Monday, February 24, 2020

Rainbows, Flowers, and Stitches

Hello,
  Today, I am going to show you my rainbows. Many years ago, my family lived on an Air Force Base in Germany. My mamma went to the Crystal Factory on one of her trips with the women of the church, and she brought back several crystals for us to put in our windows. I still have the one that she gave me, and I have a few others that I purchased through the years. These crystals create wonderful rainbows during the afternoon hours. Actually, they only show the rainbows at a certain time of the afternoon, usually between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. in the kitchen window at my house. That is the time that the sun is coming perfectly through the window to cast the beams through the crystals. 

     


The crystal on the left is the one from Germany. This crystal is around 50 years old. It is still wonderful. 






The crystal on the right is one that I bought at a craft fair about ten years ago. It works just as well as the one from Germany!




     My grandchildren LOVE the rainbows! When they were much younger, they tried to 'catch' them all. Now, they understand that they cannot catch them, but they enjoy running over to each one and 'putting' them on their face or their hands, etc. 
  
     Here is a picture that I took a few years ago of my oldest granddaughter with a rainbow on her nose!

The following pictures are of all of the rainbows that were beaming through the house a couple of weeks ago. Some are on the wall, some are on the floor, some are all the way into the next hallway, and some even went into another room! These rainbows are projected straight across from the window to the a wall/door of the kitchen.

These rainbows show how the extra facets of the crystal break up the rainbows and shoot them in a sideways direction into the breakfast room.






This beautiful, bright rainbow is on the wall right in front of the window.


This big, light colored rainbow is all the way out into the hallway.
The small one that looks like fire is in the closet of a bedroom that is pretty far away from the kitchen window! It is right next to the big, light one.


This view is of the same light colored rainbow, just a few minutes apart.

I love my rainbows, because they remind me so much of my sweet mamma and the wonderful, loving times that we shared together. My mamma was one of the most loving and giving people you could ever meet. I miss her so much.

  I also have some new pictures of my pansies, violas, and other porch flowers. They are thriving. 

This first picture is of one of the big planters with pansies, violas, and heather. My two heather plants have gone completely away multiple times, since the summer. There was nothing left of them but brittle, brown stems each time. I almost dug them up! Right now, they are in the best shape ever! They are just big, and blooming, and waving in the wind!

These Pansies are in the planter that the little squirrel loves. Some days, there is a big hole in the corner, where the squirrel has either hidden a pecan or come to retrieve a pecan. The bottom corner is bare of flowers, because that is where the squirrel puts his 'stash'.
The flowers don't seem to mind a bit!




Here is my pink geranium that has lived since the summer. It has gone away and come back multiple times! I decided to plant some violas and pansies in with it, so that the geranium peeks out at you! My other geranium did the same thing for a while. It finally went completely away, though, and I had to dig it up.

All of the flowers even survived the recent 'freeze' that we had one night. I took all of these pictures on the afternoon that the 'big freeze' was predicted. Thankfully, the temperature didn't get down as low as predicted. In Savannah, we do not get the type of 'freezes' that you get in more northern locations. 😃


Luckily, pansies are very strong and can endure the cold weather. The geraniums, heather, and violas also survived the cold night. This planter is on the far corner of the porch. The squirrel doesn't bother this one!

  


Here is my basket of violas! I also added a couple of pansies to it.


This big planter is the second big one on the porch. It is loaded with beautiful violas, intermingled with the pansies and heather. 

     Upon the recommendation of my 'stitchy' cousin, I have been watching YouTube videos on cross stitching. There is a channel called Flosstube that has all different types of cross stitch shows. I found a few that I enjoy, and I am watching those a lot! 

     There is one lady who does really intricate work. She is from Ukraine, but she lives somewhere else now. Some of her videos are in her native language, but she also does some in English. Even the ones in Russian are fun to watch, though, because her work is so marvelous. Her channel is called Cross Stitch with Luda. If you enjoy watching videos about cross stitching, I would recommend that you find her. 

