A Cup of Sugar

               Do you remember the days when neighbors visited each other? 

     They actually would feel like they could borrow a cup of sugar from any of their friends.

                                       Where have those days gone? 

                   I have a lot of neighbors!! There are over 100 apartments here.

A lot I've never seen....

           Some are friends. 

                          Would I borrow a cup of sugar from them? 

                                                                   NO!

                  Oh, they would gladly loan me one but it's just not done these days.

                                                         How about you? 

                              Anyone you would borrow a cup of sugar from? 

BORED.... Never

                             As I age, I am slowing down. Do you find that to be true, as well?

 And, I find that with just myself to look after, I end up with hours each day with little to do!!

                                Gee, I used to wonder when that day would come..........

                                                                     It has!!

                                                         So, I find that I am bored.

I ran across some quotes I'd written down, some tips about growing older, and guess what I found.
                            

                 "You should never allow yourself to become bored"   

                                                                      DUH

        That quote came out of a book my son gave me several years ago. A very wise book. 

                                                          I should read it more often!!

Dr. Pillemer interviewed more than 1,000 people over the age of 65 to find out their advice to the younger generation. It's so informative, inspiring, a "gotta read" book. 

One lady that Dr. Pillemer wrote about, aged 94, says this:

"I tell them (the younger people) to find the magic. The world is a magical place in lots of ways. To enjoy getting up in the morning and watching the sun come up.....You can be grateful, happy for the things that have happened. You should enjoy your life. Grow a little. Just because you're getting older doesn't mean that you need to stop growing...."

                                              Well, that slapped me right in the face.

Here I am, gonna turn 85 in a few days, very healthy (slowing down but not sick), my mind is very alert, I am surrounded by love of family, friends and life. And, I am BORED!!

                                                          What the heck?

                                         So, I am on a MISSION. Will you join me?  

And, here is a prayer that I intend to say every night as I go to bed. 

              The things that I am the most thankful for... they are the simple things of life

Linking with Thankful Thursday and Little Things

Writing Letters To Loved Ones

I spent a couple days last week propped up in my recliner watching the funerals of George H. W. Bush. Regardless of what your political leanings might be, it would be very difficult to have not been touched and impressed by the love and honor paid to that man. And, the stories of his devotion to family and friends made me take stock of my own dealings with the people in my life.

I used to love to write letters. And, I have saved a few letters that my husband wrote to me when he was away in his Navy days. But, then along came email... and then texting.... and then social media and snapchats and the like and we have lost our handwritten communication. How sad... there will be no letters to pull out when we are in our later years, to read, remember, cherish.

You may be wondering where I am going with this.

I have decided that it is time for me to pull out my stationery, my ballpoint pen, my postage stamps. I want to start writing letters to my family and friends. If they don't reply, that's ok. I don't expect them to. But, I just feel a need to put my thoughts on paper, to pour my love and appreciation out to those who mean the most to me.

Call me an old fool. Yes, I can send emails, yes, I text. I don't do snapchat but I do Marco Polo (videos to send to people). I enjoy facebook and Instagram. But, there is just something about getting a letter in the mail!! So, fool or not, that is what I am going to start doing.

I Give Thanks

Thank you, every one of you, for the encouraging comments you left (at the news I was slowing down on Blogger). That meant the world to me. I find myself slowing down so much lately. I am watching too much television, I read more. I don't go out as much. Oh, let me tell you about that!!

Last Friday I headed to Walmart. I hate going to Walmart! I had two gifts to buy for the under-priviledged children our Women's Circle was buying for this Christmas. So, I leave the house. It's misting rain so I nearly go back inside. I would have to park a good distance from the door at Walmart and didn't want to get my hair wet!

But, I leave. I approach the intersection but decide to turn left and just try to find those gifts at Walgreen Drugs instead. I sat waiting for the turn light to go green and when it did, I start to pull into the intersection to turn left. I see a car coming toward the red light on the main road and he isn't going to stop.

I am so proud of my quick thinking! I can be pretty slow at some things but I got stopped quick enough to keep from that car from t-boning me in the driver's side (which would have badly injured me or killed me). But.... boom. I am hit from behind. I had stopped.... but the old truck behind me didn't.

