Hello there how are you? It’s a gray and overcast Monday as I write to you. There wasn’t light until 8! How is it where you live?
So yesterday I went over to my Aunt and Uncles to help make jalapeño pepper jam. I had never done that before. I was in charge of measuring the sugar and other odd jobs. My two cousins and cousins daughter were there and it was good to see them. I was so in the moment I didn’t get any pictures of the jam! My uncle John was the only man in the outfit!
I didn’t get to stay too long as my bowels were acting up. They made about 4 batches of jam and they used the jalapeños after they were juiced for salsa.
I heard the sad news today that Colin Powell died from complications of Covid-19 and cancer . He was the first black Secretary of State . One of my favorite quotes is from him :
The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”
“We stand in this moment a foothold in time. Where do we go from here? Do we reach to the top shelves for the hidden best or do we continue to grimace in pain as we stoop for the obvious? The stream of life flows forward so swiftly with hands still reaching back. Grasping anything to steady us as we lose our footing. What is our identity? Who are our tribes? We think we are standing still but the sand continues to give way. We are but mere little children in this vast cosmos. Time stretching forward and backwards in a snapshot of space. The all seeing eye of time a voyeur to our rise and fall.”
Hello there! How are you? I’m doing ok. This morning I’m writing to you from my little loveseat. Link is keeping my feet warm! It’s chilly in the house but not enough to kick the heater on.
So in a little while I’m going over to my Aunt and Uncles to make hot and spicy pepper jam. They haven’t done this for a couple of years. My cousins and their kids will there. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.
I felt like chalking for a few minutes last night
What am I grateful for today? ALOT! I’m so grateful to have a God of my understanding that reminds me to pull out my gratitude list when I’m getting ready to start complaining. I was going to do that this morning! Sometimes it’s ok to complain but I have to be careful that complaining isn’t all I do. I have to remember that when I complain I give my personal power away to what I’m complaining about. What I focus on gains power.
Hello. How are you? I’m am doing ok – just real tired. I haven’t been sleeping that well. It was only once around the block today. I’m starting to feel like an old dog!! Must be the cold getting in my bones!
Yesterday I went over to my Aunt and Uncles house for linner (lunch/dinner). They had invited some of their friends and their daughter too . It was nice to have a home cooked meal with such good company. Playing a round of Farkle (dice game) which my Aunt won. Being with them helped me forget my troubles for awhile . For just a couple hours the world seemed happy and peaceful – normal. When I am with my family I feel so loved and cared about. I wish the whole world could know what that’s like. So many lives seem to be in a state of chaos right now.
When I look at the news lately everything is for shit. It’s like there isn’t any hope. Just more of the same crap – fear mongering and scare tactics. All the stuff love can’t buy but money can. If you pay attention to this stuff you have to ask where God is in all of it. I believe God is showing us just how broken we are.
All broken aside, I want to focus on the good stuff. I woke up today. I have wonderful family and friends. I have a roof over my head. Food in my belly. My health is pretty good yet. I have a sweet dog. I have transportation. I want to believe there is enough of what I need in this world. I want to believe my higher power has my back and is looking out for me. No matter how broken this world appears to be, there are moments like I had yesterday. People still caring about each other and coming together in fellowship and love.
So what are you grateful for today? What makes you happy ? How do you stay positive ? I’d love to hear from you!
I think it was from an AA reading or something that I remember getting the idea to wear the world like a loose cloak.
It’s late Saturday afternoon. The weather is nice. I went over to my Aunt and Uncles and had a nice lunch. We visited and played a round of a game like Yahtzee called Farkle. Being with them helped me so much! I get stuck sometimes and they know how to get me out! This morning the gears in my brain got stuck!
Hello there ! How are you doing today ? I’m doing pretty good . I’m writing later today because I spent some time with my aunt and uncle this morning! We had blueberry pancakes ! They had gone to watch the balloons go up at 5 am and there was news that a new member of our family had arrived – Cove 8 lbs 1 oz! Baby girl !
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone was welcomed to this world with so much joy ?! If everyone who felt estranged from their family and friends found out everyone was so pleased that they had arrived. This is the promise of new life —- hope! It’s kind of like finding out that someone was praying for you and you didn’t know it . Being loved and cared about even if you don’t directly see it . We are never entirely alone . When we get here there are so many souls, many we don’t directly know, praising our arrival . Welcome Cove!
Doodle for today welcoming Cove and balloons that took to the sky today
Good morning to you. Hope this finds you doing ok. I’m at another phase of the journey that’s going on today. My husband and I finally got a chance to talk yesterday. We agreed trying to do all that we want to do right in the middle of a still evolving pandemic might not be a good idea. We are having to think things through.
12 May 2020 – I had to put out a pair of my husbands pants for Link. Link was grieving yesterday after our visit. He just howled after my husband left. What my husband and I have been going through has been tough on Link too.
We know we still want to sell this house but have to make sure Link and I have someplace to go after we do. The realtor we talked to said with considering what needs to happen to this house, we were looking at $110-130,000 for a walk away on it – we paid $107,000. I think the low figure has to do with the fact our house is needing another foundation repair. Those are expensive. He quoted foundation repair costing about $8-$11,000. There has been a lot of interior damage because of the house shifting.
My husband was still not very pleased with the realtor quote considering how much they say our house is worth . USAA is saying our home is worth $180,000 but that isn’t considering the factors the realtor considered and also the realtor is familiar with our town. He has sold other properties in our area and probably has a good idea of what he can get for it. So we will have to work on the realtor part. I think the sale of this place will end up being a flipper kind of deal. What I mean by that, is an investor will buy the property, make repairs and then sell it at a higher price than they bought it. Neither one of us is wanting to put any more money into repairing this place as it is. So no matter what realtor we choose, we may be stuck with getting not much more than we paid for it in the end of it.
All that said, selling the place will more than likely not be a problem. If we need to, we can do a remote closing. It apparently happens all the time. The part I’m concerned about is knowing the place I have to go for certain is 1600+ miles away. When I got to thinking about all that is involved with that kind of trip, I got cold feet. It’s not that I’m not willing to do it. I think if my cousin and his wife are good on their offer to come here to help me drive back there won’t be as much a problem. I’m just worried about putting us all at risk health wise doing this when the pandemic is still doing it’s thing in this country.
There is also a small part of me that is hoping my husband might change his mind about our relationship. By talking to him yesterday and considering all that he has been through with me the past couple of years, it’s not looking good for reconciliation like I would want. He is adamant he’s not coming back to this house to live. He is perfectly justified in his feelings and his actions. There is a lot he could have done. He could have completely abandoned me and he didn’t and he hasn’t. He knows I can’t do this all of by myself and seems willing to do his part. The other consideration is that I am freshly out of the hospital and I don’t want to end up back in one. We just have to do this right and I think we are.
To be 