HAPPY NEW YEAR!

WISHING YOU A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS
            NEW YEAR !




A beautiful year begins with a beautiful mindset. 

Happy Holidays from Arizona

May your Holiday Season sparkle with

Moments of Love,

Laughter and Goodwill

And may the year ahead be full

of Contentment and Joy!

These five 14ft high horse gargoyles are not only
a work of art, but serve as a flood control system.
They are located at the North side of Indian Bend
Rd and Scottsdale's greenbelt.  During extreme
rain and flash flooding, water pours from their
mouths and goes into flow berms to prevent
flooding.

"Believe in the Magic of the Season"

Gift Idea!

The house is decorated for Christmas.

The Stockings are hung.

But there's one more gift you need for your child, grandchild, niece or nephew.

Here's a suggestion from Bernard Manning, comedian and nightclub owner from

Manchester, England.

" I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note

on it saying, toys not included"

 

Hmmm, Ya think that might work?

When is a tree not a tree....?

 
When my daughter comes for a visit and sees a moose in the tree.  
 

 
This tree is across from my patio and I have looked at it every day since moving into this condo.  I often thought of taking a picture of the strange shape of its trunk. But not until my daughter noticed that the shape resembled a moose did I really take notice and grab my camera.  Now when I sit on the patio and have my morning cup of tea, instead of a tree, I see a moose.  

What do you see? 

Before her visit was over we took a road trip and stopped at one of Sedona's landmarks since the 1970's.  Tlaquepaque.  It's a quaint village of art galleries, shops and restaurants. Large Sycamores and Cottonwoods shade its visitors from the hot Arizona sun, with lovely

 

walkways that lead you through four different courtyards surrounded by iron railings, hand painted tile work and niches with unique architecture and specialty shops far removed from the commercial stores of other areas.

Later we were discussing what Tlaquepaque meant.  Not sure myself, I did some research and discovered that first of all this was a dream of one man, Abe Miller, who employed Mexican artisans and builders to construct the arches, fountains, plazas and shady verandas that are now this tranquil village.  It was named for a picturesque suburb of Mexico's Queen City, Guadalajara formerly known as San Pedro Tlaquepaque.  With further research I found two meanings for the name.  In English Tlaquepaque means "The best of everything".  I also found that it derives from the Aztec language, which means, "place above clay land", and that leads us back to the town in Mexico. 

This is an original picture from Guadalajara, Mexico

        

I'd say that Abe did a pretty good job of replicating the look and feel of the original Tlaquepaque. 

       

Farewell Small Yellow Songbird.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

You will be missed.  Your informative and amusing blog has given me great insight into my own body, mind and life itself.  Your shared resources have fueled my desire to keep active and healthy in my aging years.

 

I understand the need to set the yellow songbird free.  New beginnings are sometimes more healing than holding onto what is comfortable and safe.

 

Thank you for being brave enough to share your healing process and experiences with us.  Being able to express your private feelings and thoughts gave many the courage to express similar feelings and fears.  Your encouragement and support was always appreciated.

 

I wish the small yellow songbird much success in her flight and look forward to your new blog sometime in the near future.  In the meantime I will catch up with you at r m mccormack writes.  

 

 

 

 

From One Great Grandmother

The last of my summer projects is finished and ready to be shipped.

A few months ago my oldest grand daughter called to tell me that after three boys she was expecting a little girl.  I was so excited that I wanted to run out and start buying all kinds of little girl things.  But she wanted me to knit some headbands for the baby's first pictures.

 Oh my, I thought, I had never knitted any baby things before.  But not to be discouraged, I went to the library and got almost every baby pattern book they had.  After going through these books, I wanted to make everything I saw.  But, hey, knitting for a baby that's not here yet is a little unrealistic.  So, I cooled my enthusiasm and decided on three things.  I started with the headbands, making them in different sizes, hoping one of them will fit her little head.  A layette hat came next and I fell in love with it. I want to make more of these.  

 My last choice was a baby blanket, that is so soft and warm, I can just see this little bundle of joy wrapped up in it.  

 After mailing off all my treasures, along with some darling little girl clothes I found during the summer, my sister sent me some Bunny Tail yarn, with a pattern for a baby quilt.  I couldn't resist.  I had never seen bunny tail yarn before.  So. That was my last project and it is now ready to be sent.

