The Little Things

Have you ever noticed that human beings are always waiting for "the next big thing"?  Cars, movies, fashion trends, books...we are so busy looking for the "big" things that we miss the "small" things that can really make a difference.  This notion really got my attention yesterday.  I have undertaken several renovation projects at my house over the past few years.  My aim has been to improve my life and lift my spirits.  In my bathroom, I  had the old fiberglass tube/shower removed, a new tile shower installed, new tile laid on the floor and new paint on the walls.  A couple of years after that, I bought all new appliances for my kitchen, new tile put down on the floor, granite counter tops and tile back splash installed.  I love these improvements.  It is really a joy to cook in my new kitchen and I really love my shower.  I have been looking at my living room and planning some improvements there also.  I have thought about painting, maybe a new area rug and even some new furniture.  The room seemed very crowded.  I have two overstuffed chairs with detached ottomans.  Steve & I decided several years ago that recliners just didn't seem to hold up to the heavy use they were getting at our house and that ottomans might last longer.  But lately, they always seem to be in the way.  As my two dogs race up and down the hallway and through the living room as they chase each other in play, the ottomans go careening across the floor.  One chair is so close to the doorway from the hall into the living room that I was always stumbling over it.  I even went so far as to stop by Turner's Furniture store yesterday to look at recliners, chairs and chaises.  I soon realized that I was going to have to spend close to $500 to purchase a new chair and then I had to figure out what I would do with the chairs that were already in my living room.  On the way home from the furniture store, I had an epiphany.  Why not just re-arrange the furniture and see if I could make more room.  I moved one of my chairs & ottoman across the room and voila...the room seemed larger!  How easy was that?  I sat in my "new" room for the rest of the afternoon and evening and marveled at the simplicity of this solution.  If simply moving a chair across the room could make it feel like I had enlarged the area, what small thing could I re-arrange in my life to open my mind and refresh my attitude?  I haven't found it yet, but I intend to try very hard to discover it this year.  It will probably turn out to be something so simple & obvious that I will wonder, "Why didn't I notice this before?"

Katie & Mama J

There are many activities that I enjoy.  However, three that are at the top of my "favorites" list are cooking, doing crafts and spending time with my family.  It is a rare thing when I get to do all three at once, but today was one of those days.  Katie Garofalo (my son's girlfriend) came to the house around 9:30 this morning and we spent the day making candy, baking bread, etching glass and visiting.  I was in hog heaven!  Katie has been wanting to try out some candy recipes from a marvelous book she owns that is all about chocolate.  Talk about "right down my alley"...I would eat my shoe if it had chocolate drizzled on it.  I also have a few recipes from various Southern Living books.  So we compared recipes and decided to make Turtles.  Before we started that project, I mixed up the dough for Aunt Rhoda's bread and set it aside to proof ...that's fancy culinary jargon for "rising".  Katie realized that we were missing a couple of ingredients for the turtles, so she ran to Winn-Dixie while I did some prep work.  I chopped and toasted pecans and assembled wax paper sheets.  When Katie returned, we unwrapped and heated the caramels, then melted the chocolate.  Before you know it, we had a cookie sheet full of turtles.

A sprinkle of sea salt on top and they were finished.  Now all we had to do was keep our hands off of them until the chocolate cooled and hardened!  I took my mind off the turtles by finishing the bread.  After kneading and shaping the loaves, they went into the oven.  We had plenty of time to complete the glass etching project.  Tomorrow is the Secret Pal Tea at the Presbyterian Church.  Anyone who is so inclined can  put their name in the hat and pull out a name.  We remember each other once a month throughout the year with small gifts, cards, and surprises.  In January, we have a party and reveal ourselves to our pal.  I planned to etch a trifle bowl for my Secret Pal and Katie was interested in learning.  In between steps, we enjoyed some lively conversation.  The bread was done in an hour and when I took it out of the oven and placed it on the cooling racks the aroma of the bread & the chocolate-covered turtles was too much to resist. 

One loaf went home with Katie for her & GW to enjoy, two loaves will be shared with friends and you can see what we did with the other loaf!  There is nothing like the taste of bread, fresh from the oven.  The craft project turned out very well, also. 

If your eyesight is good, you can see the name of my Secret Pal on the trifle bowl, but I know I can trust you not to breath a word to her.

