SomeBody Needs Rest

Working hard makes a body tired

but so does stress!

My son is living with me, and that's not easy.

He's a grown man of 34, but he's also a "kid"

in every sense of the word when it comes to

"adulting".   For the first month, I didn't charge

him rent because his accounts were hacked

and he needed a little breathing room to get

caught up again.  But he's got creditors knocking

on doors, and needs to step up his game with a

plan for his future -- namely, making sure he gets

his credit score up so he can (at some point!)

rent his own apt again!  I let time slide, to see

if he would get things taken care of .....  lol

Today, we sat down and made a payment schedule

through his bank so that bills are paid first, THEN

he has his spending money. 

Yep, I'm all about the *tough love* , always have been.

No-Sun Day

Sunday afternoon and it's a bit

dreary and overcast.

Perfectly matches how I've been

feeling these past couple of weeks.




Life has taken some eventful turns.

My son called me out of the blue

and said he needs to move back home.

And it had to be the upcoming weekend.

Of course, being just prior to inventory,

I was scheduled to work.  So I hired

GoShare -- think Uber with trucks.

After being alone so long, it isn't easy

living with your adult children.

Add to it the fact that my job is changing

in a big way - because of corporate changes.

Every day is stress-filled, only to come home

and have stressed filled evenings as well.

I should be out walking; instead I'm enjoying

having the house to myself for a bit!

Cheat Day

A brief respite from the daily chores

and a very long work week.

With inventory looming large,

loads of drama with one gal on my team,

and one more of my team on vacation,

we're feeling short handed and overwhelmed.

Today is a day for rest, a little Netflix binge,

and a cheat day that includes pizza!

Hello, Spring!

Sometimes

the morning light

is just too perfect

for my creative side

to ignore







It's been a while since my last post

because I'm attempting to do "adulting";

to take care of pesky things

that need to be done.

This year I'll turn 60

and the future needs to be addressed.

Or arranged for:   Adulting done!

7am, the sun rises and that first light

is magically golden.

Happy Spring, my friend!

See Ya, January!

Happy to see January come to an end!

It's been a chilly January here in the 

Valley of the Sun -- but nothing like the rest

of the US has it! 

I've been working hard at being good

to myself

with healthy food choices and 

some added exercise each day.

My phone app rates my "nutrient score"

when I log foods, my goal each day

is 85 out of 100.  I achieved that twice

this week!  Today was only 74, but 

I had to fast through breakfast 

for a blood work update.  

Exercise goals include more flexible muscles

but as this photo shows, I can no longer get

my chest to the floor!  lol 

Isn't getting older just awesome??

Mondays!?!

How many Mondays

have come and gone

since you said

"I'll start next week!"  ??

Take action -- start today!!











Time to start on some kind of plan.

I don't like to think of it as

"diet and exercise" because it implies

things that aren't true!

For me, it's enough to concentrate

on being the healthiest version of me

that I can be. 

I made this resolve the day after

I had pizza and a beer for dinner. lol

It's a balmy 68 degrees, just perfect

for being outdoors!

Shades of Orange

The sky takes on shades of orange 

during sunrise and sunset, 

the color that gives you hope 

that the sun will set only to rise again.

-Ram Charan

After a frenetic week

full of work, making appointments,

and trying to get things caught up

this band of orange light from sunset

came streaming in my window.

I dropped everything to create a photo - 

because light is everything in a photograph.

When I was 10, I got to choose the colors

for my bedroom, including my carpet.

I chose shades of orange for the room.

I often wonder if it was part of who 

I was to become that made me 

enjoy those sunset oranges?

Lovin' Hats

A chilly weekend

with rain and clouds

and very little sun

makes it a good weekend

to get over a cold -

but lousy for photo ops!

A crazy mad hatter hat

for this crazy hat lovin' gal!

The Mad Hatter

I knew who I was this morning, 

but I've changed a few times since then.

~From Alice in Wonderland

Here I am sporting a crazy hat

I found for a dollar.

There's just something about a hat .....

Otherwise, ignore how peaked I look

as I've come down with a cold and

have spent nearly the entire weekend

in bed.

and not in *that* way.  lol

Hello 2019!

Do not try to be the best

Just do your best.

~Sadhguru

A new year,

a new beginning.

I'm not a resolutions maker

but more of the kind who evaluates 

what was, to see how to be better.

I allowed my focus this past year

to be on things that didn't enrich

the creative side of me.

It is my hope, and my goal,

to be better with my creative side.

What are your wishes for the New Year, my friend?

From Old to New

An optimist 

stays up til midnight

to see the new year in.

A pessimist

stays up til midnight

to make sure the old year leaves.

- Bill Vaughn

... and a retail worker

goes to bed on time

because retail never stops!!

hahaha


Thoughts on a new year;

and on the year that has passed.

It's been a rough ride this year. 

My cousin died; a good friend

committed suicide.

I'm still alone.

and even though that's my choice,

there are some days that it's

not always .... enjoyable.

Every "diet" that I started

ended before I made any progress.

With each new year, we're supposed

to learn from our mistakes and

make the new year even better.

So that's my goal. 

To eat healthier, to be healthier

to get regular exercise

and to take more photos.

Happy New Year, my friend!

Old Ends

"So I close my eyes

to old ends

and open my heart

to new beginnings"

-Nick Frederickson

Here we are, the end of 2018.

Was it everything you hoped for

when we started this year?

The last two weeks of December

are always the hardest for me.

As we grow older, 

our gains and our losses increase.

Sometimes, we focus on the gains

so we don't have to dwell on the losses.

But it's in this time that I tend to think

of all the losses.  

I'm ready for January and a new year,

a time of new beginnings,

and I'm hoping for 

a few new gains along the way.

