Wednesday's words: small steps lead us to big things

"great things do not just happen by impulse but as a succession of small things linked
together."  — Vincent van Gogh

Wednesday's words from Shakespeare

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." —William Shakespeare

The end of the week blues

My daughter was complaining this morning about it being Friday and she is tired after a long week at school and I realized that I am tired like her and so call it the "Friday Blues", where you are just pushing to get the day done to start a weekend of R&R (Hopefully!).

Wednesday's Words....On dogs

"A tired dog is a happy dog." —Zak George (Dog Trainer)

Tuesday's Tip: Plants

Water plants when the soil up to 1" deep feels dry, so as not to over water them and possibly kill the plants

Tuesday's Tip: When I return...

To this day I remember that my mother's parents always arrived for a visit wearing nice clothes; my grandfather was in a tie and I knew from this that my grandparent's house was left super neat. Here in lies the tip: leave your house neat, when you travel and you will come home to a neat house.

(I am sorry Papa-g that Mama-g made you wear a tie, I would have preferred your coveralls.)

"Snow" in summer

Every summer the Linden tree in front of house "snows" flowers and I sweep and sweep and sweep and this year our babysitter suggested using the snow shovel which was an excellent suggestion, since I refer to the flowers and "summer snow" and learned that thinking outside the season my help bring about a new solution.

The act of recovery....

According to Dictionary.com...

RECOVERY: restoration or return to any former and better state or condition.

Well, I am in RECOVERY from wrist surgery and will be back in the full swing of my blog soon.

The act of recovery....

According to Dictionary.com...

RECOVERY: restoration or return to any former and better state or condition.

Well, I am in RECOVERY from wrist surgery and will be back in the full swing of my blog soon.

Lefty's Rule!

While I am in recovery with my right hand in a bandage, I am having to do things with my left hand and I am amazed at how well I am doing (even typing) and feel almost back to my old self (minus knitting, which brought the carpal tunnel to the forefront of my mind with excruciating pain).

(P.S. A sincere thanks to my mom who stayed over several nights to play nurse and my husband and daughter for helping out and giving me TLC.)

Tuesday's Tip: Instant greenhouse

To protect plants and keep them moist while you are away on vacation, place them in clear plastic garbage bags and seal the tip with a bag clip; this creates a greenhouse effect allowing in light which creates a moisture environment inside the bag.

(P.S. I have tried this on many occasions and it works great. In fact I lost some plants last winter, because I didn't do it and they did not get enough water because the plant sitter came only once during the week.)

Navigating a new world....

As I prep for my surgery, I am having to learn to do things with my left hand, like use my mouse and when my daughter the other day asked if I was scared, I said, "No, I am nervous because I write with my right hand," and now I can add that I am excited too— to brave the world left handed.

Tuesday's Tip: Better Plants

As I was walking down the street recently, a woman chatted with me in the drizzle and said she puts crushed egg shells in her plants as to help them grow and stay nourished.

Quirks and all

Since the saying goes "You can't change the person, you can only change your reaction to them," I think the standard wedding vows should read, "...in sickness and health and with all his/her flaws and quirks" and so going forward I plan every two weeks to clean out my husband's mail pile (which is on my radar and not his) and which is totally fine with me and my neatnik daughter.

Wednesday's words: The wolf pack

"The strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack." —Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling's Birography

Being adaptable

My mother's apartment sustained water damage due to a leak in the apartment above hers and when we had lunch yesterday, she said to me, "This has made me think about set in our daily routines we are." and she is right that when life throws a curve ball, we have to be able to adapt our schedules and our daily routines to be able to hit the ball out of the park.

Tuesday's Tip: Extend the life of cut flowers

I was told these would work to extend the life of cut flowers in a vase....
1. A penny
2. An Aspirin
3. A pinch of white sugar

(or maybe these are just old wives' tales)

Wednesday's Words: Avoid Disorder

"It is best to do things systematically, since we are only human, and disorder is our worst enemy."
—Hesiod

Connecting to nature

At the gym this morning, I got on the Elliptical and pushed the courses button for hike through canyons in Utah and when I was done, I not only felt the rush of endorphins, but also felt a connection to nature even though I had been indoors the whole time (and this is way better then mindlessly turning on the TV function for some "cop" drama).

Wednesday's words..."Yes, I can!"

According to an article in Good Housekeeping, "You control 40% of your outlook—and can train yourself to be an optimist."

Good Housekeeping