For The Love of…#JusJoJan

What an interesting thing Linda has challenged us with today with her prompt of Why do you do what you do…in blogging. I made sure I add the part “in blogging” because then we would be trying to find the answers to “why do you try to get out of the car with you seat belt still attached” or “why are you looking all over the house for your glasses when you have them pushed up on your head”.

Some questions of why we do what we do really have no answers. But why do I blog, I can answer. I retired in February, not by choice as I enjoyed working but I was 66 and the new plant manager was a beast to say it lightly. So I said enough. Now what. I know, I will finish the book I started last year which was really a backwards way to write my memories so my children would have an idea as to “why I did what I did”. So as I sat down in February I got back to the book but it took on a life of its own and became more fiction that truth then it changed again to become a backwards way to tell others about Christ. Then I wondered if I could ever get this published so I joined the local writers guild and one of the guest speakers asked me what my platform was. Well she could tell from my “deer in headlights look” that I had no clue what she was talking about – still don’t but she did tell me if I ever wanted to be serious about writing I needed to have a blog. So in August, not having a clue as to what I am doing, I started a blog. The theme was sort of tied around the book but as the book has evolved, so did the blog. I use “For the Love of” to show anyone who reads my blog to know there is still a lot of love left in this crazy, chaotic and sometimes cruel world. I explore the beauty in nature, the beauty in people and I have become very fond of all the bloggers who are photographers. The beauty in this world that they show is enough to keep anyone blogging. It’s inspiring. I also enjoy all the friends I have met around this blue marble. At my age, it is still amazing I can talk to someone with a computer from countries I have never been to or never will get to. To see their world from their eyes and their heart is amazing.

With the tag line of “anitashope” I hope that to at least one person on any given day I have brought a smile, some encouragement, some love and have been able to reflect the light of Christ as he has asked us to.

Do I still want to get published, sure. Beside the book I have written several short stories, some flash fiction and now playing with poetry. But my style is not for everyone so finding that market is going to be tough.

And of course my end to all of my blogs remind all of us to be kind. Being kind is so easy some days and very hard some days but those are days when you will be blessed the most when you in turn are kind. Kindness is truly a gift to be shared with man and animal alike. So as always I encourage you to be kind.

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Ponderings of Max, #1LinerWed, #Jusjojan

It’s me, I am Max, with thoughts that I ponder

Over here, over there and way out yonder.

As I rush out that door and swing by the chair

There is my friend Rabbit and we play statue and stare.

Our game is forgotten with a loud sounding crash

As the monsters next door send the squirrels in a dash

Last round through the yard, ever checking, ever more,

But there is nothing to see so I head for the door

Then I head for the kitchen for a small tiny treat.

Now, it’s on to the couch where I sleep ‘til we eat.

sad dog

As we follow LindaGHill for our creative Jot, mine does not follow the Wednesday 1 liner plot.

One Week Left, #1 Liner Wednesday

Below is some fun I ran across that I thought I would share to help you get perspective for the coming year.

It’s almost 2019, and I still have so many unanswered questions!!!!

I still don’t know who let the dogs out…or where’s the beef is…or how to get to Sesame Street. Why Dora doesn’t just use Google Maps…Why do all flavors of fruit loops taste exactly the same, or how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? So many important questions.

Then there is other confusing thoughts like …Why eggs are packaged in a flimsy carton, but batteries are secured in plastic that’s tough as nails…why “abbreviated” is such a long word; or why is there a D in ‘fridge’ but not in refrigerator… why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor yet dish-washing liquid is made with real lemons.

Why do you have to “put your two cents in” but it’s only a “penny for your thoughts” where does that extra penny go… why does The Alphabet Song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star have the same tune.

Why did you just try to sing those two previous songs to verify what I just said… and just what exactly is Victoria’s secret? and where is Waldo? and of course can you hear me now?

And do you really think I am this witty?? Alas, but no…I actually got this from a FB friend, who stole it from his brother’s girlfriend’s, uncle’s cousin’s who lived next door to an old class mate’s mailman from a previous town.

As Linda G Hill reminds us of #1Liner Wed fun, come join in in the experience all year long.

As we chuckle over the never answered questions from last year, let us look forward to the possible answers of questions for the coming year.

And remember for the coming year to spread the kindness still surrounding us all from this wonderful season of sharing love.

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Advent Continues, Weekly Prompts

GC and Sue W have created a prompt that is so up my alley. The joys and traditions surrounding Christmas are my most favorite of the year. See their prompt below to join in on the fun and share your photos.

http://weeklyprompts.com/2018/12/14/advent-continues

For me and my daughter, we start preparing the week before Thanksgiving but this year we started the 1st week on November as I was due for surgery the second week and I was not going to miss out on my decorating. We are also major college football fans, so every year there is an off weekend where our team does not play. That is the designated day for Christmas decoration shopping day. Sometimes we find something and sometime we don’t but it has become a yearly tradition we look forward to with love and fond memories.

