Through The Tulips Words of 'Wiz'dom

March 4, 2011

Good Things Coming

Filed under: Life,Women — gardener @ 11:37 am

The past little while has been pretty emotional for me, but just as I knew it would- that overwhelming feeling and anxiety has passed. There has been a lot going on, but I really attribute most of it to this peri-menopausal ‘mess’ that I’ve been going through. The more I read about it, the more I realize that there are many of us who go through this- but yet so few of us who talk about it. I’m still trying to understand why that is.

It’s comforting to know that I’m not crazy- I know- that could make you laugh, but trust me- there have been times when I’ve wondered. The weird thing- as soon as I started my period- in spite of the horrible cramps- the fuzziness in my head has disappeared- and as far as I’m concerned it can stay away.

It’s going to be a fairly busy weekend. I have some shopping and cleaning to do tomorrow so that I can get some cooking done on Sunday for a lunch I’m having with friends on Monday. It should be a fun time- plus one of my friends, who is coming from several hours away will be spending the night- so I know that will be fun.

Oh and did I mention that the sun has been shining for the past several days? It has- AND I noticed that the crocus are about to start blooming. I believe good things are coming.

February 28, 2011

Thinking- Again

Filed under: Inspiration,Life,Shop til ya Drop,Techy,Things I Love — gardener @ 11:52 am

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. I know- no surprise, right? I like to think, sometimes too much and tend to be pretty analytical. That is often a good thing, but there are also times when it isn’t.

In this case- I think it’s a good thing. Mom and my BFF have been spending some time together once a week and they’ve been coming up with ideas on designs for applique’s and also embroidery. This is a GREAT thing- especially since I can’t be there to help encourage and inspire mom. She is very talented, but underestimates herself, so S. being there with her, pushing her is really producing results.

Mom and I have talked about going into business together for a while. Actually it would be HER business, but I would handle the web aspects of things. She would do the work, and I’d keep the emails and orders flowing smoothly. S’s husband is a creative genius and he’s in the process of creating a logo for her. Personally, I think it should incorporate a tulip somewhere in the mix.

It brings me joy to see others that I love succeed and do well with things they are passionate about. I want to see everyone live their potential. Those are things that make me smile!

February 26, 2011

Remembering

Filed under: Health/ Fitness,Life,Memories,Sands of Time,Seasons — gardener @ 6:51 am

Lately, I’ve been having a LOT of dreams about Carol. Some of you who know me know who she is and others who have been reading this space for a while (or one of my other blogs) may also know that Carol was my aunt and best friend for many years. Last year she passed away after an out of the blue seizure that left her unable to survive without a ventilator.

In many ways it still seems surreal to me. I couldn’t go home for the funeral- not because I didn’t want to, but because I couldn’t make the trip alone. Emotionally, I knew I would crumble. Instead, I wrote something that was ultimately read at the funeral. When I think back about writing it- everything is pretty much a haze. Sort of like most of last year.

Last year in spite of all the great things that happened in my life- it was also a year of great loss. I didn’t stop to heal because too much was happening. One thing right after another- like a stack of dominos and the only way I knew to survive was to work. That would keep me from thinking… but as with all things we don’t deal with- comes back to haunt us later. (That’s an entry for another day.)

I’m sure I’m having the dreams because next week will be the anniversary of this horrible moment in time. Last night- I opened my document folder where I have the letter that I wrote for Carol’s service. I stared at it for a little while and then I read it- for the first time since I wrote it. I don’t remember capturing so much of the essence of who she was- as much as that’s possible on paper. I cried and cried some more.

There are still moments when I don’t believe it’s real, even one year later. Even now- I still am unable to write my feelings, at least not for the world to see. Maybe I could write them on a piece of paper and tuck them away- although I somehow doubt that as well. I know I should… It could only help.

Interesting Game

Filed under: In the Neighborhood,Life,Shop til ya Drop — gardener @ 6:45 am

A few days ago Marcel came home from work telling me about some of his friends who were planning some sort of camping trip where they play this hunting game and search for each other. I guess you could say it’s the adult version of hide-and-seek, or at least that’s what it sounded like to me, especially after I saw the eotech binoculars that Marcel said he wouldn’t mind having. Of course, they aren’t just any pair of binoculars- they’re binoculars with night-vision.

I have to admit that the camping trip and games sound like fun- with the exception of the sleeping in tents part. My days of sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag are far behind me.

Rainy Days

Filed under: Life,Travel — gardener @ 6:36 am

Earlier this week the forcast for the weekend was sunny skies for both Saturday AND Sunday. I have a birthday party to attend tomorrow afternoon and was actually looking forward to walking the couple of miles to the persons house. I figured I could soak up some Vitamin D and have a great chat with another friend, who will also be attending the little Sunday afternoon birthday gathering.

Yesterday I checked the weather again- rain, rain and yes, more rain for the weekend forecast. It could be worse- like freezing AND rain, so I won’t complain, although I’m still hoping and praying that tomorrow will at least afford us dry weather to and from our friends’ home. After all, the exercise is a plus and Lord knows I need to kick the exercising up a notch or two.

Since tomorrow isn’t here- I can’t really say what it will bring. Today- on the other hand, has brought the rain that was promised. Marcel is working and I’m home alone with the critters. I’ve made a huge pot of chicken soup and I think I’ll actually spend part of the afternoon curled up in bed reading or maybe I’ll even write a few letters.

It’s one of those great ‘do nothing’ kind of days.

