My Grama's Soul

I chose the above picture today because that little structure looks so alone and forlorn in that beautiful field of lavender. Same with the hollyhocks...all alone in the above garden.  I feel that there was once a thriving blogging community that blogged for the mere sake of posting something uplifting or beautiful or sharing a bit of useful information.   In my opinion, that seems to have been put by the wayside and replaced by Facebook or Twitter or some other social media platform. I truly miss all the blogs that seem to have disappeared from the net.   Do any of you agree with me on this? I have always been of the opinion that old things are the best things.  I guess that includes people too!! haha Just me spouting off...as usual. (o: Jo

I certainly don't do as much Christmas decorating as I used to when I was younger.  In fact, since my son passed Christmas is always a bittersweet time for our family.   But this year it has been easier to get in a festive mood, so we got out all the old Christmas things and tried to use them in new ways.  The above wreath is decorated with clear bulbs that my sweet grandson and I tie-dyed to be pink in color.  They turned out lovely and I was able to use them in this old wreath.  I have it mounted on an old bird stand and it is proudly displayed in our living room. Our tree is only about three and a half feet tall and it sits on a desk and the end of our main room in the house.  My sweet sister in law gave me a Christmas book a few years back with all kind of handmade papers and cards.  This year I took it apart and used it to decorate my little tree.   When you retire ...

Hi dear friends.  This is a photo of me on my 70th birthday.  It was taken at a dinner in celebration of same.  I'll soon be 71 and of course should have spoken out about this little issue earlier.   Why is it that in today's society that once you are past 60 or 65 you suddenly become invisible.  Your opinion seem to no longer matter, your visibility all but goes into a closet and any  thing of new  interest always seems to be about the young.  I know.....we have had our "time in the sun" so to speak...but we still have ideas and comments to contribute to the world. I follow a number of different media sources and rarely are the older folks even mentioned.  We are still here and we still are interested in design, beauty, art, culture, reading, making a living, cooking, people, travel.....just to name a few things...and the list could go on and on.  Oh.....didn't even MENTION politics!!! Often times...even...

O.K......I admit it, I have started reading the obituaries in our daily paper.  I think people can be separated into two groups.....those that do.....and those that don't.  I'm a do....and actually enjoy doing this little task daily. I come across old friends I've lost track of over the years.  Old neighbors from long, long ago and many, many other interesting people. In fact, there are quite a few I really wish I would have known while they were alive. There was an article in today's Wall Street Journal about the writing of  "obits"..and how some people actually "TELL THE TRUTH" about the one's who have passed.  You know the one's....who are tightwads, selfish, quarrelsome, nasty....the list could go on forever.  However, in the majority of "obits" the loved one is KING OR QUEEN FOR A DAY and most of us leave it at that. I'm actually thinking of writing my own "obit" before I pass....that way...

Goodness....I have not posted in over a month.  This one will have lots of pics so be prepared.  (O: I was not sure if I was ready to celebrate this year as Christmas day was the last day I saw my son alive....but I know Scott would want me to celebrate the day even though he is somewhere else....hopefully....having his own celebration!!! These old clear bulbs turned into the ones in the shots above.   Still loved the bulbs as they are plastic and unbreakable but wanted to make them a color so took paint and made that happen.   I have used the same decorations now for sometime....just remaking them into something new.   We did not put up a big tree this year as I was just not up to the task...but as you can see I spread little things here and there though the house. The leather photo album in this picture is over 100 years old.  It contains pictures of my aunt, my mom and my grandmother and grandfath...

Oh my....it has been forever since I have been here in blogland....... Just sharing an inexpensive little something in decorating today.   My dearest  friend has one of these..... At least I think Robert is a Macaw and not a Parrot....anyway...she has had him for over 15 years.  Did you know these birds can live like 80-90 years or so?  As you can tell, Robert has beautiful multi-colored feathers.  My beautiful friend has been saving all his tail feathers after he molts and she was gracious to share them with me as she knows how much I love ALL COLOR.   I used them in a floral arrangement for the 4th of July....but they were so very pretty I did not want to pack them away.  So.......I figured out how I can enjoy them during this hot AZ summer to add a jolt of color to this colorful house of ours. This is a ZZ Plant  have at my front door....just a little burst  of color to make me smile when I come home. ...

My friend, Lainey, is one heck of a gardner!!!  She had to leave town unexpectedly this week to drive to Wyoming; before she left she told me to go pick tomatoes as she didn't want the birds to get all of them.  So......I did!! The lemons are ours from our tree out back.  We have been harvesting them for months.  LOL LOL Anyway, I make tons of homemade salsa so these tomatoes are going to be used for this as well as some homemade spaghetti sauce. I'm only growing a few herbs and some easy veggies in our garden out back...since I seem to be a little intimidated to grow REAL VEGETABLES as I call them.   Mint, basil and oregano But.....visiting her garden today inspired me to buy one tomato plant and some cilantro.  I don't know if it is too late to plant the tomato but I'm going to plop it in with my flowers and see what happens. I'll keep you posted! (O: Jo

Years ago, while visiting my beautiful aunt Ruth...we were talking about my blog.  She asked me why I began blogging and I replied something to the effect that I really didn't know.  She piped in with this reply..."I know why....you need to let the world know YOU WERE HERE".   After thinking about this a while....I believe that is the correct assumption. Perhaps....that is the only thing a blog is..an invitation for others to see that you existed and really lived. If one does not have an extended family..... who is there to tell your story?  With that in mind I have decided to create a collage of my life.   Pictures and cards of where I have lived and where I have traveled. Sweet cards from friends who really mattered....and beautiful cards I have picked up along the way. Oh...I know....when I die this will probably end up on the junk pile or in some second hand shop somewhere...but for now I will work on this little...