Far-away Osprey

 I am just so inspired by what little knowledge I have gleaned from Chatgpt about basil. I told you about the tea I made. I had some left in the fridge so I added a bit of it to a glass of iced tea this morning. Very good. 

I also made some garlic-basil oil. And, I've been using it on a number of dishes. 

First I made bruchetta (never had before and it's so easy). Of course it was sprinkled with the oil. 

This morning I started thinking of how I could use some ingredients that I already had and came up with this. Is it my invention? Probably not. But, it was new to me. 

I made cheese toast out of a piece of sourdough bread. I made an omelet and placed it on top of the toast then topped with slices of avocado that I had poured some lemon juice on and some chiffonade basil. salted it and then drizzled it with the garlic-basil oil I had made. Oh yum. I'll make that again 

In keeping with Photo-a-day. Far-away is the theme for today. 

Do you see the osprey that is far-away, high in the sky? 

Basil in my Kitchen

 In yesterday's post I showed you my basil.  I've grown it before but didn't know what to do with it much so it just grew and then died. But, this time is different. I let chatgpt give me some suggestions and here's what I did. 

                    First I made me a cup of basil tea. 

I just steeped some basil leaves in a cup of hot water, added some honey and it was good. I'm having me another cup right now, as I type. 

Then I found a little jar to put some oil in. I didn't have one of those fancy oil dispensers to use and you just make do with what you have. Now, I have basil-garlic oil to use in various ways. I drizzled it over my bruschetta last night... oh yes, that's another thing I had never made and having all this basil inspired me to do so. 

My supper last night. 

Bruschetta

So easy and so good. 

Now for today's Photo-a-day 

The theme is Close-up

Basil's Taking Over

 My granddaughter-in-law gave me a flat of small basil plants about a month ago. I love basil. Not that I use that much in cooking but because I love the smell. I'll just break off a piece and walk around with it sniffing it. Well, it's better than sniffing pot, don't you think!! 😊

Anyway, you gotta look at these plants now. And, they are blooming and I am trying to snip them down so they'll keep growing. I must be doing something right. My little pot of mint isn't doing too badly, either. There's a lot of things I can't grow but I don't think it's basil. Right!!

As I told you yesterday I started doing the Photo-a-day thingy and today's pick is 'an ordinary moment'. 

Here's my ordinary moment

Just me taking a break with some iced tea and a bit of lunch. That's pretty ordinary!

When It Rains, It's Pours

 We residents here at Centerbrooke have been thrown a huge curve ball. Will the drama never end!!

The apartment building is owned by multiply owners from places like New York and New Jersey. Now, I'm not throwing stones at people from those areas but I often wonder if those folks have any idea what older people need and want and have to have. They took over in 2017 and turned our common room into something that was a showcase and totally unworkable for the elderly. They wouldn't provide the van that we had had, the hair salon was shut down. 

They hired a management company from Virginia to oversee the place and there have been so many changes it's hard to keep up. And, we have had constant staff turn-overs so that's unsettling. Nobody seems to want to work here.

Well, last week we were told that the owners got rid of the management company, they'd oversee the managing of this place themselves (with various contractors etc). How they gonna do that from hundreds of miles away!! 

We had a wonderful staff member. I don't think he's been here much over a year but he was one that you could tell he loved us and cared about us. And, dog gone if he isn't leaving Friday. I am just heartsick over this. 

Okay, I've ranted enough. Thanks for listening. I needed to get that off my chest. I am very curious as to how the next few months are going to play out. I'll keep you posted.

              In the meantime I'll keep dancing.....

                                                     Hey, I want to play!

I thought I'd catch up with a few blog friends this morning and visited Mary at visitswithmary@blogspot.com. Her post really spoke to me... I need a distraction big time and I loved the thought of posting a different picture each day with oneseasontothenext.blogspot.com  

                           So, may I play along? 

                          (today's photo is a tree) 

                               Here's my Tree 

                 taken on Colonial Parkway in Virginia. 

I'll Get There One Way or The Other

 

I may not have been perusing a shelf of books looking for something to read....

I may have neglected my friends, not checking their blogs.....

So I apologize...

