It’s April 2nd. World Autism Day….
Take a moment, and learn a little about it. Maybe donate to an autism society, or if nothing else, purchase a blue bulb, and put in your porch light. You’ll show that you are aware of one of the fastest growing problems today…
Light it up, and show you care…
http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/waad
Well, we've spent the day doing more fun stuff than chores. Oh sure, we did the usual- laundry, dishes, etc, AND a bike ride, but, we also took time to stop & smell the burritos/roses. We went to lunch with our friends, the Legos' at Chipotles. We WERE going to eat at Paneras, BUT they did not have the outdoor seating set up, though we have had temps in the 80's for two weeks… You lost a sale there, Paneras… Anyway, since we wanted to be out in the sun, and air, Mollie suggested Chipotle. Never a bad call. We met there, ordered, and sat out til conscience forced us to head home for a few more chores/projects… Sigh… But while we were there, it was the best of times. Good food. Good food. A good life. As Maggie just said AGAiN a few minutes ago,
" socializing is as important to life as food, or anything else"… And, it is… To sit on a lovely day, with friends that have been a part of ones life for twenty plus years, is one of the things that keeps the heart going…
And a good burrito on a sunny day…
Looking out the window this morning, it reminded me of a day much like the day this photo was taken. A bit bleak, dark, and solitary.
Happy New Year! For some of us, it’s a reason to purchase a new calendar. For others, it’s a renewal, regeneration, rebirth- a time for a new start. For others, it’s not much of anything…
We tried to sing, but every time we reached the chorus, we got teary and couldn’t finish… So, we did the next best thing…
Our small token gift to you….
Well,
The wreath that Maggie made
Here it is, the 28th already. The rush of the Yule/Christmas holidays starts with Thanksgiving, and, we slide down the hill of celebration til now. We’ve almost reached the bottom of the hill, when January takes over, and we really appreciate the carol, ” In the Bleak Midwinter”, but, for now, we are still basking in the glow of the holiday.
Bill & Mollie, our gracious and good friends
We had, and are still enjoying the holiday. The only downside is that Maggie works most of the two weeks before Christmas, so, she’s pretty worn to a frazzle by Christmas day. Unfortunately, a cold managed to hold her in it’s grasp, but not too tightly to enjoy the day. We do celebrate in our low key way. Christmas eve, our friends Mollie and Bill are gracious enough to host a small get together at their lovely home. Set against a backdrop of thick woods, and quiet, we had dinner, and an evening of sharing with great friends. Good friends are the most special gift one can have.
Surrounded by Spirits...
We opened our 'poppers'
Christmas day, we rose a little later, than usual, had breakfast, and, with global warming giving us the gift of a warmer day, we went for a walk around the neighborhood. Nice, for the Wisconsin/Illinois area. Opened presents, made a lovely dinner, napped, and, Maggie managed to get one last bike ride, short it may be, in for the day. She’s never rode on Christmas before. One more thing to scratch off the list…
The glow of the Season
Back to work, the next day, to receive all the people with returns, is not the best way to spend Boxing day, but, whatcha gonna do? Part of the job… She has worked this week, but we will hopefully have the rest of the week off. Ikea, Algonquin, and other adventures await… Part of the decompression/recharging of the week. We will ring in the new calendar, in a very low key way, and wake to the new year…
They were hung by the fire, with care...
Then, next week, the glow of the Season dims, with the boxing up of the decorations, ornaments, lights, trees, and sentiment of this holiday. Packed away but not forgotten. It is our 19th Christmas together, and, they are all boxed up, for remembering, whenever we desire to …
Winterberry
Trying the Android mobile WordPress app. Hope it works…
Sometimes, people with education, or degrees, do not have the social skills squirrels were born with. I’m not really sure why having the stamp of approval from a collegiate institution makes one authorized to be too self aware of themselves. “Get a self absorbed person to talk about themselves, and you have something”… If one decides to have ‘an art group’, and, ask someone who has a day job if they can come, don’t be so judgmental, if they have to work… It makes you look small and petty…
I’m sorry, I’m tired, and, do not like seeing good people made to feel small and not as worthy as other people…
Haven’t posted anything of note since the holidays. This is usually the doldrum time of year for us. Having survived the slippery slope from Halloween to New Years day, there is a bit of time to recover, and acclimate to the dreary part of winter. We veggitate, watch movies, sleep, and just seem to move a little more slowly than the rest of the year.
But that changes now. It’s February, and, for one thing, it’s going to be Valentines’ Day soon. Maggie’s work schedule will crank up to Warp 6 here in a few days. All the hubbub of men rushing in for flowers at the last minute, will take up a large portion of her week. That… is another story in itself… We have longer days starting now, so that helps the attitude. We have jams of various sorts, no, not fruit on toast, to look forward to. Starting to allow ourselves to think of adventures of summer.
We have hopes and wishes and desires, for the coming year. Don’t we all? We are hoping for a better year for all of us. We are wishing that things are less stressful, cuz we all have too much of it lately. We desire to have ‘better’ for all us… I think we’re all about ‘due’ for it…
So, here’s to longer days, brighter futures, and happier times…
While listening to the irishfireside podcast, I heard the author interviewed. What a great blog. Thought you may enjoy it!
I married an irish farmer…
Hi
So, last Saturday was the monthly bluegrass jam in Poplar Grove. Not a bad day, all in all. We’ve all played better, and worse. Just an even kinda day. As we got there, and found a table to have lunch at, and to put our stuff, I saw a couple behind us. They were in the process of ordering off the menu. So, always being the chatty type, I offered some choices to eat. We talked for a second, then each on to their day in The Grove. Us playing, them, hopefully, enjoying. We played an hour or so later, then had lunch, and listened to the music too. We left around 4, and the couple were still there. End of the day at the jam for us.
Flash to the grocery store the next morning… That would be Sunday… I am picking up some items as Maggie is off somewhere else, getting the things on her part of the list. A couple comes up to me, and asks if I was at the jam yesterday. Yup, it was the couple behind us, the day before. This time we had a chance to talk for a minute. Turns out, that they had never been to the jam before, and absolutely loved it. The woman was originally from the middle of Ireland, and, the jam totally reminded her of home. Going to the pubs for music and socializing is a big part of Irish life, and she told me that it really was such a touch of home that she had to tell me. Her brother lives in the USA now too, in the area, and she was going to tell him about it, so he can enjoy the live music. We talked for a couple minutes, about Ireland, live music, and some of this & that.
So… you never know how what you do affects people. You may think that something doesn’t have repercussions, good or bad, but it does. Hopefully, like this, it’s for the good. I’m glad she loved the music, and, that she will come back to the jam.
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