     I also found two guys who are very entertaining. Their channel is called Married With Stitches. These two guys definitely put on a good show. They are so sweet and kind, and they love to cross stitch. They also dye a lot of fabrics. Their little trademark is to drink a new kind of tea in each session, to use a new cup each time, and to eat a new type of candy or snack in each session. They are so funny. Many people who watch them now send them things, such as homemade jelly, candy, crafts, etc. as gifts for them. 
     I just found a new video channel to watch. It is called Stitching Kitchn. (Yes, that is the correct spelling of kitchen.) The lady in the videos is really funny, while also being extremely helpful and instructional. 

  My cousin sent me a couple of simple patterns that will help me begin my cross stitch journey. It has been around 30 years since I did a lot of cross stitching. The main reason I stopped is that my eyes are not like they once were. Also, I was working a very high stress type of job and didn't have time to do anything for myself. It may take me a while to get back to my former skill level, however, I am determined to get started. I went out to the craft stores this weekend and got the thread and fabric that I will need to start the projects. That was a lot of fun, so I am on the way!
      Have a great day!


Thursday, February 13, 2020

Following a Tradition of Women in the Church

     Good morning! I am trying out a different font today, and making it larger. My eyes have trouble reading small fonts, and I thought that maybe others also have that trouble. There are some blogs that I have been trying to read, but the fonts are too small for my eyes. 
     My mamma was always a member of the United Methodist Women (UMW) at our church, as were my Granna and my aunt. This organization means a lot to me. Before my family church was closed, I became a member of our UMW. Then, I became the president and tried to keep the unit going. This group of women meant a lot to me. I am now attending a new church, and I am serving as president this year. I have also taken on the office of Secretary for our District. My mamma was a District Treasurer for many years, so I am once again following in her footsteps as a District officer. 
     The UMW is a wonderful group of women who focus on Missions and helping others. As a young girl, I couldn't wait to become old enough to join a "Circle", as the groups used to be called. Actually, the organization was once called the Women's Society, but the goals were the same - helping women and children through missions. The story of the founders is a great one. Six women were determined to help young girls in India to become educated and to receive good medical care. Two women, whose husbands were missionaries to India, began the whole process of raising funds to help girls in India. It all started on "a dark and stormy night", as the story goes. There is a little skit that has been written about the women who began to organize the Women's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in 1869. The story is awe inspiring, and the skit is done in a fun and informative way. 
     Our Methodist denomination has evolved over the years from  Methodist Episcopal, to Methodist, and finally into the United Methodist Church, after joining with the United Brethren Church in 1968. One thing that has remained constant, however, is the women of the church and their dedication to helping others. I have added a link here that will take you to the skit about the beginnings of United Methodist Women. I think you will enjoy reading it. The skit is really fun to perform, with the audience participation and sound effects! I hope you enjoy it!
https://wnccumw.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Skit-That-Handful-of-Women.pdf 
     This past week, the UMW unit of my church had a Soup Sale. We do this twice a year. As always, the money earned goes straight to support missions throughout the U.S. and the world. Many of our members choose a soup that they would like to make, and we take orders from our members. I made about 12 quarts of vegetable beef soup this time, and I took 10 to church. I enjoy cooking and baking, and I love soup!  Usually, I do not have any leftover to taste! I made ten quarts of chicken noodle at our last sale, and it all went to the church. This time, however, I had enough leftover to keep about two bowlfuls. YUM! 
      For two mornings this week, I got outside early and took a morning bike ride. Getting out early like that helped me to feel refreshed and helped me to be more productive throughout the day. It was nice to be outside with nature and to enjoy the sunshine, the quiet, the peacefulness, and the calmness of the morning hours. On Tuesday, I went about 3 1/2 miles around the neighborhood. Yesterday, I rode 5 1/2 miles! I ride very slowly, but I really enjoy it. Today's sky looks gray and rainy, so I m glad that I got some long rides done early in the week! My tricycle gets me where I need to go, and it keeps me safe and healthy. It is nice to be able to stop and rest when I need to do that. With a three wheeled bike, it is possible to just stop and keep sitting, without having to get off the bike and stand. I saw a lot of azaleas and camellias beginning to bloom. Savannah is very beautiful in the spring, when all of the azaleas are in bloom. The whole city is a sea of pink! I will be sure to post some pictures of the beautiful azaleas!
     I took pictures of some of our awesome overhanging trees and Spanish Moss yesterday. I just couldn't help trying to capture their beauty! Here is one of the pictures that I took. There are many more streets with bigger trees, so I will take more pictures on my next ride. We have many wonderful, and very old, trees in our beautiful city. They are a sight to behold!
I will see you again soon. Have a great day!


Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Watching Birds and Slowing Down to Smell the Roses!

Hello,
      A couple of weeks ago, I saw an amazing sight! My son was with me in my front yard. He looked up and said, "There is a Bald Eagle!!" Sure enough, there were TWO Bald Eagles flying over our neighborhood. We both looked up in amazement, as we saw the white heads of those awesome birds. Their head color was a tell-tale sign that they were indeed Bald Eagles!  My son said, "They are a mating pair flying home!" There are many Bald Eagles in my area, but I have never seen one flying in the air like that. My son  often sees them, when he is out in the ocean on his boat. They live high in the trees in some of the watery areas, on the islands around Savannah. Adam said that these two birds were probably flying back to their nest over by one of the parkways that lead to the island. I have never, ever seen a Bald Eagle in the wild. I have seen them in cages at a nature refuge, but not in the wild. This sight was amazing. They were just gliding through the air on their way home! 
     That same day, a big Hawk was flying over the houses in the neighborhood. I have noticed that Hawk a lot recently. This season must be the time for all birds to be making their nests for new life to arrive. Even in my backyard, there is a mating pair of Mockingbirds. We found their nest by accident. There are many vines that grow on my house and on my garage. We have been trying to take down some of the vines on the garage that have gotten really out of hand. Adam was working on one of these vines on this particular day, and he noticed a very flimsy nest that had been in some of the vines. I am hoping that it was an old one, and not the one that they had been making! Then, we saw two Mockingbirds hopping around in the backyard. They weren't even afraid of us! I saw one in the yard again yesterday, so they must be making a new nest somewhere.
     I have quite a few trees around my house, along with the vines. There is a Pecan tree in the backyard, and there are several Crepe Myrtle trees there. The squirrels always get to the pecans before they are ready to eat. I also have a Pecan tree in the front yard. Although this tree is around thirty years old, the pecans are not yet ready to eat. They are still in the young stage, as far as eating size. The pesky little squirrels get to them, eat a hole in the top, and throw them down on the ground!  So, we don't have many to even try to eat! As I ride my bike, I see many types of blooming trees. There are a lot of Tulip trees in the neighborhoods of Savannah. The pink blooms on these trees are beautiful!
     I have a porch full of Pansies and Violas right now. I love them! (The pesky squirrels like to hide their pecans in my planters, though!) Every now and then I go outside and see a big hole in a planter or two! Luckily, the flowers don't seem to mind, and they keep growing! My Daddy had a pretty red Rose bush at his house, and my son took a cutting from it. When Adam planted the Rose bush at my house, it outgrew and out-bloomed the original Rose bush! How about that! It is still in front of my house, waiting on its time to bloom again this year.
     So, retirement life is helping me to learn how to slow down and smell the roses, as the expression goes! It is taking me a while to truly enjoy not having to do anything, without feeling guilty. I don't know if I have Southern Guilt, or just plain Female Guilt about things. It is a habit that we Southern women seem to have. We always believe that we must be doing something for our family or for someone - ANYONE! ha! Is it a Southern thing? Oh well, whatever it is...I have it! 
     I took a nice long bike ride this morning, just to get out and about before it got too hot. Our weather is so crazy these days. It is winter cold one day, spring the next day, summer one day, and then it goes back to winter! My bike riding time has been adjusted to the weather! I got really hot on the ride today. As I was getting close to home, I noticed dark clouds looming in the sky that were not there when I started out! So, we must be expecting rain later today. Or, the weather may just be trying to fool us! Whatever the case may be, I suppose the clouds are the reason the air got so muggy during my ride.
     Savannah is known for having a lot of really smothering humidity, and some days can be really uncomfortable. However, I will take our weather over SNOW any day! I have lived with snow. Driving in the snow is not so fun. Being cold all the time is not so fun. Building snowmen, sledding with the children, and playing with snowballs are fun things to do. Those activities can be nice, for a day or so. Yes, snow is pretty to look at, for a day or so. After that, it is nice when the snow melts away! HA! Give me the beach, the sunshine, and the warmth any old day!  I love it!!
     So, go outside and watch the birds. Go outside and smell the flowers. I promise you that doing these things will make you feel good and give you a great start to your day!!

