The kindness of relative strangers!!

I mentioned to a very nice young lady a couple of weeks ago that I was gluten-intolerant--she's a sales rep for a natural foods distributor. She brought me some WONDERFUL gluten-free items--made by Shabtai-Gourmet--and they are FABULOUS!!! You cannot tell that they have no wheat or gluten in them. I am going to work hard to get them distributed in Oklahoma--principally at Akin's. They are THAT good that it is worthwhile trying to get them locally. So...hence the title Kindness of Relative Strangers. It is also inspiring me to come up with some more random acts of kindness--I LOVE those!!! It is pretty easy to do kind things for those you love and know...and also easy to not do them for those you love and know. So I'm going to make an effort to be kinder to my family and friends as well as people I don't know. And I'm going to try to blog every day!!! That's going to be my random act of kindness to myself.

Where does the time go???

Oh, MAN!! It's been TWO months since I've blogged. Well, some things have been going on and I just feel like doing it. We went to Rochester Minnesota to the Mayo Clinic to get Lucy checked out. She's had "stuff" going on all her life. She still has a little going on but all in all, she's in pretty good shape IF IF IF she takes care of herself--but then, that's true most likely of all of us. I've just been diagnosed with Celiac Disease--which means I can nothing made from wheat, rye or barley, no beer, no rye whiskey, no donuts, no bread, no onion rings etc. LOTS of stuff has gluten in it, which is the thing in wheat/rye/barley that my body has an autoimmune reaction to. But i haven't found it too awful so far. I FEEL sooooo much better!!! I'm no longer immensely tired, my stomach no longer aches, I no longer have to know where every bathroom in the country is (unless that is, I eat...GLUTEN!!!). Lucy is most likely gluten-sensitive--she does not have celiac NOW but does carry the genes for it.

After getting back from the cool weather in Minnesota to the hot hot hot summer heat/humidity of Oklahoma we had to get her ready to move to Stillwater to go to college. That has been AWFUL. It's time for her to get out and have a place of her own, but it's hard to let 'er go!! I'll miss her, I've had kiddoes for 35 years so this is something way new for me. She's been snarling at me, I've been snarling at her, her dad has just stayed away from it all but it's been AWFUL. I'm sure we have all kinds of emotions going on, she's ready to get out there, I'm ready to get her out there, but I'm also going to miss her a lot!! It seems like just YESTERDAY that she was running around in a diaper with my nightgown draped over her like a little princess. I keep telling myself that just a few generations ago a "girl" ("woman"???) her age would have been married for several years and most likely would have kids of her own. BIZARRO!!! I cannot imagine that for her. And she told me that when she got out of college she's going to move to San Francisco!!! My gawd--that's a LONG way off!!! That made me even sadder. OH, well, time flies and then you grow up, and your kids grow up. It's not sad... not really...I keep telling myself that...it's natural, but I'm still sad. Where is my baby??? She was just here a few minutes ago...or was that really a few years??? Wow. Anyway, I love ya baby, I love all my babies.... and their babies. Time...where does it go?

Fergie--the Duchess of York

I've just finished reading a great book by the Duchess of York. It's called What I know Now and really really spoke to me. Each chapter is short--mostly about 3 pages but each is filled with lots of wisdom and caring. She has learned a lot in her life--she's made many mistakes but has benefitted from them--she took her mistakes and made them into a learning experience, she didn't blame others for her errors, somehow she realized that mistakes are human and that it is important to learn from them so you don't keep making them over and over. She looks within herself, changes that which needs to be changed and has evolved into a very caring woman of depth.

I would love to have an opportunity to meet her and get to know her, but of course, that is not going to happen. But her books can give me a glimpse, and I do plan to read her other ones too.

VIVA LA CHANGE!!!

I've found letting go of some things to be hard, but it's sooooooo nice to have some clearing going on too. I've been watching "Clean House" and I've learned some tips from them although I do find that they MAKE people get rid of some things that it would be "ok" to keep--such as pieces of NICER furniture. My house is nowhere near the houses they show on Clean House so I'm luckier there!!