The damage isn't bad. Just the rear bumper has to be replaced.

But, for a couple of days I could not make myself go back out and crawl into that car and crank it up and drive away!! The thought of  'What if I had not stopped' went through my mind constantly.

Three days later though I went to Walmart, bought those gifts and went on to my Women's Circle Christmas party to take those toys. But you can believe I did some serious defensive driving!!

My beloved Ford 500. It's 13 years old but she's my baby. The first and only car I ever purchased by myself and she fits my lifestyle great. I even got a letter from the Ford dealership just the other day wanting to buy my car... Ford did not make the 500s but a couple years and they are in high demand now. But, they aren't getting mine!

Song In My Head

Have you ever heard a song and then that was all you could think about for days and days?

I saw this on facebook and just loved it. Laughed so much I about peed in my pants. Then I shared it with my girlfriends and they got a big laugh, too. That should have been the end of it, right?

Nope, that Beatles song just keeps singing itself inside my head.... over and over and over. 

Although I don't ever recall turning on a Beatles song to just listen to it, I found myself this morning telling my Echo to play Beatles music. 

Sometimes it's just the Little Things that can bring such joy and for which we are so Thankful. Just saying! 

BTW that's Tim Hawkins and he has a bunch of stuff on YouTube if you'd like to see more.

A Bright Light in Our Lives

This post is being linked to Tom's Willy Nilly Friday Five.

1. When my youngest daughter's son, Owen, was 18 months old, he was diagnosed with Autism. This was in 1994 and autism was something that few people were familiar with. The diagnosis devastated the family, as you might well imagine.

2.  In 1998 Owen's parents hosted their first celebrity golf tournament to raise awareness and funds for the organization they had started - Autism Coalition.  This year, 2018, they celebrated the 20th year of hosting this tournament in which they have raised over 15 million dollars. During those early years their small organization had grown so big it merged with a couple other smaller groups and Autism Speaks was the end results of that.

3. After the golf tournament last month, a local magazine featured the Murrays as their cover story. There is the cover of the magazine. The story was inside.

4. The family recently vacationed in Nantucket, a favorite place of Owen's. He loves lobster and I understand that he had his fill. But, his favorite, favorite place in the whole wide world is Walt Disney World. Maybe he can go there soon.

Owen playing the the surf in Nantucket when he was a little guy.

5. And, Owen now with his adoring Mom.

Breastfeeding Pods

I'm killing time, scanning through some facebook posts when something catchs a glimpse outta my eye.... It's one of those ads that sit on the sidelines trying to reel you in.  This one definitely reeled me... It said
           
                                                                            Breastfeeding Pods

I'd already slid by it and while I am trying to find it again my mind is going ninety to nothing. Breastfeeding pods? What the dickens!

Maybe they are advertising one of those cover-ups so Mom can cover her 'milk source' while she's feeding baby. I've seen those on the news or some such place. But, the word POD doesn't seem to fit that exactly.

Oh, I got it. Maybe they've come up with a new-fangled way to feed your baby. Like perhaps a plastic tube thing, shaped like an okra pod, that is filled with milk and the liquid just drains into the baby's mouth. Yep, that's got to be it.

Well, by this time I have located the ad. My face turns red, I feel like a stupe, some sort of dumbo. They are talking about those videos (PODS, you know PODCAST) that teach you all sorts of things. Took this ole gal some time to wrap my head around that one, didn't it?

I knew I was a slow learner. I mean I figure something out on the computer and by that time, they have moved on, changed the whole durn thing. And, I have to start over. Why in the world do they call teaching videos PODS anyway? Go figure. 

Do You Keep A Journal?

                                                                     Do you keep a journal?

                                                       They called them diaries back in 'the day'.

  1. I started my first one when I was in my teens but it was one of those tiny little books with scarcely enough room to write anything. All I entered was the scantiest info, like 'met Elbert Barton today' or a couple years later 'he proposed'.

2. It was not until 1999 when I read 'The Widow Down By The Brook' a well-documented diary written by a widow. It made me realize just how little I had revealed about my life in those 'tiny little diaries'.

