Friday:) Finding a LuckyPenny, Friends, Signs and Spring

“Spring is the fountain of love for thirsty winter”
― Munia Khan

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I’ve got this thing about lucky pennies and signs. Here’s my little story. Yesterday, I was heading out for an afternoon walk. I headed across the street to the park when I stopped, turned around and thought, “ I should walk over towards Mr. Larry and Miss Sandy’s house. They live about four blocks away, and I haven’t seen them in months. They usually sit out in their garage from 4-5pm, I walk past and open their garage fridge, grab a beer, and catch up on the neighborhood gossip.

I rounded the last corner and could see down the street, but the garage was closed. I grabbed my cell phone and started dialing their number. I looked down and saw a lucky penny a few houses away. Hmmm? A sign? I smiled.

“Hello, Miss Sandy. The garage is closed. What’s going on?” I joked. Miss Sandy proceeded to tell me, in a raspy voice, that she has been in and out of the hospital and Mr. Larry has stage four lung cancer. (Oh no!) I asked if there was anything I could do.

Miss Sandy said, “What are you doing tomorrow?” I told her I was free all day, and asked how I could help. She needed a ride home from the hospital the next morning. I was happy to offer a ride. The garage door opened and Miss Sandy strolled out and we sat in our designated chairs. I heard about all the health problems, hospitalizations, and doctor’s appointments.

A few minutes later, Mr. Larry walked out and sat in his waiting chair. He had lost a lot of weight and was coughing. We did some catching up on neighborhood gossip and the usual pleasantries and unpleasantries.

Mr. Larry had a doctor’s appointment around the same time Miss Sandy would need a ride home from the hospital after outpatient surgery. He dropped her off at 6:30 this morning, and I picked her up around 10. I was able to sit with her in the recovery room for a while until she was discharged.

I realized that my lucky penny was a sign that I was meant to walk that way yesterday. I always say, “Sometimes God sends you an angel when you need one, and sometimes He sends you to be an angel for someone in need.”

Yep!

It was such a beautiful sunny Spring day that I took two walks today. I put in over 4 miles and enjoyed every minute, with a few stops at the welcoming bench by the pond. The sunset was calm and the evening moon was inspiring.

Now, for my favorite part of Friday night…Black Russian Friday. Cheers!

Saturday:) Serious Procrastination At It’s Finest

“I don’t like to think of it as procrastination as much as last minute motivation.”

Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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This morning I decided that just because I don’t like to send Christmas cards, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t send some out to my Tias (aunts) and special friends far away. But alas, I don’t like to send store bought cards because I am an artist, after all.

So, at the crack of noon, I went up to my studio/crap room to paint a few more cards. I liked the one I did for one of my time lapse videos a few weeks back. (I’ll attach the link if you missed it.)

I thought I’d start working on a dozen, but then realized half way through that I wanted to send a few out in today’s mail. Probably the last chance to get there before Christmas…maybe. Plus, I had to let them dry before popping in an envelope. Nothing like waiting till the last minute.

I got 8 cards and envelopes done by about 3pm. Most people send out 80 cards, and I sent out 8. If you didn’t get one, SORRY. 8 don’t go a long way.

So, I quickly addressed and stamped the cards, running out to the mailbox. The mail lady usually doesn’t come early. I went to my mailbox…DANG! My mail was already there, but I could see the truck down the street, meaning she already did both sides. Too far to chase her down, I didn’t have a jacket on, but I figured if I ran through the park to the next street, I could put it in a neighbor’s mailbox. Oops, I didn’t know any neighbors on that street, and I didn’t want to get arrested for mail tampering. Then, I ran through the next park, past the splash pad and over to Mr. Mike’s mailbox. His mail box flag was up, so I added my cards to his, then scurried home. Saved! It was cold out. 🤦‍♀️

Yes, procrastination is my middle name. I did manage to get out for an evening walk before the sun was totally down. And, it’s after 8pm and all I’ve eaten all day is a granola bar. I sure can waste away a day and not get much done. Ah, but life is good.

Elvis on the Shelvis wanted to show me a few tunes on the piano. I tinkered a little while, but I need to get serious about learning to play. Maybe another day… said the queen of procrastination.

Sunday Sermon and Elvis on the Shelvis

“The best view comes after the hardest climb.”

