Early To Bed (Not)

Insomnia .. loud crickets .. change of life (two years and counting) .. summer rush in the garden .. have all been contributing to my lack of sleep.  I settle down on the couch for a little TV at night .. usually an old movie .. then doze off.  Usually I'm already for bed so I can just shuffle half asleep down the hallway to bed.  Once there, I toss and turn a few minutes.  Still tired.  Then it hits me.  I need to check the front door, take the pooch out for a potty run, get a glass of water, and heaven forbid if I've forgotten to brush my teeth and decide to use the electric (bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz) toothbrush.  I get back in bed and have a hot flash, which makes me get up to turn on the fan and put on cooler jammies.  Settling back in .. I am WIDE AWAKE and thinking I should go bake the bread dough slowly rising on the counter.  This is the dough I forgot to add yeast to yesterday so hastily added it after I noticed it wasn't rising.  Humm .. I must have been distracted (again).  Adding dry yeast to bread dough is not a good idea.  But now it smells all yeasty and like sourdough .. so I don't want to waste it.  Time to turn on the oven and finish baking bread.  Smelling the yummy goodness makes me hungry so I make a pot of coffee and wait for the bread to finish.  My day today is going to suck.  I'll need a nap just after Nathan gets on the school bus .. oh, I forgot, it's Wednesday and I have my little grandson ALL DAY.  I really need to mature and better order my day!

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise .. Ben Franklin

My Brain Works Overtime

 .... coming up with ways to save money around the home.  Cutting grocery expenses in half, fermenting this and that, baking, gardening, It scares me to think what job I would have had if all this energy was unleashed beyond my front door. 

Next Week ... Next Year ...

I just love when January rolls around. A fresh new start. A clean - unmarked calendar. Vacation plans that are for 'this year' .. instead of next year. This is the month that I start my really deep cleaning. Washing walls. Pulling furniture away from the walls. Cleaning under the washer and dryer. Washing and storing seldom used china so it will be clean and ready at a moments notice. Polishing furniture with oil instead of just using a feather duster. The lazy end of December will be just a memory of .. well, just that ... a lazy memory that needs to be shoved into a mental closet and forgotten for a long, long time.

In between all of the household chores will be some bright spots. Looking at the seed catalogs and plotting my garden on paper. Hubby has promised to buy me a 'mulcher' .. although I know he means rototiller as a birthday present. He's so practical, eh;)

This time next week there will be a spring to my step. No more gloom. With or without mountains of snow, I will take a few winter walks; I'm prepared with shoe chains and snow shoes for ice and for powdery snow. No more excuses! No more resting on the couch recovering from Christmas. And did I mention that the kids will be back in school? Aaaah.

Image from here

10 To Do Today

1. Read my Bible

2. Make fried breakfast potatoes for Nathan (again;)

3. Read paper ON THE FRONT PORCH rocking chair with fresh cup o' coffee while petting pooch's noggin (called multitasking).

4. Sit outside in intermittent rays of SUNSHINE!!! (been a bit deprived of late ... good dose of vit. D).

5. Fill bird feeders in back yard.

6. Scratch up a patch of thinly snow covered veggie garden (dirt looks like chocolate cake ... a good sign).

7. Rotate reading one of five books.

8. Walk every inch of our two acres looking for any sign of SPRING!

9. Change two beds ... wash sheets & towels ... tidy laundry room.

10. Enjoy a new supply of Happy Juice from aforesaid 'chores/duties'

Enjoy your Saturday ...

Easter Card Image credit here

The Old Country

Tracing me roots (not those silver ones ;). 'Tis been a long time coming that I find me paternal family in the old country of Ireland. And 'tis not as though I haven't been a trying for years! So just by off chance I googled the 'Cummins family of Ireland', and what do ye think popped up on me screen? I'll be switched ... there was me connection that eluded me for years. Me great grandfather's family of Inch, Ireland. In full view were the names of me long dead/lost relatives. Pictures of the town parish churches and articles about the potato famine that scattered our kin around the globe. Pictures of me kin too. So if ye were thinking I was just a foolin' ye about being a wee bit Irish ... you can lay that fool idea to rest ;).

A Wish for a Friend

Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!

Happy Juice

The other day I was speaking with my daughter about how my brain is wired. I told her I have happiness going on all the time inside my head. She gave me a funny look ... then I explained that I just can't shut off my optimism. I can feel certain areas just overflowing with joy. Sometimes I think something might be wrong. Other times I am thankful to have a joyous outlook. What's a mom to do? I started doing a little research about brain chemicals and found out what I've suspected for quite some time. Our brains are capable of producing certain drugs that can reduce stress. Endorphins, gama gobulins, and interferons are such chemicals our brains produce to help fight stress, pain, disease, and boost our immune systems. With natural drugs floating around in my head like these, who would ever want to shut them off? (Big happy smile.)

