peaceful sunday

Hello and happy Sunday! If there's one positive thing I can say about early morning, it's that the sunrises through the bare tree branches are spectacular. They only last a few minutes, but at least it brings a smile to my face first thing in the morning as I raise the blinds and greet a new day.

I'm purposely having a peaceful day today, as this weekend was actually a little busy with errands, visiting with a friend (one in my COVID bubble), cooking and housework. And my next couple of days are busy with contractors coming to give estimates and taking Clem to the vet. (More on that later.) It was nice to enjoy a leisurely breakfast with the Sunday paper. I normally drink jasmine green tea in the morning, but once a week of so, I enjoy a cup of coffee. My tummy can't handle coffee every day anymore. Breakfast today was my usual: overnight oats with fresh fruit, toasted walnuts and pecans, raw pumpkin seeds, a little flax meal and hemp hearts, a smidgen of pure maple syrup, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. 

Yoga is part of my everyday routine, even if I only have time to just do a few stretches and poses. Otherwise, I enjoy doing Yoga with Adriene. She has so many choices, including gentle ones. I bring the video up on my phone and cast to the TV in the living room. Monkey loves when I do yoga, for whatever reason. See him waiting for me? He walks all around me, purring, rubbing up against me and sometimes even trying to climb on my body. Clementine's in one of her usual spots - lying on the heater vent under the table. Poor baby is always cold in the winter. I just ordered her a heated cat bed from Amazon.

A short journaling prompt for the day...it's called 12-6-3-1 and was designed by my First Best Friend, Cin, who is a poet. Sit in a quiet place and take a few deep breaths. Maybe light a candle. Just let your mind and body relax. Write down 12 words that come to you. They can be any kind of words...how you feel, what you see out the window, what is on your mind. You don't want to overthink this. When you have your 12 words, look them over and then whittle the list down to six of those words - whichever words jump out at you. Keep them in the order which you first wrote them. From the six words, choose three words that resonate with you. Again, in order which they were written. From those three words...choose one. What's behind that final word for the day?

I am still in love with this writer's medic bag from Galen Leather that Brian gave me for Christmas. The leather is so soft and buttery and gently worn, and the case unfolds to hold notebooks and journals and pens and all kinds of other materials a writer might need.

Even though it's a peaceful, relaxing day, general house upkeep has to be done. Seems like the laundry is never-ending around here, even with just the two of us. Brian produces a lot of laundry between his workout clothes, work uniforms, and everyday wear. This is just two days worth of laundry for us.

Clementine found her afternoon napping spot on top of some warm-from-the-dryer laundry. Speaking of her previously and taking her to the vet...I've mentioned in earlier posts that she has kidney disease. It's quite common in cats, especially as they get older. She is young to have it though. She was diagnosed over two years ago when she was 9-10 years old. Her illness has progressed to where she now goes to the vet twice/week for subcutaneous fluids. At her last visit, the vet detected what he called a "significant" heart murmur. She's having a chest x-ray tomorrow after her fluids. She also had blood tests done last week to check on the progression of her kidney disease. I have a feeling the news all around isn't going to be good. Fortunately, she doesn't act sick at all yet. She's still very spunky and playful as usual, eats all her food, and uses the litter box. Of course, if things change and she starts showing any signs of distress and/or suffering, we know we have to do the right thing and give her a compassionate end to her life. In the meantime, it breaks my heart to think about it and I am relishing every moment spent with her. When she cuddles in my lap and purrs, I let her stay there for as long as she wants.

Monkey has found his afternoon nap spot, too.

And so have I. The winds are howling, the sky is gray; the guest bed, a warm blanket, and a good book (Hamnet) beckons.

I hope that you're having a peaceful, relaxing Sunday, as well.
💓

mid-march around comfy house

The sunrises this time of year have been glorious. Our front door faces east and has a beveled glass window, so when the sun comes up, it casts interesting shadows in the living room.

It's still cold here with scattered snow showers. No new signs of spring since I last reported seeing lilies and daffodils coming out of the ground. If you don't find spring outside, you can always bring it in.

I had my annual physical this morning and afterwards grabbed a souffle and coffee for breakfast at the nearby Panera. While driving in the back of the building, I could see the Norge Ski Jump sticking way up above the houses, so I decided to drive a few blocks to see the entire jump. I have a friend who lives in this area and she took me to see the jump a few years ago, but I wanted to experience it again. Of course, a photograph doesn't do it justice. It's amazing to see in person. It's huge! One hundred sixty feet into the air, to be precise. This year, the Norge Ski Jump was home to three members of the US Olympic ski jumping team.

I tried my hand at making biscuits this afternoon. I found the recipe in the Cook's Illustrated All-Time Best Spring Recipes magazine. As most of you know, I love to cook and bake, but confession time: I'm not that great with making things such as biscuits, breads, and pie crusts. These didn't rise very high, but I don't think they were supposed to since they were cream biscuits. I wasn't too sure about them when I first saw how they turned out, but I had one with some raspberry jam and - my goodness! - it was delicious.

 When I saw beautiful light purple flowers used in vignettes around Mary Alice's beautiful home, I found out they were Statice - a very popular "filler" flower that also make great dried arrangements. I found a darker variety at Trader Joe's and divided them up in various places around my house. I love that they are inexpensive and will still be pretty when they dry out.

I was surprised to see the bunch in the spare room developing little white blooms. Guess it's because they're by a sunny window. It made me smile to discover the new blooms when I walked into the room. Sometimes it's the small things that make life a little sweeter.

Well, this crazy Jade plant sure isn't a little thing! I'm glad it was so healthy, but it obviously was in need of a good pruning for aesthetic reasons. Some of the limbs were so heavy, they were falling over.I looked up information online, plus watched a few youtube videos, but I was still nervous. A few days ago, I decided just bite the bullet and do it.

Ta-da! Much healthier and bonsai-looking, which is what I wanted. 

And I now have six Ball jars filled with jade plant cuttings. I am waiting until the weather gets warm enough where I can go outside and plant these cuttings in little pots of soil. 

Since Daylight Savings time is here and it now doesn't start getting dark until 7 PM (hallelujah!), it's nice to be able to take a walk after dinner while the sun is still out. Passing by the creek down the street, we were happy to see Mr. and Mrs. Duck and a pair of Canada geese both taking a swim.

Until next time, have a lovely rest of the week!