Life

The Deer Ate Them

/ still a dreamer / 2 Comments

Who was it that said “No good deed goes unpunished?” Seems so true on this count! Because I am so behind in getting flowers in pots around the house, I decided a couple of weeks ago to at least buy two big pots of lovely pink, dark-leaved begonias for the edge of my front porch. Left the impatiens behind because I know the deer love `em – begonias not so much. Or so they say.

BegoniasEaten

Looked out yesterday morning to see the begonias had been dragged down two steps and mostly consumed! This means that the deer had to literally come up a step or two to eat them. Now that’s a first! The irony of this is that even though I live “in-town” and am surrounded by farmland, fields, etc. the deer have PLENTY to eat. So they’re just cruisin’ for BegoniasEaten-2candy!

This is no surprise to anyone living in Hunterdon. If I come home late at night, the deer may literally be in the street, sometimes in my driveway. So my begonias are nibbled to the nub, and keeping anything on my front porch is out. Do I care? Nah. Not really. I love the deer – they are such elegant and graceful animals. I know they are considered one step down from vermin by many people out here. Not to me. I just have to be a little smarter than them in where I put my plants when I DO pot them and where the begonias will be recovering in safety.

Vicarious House-Hunting

/ still a dreamer / 2 Comments

Now this was fun! My friend, unfortunately, has to move, as his house has sold and there’s but so much time to be out and into a new place. However, looking at places to buy can be lots of fun for me, as there’s no pressure to pack, move, etc. Been there, done that, 2-1/2 years ago and that was enough to last me quite some time.

house

house3He was looking at a place today in another of the (Delaware) “river towns,” and south of me by a few miles. This Victorian is in-town, needs more TLC than it looks in this photo, and in some cases a lot of work – window pane replacements, wiring upgrades, and so on. But the amount of space is HUGE – so many rooms, and so many windows! (Those boarded up are very tall windows, not easy to replace, and being protected in case anyone has some not-so-good intentions.) The pumpkin pine floors have all been restored and look great. For me, with so much on my plate, the task would be daunting. 

house2It lists as having 4 bedrooms, but actually there are another 2 on the top floor – one is humongous and could hold ballet classes. Kitchen needs a LOT. This couldn’t be the house for me unless it was all done, but I loved looking at it. It’s on a really lovely block where everyone has taken wonderful care of their homes, also mostly Victorian. I know they would all love to see someone take this house and give it the care it deserves.

I found another house for him to look it in another area very close to my town as well – a farm with 6 acres for the same price! Hope I get to see that one, too.

Ahhh – decisions, decisions!  Glad I don’t have to make them!

Pushing Buttons

/ still a dreamer

pushbuttonWe all get our buttons pushed. No doubt we push others’ buttons, too. But what happens when we get our buttons pushed is a variety of emotional reactions, none of which is usually very good.

Getting our buttons pushed can make us angry, afraid, resentful, depressed, withdrawn and so many other feelings. The results in the “real” world are that we behave differently than we did “pre-push.” Most often, when buttons get pushed, they are old buttons .. ones that have a history, and were pushed in the past. Maybe a lot. And when they all happen to get pushed at once? by a lot of people? Well, then things happen. Or don’t.

In my case, I fell off my blog entries. Didn’t feel much like writing. What’s always true, with rare exception, is the button-pushers push everyone’s buttons that way – the button pushing is really their issue and never personal. It often feels personal, though, and can be quite tiring. Will those people change who they are? Chances are, no. Can we do anything about it? Sure! We can bring their behavior to their attention, and if they care enough about us, they may try and adjust it. We can also avoid those people or situations, and if that’s not possible, limit exposure to them. Finding a way to deal with the button-pushers is also helpful.

But what really works is understanding that we have buttons and that it’s always old stuff. The button-pushers? Their issue, not personal … let it go and move on.

Living By Water

/ still a dreamer

How lucky am I? I live 3 houses away from a river. And walking 4 very short blocks, I can walk onto the bridge that takes me to neighboring PA.

delaware-winter

Yesterday I went out walking for my exercise and decided to take my camera. Something I don’t do often enough. I was immediately drawn to the river on this sunny day – blue sky, no clouds. I headed onto the bridge, not to go to PA, but just to see the river. Even in winter, with not a leaf in sight, it was magnificent.

delaware-winter2

I am happy when living by water. I am always happy to just be near water – the ocean, a lake, a river – there is something calming, inspiring and renewing about it. I wonder if this is universal or something belonging to just some of us. Is it because my family used to go the shore throughout my childhood and my Dad taught me to swim in the ocean? Is it because in my tween and teen years we used to vacation up at Highland Lakes every summer? Or perhaps that we used to go on a Sunday to Cooper’s Pond in the neighboring town and feed the ducks? I took some of my very first photos with my new Brownie camera there. Maybe it’s because I’m a water sign. Maybe I was once a mermaid. Maybe I am just forever enchanted by nature.

Our creativity, in whatever way we express ourselves, is influenced by all of who we are and who we have been. I believe when we reach inside ourselves and touch upon the good things, the meaningful things, in our pasts – or even find them for the first time – we are enriched in every way.  Yet we make so little time for these things … to let ourselves be with our own enchantment … to just let ourselves be. Today, for this, I thank the river.

Remembering Who We Are

/ still a dreamer

It really can be difficult to find the time to write, draw, dummy, or be creative when there is just too much to do. I do journal faithfully, nearly every day without fail, and on days when I want to blog, allow myself the luxury of that being my journaling for the day. But there are days when my journal entry looks like raging chicken scratch and a desperate plea for someone to toss out a life-preserver. We all have those days, sometimes too many of them.

wolfcandle

It’s these days in particular which remind us that it pays to have something REALLY simple we can do daily to help us get centered or calm regardless of what life has in store for us on any given day. For me, that’s lighting a candle. I realized some time ago that candles are not a luxury, but a necessity. So I always have a nice variety on hand, scents that I love and make me happy, and nice things to burn them in.

I don’t think it really matters what it is that we do, but just something small that grounds us. My morning coffee – also a necessity – does that, too, but the candle is different. Choosing the scent I want to smell, what holder I’d most enjoy and where to put it takes just moments, but starts my day well. Or better. A small ritual that sets the tone.

We all can benefit from starting our day, or even a task. with something easy and small, whatever it is, that clears us a bit, lights our way, and helps us remember who we are. Do you have some small daily ritual that gets your day off on the right foot and centers you?