The Monster Under The Bed

I was never afraid that monsters were hiding under my bed when I was a child.  But in recent days, I wonder...  I have no idea what got into me this morning.  Maybe it was spring fever, brought on by the balmy temperatures we have experienced in South Georgia during the last week.  Most probably it was the need to find my missing sock.  Whatever the reason, this morning, I decided to clean under my bed.  What was I thinking?  I have a king size Tempurpedic mattress and lots of pillows.  I stripped the sheets off and put them in the washing machine.  I tried to just roll the whole bed frame aside, with the mattress still on top, so I could vacuum the carpet.  That didn't work because while the mattress is in one piece, the bed frame and box springs are in two pieces.  I quickly determined that the mattress had to be removed...easier said than done.  For starters, there is not enough room in my bedroom to just pull the mattress off the frame and lay it on the floor.  I had to stand it on end so I could walk around with the sweeper.  It was not a pretty picture.  It looked like Cirque Du Soleil meets the World Wrestling Federation!
I swear...that mattress was like Frosty the Snowman who magically came alive.  Almost exhausted, I was horrified when I saw what was under the bed.  I started to take "before and after" photos, but I was afraid the Health Department would arrest me if those pictures were published on the world wide web!  I found not only one, but two missing socks.  But the best was yet to come!  My Jack Russell/Rat Terrier, affectionately known as Puddin', has been using this space as her secret hiding place for the past 5 years.  I found squeaky toys, tennis balls, and chew sticks.  That was to be expected.  However, what I didn't expect was that Puddin' has developed a love for pecans.  Before Christmas, I bought 50 pounds of pecans, had them cracked, and picked them out to give as Christmas presents and also to put in the freezer for baking.  Apparently, Puddin' has been raiding the wastebasket where I have been throwing the empty shells and carrying them under my bed to see if she could find one little piece of pecan that I had missed.  I think she has been training my new puppy, Sweetie Pie, to do the same thing, because I don't see how one dog could do all that damage.  I found a Tupperware container that I didn't even know was missing and lots of shredded paper.  There must be some ingredient in paper that works on dogs like catnip works on cats, because Sweetie Pie is addicted.  I also found some unrecognizable items that I quickly sucked into the vacuum.  Puddin' does not like the vacuum cleaner.  She barks at it even when it is not running.  With all the noise I was making as various items were being sucked into the hose, she was adding a few more decibels with rabid barking!  Poor little Sweetie Pie was so undone by this spectacle that she hid under the chest of drawers.  I could barely see her nose sticking out.  I didn't find any dust bunnies...I found dust elephants!  Could this be the reason for some of my allergies?  At any rate, I finally finished with the vacuuming, sprayed the mattress with FeBreze, and started moving the bed back into place.  My shins will never be the same.  I must have run into that bed frame 5 times before I got everything back in place.  Immediately, the dogs wanted to inspect my work.  As they jumped onto the bed, they were overtaken with fits of sneezing...the FeBreze didn't agree with their sensitive noses!  I had a good laugh, which I needed after my workout.  With clean sheets (there's nothing quite like that smell) and bedspread back on the bed, Puddin' and Sweetie Pie just had to make one more inspection.  It's too bad I have to tear it all up tonight when I crawl into bed.  Would it be too weird to sleep in the guest bedroom tonight?

The ladies have to check out the bed.

I guess it passed inspection and is suitable for napping!

California Here I Come...

I seem to remember a song from my childhood called California Here I Come.  The lyrics are:

California, Here I Come
Right back where I started from
where bowers of flowers
bloom in the spring
each morning at dawning
birdies sing at everything
a sunkissed miss said, "Don't be late!"
that's why I can hardly wait
open up that golden gate
California, Here I Come

I have been thinking about my blog from yesterday for most of today.  Anyone who knows me very well knows that I do not like exercise.  Oh, I love to get out in the yard and dig in the dirt, pull weeds, trim shrubs and plant flowers.  I even like to do things like painting walls, moving furniture, pressure washing the porch, and washing the car.  However, I do not like organized physical activity, such as sit-ups, squats, running, or deep knee bends!  So when I announced to the world last night (well, at least to a few friends who follow my blog) that I was going to be riding my stationery bike, it didn't dawn on me that I really have to keep this exercise thing going...probably for the rest of my life if I continue to try out home-made bread recipes!  I jokingly wondered how long it would take me to pedal to California.  As I thought about that today, several things connected in my mind.  One of my dream trips has always been to fly to San Francisco, rent a convertible and drive down the coast highway to Monterey.  

I happened to mention this dream to my brother a couple of months ago.  He & his wife have traveled the world and he told me that was one of his favorite trips.  He suggested we plan to make the trip next January so we could see the Elephant seals in Big Sur.  I said, "Sure."  I should know not to mention anything, however casually, to my big brother.  Today, he called me and related his idea for our trip to San Francisco, Monterey and Yosemite!  So...California, Here I Come!  And just to make my bike riding a little more interesting, I have decided to keep track of my mileage and see if I can pedal to San Francisco by next January.  I will keep you up-to-date on my mileage and when I pass through interesting areas, I'll post information and photos.  It should be loads of fun.  Anyone want to join me?

