WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN AND THE BEST THAT IS...

 

I have to be very careful sometimes when I start writing words.

  My daughter is a faithful reader of my blog posts,

 and she has, more than once, called me to say,

 "You scared me when I first started reading". 

 Like she thought I was going off the deep end or seeing things in a bleak fashion.  

That is never my intent, I am normally a very happy, seeing the bowl half full type of person,

 but sometimes the melodrama kicks in,

 I fancy myself a writer

 and the words just come out.

  I can read a book and think why didn't I think of that phrase

 or why didn't I explain a situation just like that? 

 It is always easy to see things in someone else's mirror 

but sometimes harder to see them in your own.

  But, then I write words like those you just read,

 and I feel foolish and embarrassed reading them back. 

 Like I am trying to be more than I am.

 That has always been my problem and it is a hard one to break.

As long as I can remember, 

I have always wanted to be a decorator/designer. 

 I don't mean someone who changes pillow covers and sets a pretty table, 

I mean one who went to school, put in the hard work, and earned the piece of paper that states,

 "You are Qualified".  

I was never what you would call a good student.  

I easily picked up typing, shorthand, spelling, reading, times tables (but only through 10) 

but I only learned the basics of history, math, English or anything that took a big effort.

  I kind of tackled school the same way I do gardening. 

 Do it once and then think it will take care of itself forever after.  

School, itself, was not my focus.

  I took interest in subjects that I liked but didn't want to put the effort into anything that I didn't 

or what didn't come easy right away. 

 Friends and fun took center stage during those years for me. 

 I ended up after high school, going to business school, and I had some good secretarial jobs after that. 

 I enjoyed it but after getting married and having children, 

I didn't want to do that kind of work anymore,

 I just wanted to stay home and enjoy my family. 

 I was fortunate that the Captain always had a good job

 and that made it possible for me to do that. 

 I did do some house cleaning for a couple of ladies, while the kids were in school,

 but since I always enjoyed cleaning the house, those didn't seem like jobs,

 just extensions of what I liked to do.

  They let me change their furniture arrangements, 

arrange flowers for their tables 

and the money I earned went for anything that would improve the decorations in my home. 

 So, I guess I fulfilled my wishes in a way. 

 I dabble in decorating, whether right or wrong,

 without having to be put to the test.

I mentioned flower arranging 

and that would have been another big bright spot in my world 

had I taken hold of the reins and made a decision to learn how to do it.

  Looking back, it was always easier to sit and dream and wish 

than to actually do anything that would lead to something substantial. 

 The same with photography. 

 I did take a photography class at one time,

 but rather than really learn how to use a camera,

 I was only interested in taking the picture.

  To this day, 

I don't know what many of the adjustments are 

or how to use them.

I think it is a natural part of human growth 

to see life in a different perspective the older you get.

  I am more than happy with the way my life is.

  I don't have a lot of money, and no matter how anyone may think or feel, money is key,

 but I am comfortable. 

 I don't need  much else, but it is fun to be able to buy a 'little something' when you want to.

  We have traveled some and feel content to be 'home' now

 and we have a wonderful family, where things are always changing for the good, 

and these things are all what make a satisfying life. 

 But, still, I find myself looking back sometimes 

on 'what might have been' and thinking how great it could have been

 but not regretting it, at all, as to how it is now. 

 Does that make sense? 

 That is what I mean when I say that I have to be careful in the words that I write. 

 In my head it always makes sense,

 but does it in yours?

All this retrospect came forth for the small price of $4.99.

  We had Discovery Plus added to our lineup of good TV shows. 

 Surely, by now, you know how important TV is to me!  

There are a whole lot of shows that are of interest to us,

 but the Magnolia Network is the best. 

 Chip and Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper fame have started this network

 and they have chosen different characters from different walks of life

 in the same way that they have always tackled every one of their projects, 

 with so much thought, natural ability, expertise and class. 

 One of my favorites, out of many, is a show called "Growing Floret". 

 A story of a very talented and determined young woman in Washington state 

who is a flower farmer 

and how she, her husband and crew, have made her dream come true. 

 I ordered her current book,

 "A Year In Flowers", 

and it is filled with nothing but

 true beauty and good advice.

The photography, 

done by Erin's husband, Chris, is just glorious. 