Wait and See

Filed under: Life,Shop til ya Drop — gardener @ 5:36 am

While we were on vacation this past holiday season- Marcel told me that he was planning to stop smoking. When I asked him when, he couldn’t really give me a date, but said that he would definitely be doing it this year. I didn’t say much, because I figured it was more of a wait-and-see type of thing.

Several weeks ago we were at a restaurant for my mother-in-laws 75th birthday celebration. Someone mentioned smoking discount backwoods cigars and asked Marcel if he’d ever tried them. He said he hadn’t and what surprised me was the fact that he told everyone that he was stopping this year. It was unprompted and strictly from him. That was the first time since he mentioned to me that he was going to quit that I actually thought maybe he means it. I guess all I can do is wait and see, but I sure hope he stops.

February 23, 2011

Companies and Social Media

Filed under: Techy — gardener @ 12:02 pm

This morning I took part in a survey that asked if I thought social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter were good for companies to use to market their products and services. Personally, I’m a ‘fan’ of many of my favorite products through both Facebook and Twitter, which makes it easy to streamline ‘news’ and product information.

I don’t have the time to visit all of my favorite product websites to see if they are introducing new products, or if they have a promotion going on. I love that I can find the latest information right in my ‘feed’ and click if there’s something that catches my eye that I’d like more information about.

I actually felt that most people would feel this way. I’m a fan of several sites who offer a daily recipe or idea and I love getting them. Sometimes I read them and sometimes I don’t- it really depends on what’s going on that particular day or if the recipe interests me. It’s the same with some of the tech company websites I’m a fan of. They delivery daily tips and sometimes those tips are helpful and educational.

It surprised me to find that I seemed to be more the exception than the rule and that many people either a- hated social media all together or b- found that being a ‘fan’ of a particular brand meant they were giving the company free exposure and advertising.

I was also surprised to find that some said they didn’t want everyone who was on their Facebook page to know what type of products that they liked- that they found it to be intrusive and an invasion of their privacy. I found this to be VERY odd- and wondered if that were the case, why they were even on Facebook in the first place- but to each his own.

I would love to know what you think.

Are you a fan of companies using social media to contact their customers and potential clients? Why or why not?

February 22, 2011

On Gratitude

Filed under: Food for Thought,Gratitude — gardener @ 11:32 am

Earlier I wrote on my Facebook status message that a little gratitude goes a long way. That’s something that I truely believe and I believe that when people do things for us, even the slightest something- that we should be grateful. I don’t necessarily think you have to jump up and down or shout from the rooftops how thankful you are, but a simple thank you or an acknowledgement of the amount of effort the person has put into that particular something is more than enough.

Before you ask- or even wonder- I’m not talking about me- In fact, I’m not talking about anything in particular, but sometimes little incidents trigger these type of thoughts. I’m grateful for the little things, sometimes when they have nothing to do with me.

The perfect example of that would be that my best friend went to mom and dad’s to help mom with something that she’s been wanting to work on. I know my friend is busy and I know mom is busy, but I also know that my friend being there gave mom the little bit of inspiration and incentive to work on these projects instead of allowing them to confuse and conquer her. They both had a blast and I am thrilled. My response to my best friend was- “Thank you for taking the time, for making the effort. I know mom appreciates it- but so do I.” For her, it was no effort. She wanted to do it and enjoyed it, but I am grateful.

If you look around- there are many things to show gratitude for each and every day and sometimes- that gratitude may be exactly what someone needs.

February 21, 2011

Loving that Vitamin D!

Filed under: Gratitude,In the Neighborhood,Life — gardener @ 10:50 am

This morning when I woke up I was thrilled to see the sun streaming through the window. The days have been so grey as of late that I’d almost forgotten what it was really like to have a day filled with blue skies and sunshine. I almost didn’t notice the cold temps. Truth is, I didn’t care about how cold it was; all I cared about was being able to take JJ outside and spend some time soaking up Vitamin D.

Since Marcel had the day off today- we also picked up a few groceries. I ended up spending more than I anticipated, but the house is now re-stocked with healthy foods, with the exception of the chocolate bars that Marcel bought.

Dinner was left-over minestrone soup and momentarily I’ll put on some make-up so that I’ll be presentable when Desere gets here. I’m not worried about her seeing me without make-up (she’s seen me without it often enough), but since we’re going to the movies tonight, I don’t want to scare the masses.

I’m hoping that tomorrow brings us more of the same in terms of sunshine so that I can spend a little time outside soaking up a little more of that Vitamin D. It has definitely given me some extra energy!

February 20, 2011

Forgotten Treasures

Filed under: Home,Memories,Things I Love — gardener @ 9:49 am

The past couple of days I’ve been cleaning out drawers and spaces where I haven’t ventured in a while, and it has almost been like Christmas in some aspects. The intention of going through these spaces was to get rid of things that I no longer used, but in doing so, I’ve also found things I’d forgotten that I even owned.

My favorite thing so far- a pair of knitted purple house socks with a cat applique on each side. The cat is coming unsewn on one of them, so I’ll repair it so I won’t lose ‘kitty’.

The odd thing is that I have no recollection of when or where I bought them. I do remember buying them, just not when. My favorite thing about them (aside from the cute cat on the side) is that they are just the right amount of warmth- not too much and not too little. They keep my feet the perfect temperature.

I can’t wait to see what other treasures I find in this quest to reorganize and get rid of things that we no longer use.

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