When I decided to move from the deep south to the midwest for a new job, my daughter wanted to come. He job was going nowhere and her last relationship had crashed and burned. So we moved together. We were fortunate to find the perfect house with a walk out basement and a kitchen on both floors. So she is downstairs where it stays cooler to her liking and I am upstairs. Close to each other but separated as well.

My daughter and I are both suffers of the same…”illness?!?” – YCHTMC – An acronym for “You Can’t Have Too Much Christmas”.

Upstairs I have are 3 full size trees and 3 table trees. Down stairs my daughter has 3 smaller full size trees and 1 table tree.

IMG_20181107_085732 — Dining Room Tree / Village

IMG_20181108_154144 — Bedroom Tree with Santa and Chris Moose

Below are the downstairs trees in her large living area.

I have 6 multiple pieced nativity sets in various styles, colors and sizes with many single unit nativity scenes.

My biggest set has individual lights for each house and my smallest is actually a fountain.

My daughter has 2 multiple pieced nativity sets and several single unit scenes.The reason I have more is I have been doing it longer. It is a sickness I inherited from my mother and I have several ornaments that were hers. It is a family affair. With my sons, their wives keep them in check.

I am also an angel collector and most of those stay out year round; they just get located in a different location allowing other and numerous table decorations. Plus there is the village that grew this year and now has a section located in a different spots which houses the country scenes and the Christmas tree village.

There are traditional decorations, whimsical decorations and some just silly decorations but laughter and the love of Christ is what Christmas is to me. Through November I have displayed some of my pictures so I will repost a few but you are interested you can review my other post from November.

I sincerely hope you all have a marvelous Christmas regardless of your religious affiliation. It is a season of love hope and caring and we must always be considerate and kind to each other, especially at this season. There are many hurting during this time of year and will need and extra hand of kindness shared with them so please share kindness when you can.

Enjoy my love and fun of the season.

Funny Things Your Grandparents Did, #1LinerWed

IMG_20181212_111658 — Lottie and Brownie

My mother’s mother was a real southern jewel. She was a beloved 2nd grade school teacher and even on her meager salary she would find a way to help buy one of her students a pair of shoe or winter coat if needed. As pitiful as we pay our teacher today, back in the 40’s I can only imagine. She retired when I was in early high school when she said she turned 65 but we all knew she was probably older but refused to admit it. The courthouse that had all the birth records of her home town had burned down along with many records of the area. But her retirement was a big shindig where all the school attended along with former students, the local paper and of course family.

Her name was Charlotte but everyone called her Lottie or Miss Lottie, even her grand children. But she was NOT a grandmother. Don’t get me wrong, she loved her grandchildren and called us her grandchildren but she was not a grandmother. “The very idea!” I think that was her favorite saying. She had lots of great sayings but coming from the south, we do come up with some interesting ways of putting things. Sometimes words didn’t even need to be said, you just got “the look”. How many of us remember “the look”. I don’t think I ever mastered it, my kids could see right through me. But Miss Lottie’s was so strong you could feel it from the back, your hackles would rise. You didn’t even have to see it, you just knew you were getting it. Such fond memories.

Well, I am here to tell you that you don’t discount those memories you had with you grandparents as you never know when you may need one of those memories. One that tickled me the most were her clothing sizes. When she was young and thin I am sure she wore a size 12 but not in her grandmotherly state. So when we bought her clothes, we cut the tags out and told her they were size 12. And as we get older our feet spread and we gain a little weight, our shoe size changes. It’s part of aging I guess, at least that is what I have noticed, but I spent 40 years on a concrete manufacturing floor which probably didn’t help.

My grandmother loved this type of house slipper that looked very similar to a Japanese style slipper. I remember they were dark blue in color with darker swirls in the fabric and it was the only kind I saw her were. But she insisted she wore a size 7, yea, no. She was easily in an 8. But she would buy the 7, they would be too tight and bind her feet. So she would take her brand new slippers and cut them to allow room for her foot. I remember asking her one time(and only one time) why she did that. Her answer was that her feet swelled at night and she needed the extra room for the swelling. I returned with the question of why not buy the next larger size. Well, not only did I get “the look” I got “The very idea! Then how are they going to fit when my feet are not swollen?” Indeed, I thought quietly to myself as I nodded approvingly to her statement.

I laugh at myself now as I remember this story because I am using her “technique” until the swelling goes down in my right foot. After my first surgery, I was fitted with orthopedic inserts for my shoes to start using once I started walking to add the extra support I would need for my feet. The inserts do take up room and it is no issue with my left foot as it has minimal swelling left. But the right one is still pretty swollen and my foot would not fit in the shoe. So, Miss Lottie, I am using your method and it seems to be working fine. I removed the laces and the tongue and then slit the top just like she use to.

