, Ltd. on 6th Street downtown Cincinnati. Jerry Smith left town, but some of his stuff is still here in my home.

MORE STUFF! 2/12/2018

Today ends the first 'round of items "Going, Going, Gone" on EBTH (Everything But the House). I'm choosing not to look at the final bidding frenzy, just don't want to know the outcome YET!

Here's a few pictures of the things being sold "next time around":

Majolica Dessert Set - Plates, Cake Stands bought from Jerry Smith, Ltd.

Majolica Cake Stands and Dessert Plates

Majolica Leaf Dish

Majolica Leaf Dish

AUCTION! Everything but this and that!

It's finally time to blog on about why I've been "side-tracked".

Months have gone by with my main focus being on "stuff" - what to do with it all? Rooms filled with stuff, but organized "out of sight". Cupboards are filled to the brim - no more room for anything else. How did this happen? It happened by buying, by inheriting "other people's stuff" and by having many interests in many things: cooking, art, Meetups, family events and "history".

I think I've mentioned my Meetup group called "The Society of Too Much Stuff" which I created a few years ago to address this matter of "stuff", especially my stuff and how to progress beyond just living with it and constantly spending time and money on upkeep of it all.

Over the years I've donated many, many items to various charitable auctions, thrift stores, Freecycle and to people that come into my studio for classes or an art walk. I have had a FREE table outside my studio in the hall for years. Now the Essex Studios FREE table is near the vending machines.

"Indigo Hippo" is a non-profit art thrift store downtown on Main Street. I have been donating a lot to them, too. This week my donation box was filled with candles, a broken bracelet and a Chinese paper umbrella. I had in mind "at one time" to have a Chinese themed party (again - did it a few years ago and blew the electrical circuits when I had too many appliances - electric wok, etc. connected on the same circuit). I gave the bamboo table runners to "the Hippo". I gave them stacks of black napkins and some sparkly silver threaded ones, too.

I'm ready now for the "big time" game of getting rid of higher valued items and testing myself with the fact that these items might go for "peanuts". The main thing I'm considering is that the SPACE without the items is more valuable than having things I don't really want to care for or care about.

Everything But the House (EBTH) is now auctioning off items. The bids are low and I'm hoping for more people to bid and at least make it worth my time and effort. I'm following my "dashboard" to see what's being bid on. I'll know soon what has sold!

I packed up another "lot" to take to EBTH and am donating one of my own paintings for one of their charitable auctions. There I go again ... giving away my art (been doing it for years).

Next Saturday our "Society of Too Much Stuff" will meet again. I will have met my goal to "SELL, SELL, SELL"!

Crystal & Silver Ink Well

Widder Lady: Swiming at 80!

Widder Lady: Swiming at 80!: Being 80 (which is only a number for God's sake) now means further fixating on disciplined choosing. Each morning offers another chance ...

Swiming at 80!

Being 80 (which is only a number for God's sake) now means further fixating on disciplined choosing. Each morning offers another chance to choose a few more hours of doing something that furthers "good health" or doing nothing at all, just nothing. However, choosing to do nothing is actually doing something isn't it?

I've mentioned my daily doings which I list and share each day with my Facebook "Homemakers' Encouragement" group. We start off with someone listing their "things done - item by item" and the next person follows with their completed tasks. In my list I include: swim 10 laps, did water exercises.

I do some morning arguing with myself deciding whether or not that I "feel like it" - feel like slipping into the cool and sometimes very chilly pool water. The water welcomes me. The flowers around the pool say "Hello, It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

The Pool and The Cottage

There's a CD player on the cottage porch which I use to play music of Caribbean steel drums, classical guitar and/or boogie woogie piano. Music helps.

Looking at the huge trees on the horizon helps me count each lap. I like seeing he bright open sky (sometimes without clouds - just a swatch of cerulean blue) which may signal a clear day. Other days there are varied cloud formations which may be an indication of rain "later". Then, there are the times when it's fun to swim as big rain drops splash down and around me. (I choose not to swim when it's lightning, of course).

