My Grama's Soul

When you travel together in a motor home~~you give a very concrete meaning to togetherness. The space is small The amenities are basic You are pretty much together 24/7  Not for the faint of heart....I might add.  LOL LOL LOL I believe if you have a strong union this type of travel will strengthen it and if your union is "iffy" it could shatter it. As you put mile after mile behind you...there is little to do but read, talk, listen to the occasional book on tape and if you are inclined....do some serious introspection; with perhaps an occasional photo op thrown in from time to time.  You'll meet lovely people and visit interesting places...but for the most part it is simply a matter of "Just Being". If one is not comfortable with that..it can make one cranky to say the least. Nothing to keep you company but your companion and the beautiful scenery around you. We were avid boaters before we began traveling in our coach...so the adjustment has been ex...

It is raining today in Petaluma, CA.....so we have chosen to stay right where we are and make this a no travel day.  Every so often we do this so we can catch up with the outside world....you know....e-mails....paying bills....grocery shopping....laundry....phone calls, etc.   The above little corner is our little office on our coach.  We seem to do quite nicely in this small space.  My sweet husband uses his laptop....while I use the larger computer with the screen.  I don't see as well as I used to so having a bigger screen is necessary for me. We also work from this little corner which is our dining table. As you can tell.....I am in love with lanterns....any kind....any shape. I would hang them everywhere from the ceiling if I could. Found the above cloth lanterns in Sonoma....had a wonderful lunch there and found a Fair Trade store that carried these. Well as you can see....all is quiet on the home front.  Just brewed me a little pot of...

I hope you agree!!!! Have a beautiful Monday, JO Sign courtesy....Laurie Ann's  Vintage Home

There is a blog I follow on a regular basis....she is somewhat controversial....which I don't mind.  My belief is that everyone's opinion is valid.   Now.....on with my hissy fit; she recently did a post in which she clearly indicated that she felt posting about one's things or one's lifestyle bordered on BRAGGING!!  Now I ask you dear friends.....how do you feel about this??? I've never been one to blog much about "stuff" but if I find something that I think is particularly relevant to my being....I  will happily purchase the item and incorporate it into my lifestyle.   And.....speaking of lifestyle's......each of us has our own, granted some are more fortunate at times than others....but I do not feel it is in anyway bragging about one's life if you post about it.  We all have trials and tribulations in this life....sometime's we feel free to post.....other times not..but that does not mean our difficulties are non existent.  We simp...

I hope I have not mislead you to believe that I am so busy smelling the flowers....that I never shop along the way. I occasionally run into something that speaks to me and when that happens...if I can find a spot to store it and if it is reasonably priced...I'll simply take it on a ride with us until we return home. Case in point....these wonderful Chinese lanterns I have been seeing everywhere.  I would not find these in my home state of AZ...so when I found them in a little store called FIREFLY I knew they had to come home with me. They fold up like an accordion so it is no problem storing them for the time being. I also purchased the little quilt above.  It is called a JOGI RALLY QUILT.  It means Small Patches, and was handmade by a small group of artisans in India.  I love the color and the design. My wonderful husband of course asked me what in the world I was going to do with those lanterns...and before he could finish the sentence he said "I know, y...

For those of you who camp or motor home.....this post will resonate. When you motor home one must set your internal speedometer at a slower speed.  The above photo is the space we live in while on the road traveling.  Not very large is it?? While working in the coach this morning..this thought occurred to me....one has to do EVERYTHING slower and more deliberate in a motor home.  You only bring along what you absolutely cannot do without....i.e. things you REALLY need for your soul and your survival.  You are always moving something out of the way to find something else....and the something else you are looking for is often hidden in a spot that you cannot for the life of you remember.  Thus....one must be PRESENT while loading your little home away from home or you do not know where anything is. You also must be extremely careful while moving things around because everything is jammed in so tight that things fall out of cabinets very easily.  LO...

I offer you my hand in friendship Given freely~no strings attached Please do not  refuse this small gesture For it is all I have to give You see, I'm on a different journey now Left sadness, sorrow and loss behind My path ahead is straight and narrow My time is now ~ not yesterday ~ not tomorrow I offer you my hand in friendship For it is all I have to give Jo   2011 I wrote the above sometime ago. Have had it in a journal saved for a future time.  Purchased the beautiful hand in a little shop in Ojai. It spoke to me and I think it speaks volumes with my writing.  Hopefully you enjoy it. Gentle hugs, Jo

Nothing beats California for flowers.  Each time we come here from the AZ desert, I cannot get over all the green. Gardener that I am....it does set my heart atwitter.   We have not been to this part of California since 1981....early in our marriage. We stayed in a beautiful little bed and breakfast in the main part of Santa Barbara...it came complete with chocolate on the pillows, a shared bath down the hall and a hot tub in the back yard.  We loved every minute of it.    Now......that whole part of town is one giant MALL.  If you have been to Horton Plaza in San Diego,   you will be able to get the picture here.   I am so disappointed that the city planners allowed this to happen...but I guess the city must grow and survive.  One way to make that happen is to put in a Nordstrom and a Pottery Barn; and several city blocks of various other stores and restaurants. The traffic congestion is horrific and you CANNOT find a place to park ...