I am so invested in this novel that I am writing that most of my energy is going into that and lordy, it's a slow go. 

But, I do worry that something will happen that I won't get it finished. WHERE IN THE WORLD DID THAT COME FROM!! but it's true. That's how committed I am to getting this thing done and published. 

At this age, I have about 6 hours a day that I have the energy to be busy then I just totally poop out.

 Yesterday I spent 5 hours working on that manuscript. I did eat... ha ha 

So, hang in there with me. I don't have but about half of it done yet... But, I will get it done. That I promise !

I Always Did Appreciate A Cow

Today was COW APPRECIATION DAY at Chic-fil-a!! 

My daughter, Shirley, loves Chic-fil-a so she made arrangements for a group of residents from here at The Commons at Centerbrooke to go for lunch. We'd get a free entree if we wore something that reminded them of a cow. So... we cut out black felt and glued big spots onto white tee shirts and today we were ready when Shirley with her friend, Pamela, drove up in a big van to get us. Away we went! 

I had to be different!! I saw an ad on facebook for a tee shirt with a big cow head on it so I ordered me one. It was a hit! 

There were 17 of us that filed into that place, laughing, cutting up, having us a grand ole time. We got our food, ate, and then here comes the COW ... of course, we all had to have our pictures made with it/him/her. 

Here we are mooing at the photographer!

Then we all went outside to get a group picture before leaving the site and stood there waving and 'mooing' at all the people going through the drive-thru. We got lots of waves and a few honks of horns.

Shirley even arranged for me to take an order from one car driver. The real worker was there tapping the order in on her IPAD while I found out what the order consisted of.

Me:  And, what will you have today.

Driver: A Chic-fil-a sandwich

Me: Your drink?

Driver: French Fries

Me. Okay, some french fries and your drink is.....?

Driver: Coke

Job done, I took off  back to have my picture made with the group. 

Everyone said we had a blast and we did. Best outing we've had in ever so long and it's all because Shirley made sure everything was arranged to a tee and lordy that girl can keep the laughter going. She's a master at that. 

So, I'd say we did Chic-fil-a proud today. No telling what a bunch of 70-90 years old will do!! 

An Author I Shall Be

                      I've been busier than a bubblebee! 

I finally decided that I would finish that sequel to my "Springtime In Magnolia" book that was published in 2014. No one can ever say I am the hare, more like the tortoise! I write when the notion strikes me and let me tell you, writing a book is not a walk in the park! 

You might think it's just writing down words, like you'd do when you write a letter to someone. Far from it. Every little detail has to be checked out, the punctuation has to be perfect, the spelling... you get the picture. Oh, and too while I am thinking about it. Facts... Everyone of them has to be authenticated. What kind of dresses did women wear then, did they have toasters in their kitchen, what kind of school, job, and the list goes on. Being an author is a tiresome job!!

But, I am very hopeful I can get this done and publish it before I get out of the mood again! 

I just read "Life is Short But Wide" by Lorrie Orr, one of our blogging buddies. It was really good, all about

their many years of living in Ecuador as missionaries.

You ought to check it out.  And check out her blog, too

at  Fabricpaperthread.blogspot.com She's a very

interesting lady. 

Well, time to get back to writing..........

Lordy, it never stops. hehe

Rockets and Robots

                            The fourth is over!

I hope you did not get caught in all the storms that hit the east coast, messing up celebrations. My dau. Susan's family got nearly blown away and totally drenched escaping from a fireworks site. 

Me, I stood on my balcony and watched what I could see of the fireworks display being shot off downtown. Trees do get in the way sometimes. 

I know it was a special day, the television kept telling me it was! Yet, for me it was just another fourth, a time to remember that we fought hard and won our freedom. I had ancestors who did the fighting. Geez, my family has been here FOREVER....

It's hotter than blazes here so I am staying in my apartment and giving up thanks on a regular basis for the man who invented air-conditioning. I am old as the hills, so I know what it feels like to not have that cooler than cool air blowing all the time. I remember summers that were scorchers but we had never been exposed to anything else so it was just normal. It's funny how we get used to something and think we can't live without it.

I was thinking the other day about the Jetsons. Remember that tv show from way back when where Rosie, the robot was the maid? 