After I complete my morning swim routine, I am chilly unless I take a hot steamy shower. It takes hours to warm up, but the "whole routine" does wake me up and gives me "a better mind-set".

I label myself as a "swimmer" because it's been the exercise I have been doing for a lifetime. I'm a casual swimmer, not an athletic swimmer. I swim because I like swimming. I like water. Mama started us off by taking us to the local swimming pools in Glendale and Wyoming, Ohio. We had lessons at the YWCA on 9th Street in Cincinnati. I took swimming lessons at 4-H camp and at Ohio State University. I even had my Red Cross Life Guard certificate! So, I definitely am a swimmer!

Later in life I've enjoyed swimming at a local gym, in hotel pools, lakes (not Lake Tahoe, too cold) and the Caribbean waters. The challenge now is to "keep on swimming"!

Widder Lady: Sunday!

Widder Lady: Sunday!: It's Sunday morning! In the past, I "went to church". Church was meant to be a time to learn a lesson from the Bible. Church m...

Sunday!

It's Sunday morning! In the past, I "went to church". Church was meant to be a time to learn a lesson from the Bible. Church meant seeing friends and neighbors dressed in their "Sunday Best". Church meant music and prayers. Church was when we reviewed our behavior and promised to "do better" to "do good" for another week.

My "religious" life has included several different denominations: Christian, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, plus a year of Catholic school and all the associated events at its associated church across the street. Zen and teachings of the Buddha inspire me, too. CD's of Yoga Chants are often calming. I like watching television church services, too. I'm not Catholic but I do watch Easter and Christmas Vatican celebrations. It's all so amazing to see so many different religions! I even watched a Russian Orthodox program - people stand throughout the entire ceremony.

Way back in the 40's at the beginning of WWII, we lived in a beautiful home on a sloping hill. I remember the sunlight pouring in the windows. I remember wearing long white socks that snapped on with garters and shiny black patent leather shoes. We went to church. When we came back our home was filled the wonderful warm smell of  beef pot roast. I remember lying on the floor and reading the funny paper. And, often the record player was playing big band songs that Mama would whistle to.

*Note: Found this "treasure" at Valley Thrift Shop. Serendipity! It's a square tile "etched" in black.

After "things went South" and a lot of "stuff" happened, we were in a rental two family in east Walnut Hills. That's when I went to Assumption school for the second grade. We attended a  Presbyterian church on Madison Road (now demolished for a condo development with only the steeple part left). Then, with Mama pregnant, we moved "out to the country" to a tenant farm house with the outhouse and a well for water.

Our church was Withamsville Baptist Church. It was primitive with its stove heat and outhouse, too. Lulu Hall played the piano and sang, too. I loved the old hymns and still do. My folks got an old push pedal organ where I played those hymns, too. I sang in the choir for awhile and taught Sunday School. Sometimes we would go to the Wednesday evening services, too. Eventually I was baptized Baptist. The "dunking pool" was at Linwood Baptist Church on Linwood Avenue. That church is still there. (Two doors down I purchased a home as an investment - to rent and eventually sell). I still have some memorabilia from that home - a picture of Christ knocking at a door.

After our Baptist days, Mama and Daddy joined a Presbyterian church. I married Harry H. Garrison at Westwood Methodist Church and then during that marriage attended Walnut Hills Methodist Church where I also taught Sunday School and became Methodist. (I think my church affiliation is still Methodist). After the divorce, I didn't attend church. After remarriage, I didn't attend church either. My spiritual development has become more attached to nature, to creating, to life itself. It evolves with each passing day. It arrives with energy, hope and acceptance.

Maybe it's just being "older" or maybe even being happy with "life as it happens" that puts my church-going days into perspective. I know and I know. I live and I live. And, with this knowing, I understand and accept that "all is well". That's my "church message" for today. Tomorrow a new page will be turned and new lessons will be revealed. In the meantime, it's Sunday everyday!