IMG_20181212_101242 — Need new shoes anyway

So the moral of the story is don’t fully discount the stories of your grandparents as they may be beneficial to you one day. Life is always a journey and memories sometimes are the things that help us make it through.

And in closing I remind you of the joys of laughter in helping you heal. Share your joy, laughter, kindness with others this holiday season. This can be a difficult season for some so always be kind. Reach out with a gentle touch to show others you care. It may be the only kind thing that person gets that day.

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May you have a great day! Come join in Lind a G Hill’s One Liner Wednesday.

Learning to Walk, Again

Those of you who have been following me know that since August I have been having correct bone alignment in my feet. We corrected the left foot first. It is about 85% healed. So it took about 6 weeks before I could put pressure down on the foot and learn to walk again with the new alignment. It gives you a new appreciation for babies learning to walk.

feet

I still get the sharp healing pains as the nerves are knitting back together as they say it will take about 1 year. Not a fun experience but part of the healing experience. In November we corrected the right foot and I have been going from bed to sofa with the help of a knee cart. Its nice to be able to get around without crutches but when you already have knee issues from challenges of youth, it can be painful.

The challenges of youth should be correctly called the stupidity of youth because as an adult you would never do these things. And with me being a tomboy, I was not about to be shown up by any boy. And since I was into horses, well now you have added in another factor of – “You did what?” For example – diving from the top of the hay loft into the pile of hay below. Was it thick enough to cushion our fall? Were snakes hiding in the hay as they often were? How about standing on top of your horse as he walked around the pasture with no bridle or saddle? And of course there were the neighborhood ball games with all the guys? And the list goes on. I am sure others have similar lists.

Yes so now in my mid 60s I am paying for those challenges. But doing OK. As I have stated before I have earned every gray hair, every wrinkle…and every pain. But I would not have changed a thing, well maybe one thing that still scares me to think about it to this day involving a train.

So this week’s challenge is to start walking without the boot. Its twice as difficult as the left foot has not fully healed so I am having balance/confidence issues. My goal is to be back in church before Christmas. I go back to Dr on Thursday so we will see. But regardless, progress for this challenge is being made.

IMG_20181211_101649 — Slow progress is still progress

So in this season of thankfulness I am ever grateful that I can walk at all and that I have been blessed with another day of life. So tagging in with jansenphoto TPC weekly challenge word of Challenge, I submit my challenge of walking and ask you to play along for the fun.

And as I always say, remember to be kind. Even though someone may not look like they are hurting, a kind word will ease those silent hurts that are deep within.

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Mischievous Ole Elf

OK, its time for some Christmas humor. Most everybody loves Christmas decorations, except for the Grinch and Scrooge. Hope you are not one of those ass I have been blasting my love of decorations here since November. For those who may not know, I am healing from foot surgery and am currently not able to walk. I don’t sit well without something to do and as much as I love the Hallmark channel, there is only so much of that I can watch. So I pulled out the possible Christmas projects and wreaths to see what I and the glue gun could come up with. Also for those who may not know I also am a face painting clown – real clown – not circus clown but Christian clown using this medium to help spread cheer and the love of Christ. I explain all of this so you can understand my mental age is …12… on a good day. It will help you appreciate where I came from on this project. I saw the cutest thing on Pinterest with a small wreath and the letter J and Y – to make a JOY wreath. I painted the J red and the Y green and the O is a straw wreath. The I saw a small house like my village houses and thought I could make a cute scene inside the O.

IMG_20181203_173600

So the plan was going great until assembly time. That’s when the mischievous Elf show up. This is what he did to my JOY wreath. I call it now “The Elf of No Help” wreath.

IMG_20181203_203321 — Thanks for the help Elf.

Combined with the beauty of Christmas lights, we must never forget the laughter and JOY of the season. Sorry for my beat up door – Mimi is very protective.

As you spread the JOY of Christmas, remember the kindness a hug can bring. The gentleness of love and kindness during his season can brighten anyone’s day.

Do You Have a Favorite Ornament?

We have now crossed over to December so it is a perfect time to add more pictures of my over zealous indoor Christmas. I do hope it is not a total bore to you. Since I knew my surgery would prohibit me from decorating in December, I got to get ready by the second week of November. So I have been enjoying my 3 trees already along with my village and other Christmas cheer. I will display some that you may have seen and some new.