I know my post today doesn't sound very exciting....but I do like to see the person on the other end of the blog line occasionally.  Yep....that is me and my wonderful Cavi King Charles, Sophie.  I don't often post personal photos on this blog...but I did want to let you know that there is a face that goes with my blog.  I've recently lost 20 lbs.  and am feeling really great.  I plan on keeping it off....we will see if I am able. We are currently in Ojai, California.  Never been here and it is really beautiful.  The park is at Lake Casitas...here is our view..... One towards the water.......the other Towards the road.  Took a few pics of the Ojai area in town.....will save that for another post. Tomorrow a short drive to Santa Barbara.  Haven't been there in over 30 years...I can only imagine the change. As I mentioned before....while traveling the wi fi is so very difficult that it is almost impossible for me to download everyone'...

No.....this is not the pumpkin...this would be called the raspberry..... No....this is not the pumpkin....this would be called the gum drop..... No......this is not the pumpkin.....this would be called the lemon aid..... This is the pumpkin. This was my Christmas gift this year.  My darling husband asked me what I wanted....and since we needed to change cars for our motor home...I knew what the exact answer would  be. This is my third VW.  My very first car was a "bug" the teal blue color...when they first came out.  I bought and paid for it myself. I had an interim one in lime green called "lightning bug". And now....."the pumpkin"....I told my husband this will be my last car...he laughed.  I love it that I began driving in a VW Bug and I'll probably have my license revoked when I'm too old to drive.....and I'll still be in a  VW BUG.  (O:(O:(O   Heck...I'd even be buried in the thing if they would let me. LOL L...

No truer words were ever spoken. Hugs, Jo Photo: Tumbler

Like many of you, I have worked outside my home most of my life.  When I was working it seems as though I never had time to really take care of myself as I should have; always rushing here, rushing there. To actually sit down and have breakfast with my husband was simply  unheard of.   Now that we have both been retired for sometime, things have changed dramatically.   We sit down every morning with our coffee and the paper and actually have breakfast.  Now it isn't always the perfectly healthy breakfast...but it is breakfast none the less. (O:  It is our time to catch up with the news and talk to one another about our plans for the day.    Even while traveling in our motor home,  we do exactly the same thing .....taking time to enjoy each other's company, catching up with the news and just being calm before  starting the day's business. It is a time we both enjoy. It is a ritual we would not do away with for anything. How d...

Why is it that people have so much trouble just saying "I'm sorry".  Two simple words....that mean so very much.   I've mentioned before that I was raised in an alcoholic home;  and I myself, am a recovering alcoholic.   In my childhood home there was not much apologizing going on.  It was mostly blame and anger.  Make no mistake....that environment leaves its mark. One learn's to apologize for everything, or one learn's to apologize for nothing.  I usually fell into the first category.  I took the blame for most things....whether guilty or not. I was always trying to figure out how I could make something my fault.  Needless to say...that stance does not bode well for one's self esteem. As an adult...I have often fallen back into that old pattern.....always looking at how I have done something wrong...in fact...I would often say "oh, I'm sorry" for nothing at all.  My beautiful husband would often point this out to me saying...I w...

I make it a daily habit of reading my horoscope.  I don't know if I believe what it has to say...but I do enjoy reading it never the less. This was my horoscope a few days ago...and I wanted to share it with all you beautiful bloggers. "Find creative inspiration.  It is not an indulgence so much as a way for you to save the world." That is a mighty tall order to fulfill....SAVING THE WORLD.   After giving this some serious thought....this is the conclusion I came to.  Bloggers.....AS A WHOLE.....are creative....each in our own way.  If you cruise around blogland, you can't help but see all the beauty constantly displayed and written about; and it really doesn't matter how you display this beauty.....it is just there. Whether it be through photographs, writing, art, poems, crafts or just you ~ writing your everyday story; know that you are making this world a better place.   I have always felt that it was the intent behind the action that oftentimes ...