3. I bought me some theme paper (college rule, of course) and set about documenting my life day by day. There soon came our move from Alabama to Virginia, my cancer scare, Elbert and my journey through his Alzheimers and finally my new life as a widow. I had become that widow "Down By The Brook".

4. I have scores of journals, mostly the back and white composition books that we used in school.
I find they are about the right size for a years worth of journaling. As I have needed, I have gone back to those older journals to recall certain events, find out info I had forgotten and relive those special times in my life. How I wish I'd kept more detailed journals before 1999. Oh well, we learn as we go along.

5. I wonder if my children will keep my journals after I am gone. Will they read them or will they be stored in a trunk or perhaps eventually tossed out. It doesn't matter. They have served a purpose for me and that's all that is important.

Linking with Willy Nilly Friday, Thankful Thursday and Little Things.

This is part of my Growing Old Gracefully series. 

Money, Money, Money

This post is a 'wordy' post. But, it's important, both for the oldster like I am and the younger set.

                                    It's about Money!! We all need it to survive in this world.

I am of the AARP generation. And, being alone, I think about and sometimes worry about whether I will have the money to get me through to the end 'cause I am planning on living a long, long time.

I appreciated some tips that the AARP Bulletin has given in the past. It might help you out, too.

1. Going out to dinner with friends? For gosh sakes don't pick up the tab!! If they are true friends they will be happy to pay for their own dinner.

2. Read alot? Don't buy books at regular price. You can find bargains in a lot of places especially online.

3. Think you have to keep up with the latest technology? We older ones don't understand it all anyway. So, check to see what kind of cell phone you can have that doesn't cost an arm or a leg.

4. You women. Don't buy high-end cosmetics!! Those high-end companies also makes Essie and Maybelline. Did  you know that Procter and Gamble owns Gucci and Dolce and Gabbana along with Olay and Covergirl? Surprised? Just goes to show you that if you are willing to put out big bucks, they'll take it.

5. Color your hair? I guess anybody can tell I do... I mean at age 84 I'd be a freak of nature to not have a gray hair on my head, now, wouldn't I? Color it yourself and save a lot of money. It's not all that hard. Just be sure you don't sling that mess all over the bathroom. It doesn't come off easily!!

6. Going on a plane trip? The food in the airport is so expensive. Just pack a snack bag for yourself instead.

7. Vitamins and other health goods advertised as being for 'over 50' people cost more. Do you really need them?

8. And, an easy way to save money... when you are entering a check amount on the 'subtract' side, round the amount down. That way money builds up and you don't even realize you are SAVING.

I hope this helps someone. It sure did me.

Memorial Service

I attended church this morning where Leslie and I had gone while we were together. It was a Memorial Service for all those loved ones we lost this year. 

I have to admit that I dreaded it, just knowing that it would stir up the loss I have felt, the memories of all those times we sat side by side in that pew on Sunday morning. And, yes, it got me. There were tears. But, they were tears of love, of sadness, of sorrow, of the joy we had shared, the memories of our good times together. 

As each name was called out, one of the small children from our church walked forward down the aisle carrying a lighted votive candle. When they reached the Communion table, the candle was placed there. There were a lot of them and they burned brightly throughout the service. When it was over we could take our loved ones candle home with us. 

The choir sang "On Eagle's Wings", so beautifully done. Leslie would have been so proud to have been remembered in such a way. I miss my 'pew buddy'. He always looked so handsome all dressed up for church. I'd sometimes steal a look at him while we were standing to sing... and I'd just grin. I was so happy we were together. 

