Me On Monday - January 31st

Good Morning Readers.  I trust everyone is doing well. I for one, find it simply amazing that it is already the end of the month, January 2022 already done & ready to turn the page to a new month.  Time is certainly traveling at the speed of light in my dimension. So let's take a little tea & scone break together, while I fill you in on what's been happening here.

 

Currently Watching: new to me series from the library DVD collection; The Village, Series 1. Not sure yet if I like, I've watched only 2 episodes.  Mr Man gave up after the first one. We also got the mini drama, Doctor Thorne, & we are two episodes into this one & we are both hooked, but then again unbeknownst to me when I reserved, it's a Julian Fellows production - so of course it is a winner.

Speaking of warming up to ... we are really enjoying the 2nd season of All Creatures Great & Small on PBS Sunday nights.  I do like the actors playing all the roles.  

Currently Waiting On: several book requests to come through from the library. I'm number one on the list for The Authenticity Project.

Currently Celebrating Mr Man Eye Update:  we (he) got very good news at Friday's follow up appointment.  This procedure has done what it was suppose to do.  YEAH.  The only bump was that we were not aware, but there's a part two of this particular type of procedure, but that's about 8 weeks away.  We'll take the break in the drama.

Currently Worried:  I've had friends develop COVID-Omicron. Two of the three (families) were able to get the rapid tests to "prove" they had. One friend called her doctor & her doctor said, you've got 2-3 of the typical symptoms, so assume you have & behave accordingly! Thankfully she & her family are moving through most of the illness fairly quickly & without any major upset.  Unfortunately one other friend is struggling with a nasty cough & shortness of breath; she's got to test her blood oxygen 3 times a day & if it drops more than 4 points, she is to get herself to the hospital. She has that little finger gadget that takes the reading. She's scared, so we talk several times a day. On the upside, she's young, she's very healthy. Her husband has seemed to come through unscathed. Grateful all have been vaccinated & boosted.  

SOURCE: Internet

Current & First Check-In Of My OLW:  First quarter word of Reduce. I am happy to report that so far this word is working for me.  NOTE: the above photo is not of my Reducing, it is a photo gleaned from the internet - I thought a good representation of my own process though.

First Up to be Reduced:  Mr Man & I have gone through all our CDS, sorted & put back into category order & made a large pile of CDs we no longer listen to or don't even know who or why we bought.  We are waiting to hear if a 2nd hand store will take the CDS & give us credit for future purchases. One CD that will go in the garbage is from a friend's wedding.  All guests got a copy of their playlist from the reception.  They were divorced after 2 years of marriage, so not a reminder anyone wants.

One area that I sorted & Reduced on was (flower) vases.  I could not believe how many I have acquired over the years.  In the end it was 4 boxes of assorted sizes & shapes of vases.  What I am most happy about this sort through is that I was able to find a good home for them.  One of the ladies in my bible study group has recently started her own floral arranging & floral workshop business.  When I called her to ask if she'd like, she enthusiastically said yes, helps cut costs for the workshops.  I like the idea of supporting, even if in a small way, another woman brave enough to venture into her own business.

Another area I have Reduced on, are 20 years worth of Gratitude Journals - all shredded & sent to recycling.  I cannot believe how much space these old journals were taking up.  I think I'll shred my gratitude journals every 3 years rather than let it build up again.

And the final Reducing area for the month was all my acquired cookbooks. Four I was a contributor to.  I wasn't sure how or where to dispose of these, but I read an online F/B post about an animal charity looking for puzzles & book donations for their fund raiser.  So not only did I box up the cookbooks, but I sorted through 2 shelves of old bookclub novels.  The lady at the drop off got very excited when she spotted the full set of the Twilight series & my paperback Harry Potter series.  She asked if she could take out of the donation box.  She told me her daughter is a social worker that is currently working with the Toronto Police Services & they had just "rescued" about 6 young girls ages 14-18 from a sex/human trafficking situation & the young girls, while waiting in a safe house, wanted books to read.  I was only to happy that she take the books.