Thrifty!

"Waste not, want not" is an admonition passed down for several centuries to "we people" who believe it is wise to conserve, to save, to protect "whatever".

Being frugal and/or thrifty is a mindset passed down through generations of our ancestors who knew the value of "making do" or "do without". Continuing with this embedded thought process, many people today are choosing a minimalist lifestyle. There are many books, blogs and Facebook and Meetup groups available to those of us who are making frugal and thrifty choices each day.

Reaching back into my own family history, it's evident that many of our ancestors practiced a "thrifty/frugal" lifestyle not because of "want" but because it was required and imposed upon them by two world wars and "The Great Depression", There are Great Depression cookbooks and plenty of recipes for SPAM!

My mother's parents "made do" and died in their 40's. Seven children were orphaned and split apart. The oldest daughter (Mama, now Angel Lois) became the surrogate mother to her younger siblings. Her sewing skills kept all of us (including three of her own children) well-dressed. She herself was always well-groomed and elegant in her own "designer " outfits. We were "poor" and often without funds. After the war our home was a tenant farmhouse without running water and an outhouse. We finally had running water, but never an indoor toilet at that home.

Our history of "second-hand" would mean that clothing would be passed down from person to person, family and friends, included. We would remake garments into something "new". I remade a winter coat from my Aunt Gretna as one of mt 4-H projects. My sister and I were wondering what happened to our beautiful  prom dresses and other incredible garments made by Mama. Conclusion: they were "recycled" down the family line or to next-door neighbors and friends.

Daddy worked at Cleveland Wrecking and Liquidators during our years at Potter Farm Lane (1945 to 1955). He was an inventor, too. He would bring home items that became furniture. Old army cots were used for our relatives' long summer visits. Daddy made beautiful furniture from piano lids, end tables and a dining room table, too. I still have one of his "door" and "pipe leg" tables at my art studio. It served as my desk for years. And, here in the cottage, I have a beautiful wooden office chair that came from one of Daddy's "recycle stuff" employers.

Mama, too, ran our local "Heart Mart" on Route 125 in Withamsville, Ohio. It was wonderful! I got a winter coat for 10 cents. I still have a crystal amber necklace from a button box! The green crystal one was stolen years ago and I've tried to find one like it for my entire lifetime. Thrift store shopping is an adventure and entertainment as well as SAVING by not buying retail!

Mama restored this buffet.

Our parents knew how to take something old and save it. Mama "rescued" an exquisite buffet from a porch. She restored it and found a marble top for it. I have it and enjoy knowing that Mama saved it from a trash heap.

As I take inventory of all the "stuff" around me, the stories (provenance) of these items are more important to me than the item itself. Each item has its own story even if it no longer has someone to pass the story down to another person. Walking along the aisles of a thrift shop makes me wonder about whose dishes were those? Who painted that picture? Who read this book?

Detail of Mama's restoration work.

Little by little items accumulate and eventually reach the point of "time to return and recycle to the universe".

It's an on-going process. Having my "Society of Too Much Stuff" Meetup Group has helped me know what to keep, what to pitch. And, remembering what Edgar Gibson says, "Keep only those things which have special meaning." I know that it's time to rethink such thinking.

Now what do I need? What do I want? Nothing more today!

Mother's Day 5/14/17

Happy Mother's Day! 5/14/2017

How does this "widder lady" spend this Mother's Day?

Mother's Day Poppy 5/14/2017

Our original plans to go to Swampwater Grill on Kellogg Avenue were scrapped due to Marshall's not being well - having the flu/cold bug again. He also didn't want to expose me again to any more "bugs" either. And, it certainly would be putting others "at risk" from a possible germ-laden sneeze.

Today began with my early morning (5 a.m.) breakfast of blueberries, almond milk, soft boiled egg with a couple pats of butter. I usually drink a bit of water and then return to bed for more rest.

