Appropriate

The third word to describe how I want to

 be seen is appropriate.

 

Healthy.

Casual.

Appropriate.

 

So, here's where I am:

 

I hadn't planned to even think about

spring/summer clothes

until April, but everyone else seems to be...

 

Our weather can be unpredictable until

well into April.

Because my internal thermostat

is wacko

my current supply of clothes are

lighter and layerable

and hopefully will see me through

for a while, yet.

 

The undeniable fact, though, is that with my weight loss

I have no spring/summer clothes.

 

If I'm going to shop I want to add

pieces that will fit a broader plan for this

next phase of building my "look."

 

I've spent  many hours

sifting through Vivienne's wonderful archives.

The starting point always seems the

biggest challenge.

Two neutrals?  Three?

A favorite painting?

A scarf?

Just tell me where to start!

 

In spite of my ruminations it has been a good week.

Important decisions have been made;

Nails?  Shorter.

Hair? Longer.

The third word.

 

While looking through my closet for something else

I found several unexpected items that

helped shape a plan.

 

For whatever reason these things

have survived both the moving purge

and the weight loss shuffle and were buried, forgotten,

in the depths of my closet.

 

 

A blue Missioni-style sweater.

A plaid fabric belt. (!?!)

A pair of blue tweed pumps.

Blue and white cardigan.

 

 

 

Add the tan bag

- my favorite summer bag -

and I think we can see a pattern developing.

 

At this point I'm happy to go with a

Not So Crazy Eight

plan in navy.

It's a good starting place for me.

I'm excited to get started.

 

 

 

 



Sunday Afternoon

I should be driving, so today counts as

a free day.

Free days - as you know - should

be used for projects or naps

or movie marathons

but shouldn't be wasted on ordinary

household tasks like

laundry.

 

The weather kept us from making the trip

to Minneapolis to

 say goodbye to

Aidan's dog, Proton.

He wasn't himself when they came for Christmas

and a trip to the vet yielded a

sad diagnosis.

 

We were already on the calendar for the

Chinese New Year program

coming at the of this week, but it

seemed urgent to make

the trip now.

Unfortunately the weather interfered and we

made the call to stay home.

So we skyped instead!

We were able to chat.

Charlie added his greetings.

Proton responded to our voices and wagged his tail.

 

None of us know what the next few days

will bring.  So we were glad

to see Aidan and Proton.

We talked and laughed together.

It was far from perfect, but

it was good.

 

 

Senior Discount

I've noticed that many

retailers

restaurants

service providers

calculate senior status

beginning at different ages.

 60 being the most common with
an occasional 55 to be found. 

 

Apparently This Old House marches to its
own beat on this one.
Or has a terribly slow/thorough process
for finding seniors.

 

This came in the mail for me today:



 

 

Such a deal!

 

 

 

Thursday Morning

My haiku challenge has ended.

On Tuesday the last one was composed and posted.

You'd think that after a solid year, those few minutes

would still automatically beckon.

Nope.

No topics clamored for expression as I walked to work

and back yesterday.

No snippets pushed their way into my

consciousness as I woke this morning.

Seems odd that something so vital to your

everyday rhythms for that length of time
could so easily stop.

 

I am thinking of planning on a new

- but less formal -

challenge.

How to go about it

will require some thought and

coordination.

It will take me waaay

outside my comfort zone, as they say.
 

But I can remember thinking

that kickboxing/gymrattery was waaay

outside said zone.

A new ten-week session has begun at the gym.

There are 60+ students

and four of them are part of our regular

class time. 

I've agreed to be a coach, assisting

a woman who has done this

for previous sessions.

We're not instructors.

 

We help/support the newbies as they
sort through all the terms and techniques,
 easing them into the mainstream
of class activity.
Four days in and so far, so good.

I'll get back to you with that other project.

 

 

 



365 Homeward

The scent of wood smoke

Rides the north wind suggesting

That warmth awaits me.

364/365 Passage

We track our times of

Challenge through those dear faces

Standing alongside.

363/365 January Sunrise

Neon lavenders

And pinks overlay the fresh

hues of dawning day.

362/365 Over the Rainbow

Certain memories

Replay in technicolor

Dazzling wistful eyes.

361/365 Fine Lines

New territories

Of thought and practice require

Careful attention.

Don't Call Me - I'll Call You

Some days, all you can do is laugh at yourself.

In a year filled with personal challenges

and new experiences

I've encountered an unexpected hurdle.
 

 

I've recently upgraded traded up to a smart phone.

Not the smartest phone,

 but definitely smarter than the old one.

(The kind referred to in movies as a $10 burner phone.)

 

And yes, it will make certain 

communications easier.

And, yes, I expected a certain learning

 curve would be involved. 