So all in all my OLW - First Quarter Word of Reduce has been successful.  My plans for Reduce in February is to tackle more of the books ... Mr Man is encouraged to sort through his books with me.  In spite of years of "no buying" books, I still have shelves & shelves of books.  Some I will keep, ones like my hardcover Harry Potter books & of course I'll not part with my all time favourite The Thirteen Tale. 

I'll leave you with this thought for the week; " I am going to start talking to myself  the same way I talk to cats or dogs, hey sweet girl, what a clever girl, want a treat."

Wisdom

 

"if I cut you out, there is a good chance it's because you handed me the scissors".

                            ... from the internet

Me On A Monday - January 24th

 

 

Source: Internet

Not a lot going on. Trying to keep warm is foremost for me.  Mother Nature is exercising her rights to be moody.  But I will say on the days she gifts with sunshine, it is a wonderful boost to the mood inside.

Currently Recovering: Mr Man had another lazer surgical procedure to his eye on Saturday.  The original date was last Monday but it was postponed because of the snow storm blowing through our region.  I am most grateful that the doctor's office was able to quickly reschedule.  The procedure itself was quite painful for Mr Man & the eye bled, which is apparently quite common.  His eye looks horrible but he says the pain is lessening.  Check up this Friday to confirm if this procedure worked.

Currently Watched: We watched last Monday night, the latest James Bond movie, No Time To Die.  I like Daniel Craig as Bond & I am sorry that he has decided to stop his run as 007, & IMO this movie was not the best way to end this.  IMO the movie was full of holes in the plot/story (not that I was expecting a strong story) & it was a lot of car chasing, shootings, & blow ups.  Even Mr Man was disappointed & he's a big Bond fan.  Any favourites for you in who the next 007 will be?

Currently Reading: I'm sorting through a lot of my cookbooks & deciding which ones can be re-homed, aka given away/donated.  My time line to finish this reading is by Monday morning (later today) as any that I do not want to keep will be donated to the book & bake sale for a local animal rescue fund raiser January 28-30th. I also have a stack of novels to donate.  For me that has been a big stumbling block in decluttering, is having some where to take donations, whether it be books or what ever else.

Just finished reading a memoir by Jann Arden - Canadian singer, song writer, actor; it was interesting reading even though I'm not necessarily a Jann Arden fan.  

Currently Baking: I hadn't made beer bread in a while & I had a craving for some warm carbo rich food.  I had forgotten what a simple quick & easy recipe this is.  It did its job & fulfilled that craving.  Left overs, toasted make for very tasty sandwiches the next day.

 

And I'll leave you with this thought ...  "you are the sky, everything else is just the weather."  Pema Chodron

 

Wisdom

 

Source: Internet

Self: Nothing is working.

Crone Self: Have you tried unplugging?

Self: I don't plug in anywhere.

Crone Self: Yes you do, you're plugged into the world around you.

Self: OH, How do I unplug then?

Crone Self: Close your eyes, let your muscles relax & listen only to the sound of yourself breathing in & out.  After a while, when you feel ready, plug back in & try again.

Crone = A woman who is venerated for experience, judgment, and wisdom.

Me On A Monday - January 17th

 

Good Morning.  It has been very cold here in the last 4-5 days.  Saturday we woke to -22 & -31 with the wind chill.  Needless to say, the treadmill has been called into play!

Currently Reading: I just finished The Midnight Library. It was a most interesting read, lots to think about after the last page was read.  

I've also read a lot of online articles, especially around the psychology of decluttering & creating comforts of home.  Some of this interest was sparked by Sandie Cottee's F/B link about the "Silent To Do's" (huge impact) & Alexa's recent blog post about Anese Cavanaugh's "tolerances"(another big impact).  Then my article reading sparked several long discussions with Mr Man about our home. Which sparked a surge of successful decluttering efforts. There's more to do, but both of us have a new emotional & mental attitude about dealing with home tolerances & the silent to do's.