We all were saying, 'never in a million years will there be a man-made machine that can do what humans do.'  Well, folks, a million years have passed and those robots are taking over!! I even saw where there is an entire soccer team of robots playing soccer. CRAZY!!

It might be interesting to watch a game.... one team of robots, the other team real honest to gosh humans. Wonder who would win!

It Was A Happy Birthday

 My middle daughter, Shirley, had a birthday on Sunday! What do you do for birthdays? You Celebrate, of course!! 

Her children were all there, and all the grands (but one who was in basketball training). Her brother was in attendance, all the way from Alabama and of course, me (her mother)

 

                                         She was one happy birthday girl! 

   There was balloon inflating (with a machine) and a few blown up by sheer lung force. 

There were games and lots of just visiting and fun stuff going on. Chris (her son) did the cookout with her favorite burger, d-i-l Bethany and son Ken served Brownie Sundaes (another favorite). And, her Hubby John did the dishes!! For the first time ever, she was the queer of the hour without a thing to do but enjoy.

Once the crowd left brother and sister (both too old age-wise but never too old otherwise) stomped on the balloons one at a time to pop them. Now, that was a noisy time but they had a blast doing it! Some people just never grow up. 

       It was a milestone birthday but I'm not telling how many! You think I wanna get shot!! ha ha. 

A Green Thumb? Nah....

 It's growing season. Now, I am not a gardening person and I certainly don't have the place for one here at the apartment but I manage to dabble a bit in the dirt. 

A friend gave me an antherium that has done well regardless of my lack of taking care of growing things. It just continues to bloom and bloom and bloom. Reminds me of our time in Hawaii. 

a couple years ago, when I was visiting my son, I came home with one of his plants. Why, don't even ask me but it has survived... and now it has a bloom. I didn't know the thing bloomed ever. 

Sunday when we ate lunch with my grandson and his family, his wife Bethany, gave me a tray of basil. That I can grow! 

too many plants. 

Michael planted what I need

 and now I have posted here at the apartment my willing for the remainder of the plants to find a new home. 

What are you planting at your homes? Or do you? I love plants, don't get me wrong, but just let someone else take over their care!!

Bigger Is Better? I don't think so.

 This thought just struck me as funny and ridiculous at the same time. 

People have to buy the largest television they can find (some cover half a wall). Bigger is better

 and yet..........

They will squint and struggle to see the internet off a tiny screen on their cell phone. 

If you are as old as me you remember when television first came out. It was a big cabinet with this tiny screen. You thought that was wonderful until they started making bigger and better televisions. 

Along came desktop personal computers. Screen was pretty small but at least you could read everything (even if your eyesight was bad). 

And, here comes cell phones with screens barely larger than the palm of your hand... and they added internet accessibility. So, everyone thought it was cool to carry around a computer that they could scarcely read while a larger computer screen sat on a desk back at home.

I'm sorry but it makes no sense to me. 

I seldom use my phone except for communication (phone calls or texting). When I need to hook up with the World Wide Web I want a screen big enough to see !! 

More on Grounding

 I am just blown away by the responses I got to my last post on grounding. If my willingness to share my success with grounding helps just one other person I am so happy. 

The medical/pharma folks have long kept natural and inexpensive cures from us all in the name of making money. If you google grounding/earthing today it will tell you that there have not been enough studies, no verified proof that that works. Yet, Dr. Laura Koniver who is a medical doctor has had articles published in medical journals and lists a ton of resources to back her claims. and there are many others. But, enough of that. 

I am so new to this so I hesitate to tell you anything at all about how it works (there's tons of material that can do that well) but I do want to say that the earth is an electrical field... so are our bodies. Heck, I didn't know I was a walking-around light bulb. haha. Some people may say I am short a light bulb or two. he he. But, when those two fields connect the neurons head through your body and immediately your brain goes into a restorative mode, you get more relaxed and those neurons go to work on so many parts of your body.

