Simplifying... and helping orphaned baby elephants...

Lately I have been doing alot of soul~searching... my thoughts always seem to come back to the same thing... helping animals and Nature... my passion, my love... this is "Kibo"... our little "adopted" orphaned elephant from the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust... we initially adopted a little baby named "Shaba" who unfortunately did not survive... so now our donations are going to help baby Kibo... Kibo is just one of so many orphaned baby elephants who need help... most of these most precious of God's creatures were orphaned by despicable, disgusting, low~life scum... poor excuses for human beings slaughtering their mothers for ivory... their horrific acts are unconscionable... yes, I am telling it the way it is... if you think I have no feelings for these pieces of worthless human debris, you are right... other than feelings of total despise and disgust... it saddens me so much and hurts so deeply... I want to help these babies... I want to make a difference... I want them to survive and be loved... I already love them... but they need more... there are no "entitlements" given to these precious creatures... so I will do it.. a little bit at a time... however I can... and know in my heart at least I am trying to make a difference...


In looking around my home full of treasures, I realize the time has come to "simplify" and pare down some... parting with many items that were not from my family or do not have sentimental value to me... some are vintage collectibles, some are crafts supplies... rather than donate these items to a church or thrift shop, where many times the people don't actually NEED the money but take it anyway, I have decided to offer them for sale, at very low prices, on my blog... sending the money to this worthwhile Wildlife sanctuary, where help is needed ALL of the time... beginning Friday, April 2nd I will start placing photos of items I am parting with for sale on my blog... if you see something you are interested in purchasing, please send me an email, my address is right on my sidebar... I will figure shipping costs after I determine where the item is to be mailed, and will include that in your total... I will try to keep the cost of shipping at the lowest I can... you may inquire about shipping costs before you purchase the item... you may send me a check for the total amount, or you may pay me through Paypal after I send you an invoice... Here is the best part of all... I will donate all moneys I receive, with the exception of shipping costs, to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and these precious little babies... this way, some of my treasures find a new home, and you are helping me help these beautiful creatures who so need our love and support... you may click on the link in my post or the link on my sidebar under "Favorite Friends" to read about Kibo and all of the other orphans at the Wildlife Trust ... I hope you will all find a little something you like at my "online flea~market" and know the money will be going to such a worthwhile cause... I try to post interesting, inspiring stories and photographs that hopefully someone will enjoy... maybe even get inspired just a bit to do something they truly have been wanting to do... like helping animals!... I have quit looking at some of the blogs that show only fancy photos from fancy magazines, and have copied stories word for word, with nothing original or inspiring written by themselves... yet they have hundreds of followers and receive hundreds of comments... I do not have the huge numbers of followers many blogs do, but to those of you who do follow me, and take the time to read my posts and leave kind comments, thank you! I appreciate you so very much!... And thank you also in advance for helping me help these magnificent creatures... maybe in this small way I can make their lives a little better for them... xoxo

Beginning a beautiful new week...

Today is the beginning of another beautiful week... these are my pretty geraniums I brought in from my garden last fall and placed in my breakfast nook window... together, we survived the harsh winter months, safe... and warm and cozy... but now ready to start spending alot more time out of doors... today I will place my pots of geraniums on my porch to begin hardening them off... letting the warm Spring sunshine soak into their soil and the fresh Spring air renew them... they are anxious to go back out in the garden to bloom... just like me...


I loved nurturing them indoors during these cold winter months... they put on a spectacular show for us... their gorgeous green leaves pulling towards the sunshine...

Just looking at their delicate pastel petals makes me happy... over the weekend I read another book by Naomi Judd that my dear friend Celeste told me about... I read all of Naomi Judd's books, they are so inspirational, but somehow I had missed this one... so I ordered it right away and couldn't put it down once I started it... I love reading true stories by inspiring women like Naomi, who have beat the odds and are living the life they always dreamed of...

She lists eight specific characteristics that make for a happy life... that help you survive all difficulties, whether they are emotional, physical or circumstantial...

These things are 1. Strong Spiritual Belief, 2. Strong Support System, 3. Sense of Humor, 4. Connection to Nature, 5. Goals, 6. Good Nutrition, 7. Regular Exercise and Rest, 8. Openness to New Experiences... I was happy to see so many of the things I already do... my spiritual beliefs are strong... my family is the best support system anyone could have (thank you my dear family, I love you!)... I always keep my sense of humor... Nature plays a major role in my life, we never miss our daily Nature walk... I have many goals, and work hard to achieve each one of them... I make sure we eat extremely healthy and buy organic whenever I can... Jack and I walk two and one half to three miles each day and I get alot of exercise working in my gardens... I like to keep busy all the time, so I do need to work at getting a little more rest... and I sometimes am leery about trying out new experiences... so there is still room for improvement for me...

