I collect words. Declutter and simplify. Those words are thrown around everywhere right now. There are people who make a living showing us how to declutter, simplify and organize. I'm not one to jump on a fad wagon, but the urge to get rid of things has been pretty strong lately, especially things that I have been storing for a long time and haven't even looked at, let alone used. You know, those beautiful nick-nacks that I plan to display when I have company, but rarely come out of the box. How about the duplicate items that "I might use some day"? I just have too much stuff. As I looked around at what I wanted to sell or get rid of, I realized that there are few things that mean enough to me to matter. I would rather sell them than hang on to them. If there was a fire in my house, the things I would mourn the loss of most would be the family heirlooms and the photos. I really don't have "collections" of things, except plants. I have plants all over my house. If offered the right price, the few collector's items I have would go in a heartbeat. Another interesting thing I realized about myself is while most people collect things - plates, spoons, various … [Read more...]

Late again! I know Mother's Day was yesterday. No matter what my true intentions are, I'm chronically three to five minutes late in getting somewhere, and at times a day late or a dollar short when it comes to acknowledging special days and events. My husband says he knows how I LIKE to do things, but it's not that I LIKE to do things that way. Normally it has to do with trying to get too much done in too little time. I digress... Anyway, I really wanted to say something about being a mother and what Mother's Day represents to me. There is nothing that compares to being a mother, and no feeling that bonds two people together as fully as the parent-child relationship. When I said that to my daughter, she said children change your life forever. They really do. And all the changing diapers, wiping snotty noses, kissing scraped knees, washing dirty faces, helping with homework, setting curfews, checking up on their friends and the challenges that come with raising them is well worth it. A child can melt your heart when she looks at you with love, completely forgetting she was so angry with you earlier in the day that she screamed for what seemed like forever, and then gives you a … [Read more...]

Tell me what Easter means to you.               … [Read more...]

Finding the right words is a challenge today, as I spent the majority of my work day learning bookkeeping at the Home Depot where I work. The trainer is good, and I am catching on fast, but it is draining on the brain. I am now at home browsing through the photos I took on Monday and the words to accompany them are stuck somewhere in the fog that's left in my head. Words like awe, or wow, or cool, or peace. Not for the photos themselves, but for the subjects in them. I took my mom to the University of Minnesota Arboretum in Chanhassen, where we spent the majority of our time in the gardens behind the main building. In one area, lantana lines one side of the walk squaring off against the huge dahlias on the other a little farther down. The butterflies, hummingbirds, bees and other insects were enjoying the bright colors and wonderful scents as much as Mom and I were. I sank to the asphalt path and poised my camera toward the lantana, searching through the lens for split seconds of stillness to capture. The wind was blowing, and the hummingbirds flitted so quickly it was difficult to get a shot of one in the air. I finally got one after we moved to the dahlias, but it … [Read more...]

What is peace of mind? Why do some people have it and others don't? That question has been around as long as people have, but a quote posted by Healthy Holistic Living peels back all the layers and gets to the core. Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be. - Wayne W. Dyer Peace of mind, like happiness, comes from within. No matter what is going on around us, we determine how we look at the circumstances. Yes, things hurt, and yes they can derail our plans. But it is up to us to choose whether they derail us and rob us of our peace.? Thanks for the reminder. My peace has been slowly disintegrating, and my way of looking at the world has changed a bit. There is little I can do about the physical changes I am going through, but there is plenty I can do about how I view the changes. Nature and beauty feeds my soul. I can stop to absorb the soul food when I'm outside, which I am a lot. Being grateful for the bountiful blessings God has given me always brings peace. I can make sure I don't forget to be grateful. Especially when the money I earn pays the bills and little more. The roof needs work, and … [Read more...]

Sometimes I really wish I could just stay home to work in my garden and write. Then I get a customer who really appreciates my help and my knowledge of gardening, lawns and landscaping... I really like working in the garden center at Home Depot. One of the many blessings of my job, besides the great customers and co-workers, is the creatures that visit the gorgeous plants we have. When I water early in the day, the birds greet me with their morning song, and when I water in the evening, the hummingbird moths gather around the flowers, especially the azaleas. The first time I saw a hummingbird moth was in Kentucky or Tennessee. It was early morning and I had no clue what this flying striped body was. It flies like a hummingbird in about three-quarter time, and the wings are smaller in proportion to its body. The body is shaped like a moth, but the wings flap so quickly, they streak the air with color. Last week, I was watering the perennials and petunia hanging baskets under the shade mesh and one of the moths started flitting from flower to flower, sticking its long skinny tongue into the flowers to collect nectar. I felt privileged to observe, slowed the water and … [Read more...]