It was so much fun doing this for my new great grand daughter.  My only regret is that I won't be there when she is born.  But, I have been promised a bunch of pictures.  

The greatest gifts come in small packages. Treasure them.

Summer Reading

During the hot summer I have been doing a lot of reading.  Two of my favorite reads are, "The Movement of Stars" by Amy Brill and "Somewhere between Luck and Trust" by Emilie Richards.

You may remember Amy Brill as a producer and writer for PBS and MTV.  And Emilie Richards is a well known author of many novels. 

The Movement of Stars 

At first I wasn't sure I was going to like this book, as I'm not really into astrology.  But this book grabs you and pulls you into the life of the first professional woman astronomer in America and the founding professor of astronomy at Vassar College.  Her name is Maria Mitchell, born in 1818 to a large Quaker family and who discovered a comet in 1847.  The author discovered her on a day trip to Nantucket and became inspired on how a teenage girl would enjoy spending her nights on the roof of her house with a telescope studying the stars.  

After spending 15 years researching and thinking about the amazing young woman, she decided to write a novel using Mitchell's work, accomplishments and details of her life as a character in a novel of her own.  Although most of the story is that of Miss Mitchell's, who becomes Hannah Price in the novel, the author embellishes many of the dates and events of her character.

This story tells of the constraints of women's freedom and education in the 1800's.  These women not only had to fight the constraints of what was proper for young girls and women of the time.  They also had to battle the Quaker religion which frowned on women being anything but a wife and mother.  The journey this young girl took to overcome these obstacles is worth reading.  It is a novel about, love, patience, truth, knowledge and perseverance.  Plus, after reading about Nantucket Island off the eastern coast of Massachusetts, I would love to explore the island for myself.

Somewhere Between Luck and Trust 

This is also a novel about a young girl and an older woman who have obstacles to overcome.  The story begins with a young girl being released from prison for a crime she did not commit.  She has been taken in by a group of women who have a cabin high in the southern mountains between two towns, Luck and Trust.  These women include a lawyer, high school principal, minister, B&B owner and a homemaker.  The cabin was left to them by a dear friend and her only request was that they used it to help people.

When the young girl admits to the ladies that she has a learning problem, the high school principal agrees to work with her.  As time goes on, it comes out that the principal has an issue of her own, that she has tried to overcome for years.  Both women are now at a place where a bond is beginning to form.  Two different women, with two different problems are bridging the gap between generations and education.  This is a story of explorations of social issues and educational downfalls, which should never occur in modern society.  

I highly recommend these books and think they would be great for a Book Club discussion. 

 

We're on the back side of Spring.

Awhile back I went to the Desert Botanical Garden to see a special exhibition of Dale Chihuly's stunning display of art. Chihuly was introduced to glass while studying at the University of Washington.  His vibrant works of art are truly amazing.  Some of his exhibits blended into the desert landscape and looked almost real.  

   The desert is quite beautiful in the Spring.  Most think that the Southwest is just a hot, harsh, arid region with colorless cacti and succulents.  But in late fall, early spring, the desert is a sea of yellow, red and blue wild flowers and the cacti bloom with beautiful flowers.  

When you add Chihuly's blown glass artwork to the natural beauty of the landscape everything comes alive.

 

Many desert plants attract a variety of butterflys.  Who they themselves come from a plain and dull cocoon and emerge into one of natures most beautiful wonders.  As do the cacti flowers.  

With the coming of summer the colors are fading and Chihuly's exhibit is gone.  But there is always next Spring to look forward to.  

Let's sit on the patio for awhile.....

My patio is beginning to shape up quite nicely.  I planted spearmint, mint, rosemary and they are doing quite well, even with the wind that has been whipping them around.  I lost my dill plant.  The sun was just to hot for it. 
 

Rosemary

 

 

Spearmint and Mint

To finish out my eatable plants, I planted a cherry tomato that already has three small green tomato's on it.  Can you see them near the bottom of the plant?

 

 

With all the cactus, succulents, spices and ferns, I now needed some color.  So a friend and I headed over to the nursery and I picked up several annual's to give the patio some color.  A few red and white geraniums, lantana and verbena has given me just enough color to offset the green. 

 

 My last addition was three air plants that I got at the Desert Botanical Gardens last week.  I'm going to try them outside and see how they do.  Wish me luck.