A Time Alone

                                       Since I live alone I have found that I can do anything I want to!
Nobody needing me for anything. No husband wanting breakfast. No children to send to school. No pet to be fed.
I am my own boss. Although I sorely miss my companions (my husband and then my partner) and would want my life back the way it was, I sort of like being on my own. 
I have a routine every morning. I am a fairly early riser if you can call 7 early. I walk into my office, sit down in an old swivel-rocker that had been my Moms. I ask Alexa (Echo) what the weather is, then ask her to play some classical music (it's a different composer usually each morning). 
I reach for three books that are nearby. The Bible, "Letting Go" by Beatty, and "Who Will Cry When You Die" by Robin Sharma. Those books have lessons I need to set the tone for my day. I read a bit, say a prayer, sometimes I meditate (just being quiet and peaceful) while maybe Chopin or Beethoven provides the background music. Sometimes I choose the sounds of the ocean or a thunderstorm to play on my Echo.  I love this quiet time, just me, God and my thoughts. 
                               As Robin Sharma says "The way you begin your day determines the way you will live your day". 
                                                                How do you start your day?

Celebrating My 1000th Post

                                                                                                        It's time to 

                                                               This is Post # 1000 for me on Living Life On Main Street. 

                          So happy I have had this incredible experience with all of you lovely bloggers. It just can't be beat! 
                                                                   So, thank you for all your support, 
                                                                                     Your love
                                                                                  Your comments
                                                                                 You are the best!

Now, onward we go. 
Today I am feeling very springy! I am so tired of cold, wet weather and yet here I sit, listening to a thunderstorm on my Echo. But, that's dry wet! (grin)

My daughter decided I needed a picker-upper and bought me a beautiful new planter filled with geraniums, zinnas and some sort of little white flowering vine. I never can remember the name of it. The planter went out on my balcony and since my balcony is just off my living room, if the weather is bad I can see that lovely thing from my recliner! Loving it. 

Five For Thought

                                                              This is going to be a different kind of FIVE for me this morning. 

I don't know about  you but I find that I have favorite blogs to look at and I have some I just can't get 'in to', if you know what I mean.

One day I ran across a pin on pinterest  on 'Why I would Read Your Blog'. It pretty much 'hit the nail on the head' for me and I wanted to share it. 

1. First impressions are so important. I can tell the minute I open a blog if I want to spend my time reading it.  It's important to keep your background light. So easy on the eyes and makes your posts just POP.

2. Get rid of pop-up ads. Personally, I can't stand those ads. You got a blog site for free, why subject your viewers to annoying ads?  Again, personally, I usually don't look at blogs with ads.

3. I don't like little-bitty pictures that you have to click on to get large enough to see. I don't like a blog who's owner hasn't spent time setting it up properly (the pictures overlap the sidebar or the header is way too little for the entire blog or one who never changes anything so you pretty much know what you'll get each and every time you see it. Life shouldn't be mundane, neither should blogs!! 

4. Let your personality shine. Now, true, some of us don't have a very interesting personality, we don't have great writing skills etc. but let the person reading your blog get to know YOU. Write that post just like you are talking to your best friend.

5. Blogs that are line after line, paragraph after paragraph filling up the entire screen with words is a no-no. Break up your words, catch the readers eye with graphics, pictures, different positions of your words on the page. Make it interesting. 

Joining with Willy Nilly Five and Five On Friday

Doing Housework

                                               I really should be cleaning house this morning...

But, here I sit in front of the computer. Visiting with my blog friends. Putting off work. That's what I do. 

                                    Do you find that the older you get, the less you like to do housework?

                                                                               Yeah, me, too.

It's just me in this apartment so I figure if somebody is coming to visit I might throw the clutter in the closet, take a paper napkin to scoop up the dust off the coffee table, hide those snacks I didn't finish while I was watching tv last night. 

                                       So, with no company coming, I don't see any reason to clean house. 

You'll have a great day today. And, have fun. The chores will be there tomorrow... and the next day... and the next day. 

Thursday's adventure for Friday Fives

There is nothing like a good outing, after weeks of winter weather, to lift the spirits. I want to share with you what I did yesterday, along with daughter Shirley. 

I do love good food, and a new restaurant to investigate!  Brand-spanking new... on the water so great view and a yummy crab-cake sandwich, oh my. Daughter Shirley says she's posting a new post on our lunch blog soon about our adventure. I'll let you know when she has it up. 