Here's to a new year, a new chapter.

Silly, Tired, Gal

Busy days makes for one tired Gal!

being tired means doing things

on "auto pilot" rather than thinking

things through.  Tonight was one of those.

Using my garage door opener, I opened

the garage door to pull in the recycle bin

then pushed the button for the door to close

and stepped inside.  But why? I thought

is the garage door still running??

I stepped into the garage and here the door is

wide open.  So I pressed the button and

watched the door come 3/4 down, stop and

then run itself back up again.  Mind you,

normally I would be checking things out

but my mind is tired with a capital T!

So I pressed the button twice more,

and yes, watched the door go down,

then back up without closing.

Turns out, the small piece of rope

that I use if the power goes out

was getting in the way of the signal

causing the door to reopen to prevent

something being caught under the door.

Silly me!!  and thank goodness it wasn't broken!

Cactus Tree

Growing up, I spent my youth

with cold, and imagining snow

for the Holidays.

Living in Ohio,

those were very true!

Now in Arizona,

we decorate our cactus

and enjoy warm sunny days!

Here's our desert version of

          Jingle Bells:

Driving through the sand
With his jeep well in command
Over the rocks and brush
Santa's in a rush.

Most towns have white snow
But Phoenix has hot sand
But that won't stop ole Santa Claus
Four wheeling is his plan

Jingle bells, lizard tails
Hot and sunny day
Santa's here in desert town,
But he cannot stay.

Jingle Bells, lizard tails
Hot and sunny day
Santa's jeep is packed with toys
So everything's okay

A Little Tree

“Like snowflakes, 

my Christmas memories 

gather and dance—

each beautiful, 

unique, 

and gone too soon.”

Christmas is for kids, they say.

And being a mom, I have found

there's more joy in Christmas

when children are around.

Otherwise, it's just adults

sitting around, sharing a drink,

and buying each other something

that we've probably already 

bought for ourselves.

Working retail means I've been looking 

at Christmas trappings since September.

Most years, I don't even bother

with a tree.  This year, I bothered.

I'm not sure why.  

Other than the old saying, 

"If you want something to change, 

you have to change something."

Maybe this year is it ?!?

Edited Update

Old photo with a little editing
as I'm in no mood to get naked.
This was "hell week" at work
and I had some very hellish shifts

My step tracker showed 23k steps
on Thursday alone .... I thought
the day would never end!
Nothing like Retail + Black Friday
to make work so much fun.

To add to it all, my cousin who was
61 years old went in for open heart
surgery to repair a valve.  As he was
being prepped, his heart stopped.
They fought to bring him back, and
he was on life support for 7 days
and then died. 

This past week seemed unending.
Friday after work, I came home, ate
and crawled into bed at 5:30 pm.
I didn't wake up until 7am Saturday!

Welcome to this year's Holiday Season!
Is it January yet?  heh heh heh

On A Whim

 

On a whim, I picked up a bundle

of fall flowers to brighten my home.

There Is No Why

"Here we are, trapped in the amber of this moment. 

There is no why.".  ~Kurt Vonnegut

A friend sent me this quote (Thank You!) 

it got me thinking about

blowing out the black candle

and letting go of what's in the past.

I have struggled for more than six years

trying to deal with, or work past,

all the issues I've had with Elvis. 

I had a nice six month break -- 

and truly appreciated it!

But I have to wonder if there's something

in my past that I've not dealt with?

It's like learning a lesson about a given

situation.  If you don't learn the lesson 

you're supposed to learn, 

does the Universe keep sending you 

the same thing over and over

until you learn it?

And if that's the case, WTF am I

missing with this Elvis character??

Or is this just another case of 

"There is no why." 

I think I'm happier with that answer.

Samhain Blessings

On this Samhain:

The black candle represents your life, decisions and experiences in the past year.  Think about how your experiences have helped you to become the person you are today, what lessons you could have learned (if any), and what ways you have grown.

Burn, burn, sorrow turn, 

melt away, do not stay. 

Go in peace, trouble cease.

When you are done, blow out the black candle’s flame with gratitude, bidding farewell to what was.

The white candle represents the present moment and year to come. Reflect on ways you can experience more joy and wholeness each day.

Flow far, flow free, 

flow in peace and harmony.

When you’re ready, blow out the flame with hope.

My secret wish for this year's ritual

was to be bidding farewell to the 

year I've had, the troubles I've had,

with Elvis.  

Since that is not to be, I am leaving

it in the past, and looking forward to

a new year, a new beginning,

and perhaps a new direction.

Bright blessings, my friend! 

Find Your Joy

Find joy in everything you choose to do.

Every job, relationship, home .....

It is your responsibility to love it, or change it.

~Chuck Palahniuk

I struggle with this more often than I should.

There are many things I do out of

a sense of responsibility rather than joy.

Like my recent "vacation".

I drove myself, my son and Sadie to NorCal

for a nephew's wedding.  I knew that it would

be a weekend full of events surrounding the wedding.

I also knew there wouldn't be much joy in it for me, 

other than the happiness I had for my nephew and his bride.

I didn't know 95% of the people there.  I am old enough

to be the mom to most of them.  Not much conversation

happens when you're "the mom" while the "kids" drink.

lol yes, I can laugh now but events like that are more of

an endurance for me, than a joy.   

And work issues continue.  Day 3 and Elvis decided to take

a stroll through my work area, and since I was out making

deliveries, I have no idea what he said, or did, to the gal

who works with me, but she was pulled in for two different

closed door meetings immediately after.  And was told

she couldn't discuss it with me.

With all that, and because I'm worn out from "vacation",

I decided not to go in to work today.  

Sometimes, you have to stay home and find your own joy!