"Update Closed"

Today is the second of February and the news is covered with stories of snow and blizzard conditions.  The crawl on our favorite tv station says, “Update Closed” due to the cold temperatures, so no school once again today. More than fifteen states are under some kind of weather advisory. The Midwest to the East Coast is blanketed in snow and ice inches thick. 

Yet, we’re inside under our electric blankets toasty warm.  We have heat.  So many people today are experiencing power outages and are without heat and the comfort of their own home.

Today I am thankful that we can stay inside and keep warm and enjoy the day off without worry.  We don’t have to shovel snow and we have more hot tea than anyone could possible need.  I am thankful today for our safety and comfort.

As I was reading about the weather yesterday I came across this photo that made me laugh and wanted to share it with you.  I hope you all stay warm today. 

A Little of This and a Little of That

I’m  hoping to try out a few features of my new camera this weekend.  I don’t know if I’ll get the boys to be my models or not (they get a little tired of mom taking their picture all the time) so may have to use nature or the cats as my subject.

Is it really true that you shouldn’t drink water from a plastic bottle if it’s been left in the car? Sheryl Crow said this is how she believes her breast cancer was caused.  There is a toxin called dioxin that is released from the bottle into the water and has been know to be found in breast cancer tissue.  Does anyone know more about this?

I’m hoping to find the movie, Hearafter, staring Matt Damon, at RedBox this weekend.  They have a “reserve” feature on-line to hold a movie at a particular RedBox.  Did you know that?   If you try it before me, let me know if it worked or not. 

The big fish died.  Flake overdose.  (Actually I think it was excessive feeding that did it.)  Off to find a new one to replace it.  No funeral was held.  I simply scooped him out and said, “So long, Oreo.” 

The cheap wax melts from Wal-Mart really work well and make the entire house smell like I’ve been baking cinnamon muffins all day.  Can you smell it?

The high today is supposed to be in the 60s. You know what that means don’t you?  It means there is probably a snowstorm on the way.  I can only hope!

I really need to paint the blue wall in bedroom our master bedroom.  Navy blue really does not go with chocolate brown, cinnamon and wheat!  Trust me. It doesn’t.

I’ve been spending a great deal of time in my loft this week and love the sunshine it gets and the fact I can see the mountains from my window.   Simply beautiful. 


Having a good hair day today.  I know.  Not something to write about, but it’s true!  

Happy Friday everyone.

Maybe. One Day.

I think everyone has moments in their life that change them; graduation, marriage, children, and even death.  These moments change us in large and small ways, but they do change us.

I joined a book club five years ago and it was one of those moments for me.  It changed me and in a very profound way.  I know this may sound crazy, but I had never read a book for pleasure until five years ago.   Yes, I read the required reading in school and the occasional magazine article, but never even considered it as something to do for the pure joy of it.  I don’t really know why either.  It just happened that way for me. 

The first book we read was Jodi Picoult’s, Songs of the Humpback Whale.  It was good. We talked about it.  We shared our ideas and opinions about the style of writing, the storyline and the ending of course.  It was exhilarating for me.  I found it so interesting that six women could read the same book and have very different ideas about it.  That alone fascinated me.  I was hooked. I was officially a book reader and book club card carrying member.

Over the five years, we have shared so many wonderful and a few not so wonderful books together.  We’ve sipped tea out of each other’s coffee mugs, eaten brownies we’ve made for each other out on the deck.  We’ve watched each other’s children grow, be born and be adopted.   We’ve shared our funny vacation mishaps and laughed until the late hours of the evening every month for the last sixty months.  It’s been beautiful. 

Last night was my last book club meeting (at least for a while) with my favorite people.  I’ve decided that it’s time for me to get my feet wet in a new area or two and perhaps try a writing club, a writing class or a photography class of some sort.  I need to spread my wings and fly over new places for a bit.   It was not an easy decision either.  I enjoy it so much and will miss it even more, but in order to make time for something new, I have to give up time somewhere in our busy calendar and this was really the only solution. 

I know that I will join back up again one day (if they’ll have me), but for now, I need a change of view and the space and time to give that new view a chance to grow on me. 

Being part of this book club has forever changed me and don’t know if these ladies know how much they have touched my life.  I have tears in my eyes as I type this.  They have given me a gift of beautiful friendship showing me their hearts of gold, support, and invited me into a circle I feel so privileged to have been a part of. They’ve shown me the joy that comes from reading and that has inspired me to share what I have inside my heart through writing and who knows, maybe, one day, we’ll read my book at the April book club meeting. Maybe. One day.

Something To Share

I’ve started this post four times.  It’s supposed to be a big post, a celebration post, but I’ve decided to just write (type) what comes from the tips of my fingers straight from my heart.  I don’t know where this will go, but I do have something to share amongst all these organized letters. 

Friday was my one-year blog anniversary.

(I know, I know.  I should have posted this on Friday, but I’m a real person with a real life and I got busy. Truth.)

It’s kinda cool.  Ok, so it’s mostly cool to me because I actually did it. I followed through. I kept up and wrote consistently about whatever came to my mind.  I was brave, silly, honest, nonsensical (I’ve always wanted to use that word), bored, joyful, thankful and tried to be graceful along the way with the words that some days took over my entire being.  I am proud of myself. 

I set out to take a risk and live (a little) outside my very neat, white, square box and put my words into written form for all the world to see.  And, I did it.   The words are out there and the world has seen them.  I don’t know what it means just yet, but that’s ok.  Is this a prelude to a book, a published journal for my safekeeping, a job as a column writer, a magazine creator, a public lesson in grammar and spelling, a newsletter editor?  Only time will tell.

I think it’s fine to dream and want to get better at something and keep…doing…..writing. I don’t know what will become of my writing or where it will or won’t take me, and I’m ok with that too.  I love the process, the journey itself.  I just have to move forward with it a little every day.   Try new things, participate in a few contests, or a blog hop, or a comment fest (blogging terms I’m adding to my vocabulary) or maybe a letter to the editor.

I’m not setting any grand goals or putting any pressure on it, because I’m afraid that will take some of the joy away from my fingertips.  What ever will be will be.

I hope that you will continue to follow my journey and stop by and leave a comment or two (or three or four) so I know how I’m doing.  I love when I have a comment.  It’s like getting a tiny wrapped present under my pillow in the morning. 

So today, I will celebrate in my own little way and carry around with me a sense of accomplishment, a sense of pride and will have a little skip in my step just for the heck of it.  I’ll leave you with a few little tidbits about my year of blogging.  Thanks for reading and come on by any time you have a few extra minutes.  I love company!

I’ve had 2,924 visits to my blog.

(You’ll have to subtract about 200 of those as my own, however.)

Pawl and Ratchet is my most read blog. (41 reads)

I’ve had visitors from 10 different countries including Slovenia, Russia, and South Korea!

I’ve had 166 posts (that’s almost every other day)

I have 30 followers on my site and 64 followers from Blog Frog.

My favorite post is always the one I just finished.

Happy Anniversary to me.  Now bring on the cupcake.

PhotoCredit

Ten Things I Love About Mondays

The laundry baskets are usually empty (at least in the morning).

I always feel as if I have a clean slate to start the week.

The grocery store is never crowded.

School holidays always fall on this day.

Hot tea just tastes better.

My motivation is always high.

The direction for the day is always clear.

Red Box always has movies in stock.

Five days closer to Friday.

It’s got its own song.

Happy Monday