Now, that the weather is nice and we can relax on the patio, I think it's time I invited some guests over for a glass of wine. 

Here's a few gardening tips:

After you boil eggs, let the water cool and then pour on your plants.  The water contains a lot of calcium and your plants will love it.

A clean bird bath.  Use one capful  of apple cider vinegar in your bird bath to keep it clean and reduce algae growth.  It also provides vitamins and minerals for the birds.

To feed your plants.  Put used tea bags in the bottom of the planter. (I just break open the tea bag and mix the tea leaves in with the soil once or twice a month.)

Use old or cheap sponges in the bottom of your planter to hold water/drainage, instead of heavy rocks or broken terra-cotta.  

HAPPY PLANTING!

  

Cats...Books...Kids

Two nights ago, while fixing dinner, I was watching the ABC Nightly World News with Diane Sawyer.  One of the topics got my attention.

It was called Purr-Fect Reading Companions.  The Animal Rescue League of Berks County, Pennsylvania has a program called "Book Buddies". 

The program pairs children that are having a problem reading with cats that are awaiting adoption.  Once or twice a week several children go to the animal rescue and read to the cats.  The program provides a place for the children to relax in an atmosphere where they are not judged on their reading skills.  The cats don't care how well they do; they just like the contact with the children.  And the program helps to soothe and socialize the cats.  Sometimes getting the cats to pay attention is a problem, but the kids don't seem to mind.

It was noted that the students reading skills and the desire to read has greatly improved since starting the program.

The small boy pictured is Colby.  He recently received an award for "most improved student" in his second grade class.

Stories like this always makes me feel good.  Sometimes we forget how children struggle with everyday lessons. It's nice to know that there are people listening and providing programs to help them.   
 


 

Clearance Sale

Stitches and Scraps Clearance Sale!

Cotton washcloths-sets of two-$5.00

6 white sets

1 blue set

1 green set

1 tumbleweed set

1 white & blue/green set

 

 

 

*****************************************************************

 

 

Assorted journals and art journals - $9.50

 

Assorted small note pads - $3.00

 

All shipping is included in the price

To Order you can respond in the comment section of my blog

or

Call 480-663-3015

or

Text 913-220-4773

A Good Tip

As some of you know I'm in the process of moving. I have boxes packed and stacked everywhere. Which makes the house smell like boxes and paper.

Taking a break this morning, I logged onto Pinterest and found the best natural cleaning suggestions.

On a whim I decided to try one. 

You need your favorite scented essential oil.

**

The full toilet paper roll from your bathroom.

**

You then put several drops of the oil on the inside of the paper roll and then put it back on the paper holder. 

It really works.  My bathroom, closet and bedroom now has a scent of Eucalyptus that I can enjoy.

I tried it on my paper towel roll too.  It's a bigger area to cover...but I think it's working.

At least it's better than the box and paper smell.



One Year Anniversary !

A year ago this week I created a blog (OWW) to keep my mind active by writing about my thoughts, adventures and whims that struck my fancy. It's been fun jotting down ideas and playing around with different pictures and quotes to embellish the subject. I love reading your comments, it lets me know that there is a few of you reading my blog.  And I thank you for that.


This past year has been a busy one and went way too fast for me.  There were a few things that I really wanted to happen and I put out a lot of energy thinking about them.  Most of what I got back was the feeling that things were in the works, and that it would take time.  I resigned myself to the fact that worrying and wanting it was not going to make it happen any sooner.  So I relaxed and enjoyed my life as it was.  Then one week before Christmas I received a call that my rental house was going to be put up for sale and I had two months to find another place.


So, instead of fretting over the news, I decided to take action and test the energy that I had been putting out all year.  And believe it or not, the first condo I looked at was just what I had been wanting.  It is within a mile or two from where I live now; it has more room, a larger outdoor living space and all at the right price.  I jumped right on it and after giving them everything but my first born, I got the condo.


My life has been a little unnerving since then, but I know that this is the right path for me to take at this particular time.  The lesson learned is: "when you get what you ask for, it may not be the best time for it.  However, if you don't take it, it may never come your way again".


I will keep you updated on the process and let you know when I am in and settled.  I'm anxious to see where this new year will lead you and I. If you want to share your end of the year or beginning of the new year wishes, I would love to hear them.

"The best part of life's journey...is who you get to share it with."

from Lessons Learned in Life