Friday, February 7, 2020

Just Slow Down (and ride)

It is now eight months into my retirement, and I still have trouble slowing down. Actually, it is hard not to feel guilty about not having to rush to do everything. I have to learn that it is perfectly okay for me to sit down and do something for myself, without feeling as though I must jump up and rush out of the house. I must also learn that it is okay just to stay home and mill around the house doing whatever I like. 
     I do enjoy being at home. I was never able to be home when my children were growing up, so I suppose I still feel guilty about that. They tell me that they turned out just fine, and they know I had to work, so I should feel better about it. I was a single parent raising two children. More often than not, I had two (sometimes three) jobs just to keep us afloat. My work life spread out over a period of forty years, so now it is time to learn how to have a calm and somewhat carefree life. 
     One thing that I do enjoy is riding my tricycle. Yes, I have a three wheeled bike, and it is awesome! It is bright pink, has a big seat, and there is a basket on the back. I can go as slow as I want, without any fear of falling. When it is time to stop, I can just sit on the bike and not even have to get off or put my feet down. Since I have some pesky leg and balance issues, this bike is a wonderful thing to have. My long rides are between 4 and 5 miles. The short rides are just 1 or 2 miles. I like riding, rather than walking, because I feel safer. I can go farther in the neighborhood. If I feel tired, I can just stay seated and rest. Also, I get home quicker by riding than walking. Riding a 3 wheeler is not as tiresome as walking can be, either. My brother gave me a pink bell that is on there. I also have a pink bag tied on that holds my ID and insurance cards, phone, keys, and anything else that might fit in there!

     Before my sister lost her battle with cancer, she bought a bike like mine. It is green. Her hope was to get out and ride once in a while, when she felt good enough. Alas, she never did get to use her bike. She was too sick, and she went to heaven.      
     My brother-in-law gave the bike to my cousin, who lives only a mile from me. A few months ago, I started riding over to her house to get her out and about. She has a lot of physical issues, too, and the bike is a good thing for her. The first day we rode, she could barely ride 2 blocks. We have gone off and on since then. Sometimes, she goes by herself.  Now, she can ride 2 miles at a time! Isn't that awesome!
     Cross stitching used to be a good hobby of mine. That was back in the day when life was much simpler, my children were young, and I was living a much calmer life. Now that I am retired and not as busy, the craft of cross stitching is calling to me. I have had a hard time finding things in the stores to buy for my craft, though. One of my cousins is really good at cross stitching, and she has told me about some YouTube videos and Facebook pages about the craft. So, I am going to check out all of the places she told me about and start stitching again!
     I am trying to find my joy again. Slow and easy wins the race. I must remind myself of that, when I am too hard on myself about things. It is okay to slow down. It is okay to do things in my own time. It is okay not to do everything in one day or all at once. It is okay. It is okay.
     My front porch is full of pansies and violas! Home Depot had some pretty flowers, so I bought a bunch of them. I planted them in the cold, but they are doing well. My grandmother's name was Pansy, so that flower is extra special to me. The violas look like baby pansies, and they add an extra touch to the porch! 

 My heather plants are still alive and kicking. I planted these back in the summer. They keep dying, becoming bare and brown, but then they start blooming again!! 
So, I put the pansies and violas in the planters with them!!


     











I have one pink geranium left from the summer that has bloomed again. It came out the day that I bought the pansies, so I put some in the pot with it and left it peeking out!



Many years ago, I had a wonderful vegetable garden. That was when I lived in Tennessee and had a really big yard. Maybe I will grow tomatoes or something next summer. I do have a potato vine growing in the backyard. Instead of putting a few potatoes in the trash can to 'stink it up', I put them in the ground until trash pickup day.  They quickly sprouted a vine, so I just left it there! It is a pretty vine, and there is a new potato sticking out of the ground now. How about that! haha
     Well, I will stop for now. I hope to be a regular writer of my blog from now on. I do enjoy writing, so that is another thing that I am going to start doing again for myself. I hope you all have a wonderful day!