~Unknown

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Another lazy Sunday morning watching Mass in my pajamas. Today’s Gospel from Mark was the story of how John the Baptist was destined to prepare the way for the Lord, preaching and baptizing people in the river Jordan…

“After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

My take on it… Just like John the Baptist, we are called to prepare ourselves and be ready for when the Lord comes on the final day. You may or not believe the ancient teachings and prophecies, but isn’t better to live a kind and good life just for yourself and the sake of others, than to lead a bad and selfish life for the earthly rewards and pleasures?

Cool clear skies for a beautiful evening.

Now, for today’s Elvis on the Shelvis.

Elvis is checking out the Shelvis in my craft room. He’s impressed.

Happy Sunday my friends.

Friday:) From Sunrise to Sunset and More

Each time I see a beautiful sunset or sunrise, I have to pinch myself because I can’t believe that I’m awake and not dreaming.

– Anthony T. Hincks

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Friday’s are such fun days for me. I normally don’t get up early, but I offered to pick up my little furry friend, Bella and keep her for a few days while Mr. Mike is out of town. The upside is, I got to see the sunrise and morning sun. It was a beautiful day.

We took several walks during the day and enjoyed the perfect weather.

Sunset is my favorite time to walk and catch the amazing color show in the sky.

The time flew by and I hadn’t eaten all day. I was lucky that my good friend Jerry had given me a self rising supreme stuffed frozen pizza. I added a little spinach because I love spinach. Oh man… very yummy with a spinach salad on the side. Thank you, Jerry.

Now, I’m all nestled and snug on the couch, watching hokey Hallmark movies and enjoying my Black Russian Friday.

Cheers, my friends.

Quarantined Karaoke Thursday:) You’ve Got a Friend

“Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.”

~Eleanor Roosevelt

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Another Quarantined Karaoke Thursday….

A good day for a long walk and another beautiful sunset. Life is good! Keep on singing…

Sunday Sermon and Other Stuff

“He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses much more; He who loses faith, loses all.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

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We had a lovely rainstorm during the night. It’s been so dry, that the welcome pelting of rain and flashes of lightning were most welcome as I slept. I woke up around 4am because I was warm. I looked up and noticed that I had forgotten to turn on the ceiling fan. NOPE! The power was out, no electricity. That’s ok, I was happy for the rain, and went back to sleep. The power came back on around 9 am and I was more than happy to go reset all the clocks. Rain, glorious rain.

I took the dog for a walk in the park, had a little breakfast, and got ready for Mass on TV.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus told his disciples how His life would end with death and resurrection. Peter told Jesus that this should not happen, but Jesus declared that Peter was thinking like a human and not as God ordained…

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me.

25 Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.

26 What, then, will anyone gain by winning the whole world and forfeiting his life? Or what can anyone offer in exchange for his life?

27 ‘For the Son of man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each one according to his behaviour.

My take on it… this is a pretty old and well shared passage… You can have all the money, power, wealth, or status in the world, but if you lose your soul, you have lost everything. At the end of your life, wealth, power, and status mean nothing. You can’t take it with you.

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It was a lovely day. I decided it was a perfect bake cookies day. All the work was already done. I took out one of my rolls of chocolate chip cookies from the freezer. If you didn’t catch that recipe…OMG…Only Magnificently Great. I sliced the dough, placed some caramel bits on top and sprinkled with kosher salt.

I’ve done a lot of baking in my life, but I’ll attest to the fact that these are the worlds greatest cookies ever.

And when paired with a cup of green tea in my brand new “I ❤️ my Friend” mug that my friend Sherri Murphy gave me yesterday, that makes for a perfect day.

A Saturday evening sunset saying goodnight.

Wednesday:) What a Wonderful New Year Ahead!

Sarah Ban Breathnach

Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous new year by believing.

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Happy New Year! January 1st is always the day we make resolutions and set goals and make plans to reinvent ourselves. Let’s face it, that rarely ever happens, does it? But, here’s the thing. It’s better to have resolved and lost, than to never have resolved at all. Even a short lived goal is an achievement.

This year, my New Year’s resolution is the same as last year’s. MAKE NO RESOLUTIONS I CAN’T KEEP. I only have hopes. My hope is to do a little more, live a little more, love a little more, and be a little more. That I can do. How about you?