 This couple is certainly fulfilling their destiny 

through hard work, fortitude, learning as they go, and the will to achieve her dreams

 of changing the world, 

one flower at a time...

...and what a beautiful way to live life!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

And, now for the very best that is:

Once upon a time...

There was the

 sweetest, littlest, tow-headed grandson

 a grandmother ever had...

...and as that sweet little boy grew,

 he found the sweetest little girl...

(good job, Tweetie Bird)

...and as they grew together,

  more years and accomplishments

 went by...

 ...and last week 

Jake proposed to Jacenda

 on Alcatraz Island

 in the San Francisco Bay,

 and now we have the grand daughter

 we have been waiting for.

  

 Congratulations, Jake and Jacenda. 

 We are so proud of you both

 and all the hard work that you have accomplished

 in your short lives. 

 We love you both

 to the moon and back...and 

Happily Ever After.

I hope you are enjoying

 a wonderful summer

 doing all the things you love to do.

...Judy...

The best
 Christmas In July
 ever.

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

ANOTHER STATE OF MIND...

 

"Tomorrow we shall go to the seaside! 

 I very much want to see the big waves coming in,

 and the tiny crabs, and the sand castles".

The Velveteen Rabbit 

Last week,

 I wrote that we were 

suffering through a horrible heat wave.  

This week it is not so bad. 

 Whether we are just getting used to it or not,

 I don't know. 

 Eighty degrees used to seem so hot, 

now it seems practically frigid. 

 Maybe it is just that my "fool the eye and the mind" plan 

is working, so in order not to jinx it,

 I will carry it on this week.

The photos I am showing today are from awhile ago.

  I have played with them a bit,

 because that is what I like to do 

and, also, to make them look newer 

to your eyes.

It has been awhile 

since we have been to the beach,

 but the scattering of small shells around

 does bring a feeling of it

 to the mountains.

Just looking at a long ago memory

 can bring back the sound of waves crashing in the distance, 

and then, softly, touching the shore.

If it seems like I am 'fishing' 

for something to write about, I am. 

 I had a whole other post written

 but something I ordered,

 something which makes

 the whole story make sense,

 didn't arrive in time 

so, hopefully, 

you will read about it next week.

I did plan on this part though

 and it is important for me

 to share it today...

I wouldn't be surprised 

if you knew it was coming:

What goes around, comes around. 

 We are again going backwards

 closely to square one

 as far as the Corona virus is concerned. 

 The simple fact is:

 the more the virus becomes exposed,

 the more it mutates. 

 The only way, now, 

that it can mutate

 is through unvaccinated individuals. 

 I am thinking back to the beginning. 

 This virus came out of nowhere

 and took us all by surprise. 

 It quickly turned into something 

that we would never imagine

 in our wildest dreams. 

 What wouldn't we do 

to have something at our fingertips 

that could keep it at bay 

and keep people from getting 

so sick and dying?

  

We were told

that we were all in this together, 

and I assumed 

that we all would give anything

 to have the ability to stop it.

 

 Hello!!! 

 Now we have a vaccine.

 

 We made a quick trip

 to Santa Cruz last Friday 

and sat in traffic for too many hours.  

To pass the time, 

we listened to talk radio

 and I was truly appalled

 at the amount of callers

 who were under so much misinformation

 about the vaccine. 

 It was mind blowing. 

 I don't know where they are 

getting their facts

 but it is downright scary. 

 There is much talk of incentives 

being thrown around

 to convince people to get the vaccine. 

 Could that be any more selfish? 

 How about trading your loved one's 

possible life

 for a ticket to a ball game? 

 Think about it!  

You are trying so hard 

to not let the government control you 

(or so you think) 

that you are forgetting how much jeopardy

 you are putting your 

neighbors, communities and families in, 

not to mention ones who are unable,

 for health reasons, 

to get the vaccine.

 

 The time for babysitting is over! 

 Wise up,

 get your shots, 

and quit complaining about wearing masks.

 

 It may sound very simplistic

 but it will be so good 

when we can all trust each other again. 

 That will be getting back to normal 

which used to be what 

everyone said they wanted. 

 

We now have the means. 

 Make it happen.

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

A GARDEN ILLUSION...

 

To put it bluntly and mildly...
It..Is..Too..Damn..Hot! 
and the sight of red is making me see red,
 and all the color needs to be put away 

along with the holiday it stood for!   
I walk from the sitting room to the kitchen 

with blinders on.
  Even the sight of the red walls in the dining room,
 which I normally love, 
is a bit too much these days.