Currently Feeling: I'm using a veterinary term used for indoor cats, Captivity Stress.  In Ontario we are once again in a form of pandemic lockdown/restrictions until 26th of January. Although the powers to be, are already telling us, not to expect a re-opening on the 26th ... it will be stages of who & what can have more people present.  Schools other than universities are set to return to in-class learning today, unless the forecast snow storm puts that on hold.

Currently there is no indoor dining, shops are at 50% capacity, gyms, theatres, fitness classes all closed.  Church weddings & funerals can only have a maximum of 10 people, social gatherings can only have 6 indoors, 10 outdoors.  Yes captivity stress has settled in for the foreseeable future ...

Currently Working On: My outline for 2022's One Little Word (OLW).  If you are hoping to read about the official methods & choice of one word for the year, please read no further ... this year I've gone rogue (& just saying that makes me feel rather adventurous).  Last year I did not settle on any OLW & being wordless for a year felt quite the rebellious move. In 2020 I tried to use Nourish. I had some success, but we really didn't dance much together throughout the year, which made me feel rather a failure.

So to OLW 2022. Starting back in later October/early November, I kept having a particular phrase about Change show up in my F/B feeds, my online feeds & the once all too many email notifications.  The Three C's of Life: choices, chances, change.  Along with the Universe's notification about change, I kept hearing in conversations & reading words that would ping a feeling in me when looking to change things.  Words like, reduce, restore, revisit, redefine, renew, recover, reclaim, respond, resistant, ... you see where this is going ... then the thought occurred to me, RE is my OLW. I wouldn't just settle on one, (reduce for a whole year?!?!). I decided on breaking down my OLW need into chunks of time & I settled on quarterly OLW.  My first quarter, January to March, committed word is Reduce; reduce clutter which I hope reduces anxiety which will  reduce weight because I'll reduce the amount of comfort mindless eating.  I am also reducing pressure on myself to do it all. The next quarter's OLW could be Restore or Recover, as we come out of winter lockdown. And in the 3rd quarter as weather improves, & most importantly, COVID numbers are dropping to management levels, I'll want to revisit, renew or reclaim my sense of freedom & adventure.   I have lots of RE words to play with;   Reduce; revisit; restore; renew, resistant, redirect, repair, resolve, relax, redo, review, refresh, release, reconciliation, remember, rekindle, rediscover, rebuild, readjust, rejoin, reflect, respect.

I was very interested to see that a few of you are also using RE words this year for your OLW. 

And I'll leave you with this thought ... "happiness lies in the joy of achievement & the thrill of creative effort."  Franklin D. Rosevelt

Wisdom

 

We all have issues, because we all have a story. 

And no matter how much work you have done on yourself, we all snap back. 

So be easy on yourself. 

Growth is a dance, not a light switch.

                ... the internet, author unknown

Me On A Monday - January 10th

Good Morning.  

 It's been rather a crazy time since the 5th - lots of emergency visits to the different eye doctors Mr Man has treatments with; one slip of an eye clamp during a scheduled treatment cascaded into an emergency situation.  

Because of rampant COVID, only the patient is allowed into the doctor's office/clinic/surgery.  I've had so many hours spent in a cold car waiting for him having checks, re-checks, treatments, etc ... now I'm days behind in life & work although I am thankful for technology such ipads & cell phones that don't make all that waiting time wasteful.  So this is a flying visit with you all, so much to catch up on & only two follow up eye appointments scheduled this week. 

Today I'll share one of my photos for Eileen's Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt.  It's #16 - Half & this is half of a New Year's morning coffee cake.  The recipe is below.  

