I recently received a nasty text message in which the sender expected that I would be bothered enough to answer. Instead, the message was quickly deleted and the messenger blocked. Negative people are not worth the space they wish to take up in our heads.
No response is a response and it’s a powerful one. Remember that.
Malbro Kingston
The lovely Fall colors of Spearfish Canyon🍁
Because the cool weather will be here sooner than we like, we made a trek to Spearfish Canyon to see the Fall colors before the leaves are all blown away and gone. While we did see some bare branches, there were lovely leaves still hanging on.
Roughlock FallsI offered to take a photo of a couple and their daughter and they kindly repaid the favor. My honey’s new ride that took us very comfortably through the canyon.Romeo is the king of all he surveys. 😅🐕😅Mamma keeps a close eye on her little one.The little one bravely climbs towards the top of the hill.
I’m very glad I chose to put the message and the messenger out of my mind. Spending the weekend with my honey and breaking in his truck with a drive through Spearfish Canyon was a much better way to pass the time. We were even lucky enough to see a mountain goat momma watching over her baby as he made his way up a hill across the road.
I hope your weekend was wonderful as well. Happy Fall! 🍁😊🍁
Some of my favorite zentangles are spooky ones. I made this little guy a few months ago. I thought he was a perfect submission for “spooky”. Check out the other great entries at
Just because you get to a certain number doesn’t mean you have to roll up into a ball and wait for the grim reaper. We were put on this earth to do something! If you stop using your brain, at any age, it is going to stop working. It’s like if you stop using your hand, it will atrophy. I think doing nothing is a curse.
Each day in October there will be a new prompt. Share a picture, write a poem, write a blog about your day, anything along the lines of the theme will do!
I don’t often participate in challenges, but I just happened to finish this little cat 2 nights ago and thought he’d be a perfect fit for this fun challenge. Check out the many creative entries by clicking the link below.
This Saturday we stayed at my Dad’s cabin to enjoy some time with him before he heads back to AZ to beat the winter weather. One thing I got from my Dad is the desire to look after the birds and other critters. We had fun filling up his round bird feeder with unshelled peanuts and watching the blue jays figure out (in record time) how to pluck the peanuts from between the wires.
Most likely my next Amazon purchase. 😉
A bit later, I took some trail mix and scattered it in a few places so I could watch the cute chipmunks scurry about and find their treats. I managed to get a couple to sit still long enough for me to get a picture.
The good man is the friend of all living things.
Mahatma Gandhi
I could spend hours watching these little cuties. ❤️
A little over a month ago, my sweetheart and I decided to give ancestry.com a try. We spit in the little vial, sealed it up and sent it back in the mail. While we waited for our results, we had fun getting started on our family trees.
We were updated each step of the way, from the receipt of our samples, to the extraction of the DNA to the analysis. We were given an estimated completion date of October 14th, but to our delight, the results were ready last weekend!
My ancestry.com results.
In addition, we were given a list of “matches”, other AncestryDNA@ members who share our DNA. We are able to see common ancestors for those who match our DNA.
I was delighted to find that I have such a large percentage of Irish genes and even a bit of Scottish DNA. After visiting both countries with Aurora this summer, I am happy to claim a bit of kinship with the people of these beautiful places.
In addition to finding this abundance of ancestors, we also purchased Traits which suggests how we may be predisposed to like or dislike sweets, have a certain type of hair or eye color and many other things. Environment can play a part as well, so not all are accurate, but it is definitely interesting. My DNA suggests that I may drink more caffeine than average (👍), have attached earlobes(👍), be an introvert(👍) and may be a morning person (👎). Oh well, 3 out of 4 isn’t bad. 😉
Every man is a quotation from all his ancestors.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I am eager to find the connection in my family tree to the many matches that are identified. Many I know already, or at least recognize the names. It is wonderful to find so many branches on the tree.
If you are curious and would like to try it,, Ancestry has provided a link that rewards you with 40% off and rewards me with$10.00 Win-Win!😉
Sometimes things happen that overwhelm us and make us question our ability to keep on going. Making it through the rough patches, though, helps us to cherish and to be thankful when life brings little miracles and blessings our way.
Towards the end of 2020, I was dealing with the loss of my Mom in June, my youngest starting college and me moving into my family home. In November I found out my marriage was in essence over and there was nothing I could do to change that. I was completely blindsided and met with apathy and indifference from my “loving” husband. Being told that he had been unhappy for years despite the proof of the exact opposite in photos, notes, cards and gifts from our years together created a cognitive dissonance that was difficult to make sense of.
At that time, I started doing research trying to see if maybe there was some mental issue that went along with the physical maladies he suffered earlier in the year. Nothing made sense. The divorce went through and it was a few months after that that I “accidentally” found out about the other woman. Strangely, finding out that I had been cheated on as well as finding out about narcissistic personality disorder made it much easier to let go of things.
