Update about blogCa

Who knew all this would happen afterwards! My winter garden against the living room windows. I let these little plants be my decorations for the season.

Saturday, January 4, 2025

Visiting and holiday lights

 

Judy's beautiful tree full of memories of her now adult children (who were here for Christmas with her.)



Cathy Babula made so many beautiful pieces of pottery. It's great to see a friend who uses them, as well as I do mine! (the large bowl has an intentional slant)


We had a slice of this beautiful pie, apple and pear. I've eaten a similar pie which was called a Scarlett pie at Whole Foods - they don't make them any more. Judy is a fabulous cook!

Judy's oldest cat, Max. We didn't meet the other two.


Vladimir Fedotko


Keptain, unknown location

Muffin, we had just moved to North Carolina

Sharing with Saturday's Critters

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More of the road trip of taking photos of Christmas Lights:

A snowman from Frozen the movie


This sadly tarped house is the former Christmas House on E. Cotton. It was damaged by a wind storm before the hurricane, then hadn't been repaired when more damage occurred. So it is a sad tribute to what has been lost this year.

A memory saved of the Christmas House in 2022


Driving up a road with condos which had a few choice decorations




Many shots didn't come out because of the bright glare the decorations formed that the camera just shrugged off.

Teresa and Chuck's house. The Santa didn't show near the door.


She may just have to get a closer photo to show the Santa!
One more post will be the last of our tour of Christmas lights.

But now many of the decorations have been removed. Nice memories.

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Today's quote:

Sylvia Plath wrote: "Everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt."


Today's art:

Three Grazien by Gustav Klimt, but I think this is just painted in his style...as I haven't ever seen it. If you know it is his work, I'll remove my skepticism.





Friday, January 3, 2025

Turning Point

 It's later than I meant to post about Turning Point.

That phrase occurred to me, and reminded me it's also a biological phenomenon. When a seed starts sprouting, there are some cells which form roots, and then right next to them are the cells which are to become stems of the plant. Every plant has this happen. A Turning Point where something gives them the message whether to be root or stem. Again and again, more cells are added in just these different ways.

So a new year is a definite turning point, at least for our society. On one side we have the past year. Many things to consider which are the roots of the next year. The stem which will have leaves is growing daily into a plant as tree, flower or crop. It will turn into whatever it's coded DNA tells it to, just as people turn into either boys or girls, or tall or short, or black or brown...etc.

Well while other people make resolutions, I just make a turning point.

I woke up one morning and thought that it was time for a turning point. So I got up at a different time than usual. I'd been having so much trouble getting out of bed in the mornings, I even talked to my physician about it. Somnolism he diagnosed it, though I'm not sure how it's spelled. He recommended I try just switching one med that I took at night to a morning dose, and try it for 2 weeks. That turning point morning was the eighth day. 

Next day I reverted to sleeping after removing the C-PAP and found I could dream during these times, sometimes. Perhaps that's my sub-conscious desire to have dreams. But the following day I again woke earlier and didn't go back to sleep.


I was encouraged however, since I had so much more time in the morning to do things. I went shopping as soon as stores in town were open. I read blogs of friends and commented on a few. Ate a light breakfast, and a light lunch or second breakfast perhaps. I felt like doing more with my day. Considering new things that I haven't even thought of before...as well as knowing there's the constant list of household tasks. (If I were a good housekeeper, I'd probably not end up with so many problems, health-wise.)

I sometimes have to let chores go when my coughing or fever episodes come on me. But I've been catching up somewhat. A regular weekly, or monthly at least, task was to clean the filters in the air handling wall units. Oh my goodness. It maybe should be weekly. The bedroom filter was incredibly full of dirty dust. It turned grey with the spray wash (thank heaven these are washable filters.) So that is a turning point kind of thing, I'm thinking.

The pile of clothes to give to whichever thrift store is taking them these days has grown, but I know many other people have lots to give away at this time (after receiving new things for Christmas.) I have a new pair of jeans which is size huge, and I should have sent them back, but thought maybe they'd shrink with washing and drying. Which of course meant I couldn't send them back. I tried wearing them around the house, and they're so loose it's like wearing sweatpants with a belt to keep them up!

They are going to the thrift store, I just decided. So I lost the cost of a pair of new jeans. I'll look at the sizing more closely the next time I buy. But wait, let's first look at the ones for sale at the thrift store!!


The first paper white bloom! In the past narcissus flowers had a pungent odor. And were much bigger blooms. But no smell I can discern. And a few days later, more little blooms on the same stem. The box cost as much as the amaryllis, but this is the only stem with blooms, and it contained just 3 bulbs, one of which didn't sprout at all.


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Sharing with Floral Friday Fotos

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Today's quote:

Allow yourself to release feeling any guilt about being happy.

Today's Art:


Portrait of a Birch,watercolor...by Roman Bozhkov


Thursday, January 2, 2025

Beauties in sight and sound

Jackie Morris is an artist and former blogger, in the UK. I just found I'd saved a YouTube clip of some of her art with a bit of music (only a minute's worth). 