Not every body is alike. Isn't it wonderful that we all are so different!! So, the results for one person won't be the same as another but I made a long list of what good grounding CAN DO for your body. Here are just a few: 

1. Mood lifts

2 Circulation improves because our blood cells tend to clump together and the flow slow down. With grounding your blood cells start to break apart from the clumps, your blood flows more smoothly and can access more parts of your body in a faster and better way. However, if you are on a blood thinner... check with your doctor before grounding.

3. Our gut and our brain work hand in hand  and grounding improves the vagal nerve so that communication between the two can be faster and healthier.

4. It helps with sleep

5. It also boasts the thyroid, your metabolism improves and your cortisol goes down. 

                           Now, on to other things. 

                   My son Michael arrived last Tuesday. 

We had a couple days of just catching up and then he headed over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel to the Eastern part of Virginia. 

He is meeting up with his buddy Carl and his wife to explore some Tall Ships that are in port at Cape Charles. 

My granddaughter (Shirley's daughter) lives on the Eastern Shore and she is enjoying having them around. 

He and his puppy, Sadie, come back to my apartment on Tuesday. More visiting scheduled and next weekend is Shirley's birthday so we will celebrate that and then he'll head back to Alabama. 

                                It's a busy time for us! 

Grounding Makes Sense

                             I am really nervous about this post!! 

I told you I would give more about my newfound energy and so here it is. But, you may laugh, you may think I am nuts or you'll just shake your head and walk away. I can only tell you it is working for me so I am a huge believer. 

I have been grounding for 5 weeks now and I am just blown away by the changes in my life. 

So, you are asking 'what's grounding'. We've been told all our lives we needed to be outdoors, breathe fresh air, get our feet dirty. Grounding is connecting our bodies to Mother Earth. It all has to do with the electrical charges that are in the earth and in our bodies and interacting. Most diseases are caused by inflamation in our bodies and grounding helps get rid of that inflamation plus other things. 

I watched a video about grounding, had never heard of it in my life! But, I was bored, couldn't find anything to watch and when I started I could not stop. That day I walked outside, sat down on a bench by the pond, took my shoes off and planted my bare feet on the ground. Of course, I was immediately joined.... by the geese looking for food. 

I discovered that you could buy grounding pads so I ordered one. I am not an outdoors person and knew summertime would chase me inside so pads seemed to be the answer.

I placed my new pad in front of my chair in the living room, plugged it into the grounding outlet on a nearby electrical plug and every time I watch tv I sit with my bare feet on that pad. You should get at least 30 minutes a day and it doesn't not matter how much you do. No harm done. 

Within a couple days I began to feel different.

 I have not changed one single thing about my life (my habits, my eating, my activities etc) 

Here is what I have gained through grounding. I am still on the 'wait and see' path but like I say I have changed nothing else. So, it must be the pad.

1. SLEEP ... before I had trouble falling asleep and often would wake up and stay awake 2 or more hours during the night.

        Now I go to sleep almost immediately and I sleep very soundly all night (except for bathroom visits)

2. MOOD.... Before, I suffer from some depression and have for several years taken a low dosage of Zoloft. Even then I would still  have bouts of sadness, lack of motivation.

Now.... I have been in the best mood for 5 weeks, not one down minute 

 3. MOTIVATION... before I would awake and just dread getting out of bed, lie there until I just had to get up and then I'd wander aimlessly around

Now.. I hop out of bed, fresh and excited. I ask myself 'what can I get into today?'

4. DIZZINESS    ... before I had periods of dizziness, especially at bedtime. Had to sleep on two pillows, could not turn my head except very slowly or the room would spin, etc.

Now... I am on one pillow and I toss and turn like normal with no dizziness at all.

5. ACID REFLUX    ... Before, I have taken prescription meds for acid reflux for years. If I missed 1 dose by the next day I was hurting. 

Now... I am on my 5th day without that medication and not one sign of heart burn. So far!! 

6. ENERGY... before, by 2 or 3 in the afternoon I was spent... just over for the day. I'd collapse into a chair. Got nothing done after that time except the absolute necessary

        Now.. I am still going strong all day... I might slow a bit mid afternoon but I perk back up and not be exhausted 'til bedtime. 

Remember, I am 92 and I thought my lack of motivation,  energy level, sleeplessness etc. was all due to age. 