 

The biggest challenge, so far?

Learning to carry it.

 

A gadget that has to be on or near my person?

At all times?

In an accessible manner?

Who thought this would be a good idea?

 

Do I want it in my right-hand coat pocket

when I run into the store?

Then my keys have to go somewhere else. 

When I return to the car it has to be

removed from the pocket

before the seat belt is applied.

Can't just dump it in my purse

can't leave it home

can't answer it in the car

can't stand the thought of carrying it

from one room to the other.

And on and on and on.

 

The old phone was treated as

a phone.  It sat on my desk

 - next to the land line-

unless I was using it.

Which wasn't very often.

In fact, I blithely and

routinely ignored it unless a road

trip was scheduled.

It was a safety net for solo travel situations.

 

I still ignore the new one

when I'm in the car.

Absolutely.
It stays in one spot when I
roam the house.
I'll figure it all out

but it makes me laugh to think

I've joined the ranks of those who sit

in parking lots to check

their latest message.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

360/365 Quickening

Bleak morning haze,

Thick with silence, dissolves as

The sun climbs westward.

359/365 Day's End

From behind closed doors

Comes the deep rasping chorus

Of well-earned sleep.

358/365 Pause for Breath

A satisfied air

Of relief follows the end

Of scheduled effort.

The Unexpected Delights of Rural Iowa

I ran a few errands earlier today.

 

I'm on my way home

- maybe three miles from the house -

when I crest a hill and looking

forward to the bottom

  see the unmistakable
white heads of two

- count 'em 2 -

bald eagles in the middle of the road

worrying a bit of roadkill.

 

They lifted away as the car came nearer

and I watched their shadows

circle past me to turn and land again.
There was no traffic from either direction
so I took my time
and enjoyed the sight.

 

 

Did I have a camera!?

Of course not, so I'll close with this image

courtesy of Google.

 

 



357/365 January's Yield

Springtime’s fertile fields

Lay barren and snow-swept by

Winter’s bitter winds.

Oh the thinks I had thought!

Today was filled

with shiny expectation!

My list had fun entries

sprinkled among the laundry and dishes

and normal getting-ready-for-the-week items.

 

I was going to post a couple recent outfits

- and then I went to edit the photos -

so that's not going to happen this week.

 

But I'll give myself credit

(take it where you can)

for actually having taken photos!

They are an afterthought, at best.

 

I was also going to activate a new gadget

but it requires information

from my current service provider

so that means business hours tomorrow.

 

Downtown Abbey is still ahead.

 

Here's a sop

as the planned pictures

were a flop:

 

 

Naphtali and I had our nails "done" the

Monday before Christmas.

She opted for a pedicure in preparation

for her trip to Haiti.

I had my first shellac manicure.

It will be three weeks tomorrow and

they still look like we just left the salon.

Growth is evident at the base of the nails but

tips and color are intact

and still vibrant.

What do they use to remove this stuff!?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



356/365 Where Friends Gather

Warm eyes and knowing

Smiles offset the brutal cold

Of winter’s icy touch.

355/365 Heft

Wool socks, either plain

Or bright, add comfort when faced

With bitter cold days.

354/365 Fronts

Banshee winds assail

My senses creating cold

In the midst of warmth.

Granola

My sister-in-law gave us

homemade granola for Christmas.

 

It was delicious and didn't

last very long.

 

I asked for the recipe.

She obliged.

A batch has already been made and enjoyed.

Here's how it works: 

 gather ingredients and equipment

 

stir together

 

 bake in 10 minute increments

 

add almonds and back in the oven

 

mmm - golden and delicious.

 

This is the recipe as I made it:

 

3 C. rolled oats

1 generous tsp. cinnamon

1/3 C ground flaxseed

3 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. oil

1/4 C honey

1/4 C brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 C whole almonds

1/3 C sunflower nuts

 

Preheat the oven to 325F. 

Toss the oats, flaxseed and cinnamon together.

Mix honey, oil, sugar, and vanilla in a separate bowl.

Pour over oat mixture and

mix well.

Spread on cookie sheet covered with

parchment paper.

Bake 10 minutes. Stir.

Add almonds.

Bake 10 minutes.  Stir.

Add sunflower nuts.

Bake 10 minutes. 

Turn oven off but leave in oven

another 5 minutes.

 

My SIL used 2 cups of oats,

no flaxseed,

1/3 C almonds

 and added

pistachios(rather than sunflower nuts)

 and 2/3 C craisins

 (after cooling for several minutes). 

 

Tasty by the handful

or with milk and blueberries!

 

 

 

353/365 Preparation

Words cannot prevent

The pain of loss though they may

Help soften the blow.

352/365 Clockwork

Daily routines dance

Around the clock’s face setting

Rhythms for my day