But life is beautiful and to be enjoyed... one day at a time... Naomi starts out each morning with solitude and self~assurance... I posted awhile back about beginning each of my days in silent solitude, letting my thoughts wander where they may, clearing my mind... here is how she describes solitude... "... the absence of human activity. Solitude is refreshment for your soul that allows time for the small voice of your inner knowing to be heard." Like my pretty little geraniums, I don't want to just survive... I want to thrive! ... I hope you too will take time to start your day in quiet solitude and listen to your inner self... wishing you a blissful day... xoxo

What it's like being hounded by the press...

Early in the morning a couple of days ago, I heard the unmistakable melody of a beautiful Robin's springtime song close by... I looked out on my back deck, and there by the rail sat Daddy Robin... arriving early so as to get the "pick of the crop" of overly~ripened crab apples on my trees out back... you know me... I love "interviewing" the local little critters about their day~to~day comings and goings, like my interview here with Bebe Squirrel about Groundhog Day... I know... many of you must think me to be so very silly... well, sometimes I am... I love to laugh and be silly... and post about such whimsical things... life is much too short to be serious all of the time... plus, laughter keeps you young and chases away stress... so, with that said... I proceeded to ask Daddy Robin some of the questions I have been wanting answers to... Daddy Robin was quite hesitant to grant me an interview...

I showed him the beautiful new birdbath I recently bought for him and his family and friends... he immediately took offense to that and said I had called him a "dirty bird"...

He hopped over into one of my crab apple trees with a look of distrust on his face... I asked him if he would tell me why there is always something white in a Robin's nest... my great~grandmother told me that when I was a little girl (I have told you all this before)... and through the years I have always found it to be true... a white paper towel, a white piece of yarn, perhaps a white feather... look next time you spot a Robin's nest... something white will be there... just like my great~grandmother said...

Daddy Robin continued to ignore my questions, and started trying to figure out which crab apple was the ripest and would be most tasty in his mouth... he seemed to be having a hard time determining the best one to pick... I asked him how he knows which one is "just right", and once again... my questions went unanswered...

Then Mama Robin flew in... and in a twinkling of her pretty little eye, she plucked the perfect crab apple to savor herself... Mama Robin was much more amicable with me and said she would gladly answer my questions... she said "woman's intuition" is how she chooses her crab apples and berries, and she trusts her instincts and they are never wrong... I asked her about something white in her nest always, and she said "it is a family tradition, and I never break a tradition... we Robins have been using white in our decorating scheme LONG before Jeanne d'Arc said it was cool... we have always loved the "shabby chic " look... but we love color too... who do you think invented "Robin's egg blue???"... I told Mama Robin "Merci" for being so sweet and answering my questions, even though I had interrupted her breakfast... she promised we would chat again soon, and thanked me for the new birdbath, which she thought looked quite beautiful in antiqued bronze... and with that, spread her wings and flew away...

I spotted Daddy Robin, trying desperately to conceal himself in the tree so he could try to figure out which crab apple to pick, without me hounding him... but I quickly snapped this shot of him carefully eyeing me...

Then, before I knew what was happening, he suddenly flew up on my rail, and with a look of total disgust said...

"This interview is over"... I still love you Daddy Robin!... xoxo

My, how quickly these bunnies multiplied ! ...

It all started out with this one little white bunny... I brought her home from the crafts store, unadorned and looking quite lonely... I knew she was hoping she would get fufu'd up for Easter... so into my crafts room and my stash of pretties... then... Voila!... little white bunny looks so cute!... so of course, I had to go get her sisters... first cream bunny... a touch of my magic wand... and cream bunny was ready for Easter!...

Brown bunny wanted to play too, so she was soon dressed in frills as well...

We were all having sooo much fun, next thing I knew, there were three more cream bunnies, all dolled up!...

In a short time, I went from one white bunny to six bunnies... silk ribbons and lace in their hare (get it? ... hare??? tee hee hee!)... and carrying a little bouquet of flowers and a carrot, of course... this was too much fun... tomorrow I will go back to the crafts store for more bunnies... I want to give everyone in my family one!...

It's true... bunnies really DO multiply fast!... xoxo

My love for all God's creatures...

While driving down a little country lane I take to get to a little farm store I go to, I was noticing how much the countryside is greening up, and I came across an unlikely couple lallygagging away the afternoon soaking up the Springtime sunshine together...

I am reminded once again why I love all God's precious little creatures... xoxo

Aging gratefully...