I am very hopeful that I continue to feel this good, 10 years younger and ready to take on the world. I know people are skeptical about grounding. If you want, there are tons of videos on YouTube to watch. I would recommend any of them that featured Clint Ober or Dr. Laura Koniver. 

Gee, I wonder how many of you are running for the hills right now. Ha ha. 

Dunes at The Beach at Corolla

 Besides working on my novel yesterday, I painted a watercolor.... and did some laundry!! Productive day, eh? 

I have a renewed energy for which I am thankful. More about that in a day or two. 

Here's my new painting. I loved the sky, wasn't as happy with the grasses growing on the dune.. But, a painting is in the artist's mind and I guess that was what was in mine. hehe. 

A Shot in the Arm

 Nothing like a 'shot in the arm' to jerk you up and get you going. 

I started a sequel to my 'Springtime in Magnolia' book ages ago and then I just ignored it. I had 80 pages written but for some reason I stalled and couldn't get 'unstalled'. 

But, the other day I opened that file back up on my computer and decided I'd give it a look-see. I needed some info to move me forward so I asked ChaptGPT for information about an unexperienced young man starting a job at a bank in the late 1940s. I like to be factual and I had no clue about banking then or now. 

Well, as I chatted with GPT I got so fired up and the next morning I spent 4 hours at the computer writing and writing and correcting and editing. I gotta get this novel finished. I mean, folks, I don't have years and years to write. These old hands are already giving me a lot of trouble. Of all things my index finger on my dominant hand locks up (trigger finger, they call it). Some times I can get it unlocked fairly easy and other times it just does not want to turn loose and is so painful when I force it. So,  yes I need to write while I can. 

Or... maybe it can be fixed. Got an appt. with the dr. Monday. We'll see how that goes. 

I published 'Springtime in Magnolia' in the fall of 2013. About time I got that sequel done, don't you think? 

Making Our Life's Music

 This is a post I did for a facebook group that I head up 'Accidently Aging. Women Living Their Best Lives' 

 I feel that women have been muchly ignored over the years and we are slowly making our mark in this world. So, I started that group. If you are interested and are on Facebook you might want to check it out, join the group or just ignore it. No big deal. We do what's best for us, right?

Now, here's the post: 

A number of us just sit around waiting for life to happen. How sad is that? We should all be active in making the plans and then executing those plans to make our lives the very best that they can be.

There is a quote by Mark Nepo that I think addresses this problem very well. I liked it so well it is now jotted down in my "Quote Journal".

"The life of every soul waits like sheet music to be played. What good are we if that music is never played." (Mark Nepo)

Priceless advice. Tune your violin, pick up the bow and make the music of your life.

A Weird Dream

                  Now, I can have me some weird dreams!! And, usually I remember what I have dreamed. 

I had the wildest dream last night. It must have been because of the recent wedding of my grandson and his beautiful bride but believe me, there is no comparison. His wedding went so smoothly, was so touching, just perfect. This dream wedding however was a riot. 

                         

               Let me tell you about my dream:

I have an acquaintance who says she's getting married and she tells me the time and date. How I got so involved, the dream never revealed! But, here I am in the middle of everything and the day of the wedding arrives and there have been no plans made, no venue, no gown, no preacher, no cake... nothing. It's 10 a.m. and the wedding is at 2 so my husband (God rest his soul) and I start to pull together this wedding. We find a church we can use, a friend loans a white dress and my husband and I head to Wal-Mart to buy a cake to serve. It's just a plain white layer cake but it has purple flowers all around it. That'll have to do. I get them to sell me a bag of icing so I can decorate it up a bit. Oh we need some drinks. The salesperson suggests Gaterade! Then we discuss Sprite or Coke. I don't think we ever decided. We still don't have a person to perform the wedding and then it hit's me... 'Honey, you are a preacher,' I say to my husband (which was true in real life) 'you do it'. 

Well, the bride drags in at last minute fully unprepared and we surprise her with having everything ready. It's 2 and time..... for me to wake up.

I woke up just chuckling... what a time I'd had in my dream. Now it was time to get up and get real! 

Do you have crazy dreams? Do you remember what you dream? What do you think a dream means or does it at all?

                                           Happy Dreams!!