The View Through the Handlebars

2013 has been about moving myself to a better place.  I have been using this blog to boost my attitude.  I have been cleaning my house and de-cluttering (as much as a professional pack rat is able to).  I have begun to organize my life and plan to keep it organized.  I am trying to relax and let God's plan for my life begin to work...that has been the hardest thing for me to do.  So, I figured that as long as I was in the mood, I would take this opportunity to get myself in shape and improve my health.  I am not exactly unhealthy, but my blood pressure needs improving and my doctor says that my cholesterol could also be lower.  That was very hard for me to believe, because my cholesterol hasn't changed since the last time I had it checked a couple of years ago...still at 150.  However, I guess the rules have changed and now instead of under 200 being the optimal level, it is now supposed to be under 100.  My doctor wants me to take medication, but I hate taking pills so I am trying the diet & exercise route.  You can tell by the blog title that my exercise bicycle has become my new best friend.  I have it set up in the living room, right in front of the television.  I plan to ride twice a day for a total of one hour.  However, I don't plan to kill myself at the beginning.  Tonight I pedaled through part of Castle.  In the morning, I will ride for a little longer and build up to my goal.  I have recorded my weight and measurements...which will not be posted on this blog until I reach my goal.  I hope my health improves as much as my attitude has so far.  Ten minutes and two and a half miles tonight.  I wonder how long it will take me to pedal to California?  I'll let you know when I get there!

Modern Inconveniences

This post should have been written yesterday, but because of a "modern inconvenience" I was unable to type.  Thus, I am doing today what I planned to do yesterday.  By now, I'm sure you're very confused, so let me explain.
I have two very large Bradford Pear trees in my front yard.  Steve & I planted them just a few years after we built the house, so after 28 years of growing, they are quite large.  I really love those trees because they remind me of my home in Cincinnati.  Although Moultrie is beautiful in the spring, the fall leaves much to be desired.  I always miss the beautiful show of colorful leaves when the first frost can be felt in the air.  The Bradford Pear trees supply a bit of color in my front yard every fall.  It is for that reason that I savor every last leaf on the trees and refuse to rake them until all the color is gone.  This year, that ran almost until Thanksgiving.  By that time, I was so busy with holiday plans that I just didn't have time to do yard work.  Every time I made plans to tackle the job, it would rain and spoil my plans.  So on Saturday morning, I rolled up my sleeves, put on my work gloves, started the John Deere lawnmower and attached my new yard sweeper that I had purchased last fall.  This modern convenience allows me to cut the work time almost in half.  It also saves my arms & back from strain.  I had only made two passes at the front yard when I noticed that the sweeper wasn't tracking correctly.  Upon further investigation, I found that the wheel had come loose.  I found a concrete block and propped up the axle so I could see how to fix it.  It wasn't anything major...just the plastic housing around the wheel had jarred loose and allowed the wheel to become disconnected.  I quickly repaired it and got back to work.  Two more passes at the yard and the same thing happened again, only this time, I left the whole wheel mechanism scattered across the front lawn. I decided that the repair would take more expertise than I possessed, so I went to plan B...the leaf blower!  Now I was really reminded of Cincinnati because this is how we cleaned the yards there after the leaves had fallen.    Before cranking it up, I filled the gas tank on the blower so I wouldn't have to stop to refill it in the middle of my job.  To my surprise, it took two more fillings of the gas tank to finish the yard!  All in all, it took me 3 hours to blow all of the pine straw and leaves into appropriate areas.  When I turned off the blower, I was surprised to find that my right arm was still under the impression that the blower was still running.  My arm vibrated and tingled for the rest of the afternoon, just as if the blower was still going.  In addition to the vibration, my muscles were so fatigued from the chore that I could hardly lift a glass of tea.  I plopped down in my chair to watch the football playoff games and didn't move for several hours. So my modern convenience turned into an inconvenience instead.  I must admit that the yard did look beautiful and I had received quite a workout, so the afternoon wasn't a total waste of time.  I still have to figure out how to fix the yard sweeper.  Maybe that roll of duck tape will do the trick.

40 winks

I have found another perk of retirement...afternoon naps!  I found this out quite by accident.  I had been working all day making cookies, taking Sweetie Pie to the vet for her final shots, doing laundry and scanning some photos.  By 3:00 this afternoon, I had finished all of my chores and decided to relax in my easy chair and do some reading.  I am reading a book by one of my favorite authors; Jan Karon.  She left a career in advertising to write books.  Her most famous series is the Mitford series.  Father Tim Cavanaugh is the main character in this delightful series that takes place in the fictional town of Mitford.  Shepherds Abiding is a wonderful Christmas story.  I started it long before Christmas, but the rush of the season prohibited me from reading as I should.  So, on this balmy January afternoon, I decided to catch up.  About 10 pages into the book, I found myself so relaxed that I fell asleep.  Approximately an hour later, I awoke to the dogs and my book in my lap.  I didn't get much reading done, but I felt very refreshed and ready for more work.  I remembered that Bert Harsh, Vice-President at Riverside Manufacturing, Library Board Chairman and good friend, used to take about an hour nap after lunch when he retired.  I now understand why he did.  I'm not sure if it will be an every afternoon occurrence, but it certainly wouldn't bother me if it turned out that way.  I can't wait until spring so I can relax in my rope hammock while I nap.