The only much needed reprieve 

from it all is in the evening 

when we go out onto the front porch, 

and while we watch and rock by the light of the moon, 

the old school phlox, 

with their lacy white blooms and soft scent,

 send us into a different frame of mind. 

 It is then that a light bulb moment

 occurs over our heads

 and we start a plan 

to "fool the eye and the mind" 

by bringing the garden inside the Cottage.

We start with the sitting room. 

 We spend the majority of our waking hours in this room,

 so it seems the logical place to begin this experiment.  Beginning with the green wreath. 

 I am not the biggest fan 

of the color green for inside decor

 but in the garden it is key 

and this wreath reminds me of a cool spot

 beside a creek bank where ferns thrive

 and the sunlight is dappled. 

 A printed canvas with garden related subjects,

 a few springs of ivy, a little tin cottage

 and an architectural element

 bring the idea onto the mantel shelf.

I've gathered together some blue pillows for the sofa

 and a green faux boxwood sphere

 rests on an urn, on the wagon, along side a candle 

that hints of sweet and summery scents.

Here, on the game table, 

sits a tall branch from a bush in the garden. 

 Of course, the thought of adding

 a few faux stems came to mind

 but that would defeat the simplicity we are going for. 

 All nothing significant, for sure,

 just the basic start to any garden.

  All of the beauty and color that would come next 

will be left out, for now,

 in this fantasy garden. 

I have had this print for a very long time. 

 It has always reminded me of 

my sister and myself, down at our grandparent's ranch.

  Everything about it is reminiscent 

of a place that we played at 

or a strawberry patch we picked at

 or the chickens we fed and gathered eggs from. 

 I would like to think 

that I looked that special 

in my sun hat and summer dress but, in reality,

 I think overalls were the dress of the day.

  I remember my sister, though, 

looking just like the little girl in the painting.  

That was what our summers were like. 

 We were always outside,

 the sun was shining and we played bare foot

 in the creek and the dirt. 

We turned brown as berries, as Grandma used to say, 

 and never complained 

that we were too hot! 

 Truly, those were the good old days 

and where would we be now

 without all the memories?

Thank you for coming inside to the garden 

and hope you are finding your own ways 

of keeping cool this summer. 

 This "fool the eye and the mind" plan of mine

 is a good thought,

 but I can assure you that

 all the faux in the world

 will not change reality!

...Judy...

Right now,

 this looks like the "good old days".

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

WE HAD US A PARTY...

 

Welcome, July........

The rockets red glare - 

and bombs bursting in air -

 are as close as the nearest view of lavender in the garden.

  Just before the 4th of July 

there was an editorial in our home-town newspaper stating: 

 "So much fun happening in the form of 

a public breakfast, craft vendors, street fair and a parade,"

 all entertaining on our

 little town's main street, 

which is about three blocks long. 

 "Fun and festivities all day long.

  We are free to mingle,

 give hugs and congregate." 

 Oh, happy day!  

No masks required - if you are vaccinated!

In the same issue,

 just below the fold, 

in a corner reserved for

 Covid-19 daily details,

 it states new cases rise by 13. 

 No thank you, very much!!  

While the garden is coming into its 

 wild and wooley stage 

we decided our best choice

 to celebrate the day 

would be to throw

 a spectacular garden party.

 

Those in attendance were:

...flights of fancy...

...on gossamer wings...

...sun bathers...

...porch sitters...

...the birds...

...and the bees...

 

...sharing sweet gifts from

 the Cottage garden.

With the exception of the 3 B's 

(birds, bees and butterflies)

and one lone dragonfly

 who joined Bitty Morsel and Miss Gertie,

 pulling a wagon load of joy to America, 

the rest of the party goers came inside

 and took notice of 

a bit more Cottage decorating.

A great time was had by all

 and we totally knew 

who had been vaccinated...

with or without a mask!

And as the sun set,

I hope all of our fellow Americans 

enjoyed a Happy and Safe 4th 

whichever way

 you chose to celebrate. 

 I would also like to thank

 Linda (here) 

for including my last week's post

 as one of her features

 in her Love Your Creativity link party.

 Thank you, Linda,

 I am honored to be included. 

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

Keep In Touch at Let's Add Sprinkles