Spring... and the earth once again is renewed... so am I... but I am also a bit saddened by some of the things I read these days... especially on growing older... I am sixty years old and yes, life is still good... why is is that women don't want to admit the age they are??? ... I don't mind... I have worked hard to get where I am... my friend Jo at My Grama's Soul did a cute post a while back about an article she had read called "Reinventing Yourself", and like me, Jo does not want to "re~invent herself"... she is comfortable being just exactly who she is now... and always has been...

Why do so many women worry about a few wrinkles or a couple of extra pounds that just won't go away... yet they covet anything "vintage and shabby"... saying little chips and imperfections on these things do not matter... infact, the older and shabbier the better... I don't get it??? ...

I have shown these photos I took of an old abandoned building I am drawn to several times before... the paint is chipping away ... and has lost alot of it's original color...

The windows are sagging and the screens have holes in them...

But to me I see nothing but beauty... most of you probably do too... no matter that the screen has holes in it and the windows are sagging some... I love this wonderful old building just the way it is... should someone come in and paint it or remodel it, it would lose the charm that belongs to it alone... Yes, I have my share of wrinkles, and a few extra pounds... I am no size 2... or even 3,4,5,6,7,8..... but I am "Me"! Just like this little old building would not remain the same after a renovation, I don't want surgery to remove my wrinkles or liposuction to remove my extra "fat"... so with today being the first day of Spring, and a time for renewal, I will renew my own commitment to "be myself" and be completely happy with just exactly who I am... age is a state of mind... not a number of years... a dear friend of mine and my sister's was a darling man named Ben who, in his nineties had a new hip replacement... after that he was still dancing circles around men many years younger than he was at the Fort Douglas Officers Club... his thoughts on his surgery... "the only bad part is I will need it again in another 12 years" ... what an attitude!... never a thought crossing his mind that he might not be here in another 12 years... just living every moment of his life to the fullest!... I want to be just like Ben...

I don't think most men worry about age... so why do so many women???... I don't care about the numbers on a scale or the candles on my birthday cake, as long as I know I am doing all I can to be healthy and happy... I love reading anything Naomi Judd writes... to me she is an amazing woman who has endured many hardships in her life, but her attitude and strong will have made her not only a survivor, but an inspiration to many... I love her thoughts on growing older... ( she is 64)... she is "aging gratefully"... so am I... I hope you are too...Happy Spring to you all... xoxo

Welcoming Spring...

Tomorrow is officially the first day of Spring... when I was growing up, the first day of Spring was always celebrated on March 21st... all of my old calendars list it as then, but I will gladly welcome Spring a day early now!... Jack and I are not only celebrating Spring, but LIFE as well, especially since our near~disaster on Wednesday... (see my post just prior to this one)...

Last Monday, I posted about going to pick out roses from one of my favorite garden centers... the same one I went to as a little girl with my mama and daddy to pick out our plants and garden supplies so many years ago... not much has changed there over the years, except the prices of course... even though it is a large garden center, it still carries that little hometown feeling I remember so well... C'mon... I'll show you around!...

I could just stand all day long and look at seed packets! Do any of you feel that way too??? There are sooo many beauties to choose from... I love to collect vintage seed packets as well whenever I come across them... inside the garden center they have seeds, pots, garden ornaments, windchimes, birdbaths, everything you could possibly ever need or want...

Outside they have begun setting up rows and rows of perennials... like these gorgeous Primroses...

I LOVE these tomato cages in every color of the rainbow!...

Vintage white mailboxes mark the different areas, with free pamphlets on how to choose and care for your plants and shrubs...

I loved seeing these new little flowering trees already in pretty pastel blossoms...

As the weather warms up, and frost warnings are not likely, tables and tables of gorgeous annuals, flowers, herbs, vegetables will all be put out... with many of the most tender varieties in little greenhouses... I am off to the greenhouse full of roses!...

They have such a fantastic variety of all types of roses, from climbers to miniature roses to the old antique varieties... which I was after that day...

All of their vintage roses have not arrived yet, so I must wait for my Cecile Brunner and Baronne Prevost... they will have them in several weeks (can I wait that long???)... in the meantime, I will show you the ones I picked out for now... "Abraham Darby"... one with the true "old rose formation" blooms... I can hardly wait for it to bloom this year!...

I also choose several newer varieties of tea roses... "Change of Heart"...

And "April in Paris"...

As I headed out to my car, I caught sight of this darling old International truck parked close to me... I fell in love with it, and sooo wished I was loading my garden supplies in the back of it and driving it home... Jack would LOVE it, especially with the Harley insignia in the back window... (Jack's Harley is his pride and joy... besides me, tee hee hee!)...

