Category: Living Life

  • Better with Age

    Better with Age

    I’m reminding myself to sit outside several times a day for a few minutes. I’m careful to protect my skin, but this uplifts my mood immensely. I knew it was the week of spring break when the streets came to life with screaming children. I’m not sure why children scream nowadays, but they do. When…

  • Remember to Laugh

    Remember to Laugh

    I’ve noticed since living solo that I wasn’t laughing nearly as often as I used to. I have a boisterous laugh which has embarrassed my daughter her entire life. Now that she’s an adult, she will laugh simply by hearing it. I met her for brunch and she excused herself to go to the bathroom.…

  • The Big Light

    The Big Light

    I saw a reel on Instagram of a woman walking around her house turning on lamps and nightlights. She was demonstrating turning on all these small lights, but never the overhead light which she referred to as ‘the big light’. I hadn’t really thought about it until seeing the reel, that I’ve been living this…

  • The Broken Toilet

    The Broken Toilet

    I texted my backyard neighbor who is planting a garden and asked if he needed tomato cages. Someone gave them to me last year and I don’t grow tomatoes, so I had a feeling I was to keep them for someone else. He said that eventually he would need 4, and I responded with, “I…

  • A Second Thought

    A Second Thought

    The Bougainvillea mentioned here is still inside, but I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to move it outside, or try growing it indoors. I like the idea of growing it indoors, but have never tried it before, so there’s some uncertainty. I’ve heard it’s messy when the paper-like blooms begin to shed, but I…

  • The Plant Killer

    The Plant Killer

    I’ve decided to try to grow a Bougainvillea indoors. It’s did very well in the house during the winter and I’m going to build a trellis to let it climb. It’s a miracle I remembered to bring it inside in time, but happy I did. April marks one year ago that I brought the Asian…

  • The Pillar Candle

    The Pillar Candle

    Sitting at the wooden table, I pause to light a pillar candle before starting to write. I searched for a month to find them, not realizing they are becoming extinct. They’ve been replaced by battery operated ones and I have one used as a nightlight, but it took time to find a local store that…

  • A Gentle Nudge

    A Gentle Nudge

    The birds have found their bird bowl and are taking turns drinking water from it. The sun is streaming through the double windows of my writing room, but isn’t on the desk. I moved Rumi to the front of the house to give us both more space. Sometimes, that’s all that’s needed is to move…

  • The Fine Print

    The Fine Print

    This week, I placed an order for Ryze. Last year, I tried another brand of mushroom coffee and enjoyed it, but got burned out on it. I miss drinking mushroom brew instead of coffee first thing in the morning, so we’re trying the other big brand. After placing my order, they emailed me a confirmation…

  • Trust Yourself

    Trust Yourself

    The monthly letters went in the mailbox on Monday and are headed toward their destinations. The topic of February’s letter is ‘trust’, and there’s always more to share. During this morning’s incident, ‘trust yourself’, is what came to mind. I was responding to a Marco Polo from my friend, Alyse, when I saw the trash…

  • To Live Happy

    To Live Happy

    One day last year, I was in a local shop perusing their candle selection, when on my way out the door, I saw a heart shaped dish that said, “Be Happy”. It caught my eye because of the heart shape and was carved from wood which added a warm touch. The image of that little…

  • The Vintage Lamp

    The Vintage Lamp

    I created a space to curl up and read in the corner of my den. It’s very cozy, but I needed a taller lamp so the light would land on the pages of the book. I’ve had a fascination with lamps my entire life and it’s probably not the lamp itself, but that they produce…

  • A Second Chance

    A Second Chance

    A few years ago I had a glass Birdbath Basin on a wrought iron stand in the front yard, sitting in a flower bed. I could watch the birds use it from my kitchen window which was fascinating to see them that close up. Then, one winter morning I woke up to a blanket of…

  • Just for Fun

    Just for Fun

    My therapist tells me I’m a fun person and a blast to be around. She’s trying her best to get me to ‘insert myself’, into life outside the home and we’re making progress, but that quote by Elsie De Wolfe, “I’m going to make everything around me beautiful and that will be my life”…Yeah…I took…

  • Keep a Record

    Keep a Record

    When I think of things that spark happiness in my life, new ink pens make the list. What to write with and on are important steps to Morning Pages that we discussed in These 3 Things. I enjoy a smooth writing gel pen with a .7, or .8 fine tip and use a variety of…