During a time long forgotten, when life was still normal and humans didn’t have to wear masks, people were able to hold surprise birthday parties.One year ago today, we held an 80th birthday surprise celebration for my mom. The picture above is when she first walked into the room.
Tag: change
Fascinating
Shh, listen. Can you hear that? It sounds like a babbling brook.
The nearest creek is six blocks away, yet the trickling sounds like a stream circling the entire house.
I follow my ears to find where this is coming from.
Real Life Magic
On April 30th I walked along the creek near our house, and below is what it looked like.
Friday Philosophy
Old Scars
Family Transitions

My mom has only lived in two places since I was born … the house I was raised in, and the house she moved to after I left the nest.
Why I Moved
Many years ago, when my husband and I were still newlyweds, we moved far, far away from family and friends.
Those who follow me know we went from the Chicago area, to Florida, but I never shared why.
You see, it was becoming more and more difficult to afford the cost of living in Chicago. My husband was a blue collar worker where he was either forced to join a union, or work for petty wages outside of a union. Neither choice was good, and here is why.
The Adjustment
We’ve been in our new, old hometown for five months now. For those of you who haven’t read here before, I call it my new, old hometown, because twenty-seven years ago I moved away from where I grew up. Now I’m back.
Release, Rest, Replenish
Old Home
Onward and Upward
Love Bugs … Literally
I was born and raised in Chicago, so when I moved to Florida (many years ago), I had a lot to learn about this state. From the environment, to the culture, to the chameleons, to the lack of four seasons, and … the bugs!
I wrote a little about this in my post Look, Up in the Sky. And, in my poem, Infestation. Except, I failed to mention one new-bug-learning-experience.
Recovery and Change
In the future, I may have more lessons to share that I’ve learned from my husband’s injury, but this will probably be the last update on his condition.
Wednesday Wisdom
End of Week Wisdom
Wednesday Wisdom
Random Observations

~ Sometimes when someone accuses and/or judges someone else of having a particular character flaw, that same flaw is in the accuser.
~ Sometimes what bothers or annoys us in someone else, means they are mirroring something back that needs to be addressed in our own lives. Continue reading “Random Observations”
Maybe it’s just me
Has anyone else noticed a new format for the main WordPress site? It’s after you go to the topics page and click on a topic. The topic you click on comes up in a different format than before. If yours is changed, do you like it? Continue reading “Maybe it’s just me”
Cool, cool rain …
I’m enjoying the sound of rain tapping on the aluminum porch roof. We get so little of it here, until summertime. What a welcome change. I think our dog, Max, is enjoying it too. He’s resting by my side, his ears perched in the direction of the sounds.
This probably won’t get posted until a day when the sunshine is out again, but I’ll be able to look back at this and smile about the cool, cool rain.
And now I transition to 3 days after the wonderful rain, and a surprise thing has happened (that’s sarcasm). It’s sunny in the sunshine state this morning. No more rain. Don’t know when it will return. Though, it’s a rare cool morning. I sit and type this with windows open and a crisp breeze brushes my bare arms. I wear a sleeveless shirt in preparation for the hot summer sun this afternoon. Dreaming of a day with more cool, cool, rain …