I checked my cell phone for email, Facebook and Twitter notifications. This morning I was alerted to a "LIVE" broadcast from China BARF (reestablishment of the old Silk Way). I watched an incredible LIVE performance of Chinese ballet, contemporary opera singing, Libestraum played by an "awesome" pianist, acrobats and traditional Chinese opera. The staging and sets were spectacular.

And right there in the front row was the Chinese president, his wife and Vladimir Putin, himself!

I was amazed to realize that I was just one of the few 700 or so people signed up to watch it my phone!

Morning progressed. I watched more morning television and received a special phone call from my sister in Florida. Happy Mother's Day!

Finally I "put myself together". I had a morning snack of a hard boiled egg and some celery sticks. I put some laundry into the washer. Then it was soon time for my chicken salad (from the health food store) and Kukicha green tea. I enjoy having my salad in a wooden bowl which gives me a "sense of Zen".

For today's gardening project, I dug up Vinca vines and put some into the window boxes alongside my home. This is an on-going project. I'm looking around to see what plants I already have around here that are deer proof perennials. Some 4 o'clocks have come up from last year, so I transplanted five of them into the big pots on the patio.

Later I watched a PBS Sunday "soap". I charged the battery on my camera and took a lot of pictures of this year's Iris, peonies, poppy and roses. The huge white Iris didn't bloom this year. Maybe it's a biennial!
So now, I'm writing this blog and will add a photo of the poppy in celebration of this special Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! 

Onward!

I've been sick! 5/8/2017

It's been months since I've felt 100%. I usually am a high-energetic, productive human being!

However, this winter I caught "the bug" that was "going 'round" and I do believe it got the better of me in spite of all the daily healthy choices I make each day. I'm not a "pill popper" nor do I subscribe to the yearly flu shot. I figure my own immune system can knock out anything if given the chance.

When I'm sick, I rest. Chicken soup works, too. I get my weekly B12 & B Complex shots at our local health food store. I also get a magnesium shot at least once a month. I stay away from sugar and stay grain free (Wheat Belly Lifestyle). I exercise by walking laps around the driveway, doing arm pushups, lifting light-weight bar bells and sometimes I use the Pilates machine. I also go to the acupuncturist once a month to keep my system "in balance".

Usually "all is well" with me. After recovering (or so I thought) from the flu bout, I developed an on-going case of vertigo. It remains, but I am adjusting. I have friends who  have friends that have dizziness, too. I ask a lot of questions about their experiences with it, what advice they've received from doctors, etc. I know that it is gradually subsiding and isn't debilitating for me. I just am careful about how I move my head about and don't do any quick bending. My friend will be bringing me copies of her exercises to help, too.

When I turned 80 in January it seemed logical to get my eyes checked. I hadn't gone for an exam for several years, but my glasses worked "just fine". The ordeal of changing glasses started with getting an exam at Walmart's, where my former optician no longer worked. I was told by the employees that that doctor had taken his records with him and so they had no record of my past prescription. Fine!

So I got my exam and new lenses put into my sturdy frames. Being generous, I donated my extra pair of glasses which I never worn for the Lions eyeglass donation box. And, I didn't ask for the lenses back. So I was stuck with the new glasses and immediately having problems adjusting to the new prescription. Now I'm sitting close to my computer screen and adjusting to shadow letters. I did go back to double-check the status of these glasses, but everything came right back at me - same prescription, but further request for me to check out a growing cataract! What next? I ask, What next?

Not satisfied with those results I immediately called Lenscrafters where I used to get my eye exam and eye glasses. Because it was a "slow Tuesday" they could examine my eyes if I could "be there right away". I went and repeated the exam with only a slight difference in the prescription. And, again, I was told to go and get a consultation for the cataract situation. And, so, it went! And, so I will call for the consultation after asking several friends for recommendations for their best referral.

To top all this nonsense, I developed a UTI! To "go" further into all the details of horrible pain and suffering through two rounds of antibiotics, etc. I finally got "relief" by asking for help from friends at our local health food store - d mannose, oregano oil and advice. I seem to be "on the mend" with all the input from family, friends and doctors. Finally! Finally!