Apple Streusel Coffee Cake

2/14 cups (550ml) all purpose flour

¾ cup (175ml) granulated sugar **1

¾ cup (175ml) butter

½ tsp (2ml) baking powder

½ tsp (2ml) baking soda

1 egg (large) beaten

¾ cup (175ml) buttermilk or sour milk **2

1 -9oz (540ml) can of Apple Pie Filling **3

1/3 cup (75ml) raisins **4

 

** =  I use (1) Demara  sugar; (2) about 1 cup of buttermilk;  (3) cherry pie or blueberry filling; (4)chopped almonds

Combine flour & sugar in large bowl, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly; set aside ½ cup (125ml) of mixture. To remainder add baking power & soda. Combine the buttermilk & egg, add to dry ingredients, stir just until moistened.  Spread two thirds of the batter over bottom & part way up side of greased 9” (23cm) springform pan (I use regular pans). Combine pie filling with raisins, spoon over batter.  Drop spoonfuls of remaining batter over filling.  Sprinkle reserved  crumb mixture over top. (Note I usually add, cinnamon & nutmeg to the dry crumbs before sprinkling over top of the batter).

Bake at 350 (180 c) for 50-55 minutes or until centre is fully baked. 

 

Wisdom

 

2022:  Aren't you terrified of what it will be like, everything is so messed up!

Me: I think it will bring flowers.

2022: WHAT? WHY?

Me: Because I'm planting flowers.

 

Me On A Monday January 3rd, 2022

Good Morning & welcome to a new year & a new month.

Last year (2021) I did not settle on One Little Word (OLW) for myself but this year I've got something brewing about. What about you, decide on a word or phrase to guide you through 2022?  

On December 31st I was invited by Sandie of Itchifingers; 5 in 5 on the 5th fame, to join in her Zoom meeting for a Winter's Eve Gathering.  It was a most delightful hour spent with so many like minded ladies.  The big pond between us did not create any problem 😉.

Sandie had us think about a word or phrase we would like to use as a guide thought for the next couple of days or weeks & it was through this sharing that my 2022 OLW started to brew.  More to come once I've tidied up the idea.

During the early part of the holidays as I prepared for my 12 Days of Blessing, which was to start December 26th, but COVID's Omicron variant stepped in to upset that plan.  I had settled on the charity I wanted to spend 12 days purchasing 12 gifts for; I had chosen a Women's Rescue/Shelter as often the women & their children leave in the middle of the night without much.  I was making up 12 boxes of things they might need and/or enjoy having.  With Omicron numbers rising dramatically the charity asked that everyone hold off on donations of things & asked for money instead.  So I've had to have a re-think of my 12 Days of Blessings. I sent a cheque to the shelter & I'll keep my 12 boxes until the charity accepts them in the spring.

When I was initially planning my 12 Days of Blessing & looking for inspiration, I did a search within my library system to see if I could read anything about 12 Days of Christmas, and/or 12 Days of Blessings.   The search came up with a book,  Christmas Days, 12 Stories, 12 Feast for 12 Days by Jeanette Wintrson. It was truly a surprise find & one of the most enjoyable books I've read all year.  There were 12 short stories, some with an element of magic, some with a smidgen of miracle & some had plots of coincidence.  After each short story, there was a recipe of sorts.

Other stories I read during the Yuletide, there was The Santa Suit - from the first paragraph the ending was known (well to me at least), & it was SO sweet that my back teeth hurt, but in the end I shed a tear or two. Also on the Christmas line,  I had my annual read of The Christmas Cookie Club & new to me, A Boy Named Christmas (of which they just made a movie based on this story).

I am currently reading Off The Record, a memoir by Peter Mansbridge (Canadian news icon); a little much to do about nothing. I am also reading Louise Penny's & Hilary Clinton's book State of Terror.  I know the Louise Penny fans are all agog with this one, but I am not impressed, so far.

In keeping with books, I'll sign off with; The new year is like a new book, 12 new chapters, 365 new pages & you are the author. Write yourself  the most beautiful story possible.