The experience caused me no small amount of heartache and no doubt some lingering trust issues. Going through that, however, made me stronger and made me evaluate what I want and deserve in a relationship.
It took me a few months and a bit of therapy to work through all of that and I was slow to dip my foot in the dating pool. 😉 I know myself and I knew that I wanted to be absolutely sure that I could trust the next person I gave my heart to. ❤️ I wanted someone who I could be myself with and who would accept me as I am and not require his “standards” to be met as a condition of receiving his love.
I have heard the phrase, “Not in my time, but in God’s time.” It wasn’t always easy to “Let go and let God”, but I did my best.
God will bring the right person into your life at the right time. Always believe that! If they are not there, God isn’t finished yet.
Shannon L. Adler
When I went on my first date with my honey, it was easy and relaxed and I wanted to see more of him. Still, I wasn’t ready to jump in right away. After a couple dates he told me that he was attracted to me and said that he would like to kiss me, but would wait until I was ready. He was a perfect gentleman and it wasn’t long until I was all in.
In a previous post, I talked about people who are givers and who naturally give of their time and talents when they see a need. It was such a blessing to find out that I was now with one of those givers. I was used to fending for myself, so having someone there to help with household emergencies or transportation for my girls was amazing.
This weekend as I was mowing the lawn and raking up the “lovely” 😉 apples that have blanketed my back yard, he tackled so many other projects for me.
When I finished mowing, I saw that he fixed the gate that had been broken by the sprinkler system installers last June. Being able to open and close it with ease rather than lifting and dragging it is wonderful! In addition, he assembled the table that now stands next to the hot tub so we can enjoy beverages while we are soaking our sore muscles away.💕 He then proceeded to the garage to install an organization system so the garage floor could be clutter free.
Finally, he installed organizers in the shed and made the inside look as amazing as the outside. It is perfectly organized and fits well with the shelves he previously assembled for me. It is clear that he loves me and wants to make my life better whenever and wherever he can. In return, I want to do the same for him. ❤️
As I was creating the little angel at the top of this post, I was thinking of how thankful I am to have such a thoughtful person to share life with. Life isn’t perfect. There are still plenty of challenges, but with the right person by your side, it is much easier to meet and overcome those challenges.
Thank you, God for bringing such a special person into my life. 💕
As the sun sets on my 53rd year, I am looking at the year behind me. There have been tears, but there have been so many happy times. I am truly blessed to have wonderful family and friends and I look forward to what the coming year will bring. ❤️
This last year I met and later said farewell to my two lovely exchange students. A few days before my 53rd year started I met my sweetheart. He is amazing and has filled my life with love and laughter.
I have had some challenges, as we all do, but also some wonderful adventures. We had fun touring the beautiful Black Hills, hiking Crazy Horse for the Volksmarch and celebrating many birthdays, holidays and other celebrations.
I was able to do some traveling. I visited Miami with my honey and the British Isles on a cruise with my daughter. (More pictures to follow from that adventure!) I was also able to make a quick visit to Oregon to visit my amazing aunt and cousins.
There have been some changes to my home as well, much of it thanks to my handy honey! I have a new upstairs shower, a door sweep on my back door and a fairy tale shed in the backyard ❤️🥰❤️ He also helped me to choose the new hot tub that we can relax in at the end of the day. This past weekend he helped (actually HE did the majority of the heavy lifting) to carry two HUGE piles of branches to the yard waste section of the landfill.
Tomorrow, the 24th, both my sweetheart and I will be celebrating birthdays. His is the big 5-0 this year, while I am starting year 54. I am excited to see what the year ahead will bring for us.
Thank you to all of you who take the time to read. I am grateful for you and I hope that you find many reasons to celebrate through the year!
Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.
James Dean
Take a tip from this sweet little bee and take time to smell the flowers.
I returned last week from an amazing 12 night British Isles cruise with my daughter. It has been in the planning stage for three years and finally happened. She graduated in 2020 and to celebrate, we planned a Baltic cruise. Then came COVID and her “normal” senior year, like all the 2020 graduates, was thrown into uncertainty and loss. She didn’t get a prom or a normal graduation and her celebration cruise was cancelled along with all other cruises.
We hoped in 2021 we would be able to make up for the cancelled one and rebooked the Baltic cruise, but alas, still no cruising allowed in the summer of 2021. Because of her schedule, the Baltic cruise didn’t work out in 2022, so we looked through the options and decided a British Isles cruise would be fun. It was amazing and I planned to write a post or two about the fabulous places we were able to see. I still plan to get to that, but for today, I have another thought.