Onward!

3/21/2017 Riviera Reversible Food Cooker Warmer

Years ago, we lived at Uppaway Estates, Glenbrook, Nevada (Lake Tahoe). Our home was in the mountain range of Sierra Nevada up in the clouds about 6000' above sea level.

The house was called "Max's Barn" (named after Max C. Fleischmann). It overlooked Lake Tahoe. We could see across the lake to a mountain that had a cross of snow that never melted, even in the summer.
Huge pine trees surrounded the 44 acre property. Those were the early years of our marriage 1971 - 73.

Being "Out West" was "different" from living in Ohio. Different, indeed!

To get beyond the isolation of living in the big house with caretakers and housekeepers, I would drive down the mountain to Carson City, the capitol of Nevada. There were a few shops, an art gallery, the new Ormsby House Hotel (now defunct, I hear), the Capitol building and casinos. Helga Steffee ran the Carson City Nugget. She became a special friend and often "house sat" when we came back to Cincinnati.

On one of my shopping adventures I found this (pictured) incredible Riviera Reversible Food Cooker Warmer. It can be turned upside and downside with two sized grills. The Sterno container flips over, too.
I bought it. It was something I thought would be great to use at Coco Point Lodge, Barbuda to make Crepes Suzette and Cherries Jubilee.

Riviera Reversible Food Cooker Warmer

I bought a big crepe pan to go with it and took it all through airports, customs and finally to share with the Spanish Chef, Juan and Chef Norman Beazer. It was used awhile and I do not know where it eventually "landed". It could still be there somewhere on a shelf in the pantry of the lodge kitchen!

Copper Crepe Suzette Pan

I decided to bring the big copper skillet back home again. I haven't used it. It looks like it has been "relined" so it's ready to use again.

Recipe Booklet

The other day I decided to "google" Riviera Reversible Food Cooker Warmer. I had the kept little recipe and instruction booklet for many, many years so I knew what to "google". I had tried to find one on eBay but never had any luck. This time! Boom! It popped up on Etsy. I hit all the required buttons and soon it arrived at my back door, carefully packed. 

I did rationalize my buying it by saying to myself that I can use it in an emergency when the power goes out! It was a NEED not a WANT - message for myself to next time remember to NOBUY2017!

I opened it and was totally amazed! I set it up and took pictures to share with my readers here.

Onward!

3/19/2018 Coco Point Lodge - Juan, The Chef

Juan, The Chef

I found this small picture of "The Chef" and a baby lamb. My memory of (The Chef) is that he was Spanish and that his first name may have been Juan.

Juan, The Chef and a baby lamb (tail down = sheep, tail up = goat)

Various chefs "arrived and departed" from Coco Point Lodge, Barbuda. We always had our local Barbudan and our own famous chef, Norman Beazer who established himself as a memorable icon for Caribbean fare which he and his staff prepared and served for many years.

This memory, however, is focused upon Juan, the Spanish chef.

Juan and I were on the small airplane coming back from St. John's, Antigua, WI. He had been gathering up various food items for the lodge. Juan had put large cardboard containers of frozen ice cream under the passenger seats and in the back of the plane.

Usually the trip would be fairly smooth and without incident. But, on this particular trip, the pilot took off too soon behind one of the big jets that was leaving the main runway. We were caught up in the jet stream and tossed crazily about.  The cardboard containers of ice cream were flipping and rolling "every which way". Juan was grabbing the loose cargo "left and right". Knowing me, I was hanging onto the straps of my seat belt, praying!

It was one scary time for all of us and the pilot finally leveled our small plane and continued the flight to Coco Point's grassy runway.

I had brought a Riviera Reversible Cooker to share which I found in a gift shop in Carson City, Nevada. it was definitely reversible for bigger or smaller pans. I had also brought a big copper crepe suzette skillet. It was something I thought could be used for special desserts.I don't remember if Juan used it, but I do remember his making Cherries Jubilee over a something that may have been a can of Sterno.