The Quiet Music of Gently Falling Snow.



Speaking of art and music, here's an interesting chart I found on Facebook. I'm not a musician, but do have friends who are.


I love that the sounds of music coordinate with math.

I must wonder about Asian music, which has a different scale. Does it have different math systems?

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"The faeries came and took me away

and brought me home and they did say,

I hope you enjoyed our little play,

come play again sometime, sometime,

come play again sometime."

— quote by The Silver Elves, authors of Through the Mists of Faerie: A Magical Guide to the Wisdom Teachings of the Ancient Elven


art below by Robot Dreams of Beauty
From Martha Char Love on Facebook





Norman Rockwell




Art Irina Babushkina - Silent Night

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First day of the new year, I invited friends to come see a movie with me "Wicked" which is available to rent on Prime now. Much less expensive than all of us going to the theater...but I did want to make the experience somewhat special. Snacks for the friends...and comfortable chairs from which to watch. All brought something to eat of course. We wandered back and forth to the kitchen to fill plates, cups, glasses. I stayed up much later than I had the night before for New Years.

And I feel much more stable when my 85 year old very "with-it" friend showed up a day early for the movie gathering. Yes, with all her treats to share. But she was so surprised it wasn't until Wednesday. I'm usually the one who does things on wrong dates, as my friends will attest to. So I kept her dip in the refrigerator, as well as all her little tidbits in her bag, and she went on home, still shaking her head and laughing! 

In honor of the occasion, or new year in general, I accomplished my two biggest household challenges. Kitchen is cleaned up...all counters, all dishes put away! (Didn't mop floor however, in case you come over to check!) The more unusual for me thing was wearing a mask for dust particles, and vacuuming the various floors. It did take two tries, with me getting completely out of breath having finished 2 rooms at a time. Or maybe that was from moving some of the lighter furniture. Nope, just pushing a vacuum is exercise for me! Gotta get back into working out soon!

I did bring inside from the car all the little water bottles that have been gifted to me (two huge cases.) It was just freezing yesterday, but tonight will go even colder. All I need is a spatter of frozen bottled water all over everything, soaking into upholstery. 

But the cases were too heavy to lift, even putting them into my rolling cart to carry them to the apartment...so I had to move each bottle into smaller boxes first, and carry half a case at a time. Whew, more good exercise! And somehow it sent my brain off into netherland, so I couldn't find the keys to the car after all was finished. I looked just about everywhere, twice. Then thought I'd lost my phone, and again did the look around twice. Boy was I frazzled! Found phone in a different place in the bathroom. And found keys in wrong compartment of the purse. I have good systems, but there was somebody else goofing off this afternoon!

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I woke in the middle of the night, with important consideration and concern. I had forgotten to say how grateful I am for blogger friends. So consider it done, now, and I can go back to sleep. 


This is the eighth and last day of Hanukkah



I mistook the nutcracker for being an Indian. Silly me!
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Today's quote:

None of us gets through life alone. We all have to look out for each other and lift each other up. -Hillary Clinton, secretary of state and senator (b. 26 Oct 1947) (AND First Lady and presidential candidate)


The Continuing Outrage of War

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Happy New Year!

 Rabbit rabbit for new beginnings to have good luck!

by Wendy Andrew



There is bounty in Ingles. Just look at all those boxes stacked in the aisle waiting to be unloaded.

I and some of my friends are angry at their management for not opening the store faster when the hurricane left many families without food or water. But they are my go-to grocery which provides my needs weekly, so I'm not acting on anger at this point. There are certainly other problems with this corporation, namely it's monopolistic view of Black Mountain grocery needs.

Celebrating friendship is always a good thing with some good food included. Here we met at the Trailhead Restaurant (early in the day to beat the crowd).

Yes, this was before Christmas, a quick visit to obtain some candy to hold us over for the week to come!


That first display case of fudge at Kilwins always stops me cold. 


Does it seem like I'm dragging 2024 into this new year? Well, just playing a bit of catch up I guess.


Sunset on Winter Solstice, wasn't all that exciting.

Perhaps you need some metric equivalents!





Listening to music before the church service Sunday 12.22.24 - the sermon was about Mary. Here Sue Stone plays the piano, and our music director, Annelinde Metzner smiles over her shoulder, while Rev. Michael Carter reviews his notes.

I was not expecting too much from this sermon, but he did talk about how little is written about Mary, even though so many people have been praying to her as the "Mother of God" for all these years if they are Catholics. My experience is that of an artist, appreciating many Madonna and Childs either as sculptures or paintings.

Today's art:


Our Lady of Czestochowa is an example of a Dark Madonna

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Today's quote:


In nature there is no alienation. Everything belongs.

DENG MING-DAO


Yesterday around 10 am EST, Sydney Australia  was already celebrating 2025


 The Red Rocker Inn








Science