While listening to the readings and gospel at Sunday Mass this weekend, the message really hit home. The gospel, Luke 12:13-21 talks about living for the life we will have after this life on earth. In his sermon, the priest said that what we give away and what we do for others will be returned to us in Heaven while the possessions we obtain will be lost to us when we are gone from this world. That thought has stayed with me through the week and I think will continue to do so. Several times already I have been motivated to act because of what the priest said. I do think that all that we do for others does come back to us, sometimes in this world, but especially in the next.
Here is the Gospel reading if you’d like to read it:
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”‘ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”
Luke 12:13-21
I am no scholar, but what I get from this message is that we should be generous to those around us with both our time AND our treasure. These days, it is understandable that many are struggling to get by and aren’t able to give large monetary gifts. I happen to believe that the gift of a helping hand when a friend or neighbor needs it, an offer to babysit parents who need a break, an offer to pet sit for someone going out of town (my dog Romeo and I are the recipient of one such generous soul!) or an offer to run an errand for someone who is homebound are all ways for us to share.
I think sharing experiences is also to be valued. While it is not from the bible, I still love the following quote:
Nobody on their deathbed has ever said “I wish I had spent more time at the office.”
Arnold Zack
I think we need to extend ourselves the same generosity and to take the opportunities to enjoy life and to enjoy the beautiful world that God has given us. Working just to get the biggest house or the biggest car will certainly not make an impact on the lives of our loved ones like the gift of our time will. When we are gone, we will be remembered by the little acts of kindness and the time we spent with those we love.
I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to spend this time making memories with Aurora. She will be gone to her semester abroad all too soon and while she doesn’t have room to take a great deal from home, the memories we made can go along with her without requiring even an inch of her luggage.
Taking advantage of a photo op with the Beatles in Liverpool!
I wish you a wonderful day or evening, depending upon when you read this. If you have the opportunity to help someone today, I encourage you to do it. Your reward will be great in Heaven (and you’ll feel good here on earth!!) 😉
According to Merriam-Webster, one definition of “anticipate” is as follows: : to look forward to as certain : EXPECT
“People prone to joyful anticipation, skilled at obtaining pleasure from looking forward and imagining future happy events, are especially likely to be optimistic and to experience intense emotions.”
~ Sonja Lyubomirsky
I am eagerly anticipating seeing these beautiful eyeliner lilies in full bloom!!
Having something to look forward to gives us a reason to keep going when the going gets rough. I love this time of year, especially in my yard. Every day, it seems, brings new buds and blooms. I love walking around the yard and discovering the latest flowers opening up or plants and shrubs with new leaves appearing. I think life is a lot like gardening. While it is important to enjoy the present moment, having plans for future days is equally necessary. Anticipating seeing my favorite artist in concert, a family get together, a much needed vacation or even just plans to see the latest blockbuster movie can boost my mood and can help me push through those sometimes long days at work trying to get the books to balance.
I’m looking forward to the future, and feeling grateful for the past.
Mike Rowe
My sticker arrived and looks so cute on my car. It makes me smile to think it may brighten the days of those who see it.!
My wish for you is that you always have something good to anticipate!
Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.
Alphonse Karr
The roses are celebrating the first day of summer!
Yesterday brought a downpour with so much rain for the grass and flowers that mowing was out of the question and postponed for at least a day. The roses appreciated the extra moisture and were looking splendid this morning. Even though I was running a few minutes late, I felt the need to “stop and smell the roses.” I have yet to plant a rosebush at the new/old house, but I am thankful for those my parents planted. Maybe next year I’ll add one or two to the mix.
One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.
Dale Carnegie
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.
from “To The Virgins, to Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick
This morning on the way to work, I happened to be behind a car that had a sticker on the window that said, “I hope something good happens to you today.” It made me smile and brightened my day. I resolved that I would find a similar sticker so that I can, hopefully, similarly brighten the day of anyone who happens to be behind me. When I saw the one above on Amazon that included the adorable smiley face, I quickly added it to my cart.
With so much divisiveness in the world today, seeing a sign like this gives me hope. The sign didn’t mention that it only applied to those with similar world views or similar political leanings, just to anyone who happens to see it.
Together we can change the world, just one random act of kindness at a time.
Ron Hall
I have already had some good things happen today, but seeing the sticker reminded me to appreciate them. Today it will be 10 months since my first date with my sweetie, the sun is shining and it is a perfect 70 degree day with a respite from the severe storms we have had the last few days.
On Thursday it will be two years since my Mom passed and her headstone is finally in place at the cemetery and looking so good. Mom loved smiley faces and would have gotten quite a kick out of the smiles on the flowers. She would most definitely have wanted one of these stickers for her car as well!
A new flag to brighten my front flowerbed 🌸🌷🌼My little gift for Mom 😊❤️😊A beautiful white iris just about to bloomHappy flowers for Mom
To all those who are reading this right now, I hope something good happens to you today!
picturingpositive 