3/18/2017 Coco Point, Barbuda, WI Years Ago

2/18/2017 Years Ago at Coco Point Lodge, Barbuda, WI

I've set up a memorabilia room at my home just for photos, photo albums, movies and slides. Some of the photos bring back forgotten memories. Such is the following photo:

Barbuda Belle at Old Dock, Coco Point Lodge, Barbuda, WI

When I met William (Bill) Cody Kelly in January, 1971 he mentioned "his island". I had also heard the same "his island" from a woman who was determined that I must meet this person who might take me to "his island". All that aside, I met, dated and dated Bill Kelly.

He was in the midst of untangling himself from his second and bothersome marriage. I was a teacher and was busy with my life as a single mom to one young son. The details of meeting him can be explained later.

Somehow I was able to arrange a trip to Coco Point and I took my son with me. It was a trip hat would lead to many future trips to a place I had never ever envisioned to be part of my life. Now, at age 80 I have no desire to ever return. I have memories enough of it.

The picture shown is of Barbuda Belle at the old dock. It's long before beautiful signage was installed. I have photographs of "The Belle" when she was built in Hong Kong. She was a sturdy, incredible motor sailing vessel. She took many trips out for deep sea fishing. She would motor out to an area where it would be possible to catch big fish from Caribbean waters. Such fish might include Baracuda, yellow fin tuna, etc.

Part of the evening cocktail conversation would be about who caught the biggest and best fish, too.

I do not think "The Belle" is being used now. Another boat was added to the fishing fleet. For those who liked to fish in shallow waters up at the village of Codrington, Barbuda there were smaller boats available.  Coco Point originally was designed to be a hunting and fishing lodge. It evolved into a Caribbean gem.

3/10/2017 Almost Spring!

Yesterday the temperature made it above 70 degrees! It was a glorious day! I wore jeans and put on white socks and sneakers.

I haven't walked or explored the very back corner of the property for years. It is usually covered with heavy brush throughout most of the year. It's a thicket for critters. Several sad-looking trees are on my side of the fence, so it "gave pause" to my thinking whether to just let them "be" and not disturb the "natural order of things".

Back Corner Thicket

Back Corner View

Old Willow "hanging in there"

The old willow has undergone another major shaping surgery this fall. Pruning out the dead wood has given it new life. Thoughts of  "The Wind in the Willows" are triggered as  breezes blow through its tender branches.

There are a few forsythia bushes in full bloom. I'm always amazed by their brilliance and happy they can be counted as survivors for another year.

Forsythia

I didn't think there would be any crocus this year, but a few did pop up after all (purple ones and some white and purple striped ones, too).

The daffodils are doing well. I did bring in a bunch last week when another cold snap came roaring through. I appreciated my son sending me a message via Facebook alerting me to the impending danger to daffodils!

Daffodils - 3/10/2017

Daffodils last awhile and sometimes give off an interesting fragrance. As they gradually die away their blossoms turn into tissue paper remnants. I scatter them out into the flower graveyard among a bed of English ivy.

Daffodils - 3/10/2017

New plant catalogs keep arriving in my mailbox. I continue to toss them into the recycle bin. It's the NoBuy2017 challenge on Facebook that keeps me from sending in another order for more daffodil bulbs.
However, I do think a row of crocus along the edge of the front flower bed would make next Spring quite special.

Onward!

2/19/2017 Spring Yard Cleanup

Hooray!

The Snow Drops are in full bloom. A few crocus sprigs are peeking through, too. Daffodil  sprouts have pushed up and will soon be double in size and then ready to bloom, bloom, bloom! I planted fifty daffodil bulbs last fall "all over everywhere". I am looking forward to this Spring's spectacular show here around my yard.