I'd found this guy on Facebook, Jeb the Butcher and he does his own butchering, packaging, making his own bologna, sausage etc, all in a wholesome, clean way. That was our next stop. I bought sausage (fresh ground, I can't wait to taste it), a chunk of colby cheese and a container of Brunswick Stew for a friend who fell a couple days ago and was badly injured. With a dislocated shoulder, 3 broken ribs and cuts and bruises, she won't be cooking anytime soon. 

On the way home, I saw a barn that I had never seen before. Since I have participated in Tom's Barn Collective often I wanted a picture of this one for that. I will have more pictures when the Barn Collective comes up next. 

Who doesn't love a beautiful sunset. I am pretty much surrounded by trees so any I see is behind those. But, just look at that sky. Gorgeous. 

And, I ran across this quote, which I love, while I was reading a book by Joan Anderson. Just wanted to share it with you. 

Now, to link up with Willy Nilly Friday Five

The Year is 1915.

                                                                                  Today is Thankful Thursday.  

I have to say that in some sense I am thankful that I do not live in the year 1915. However, times were so much more simple then and people had respect for one another and they helped their neighbor. I wish we had more of that today. 

A Little Space For Me!

                                                      I do get immersered in my painting!

Over the past couple of years I have made it a top priority in my life, fulfilling a dream I once had, let go and now found again. 

My apartment is small, just over 900 square feet, big enough for me but not big enough to handle my desire to oil paint. Where would I put them to dry? Where would I store the finished product? 

So, I do watercolors. And, here is my workspace... a folding table in my office. It's perfect!

The green cup to the left is filled with water to wash my brushes. And, I've been known to have a cup of tea handy to sip on. One day I wasn't watching what I was doing and dipped my brush filled with paint into my cup of tea!! And, I then took a sip. Lordy, what will I do next!! he he.

Joining with Workdesk Wednesday

When Have You Written a Letter?

                                    Remember when we used to write letters (and receive them) from/to those we loved? 

                                                                              (look at the price of that stamp!)      
                                                                                 Man, that was awhile ago!

                                                                                I really miss that. 

I just thought I'd let you know that there is a site called lettermo.com that is conducting a letter writing challenge the month of February. 

The U. S. Postal Service always holds it's letter-writing month in April and I certainly plan to write as many letters as I can during that time. BUT.... I don't want to join a challenge (I might not live up to it) but I would like to write as many letters as I can in this Month of Love (February, you know). 

How about you? I'd like to do my own challenge. Why don't we post on Living Life On Main Street on the last day of February just how many letters (that's personal ones, now, not business) that we wrote this month. It might be fun. Even those that don't write a single one I think would be fun to just see who did and who didn't. 

* I have been asked.... yes, let's count postcards, too. But, no greeting cards unless you write a note in those.

You know, I think up all these crazy things. I hope it helps me stay younger and active and keeps that mind of mine working well. 

I do so appreciate all the contact I have with my blogging buddies and I am thankful for each and every one of you. 

Linking to Thankful Thursday

Happy New Year

                                           

Boy did I have a wee pity party the other day. It's just one week til my birthday and it's not a pretty number, either. I held up one hand and saw 5 fingers and thought, "Oh my gosh, in five years I will be having my 89th birthday"

Time just seems to fly by now. It won't take 5 years to pass...it will be just in a flash.

I think of someone (I've been observing these older folks, you see) that someone that is 89 or 90 is pretty much nursing home material. Five years... oh durn.

And, then I pulled myself up by the bootstrap and said, "Well, what are you gonna do with the next five years, dummy. Sit there and moan about it".

No, I will not!!!! I will fill my days with as much fun and enjoyment as I can. 

       I am not old. My body may think so but my desires and wishes are as young as a twenty year old. Well, maybe make that 30  50 year old. Stick around and see what I am up to next. I dare you!! (hehe)

                         Thank you Robert Frost for that inspiration!

The Christmas Wreath Laying

The tradition of placing Christmas wreaths on graves of our fallen military is a very moving event. I attended the placement the first year after my husband passed away in 2011. Since then I have waited until the crowds thin out and I can have my moments of peace to visit with my loved ones.

On the road to the cemetery I pass this beautiful, peaceful lake. It gives me such a sense of God's presence, of His being in control.

I am joining with Mersad's My Town Shootout.