Perhaps this 'happy brain' effect started when I was thrown into the world of being the mother of a special needs child. The stress placed on me years ago could have started the ball rolling. I have learned to shut out stressors ... and believe me there are plenty being Nathan's mom ... the wife of a law officer ... mother of a soldier .... etc. Now don't go thinking that I'm an ostrich and have my head stuck in the sand. The world around me may still be falling down, but I'm not going to stand falling down with it. Not on my watch. If I turned these 'happy brain drugs' off, and started getting depressed, I would not survive one day with what is on my plate. So if you think I'm a little too over the top savoring the beauty of winter, the smell of skunks, the delight of getting up a million times at night to help a little boy that needs his mom ... now you know why such things just don't drag me down. If you are not fortunate enough to have this 'happy brain juice' ... I'll be glad to give you a little bit of life off my plate to sample ... maybe then you could get your own 'happy brain juice' flowing.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
It is amazing to think about.
Your workmanship is marvelous
... and how well I know it.
Psalm 139:14 TLB

To maintain a less stressful life, here are some suggestions: Laugh, find humor in situations, plant flowers and garden, seek out friendships, volunteer your time, eat chocolate (that's my favorite one).

Soporific Rest

The turkey doldrums hit me on Black Friday. Who in their right mind would want to fight the mobs to save money on Christmas gifts. Stand in long lines before sunrise, shivering in the cold wondering if you might get mobbed or even lose your very life to save a few bucks. Not I. My Black Friday rest was partially induced from the feast on Thursday and the work involved to cook the meal. Taking an allergy pill put me in a near sleep induced coma on the couch for a few days. I viewed just about every cheesy Lifetime and Hallmark Christmas movie and made a permanent dent in my sofa. I can spot sewing batting used for snow scenes and computer animated snow flakes from my finely tuned eyes. Decorating for Christmas will be a slow process; a breather is needed to put some space between the two holidays. Perhaps I need some anti-depression meds to snap out of it ... na, another cookie will do the trick!

Regular Post Resuming Soon

Stay tuned for a new post hopefully by Friday ... I'm 'nursing' my election 'hangover' away ... plus wearing my many hats this past week. See you soon. Hugs

Ping Pong Politics

Why does the political process in the USA have to resemble a sporting event. Bowl 'em over, hot to trot goody two shoes, spit in your eye flame throwers, your mother wears Army boots, my time to give you a shiner, pull out the rug, obnoxious tale bearers, late night talk show fodder, let's drag this process to the dump, etc. I'm tired of all this campaign stumping. Let's turn off the news, take a deep breath, and let out a big sigh, AAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhh. Would all you politicians just SHUT UP! 90% of the people have made up their minds. The other 10% will vote for Ralph Nader; the guy never misses a last minute race to upset the donkey cart or Dumbo elephant ride. I'm not one to wish away precious time ... but I just can't wait for your election day to be over.

Goodnight Darling

Upon retiring to bed Thursday night ... Mr. Mac took on a strange new look.

Walk This Way

.... getting with the routine. Dh has unknowingly kept me in stitches as he learns the ropes around here. So far this morning (his first at home on a school day morning after retiring) Nathan's closet doors have gotten off their track ... the little fellow's shoes have been misplaced and I almost had to send him to the bus stop wearing his snow boots (84F outside today). A week ago this man was toting a gun at work ... now he's gone from jailbirds to wanting to put out food for the bluebirds ;) ... what a life ... this morning when hubby mentioned something about needing a dumb waiter I had to bite my tongue very hard ... (to be continued)

My Last Few Days of Goofing Off

Hubby is supposed to arrive home in three more days (Friday). That means I have only three (make that 2 and a half) days before I have to get accustomed to living with him full time once again ;) ... Tsk, tsk ... it's been a long two years ... only seeing each other every few months ... how will I ever adjust ... can I cope??? Right now I'm sporting four shades of hair ... that's right FOUR colors: There are silvery streaks in my bangs ... salt and pepper on the crown area and natural brown near the neckline. Then I have the outgrowth of brown with coppery auburn highlights waiting to grow just a wee bit longer to cut off. I'm a mess ... no really, I am. He may take one look at me and want to run back to his mother's home ... that's where's he's been living the past two years. Pity the poor person just dropping by my blog without having any prior acquaintance ;) ...

Now to the weather report: According to the weatherman, it's supposed to be in the 80's by Saturday. We'll, I'll just believe that when Saturday rolls around. So far this year, we've only had two days in the 70's ... April and now the beginning of May have been on the chilly side. After nurturing my seedlings indoors for weeks, I finally set them outside last week ... and yep, they got frost nip. Just a few will pull through. Why, oh why, did I set them out and forget to bring them in at night? I'm going to head over to Walmart and buy some tomato plants as mine are toast.

This week I sanded the top railing of our front porch and re-varnished it. The hanging planters are just waiting for some flowers (but I'm going to wait a few days) ... my bird feeders are in business ... I even spotted a humming bird last week ... but he hasn't been back. Maybe next week, eh. I think the one I saw was a 'scout' ... just checking out the dining fare before settling in for the summer.

Enough of this nonsense ... I have housework to do.

Image: similar style of a new hat I'm sporting to cover my mop :)