Snow Drops

Daffodil Sprouts

The yard guys from Kharma, LLC (nice name for a landscaping company) were here last Wednesday to do the Spring Yard Cleanup. Many bushes and shrubs received their annual pruning (haircut). The huge prairie grass plants are now stubble. Butterfly bushes are neat again. The iris beds are free from piles of oak leaves. And, roadside day lilies (the orange ones) are pushing up through the brown earth.

Pruned!

Today I used the leaf blower to clear away spruce branch debris off the cottage porch. I also scattered a nest of strange beetles that have made their home in a wooden crevice. They look like lightning bugs, but they aren't lightning bugs!

Madison Tree Company toured the property to schedule this year's feeding and spraying of the evergreens, mughos, crabapple trees and oak trees. They were even able to save an ash tree from destruction by an ash tree borer. They also removed several burning bushes and old shrubs. Every year the deer would chew off the leaves! Maybe this year I'll win!

I emptied out nine window boxes. The grass plants may be replanted "out back". I will be putting plants in the window boxes by myself this year. It will be fun to go to Denny's Bloomin' Garden Place and choose plants that are serious survivors.

There is a lone willow tree at the back corner of this property. It has survived several major "trims". Its thin, wavy sprigs of yellow green leaves will fill in the empty spaces between an abstract trunk.

I am hoping, too, that the tiny "slip" of a dogwood tree will make it through Spring and all through this year. Living among the living is why I love being surrounded with "growing things". Seems Maude (from Harold & Maude) knew what life is all about, after all.

Onward!

2/13/17 Beyond the Pale

Hello again!

I have finally emerged from the "awful" bug that has attacked many people this winter. It lasted three weeks! I was able to breathe and didn't have serious stomach issues. My temperature hovered around 98 degrees. I welcome this gift of "feeling normal again" with a big THANK YOU, DEAR GOD!

I didn't get the flu shot. I heard that this strain of the flu or cold wasn't covered by this year's flu shot. All I know is that I was sick. So, I went into full gear for dealing with each physical challenge.

Some people use a Netti pot. I have a syringe thing called Nasaline which sucks up a mixture of nasal rinse powder and warm water. It clear out sinuses very well. And, a warm salt water gargle helps, too.

Supplies: plenty of Kleenex or other brand, Vicks Vapo Rub, pan of steaming water, clean sheets, cough drops, decongestant, and Umcka (a syrup).

Having a steam shower is one of the best investments ever! To sit in the steam with eucalyptus essential oil percolating up to the ceiling is definitely "healing".

A trip to Dr. Robert M. Letscher, for an acupuncture treatment helped me feel better, too.

Reorganize activities: Cancelled housekeeping team - didn't want to spread my germs to them and didn't need to clean the house anyhow.

Main activity: REST!

Entertainment: Dumb, numbing TV programs. First 48 Hours (crime stuff).

Intake: TEA, more TEA - Sencha green tea and peppermint tea. WATER, more WATER. Chicken broth! Scrambled eggs, soft scrambled eggs, fish.

Today  I am so much better. I will update this blog, but wanted to get it done before our WAG meeting! WAG = Writers Accountability Group. (Updated at 6 p.m.)

12/12/16 December Deadlines!

I'm looking at the clock on the shelf above this computer set-up. In a very few minutes I will be leaving for my WAG Writers Accountability Group Meetup meeting at The National Exemplar in Mariemont, Ohio.

We meet in a wood paneled room with a rectangular stained glass window which brings "light on the subject" to our gathering of similar writing interests. (Stopped herewith this post in order to attend  our writers' Meetup).

As we entered The National Exemplar we were welcomed with "Christmas" everywhere. A huge tree in the lobby was decorated with small wooden nutcracker figurines. In the dining room was another glowing Christmas tree. A beautiful Christmas centerpiece was placed on the huge wooden table.

We seated ourselves around the table and waited for our waiter, James. He offered us fresh water and other beverages. I ordered iced tea and added a packet of my Vitamin B12 to it. Then we took our time looking at the large menus (found out there was no "Soup of the Day"). We usually have 10 to 12 members show up, but this time we only had seven in attendance.