The first pic is my tree on the dining room table with my 40+ piece village beneath the tree. The second pic is the tree in my bedroom bump out window. Santa and Chris Moose had different opinions on how to hang lights on the tree. The last one is the tree in the living room. So you see I have lots of enjoyment surrounding me. Next week I may be walking(sort of) and I will get that small trees up in the kitchen and bathrooms – no room left unattended. But with all this decoration, is there a favorite? I dunno – maybe each tree has one, but not really. I do know some are favorites as they bring special memories to mind. For instance, my bedroom tree is the fun tree which holds my silly ornaments and ornaments my children made when they were young. Of those my favorite is the clothes pen angel my oldest made when he was 3. (He turned 40 this year) And of course this tree has all the S’more ornaments, over 30 of those. You can see the angel S’more behind Jimmy’s angel.

IMG_20181203_152848 — The first ornament placed on this tree

The other 2 trees are harder to find a favorite as they are all wonderful. Each year I try to find 1 or 2 special ornaments that are different or extra special. So I will give you a few samples from each of the other trees. The tree on the dining room table is all white, glass or silver.

The tree that is in the living room is the so-called formal tree but my idea of formal probably differs from other ideas of formality as I am a pretty laid back type person. Since I was an art major in college, some of that bleeds through on this tree.

As the month goes onward, I will also share my nativity scenes. Yes, there are more than one, not including all the nativity type ornaments hanging on the tree that represent the true reason for the season.

Even Santa knows that true love comes from the manger

In the gentle mindset of the holiday season remember the value of being kind. Even Charlie Brown understands the gift of kindness.

CB Christmas

If you have a favorite ornament or like sharing the Christmas decor from your house, do share. I so enjoy looking to see how others decorate. Have a marvelous week.

MA, a state or your mental age, #SoCS

Ma is generally thought of as a shortened name for the mother in the family as in mama. But there are other uses for ma as in gauging your mental age. According to this below, I am 12.

And of course the state of Massachusetts is abbreviated as Ma. And let us not forget the learned folks with a Master of Art, MA that goes with their title.

My favorite use though refers to the matriarch of the family which is usually the grandmother, normally referred to as grandma, as that is what I am, a grandma. Generally it is the first grandchild that sets the precedence of what the grandparents are called unless of course the grandparents have something to say about that or in the lucky marvelous situation with multiple grandparents still alive and being enjoyed.

In my siblings situation, my sister was the first to have children so my parents were chosen by the first grandchild to be called Ma and Pa as Grandma or Grandpa was too hard to get out, and the grand was dropped. Actually it was my father who was first named as my nephew was asked who that man was and he was certain that it was Pa. The standard was set for my parents.

When you get into the grandma names, the variation are amazing. Some off the top of my head that I have heard are:

grandma, granny, gamaw, memaw, mimi, and we cant leave out the formal grandmother.

It’s all fun stuff and movies depict these women from sweet ladies that have mastered the kitchen to power matriarchs that dare you to breathe.

As we go through this life remember we generally don’t get but one chance to show our inner love and peace as the Stream of Consciousness icon displays, so let’s embrace the peace and love of family and be that cookie baking and sweet loving grandma.

And in closing, I remind all the wonderful opportunity we have in sharing kindness. Express the kindness we envision with love towards all creatures and warm cookies from the oven only like grandma.

gram — Grandma surrounded by critters and kids with love and cookies

November Thankful Challenge, Last Days

What a wonderful month this has been as I have shared on a few of the many many things I am thankful for during the month. It is important that we tie in thankfulness and gratitude for our many blessings like waking up today, being able to read this post, having friends we share with over the internet that are across the world. It is all so fascinating how very close we can be with a simple reach out. This month brought the (hopefully) final surgery on my feet. I have great hopes for being able to go walking in the spring and share the many beautiful things I see. But for now, we are healing and enjoying some down time with my fur baby who currently can not get close enough on the sofa while I try to type this message.

So lets finish up that challenge list but always remember daily the many blessing we are given from family, friends, life and God.

Nov 26 – I am so very thankful for my daughter who has been taking care of me why I recover. With all the snow we got over the weekend, she shoveled the driveway(with snow plow) but still…and she cleared off the sidewalks in the front.

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Nov 27 – I am thankful for the ability and understanding of the importance of helping others.

fallen

Nov 28 – I am thankful that I can laugh and joke about myself as I age. Laughter is a strong medicine.

age

Nov 29 – I am thankful for the people in my life that made me realize the most important decision I would ever make in my life – Accepting Jesus as my Savior. I could not have survived some of the things I have been through in my life with out His help.

acceptance

Nov 30 – I am thankful for someone suggesting this challenge to remind us all of the many things we need to be aware of that are gifts to be thankful for.

As I close off the challenge of my thankful November I remind everyone to be kind. I ran across this quote which I though was very appropriate from Mark Twain. He said –

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

So I close in reminder saying of it’s the tiny things we do in life that can bring the greatest thankfulness and the brightest joy.

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