As I was standing there taking pictures of it, two cute "vintage" gentlemen, I am guessing in their late 70's ~ early 80's came out to it, put their supplies in the back, and waved to me... I waved back and told them how much I loved the little truck... and guess what! They both still ride Harleys! It made me smile so much... youth truly is a state of mind... not a number of years!... Happy Spring to all of you!... xoxo

Thankful to be alive and back safe in our home...

Yesterday started out nice enough... I put the corned beef and new potatoes in the crockpot, looking forward to our traditional St. Patrick's Day feast... then I did a little shopping with one of my friends... next Jack and I started out on our daily Nature walk. As we walked past the house behind us, we could smell natural gas, really strong... (yes, I know it has no odor, but we could smell what they put in it so it can be detected)... I went to the neighbor's door as Jack thought it was leaking from their meter... they were not home, so we called the gas company and reported what we thought was a leak at their meter... they came out immediately and began checking for leaks... when we walked over to talk to them, they said there was a high concentration of gas but it would take a while to locate the leak, it was not coming from the meter... they said they would let us know...

Have you ever imagined in your mind what you would do if you were told you had to evacuate your home, grab what you could, and get out... NOW!... Well, that's exactly what happened to Jack and I yesterday... my thoughts were all over the place... of course the priority was for Jack and I to be out of the house, and we no longer have any little pets... they have all gone to animal Heaven... they would have been our number one priority as well...

I must admit I cried when I saw police tape cordoning off our home... and garage... and back deck...

The foreman told us there was a major leak in the main line and four of our neighbors and Jack and I were to be evacuated... the concentration level was at it's most dangerous, making for a high probability of explosion...

They told us we had just several minutes to grab what we could and leave... I never want to hear those words again in my life... we have literally a small fortune, wait, let's make that more like a medium fortune in everything we have in our home, besides our home itself... things we have worked an entire lifetime to now own... Jack began getting our vehicles out into the street, so we could load up whatever I could quickly gather... even though my mind was in a total fog at the news, I knew right what I wanted to take with us... the antiques must stay, as well as all of my collections, and Jack's model trains, planes, helicopters, tools, etc.... today, before I put everything away, I photographed what I had taken with us... the first thing I got was my family's Bible... this beautiful old Bible has been in our family for generations... when my daddy got so ill just before he passed away, he could not rest at night if this Bible was not right by his side...

Then I grabbed my daddy's favorite grey sweater and my mama's red sweater... mama and daddy are both gone now, but I swear sometimes I can still smell my daddy's Mennen aftershave and mama's Shalimar perfume... sometimes I will wear these sweaters when I am needing to feel safe... and warm... and even closer to my mama and daddy... they must go with me...

Then from the same closet I got my mama's old scrapbook, lovingly held together with lace ribbons as it is so old and fragile, and an old photo album of my daddy's full of pictures from when he was a child...

A small box of jewelry and little treasures my mama had saved over her lifetime, including little notes I made for my mama and daddy telling them how much I love them when I was just a little girl, and mama put them in with her precious trinkets forever...

Then I grabbed my favorite photo of my beautiful mama and daddy, along with the little American flag I keep by my daddy's picture... daddy was a Colonel in the United States Army and so proud of our country... I always keep a flag out for him... also I took a small little bundle tied with a ribbon of letters that daddy wrote back home from overseas where he served during WWII... also in the picture as well as the very top picture, I took my mama's rosary and my daddy's dogtags...

I KNOW the main thing is to get people and pets out... I do understand that... and I know that alot of material things can be replaced... but I would be a liar if I told you these things I gathered up to take with me did not matter to me... they do... they are a part of me... priceless... and can never be replaced... Jack and I spent the time we were evacuated out at my sister's home... she and my brother~in~law are on a vacation in California, so I called her to let her know we would be going there... I knew it was ok... we are sisters... but I still wanted to let her know... I also called my two nieces, as I knew they would worry if they came by to see us, which they usually do on a holiday, and saw police tape all around our home... and us nowhere around... it looked like a crime scene... today we are back in our home, safe and sound... they would not allow us back in until they came in first and checked our entire home for any gas and re~lit all of our pilot lights... they told us the leak was caused by a careless person they sub~contract work out to on the gas lines (which we never knew they sub~contracted), and a cap on a tee in the line that was not tightened properly... had we not phoned it in, and it was left undetected, it could have exploded and left about a five block area in shambles... Yesterday I admit, I was cussing the "luck of the Irish" (Jack's Irish)... especially since just this week my email account was hacked into also and rotten sex letters sent out to everyone in my contact list... now I have a new email account, new passwords, the works... I am totally drained today, but my thinking is alot clearer... my St. Patrick's Day post had been an Irish blessing... it read... "May God grant you always... A sunbeam to warm you, A moonbeam to charm you, A sheltering angel so nothing can harm you"... thank you, my sheltering angels... xoxo