Our orders were taken. I ordered the burger (without the bun). The National Exemplar has other "chains" in other cities, too. The omelets and fritatas are quite good, too.

Our organizer, Susan Ellerhorst, brought the Meetup group "to order". Each person shared and continues to share her progress and success with her own particular writing project. Some of us are "bloggers". Others are poets. And, some are published authors! Susan brings in interesting speakers, too.

I continue to learn a lot and enjoy all the sharing that takes place. It is a great Meetup group and an opportunity to improve our writing skills.

Thank you so much, Susan and to all of you who are part of our WAG Writers Accountability Group. See you in 2017.  I keep setting up my goal to keep on writing my blog (s). I'm happy to report that I met this month's goal: write another Widder Lady post! Onward!

Plumbing Challenges! October 9th, 2016

Plumbing Challenge!

It's FALL already! It's time to do the "walk around" to prepare for the cold months ahead. There are check lists available on Google and other Facebook sites, plus a coupon-filled booklet from Angie's List. 

I know (now) to shut off all outside faucets from the inside of the house first, then open them to let out any remaining water. Then I cover each faucet with it's foam "cap" which takes a bit of skill to install. Slip the plastic loop thing over the faucet handle and then maneuver the foam cap into place while holding the plastic slip thing taut. Pull the slidy thing tight against the cap to complete the task.

Even though I did cover all of the faucets last year, I found a broken pipe under a bathroom sink which I had not used for awhile. One day when I was cleaning under the sink, everything on the bottom shelf was sitting in water. It hadn't leaked all the way out the cabinet door to the floor, so it was hidden from discovery. I have since stopped using that sink, figuring I'll get to it "soon enough".

The other sink that I use "all the time" is now defunct, too. What happened? That sink wasn't draining very well for a long time. I dropped one of those gum brush things down the pipe and hadn't been able to retrieve it, so I figured it was a cause for the slowdown of water draining  from that sink.

To jump "way ahead" to serious plumbing issues with this house, clogged pipes have always posed a problem especially at the "new" end of the house. Having a major pipe plugged with the roots of the huge magnolia tree has cost a lot and has been an endless challenge for figuring out what to do about "the plumbing".

Major digging and replacement of old pipes by the back patio walk was a huge investment. The opening to that drain is a landmark! Sometimes English Ivy covers the pipe and I'm again faced with pulling ivy away and away until its top appears.

This past week I called Roto Rooter and asked for help to open up the main pipe by using "the snake". The guy gave me a break with the $99 coupon but only found a few tree roots in that line. He drug "the snake" into the house to try to reach whatever clog was down the toilet and shower drain. He removed the toilet and replaced it again using a new wax ring. He said "the snake" that he had couldn't be used after all. I wondered if he knew what he was doing because other Roto Rooter guys had figured out where the clog was. This fellow wanted to bring in "the camera" and use some sort of  power jet to move the clog out - wherever that might be!

Shower drain hole!

I told him to just stop and I would call my own plumber to see what he could do. In the meantime I have used about a dozen packets of Green Gobbler clog remover, poured down vinegar over cups of baking soda, squeezed Dawn liquid down the shower drain and into the toilet that drains into the shower drain.

I've studied my plumbing guide book, Googled and checked out eHow. I now know a lot more about plumbing diagrams, plumbing tools and plumbing parts - pipes and such! I took apart the p pipe under the sink that was draining slowly and found a clog! It was a lot of gunk of hair and that gum brushy thing! Got that out. Tried to put the pipe back on, twisted my back a bit. Used a (Lanicain patch which worked to relieve the pain.)Went to the hardware for a new pvc replacement pipe. The guy who helped me, sawed off the extra pipe and showed me what to do. I tried and failed!

So now, I'm shutting down that bathroom except for the shower. I may put a potted plant in the toilet and just clear off the bathroom counter top. I've already moved most of my stuff down to the bathroom down at the other end of the house! It's a better view out the window. It's got "good energy", too!  Onward!