Letting go is sometimes about more than letting go of things, it's also about letting go of some memories and some people. That's the really hard thing. There are some people I've needed to back away from for my own peace of mind and health. Not all things and people are good for you, just like anything that is edible is not always good for you. And of course, you don't have to give them up for good, just back away for a while and re-evaluate and then taste/see them in small but good quality ways. I let go of my "career" when I retired--and let go of a lot of people there, but I do see SOME of them occasionally. I've found a new wonderful career for myself now, that I love and cherish. So change IS good!! VIVA LA CHANGE!!!!!

Yikes, yikes and YIKES!!!!

Wow, I can't believe it's been a month since I've blogged!! And I FORGOT how to log in also!! I had to really work at it to get logged on. Well, several things have been going on, I've been trying to declutter my house and get it clean--and I ALWAYS seem to fall short on that. I have no organization skills and I have too much stuff!! But I'm letting a lot of it go.

Also my daughter and I are going to the Mayo Clinic next month--we're excited about that. She's had some health "issues" all of her life and we've been trying to get to the bottom of them, and I think we'll get there now. It's been a powerful struggle to get to this point. We're going to try to make it a fun trip too, have some side trips planned--the Mall of America for starters. Then I'd like to go to Mankato to see the Betsy-Tacy houses. If you've not read the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace, you need to. They are great. I was also born in Minnesota so would like to make a "pilgrimage" to my birthplace. (should take a bronze marker and put it on the spot too!!!).

I'm also mulling over a "mission" in my mind. I need one. And i have a couple in mind. It might keep me out of the casino!! NOT!!!

Well, Have fun!!!

Feng Shui and CLUTTER

I took a training course in Feng Shui from my cousin a year or so ago. She's a Master Feng Shui trainer. It was very interesting, although I haven't done too much with it. But I think it's time now to Feng Shui some areas of my house--the front porch in particular. It's very cluttered and messy right now so even if I didn't USE FS on it just cleaning it and clearing it would be beneficial. And I want to move my plants out and repot some of them. My blooming jasmine gave me the urge. It's time to trim it and try to propagate it, and repot it. And since it's spring it's time for that ole major spring cleaning!!! I'm not very good at that but I REALLY need to do it.

Now for the second topic--Clutter!! I've been wondering what makes people collect things?? I do collect some things--dolls, books--although I've been weeding those out, anything to do with Paris or France. My husband collects pottery. Is it the love of the game of searching pieces out?? I know that sometimes after I've acquired something I've REALLY wanted that I lose interest in it. So...is it REALLY the search for something that we love??I don't like taking care of something after I've gotten it, I don't like to dust it, and I'm afraid that something will happen to it, and I don't like "all that stuff cluttering up my house". Is it that we THINK we NEED to have stuff?? In thinking about my parents' house, for the most part they didn't have clutter OUT where you could see it, but after they died I realized they were "closet clutterers"! They had all kinds of stuff crammed in their closets/basement/attic. Of course, they grew up during leaner times--the depression and WWII, so they saved everything--it might come in handy, we might need it, it's too good to throw out--but they didn't collect anything. They didn't "redecorate" like people do now. They painted and then put their old pictures right back on the wall. This might be one reason why they both left their kids a pretty hefty inheritance!! They didn't spend it on "Home Decor" and redecorate every year with imported stuff from Pier One, Hobby Lobby, Walmart, Target or wherever. In fact they avoided those stores like the plague--except for "necessities" from Walmart and Target--and necessities didn't include home decor!! Oh, well, it's time to get after MY clutter and see if I can send it packing!! I'm ready to Feng Shui the krappe out of here!!

Jasmine blowing through my mind

Well, Dear Blog, it's been a while since I've written. But today I had the sweetest thing happen. I was dusting in my living room and kept smelling something sweet, and that was unusual in itself!! I finally looked at my poor jasmine plant that was wintering over in the dining room and it had a BLOOM on it!! And ONE bloom filled two rooms with a wonderful light delicate scent. I've sadly neglected it the last month or so and it still rewarded me. I'm hoping it is not it's swan song!! I can't wait to get it back outside and repot it and give it some tender loving care, but not TOO much!! It seems to thrive on my neglect. For the most part anyway. Jasmine is such a wonderful scent and is very calming. My friend MG found the most wonderful Jasmine perfume when we were in France at the L'occitane store, fortunately there are some L'occitane stores in the US, or maybe it's not so lucky, we MIGHT have had to go back to France for more!! OOLALA!! I could be packed and ready in 30 minutes!!