Disappearing view

Looking out my bedroom window, the trees are bursting forth in leaf, and my view of the mountain across the valley is about to disappear until October.  But I love living in my little nest in the green branches, and hearing a million birds singing every morning when I wake up.

Today's Quote:

Life energy flows through us like a swift stream when there is nothing to obstruct it. Madisyn Taylor

 

Gratitude list for April, 2017

I love two-ply toilet tissue! Yep, once I bought some one-ply, which was on sale and made myself use it up. Awful stuff!

I love my patrons of pottery.  Friendly folks (some of them friends before purchasing my pots) to whom I feel so grateful for their support of my ideas in clay.

I'm grateful for a safe cozy home, which totally meets my needs.  Just look at all those pots! It's great to have these built in shelves!

I continually am grateful for my health, which is right now at it's best in maybe the last 5 years.

And friends who are interested in similar things to do, from a Spanish class to going to pottery shows, to walking along waterfall trails, to sharing about goddess interests, to reading similar books.

Family of course, is up high on my gratitude list.  There are at least 4 relatives having birthdays in the next couple of months, and they are all so wonderful and talented.  I wish we lived a bit closer so I could hug them and talk with them all in person more often!

Facebook is surprising to add to my list, because that's my information source for much of what is happening with family members.  I also like sharing some of my own interests and meeting new folks who contribute their ideas which they have in common.  I honestly avoid confrontational discussions. It's my choice.

Internet, which is the source of much of my communication these days...not only Facebook but emails, and Ancestry research.  I'm sorry now there is less privacy here, but actually had felt like "big brother" was already watching over my shoulder whatever I shared. Google has collected my words for years in order to shoot some advertising my way.

Being able to write a blog daily! About whatever I'm doing, or am interested in. And there are a few other folks who also write blogs that I visit almost daily...it's another great community of people with very diverse interests!

Living in an environment which is beautiful and has clean air and water, and access to a senior recreational site including a COA lunch site where I get low cost nutritious food Mon-Fri, and can walk to get some exercise or join an exercise class to keep healthy.

Having animals in my life which give pleasure and are not too high maintenance...I don't do a thing for the Canada Geese or Mallards except enjoy them. My own tropical fish (guppies) have spawned a fish with a disability, it looks like scoliosis.  She has survived and thrived for several months, so her strength outweighs the disability.  I've never seen anything like that before.

My cat needs to sometime have surgery to remove the little cyst on her chin.  Unfortunately, even with some assistance from the local Humane Society, it's too costly for my income at this time.  And the vet refused to offer me a time payment plan. (Since I don't have credit, I can't obtain the credit plan they do offer.)  I can pay the bill from my last year's stay in a hospital by monthly payments over 2 years, but not a vet.  Strange attitude for health care providers. But we don't get health insurance for pets either.  Mixed bag.

I'm grateful to be an American.  I've been able to vote, make choices as to my own lifestyle, and even support others who don't have my views but know that this freedom is the important thing, not the decisions they make.

I'm grateful to have a public library which provides so much of my ongoing education and entertainment!

I'm glad to have transportation which is reliable. And roads that are mostly reliable! And gas that I can afford...though I'm all for reducing reliance on fosil fuels.

Did I miss anything?  Yes, at least twice as much as I have listed.  And this has taken about 20 more minutes than I thought it would.  Now the chores around home are calling me...so I guess I've procrastinated enough for today.

Today's Quote:

“I believe alien life is quite common in the universe, although intelligent life is less so. Some say it has yet to appear on planet Earth.” Stephen Hawking

Coming Home

So here's the important part of coming home.

It's hard to tell that this picture is in one part of the state or another, but for me it's the first glimpse of a mountain straight ahead.

Whow...look at those clouds over the pass.  Will I get smacked with another rain storm?  (I exited the highway at a Mt. Airy exit earlier, and got turned around getting onto I-40 west.  It just felt like I was going east for the first 5 miles)

Not a bad shower, but left windshield a bit wet as I went slowly around the switchbacks of Swannanoa Gap.  Notice I'm driving over in the truck climbing lane...and there wasn't a single semi on it!

I hope Linda Starr sees the highway right here in Black Mountain that has the Blue Star title...in honor of American Ex-Prisoners of War.  I dare say half the people that live here have no idea that's the name bestowed upon our "State Street" or Hwy 70 as it comes into town.

 

I turn past the primary school on Richardson and love the yellow flowers and yellow busses together, seen through the reflections in my car windshield.

And I'm so happy to see my little cottage is sitting here waiting for me, and my friend Tim has mowed while I was away.  What a sweet feeling!  Home sweet...you know.