Today is my last day in Chicago visiting family and friends. My first day is my last day. I’ve been here a month. So, what did I want to do on my last day? Well, I needed one last indulgent meal of my favorite…pizza. My sister took me to Chicago Pizza Authority in Elgin. The thin crust pizza was excellent, and the crust was so thin and crispy, you could snap it like a cracker. Their large pizza is the size of anyone else’s extra large, and toppings piled on high. Nothing skimpy here. And the waitress was so sweet, she even gave us a coupon we could use, so our huge sausage pizza was only $9.99. (You’re getting hungry, aren’t you?)

We only managed to eat half the pizza, and I was trying to figure out how I could smuggle the other half in my suitcase tomorrow morning. Just kidding, or am I? Our meal was excellent, and our waitress was wonderful. My sister left her a $10 tip. She is very generous. I always believed that how you start your year is how the rest of the year will follow you.

After lunch, we stopped at a few stores. Our first stop was Big Lots to check out the after Christmas sales. On the way in, I found a lucky penny. A good sign and good way to start the year.

I bought a lottery ticket earlier. I haven’t checked it yet. If I’m a big winner, I’ll let you know tomorrow. If you don’t hear about my big win, it just means I’m lucky in life, and maybe not so much at gambling.

On our way home, the sunset was spectacular, even through the dusty windshield. Now, this was an end of the day gift in the sky. Look at these colors!

On this first day of 2020, I wish you all health, happiness, and may all your dreams come true.

(Now, I’ll have to go scratch off my lottery ticket that I almost forgot about. Wish me luck)

Tuesday:) Today From Sunrise to Sunset

” A lot can happen from the time the sun scorches the morning sky till it slithers in a glowing retreat below the dim horizon.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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I have no idea how an entire day can slip away in the blink of an eye. Especially when you go to sleep at 2am and the alarm blares at 7. I was out walking the dog by 7:30 and out the door for Zumba by 8:15, then home before 10. Then, Bella stared at me with those big puppy dog eyes, and we were off to the park again.

Sunrise

When my phone clicked with a text, I was pleasantly surprised to hear from my neighbor Allison. She asked if I had plans for lunch. I told her I’d stop by while I went out for the rest of my solo walk. (Let me check my miles for today on my phone. 4.5mi.) Zig-zagging through the neighborhood, I ended up in front of her house, where she was busy planting, tilling, and weeding.

She said if I wanted to pick up some lunch, we could sit in her beautiful backyard under the big shady tree. I offered to make some black bean quesadillas and bring them over. I love to cook. We had such a relaxing lazy lunch under the shady tree. It was already in the 80’s, but there was a wonderful breeze.

The afternoon slipped away with good food and fun conversation. Allison asked if I wanted to hit a couple of thrift stores with her. Cool! We started at INN Style then off to Goodwill, just looking for possible trash to treasure items. I found a couple of big glass bowls for next year’s Empty Bowl’s Charity event, a little cross for my cross collection wall, and a few other treasures.

Allison bought some really cute plates and glassware for a garden project. While looking at the glassware, she saw some margarita glasses and said, “Now, I’m really craving a margarita.” Well, I wasn’t driving, so I was more than happy to join her for a happy hour beverage. We went over to Pepe’s Tacos Y Mas. I’d never been there before. It was a really cool place and my margarita was magnifico. Pepe, the very sweet owner, served us and brought us complimentary chips, salsa and queso. It was yummy. As you can tell, the glasses and dishes are empty. Gracias Pepe. (How ironic- on the tv behind Pepe, there was a news report about Taco Truck Tammy in the background.)

When I got home, I fed the dog and took her for a walk later in the evening, just in time to catch the sunset.

Every day is an adventure.

Theme Song Thursday:) Sunrise and Sunset

“Any day that you get to witness the majesty of a glorious sunrise followed by a sultry sunset, now, that’s a great day, my friend.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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The beautiful morning sun took away the chill of the actual freezing temperatures. Even the frost on the grass sparkled with delight.

Sunrise

https://youtu.be/LO36F–Vn1g

But, I must admit, sunsets are my favorite photos. The oranges and golds and crimson bursts of color reflect on the water. I always say, only God could paint such a magnificent painting in the sky.

Sunset

https://youtu.be/TX6Fj85xySc

Sunday Sermon and Other Grandma Stuff

“Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation.”

~Lois Wyse

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Another fine Sunday. Greeting before Mass summoned many hugs and handshakes.

Today’s Gospel was the story of Jesus asking His disciples who the people thought He was, as many thought He was just a prophet. Jesus told them that He was the Son of Man who would suffer, be killed, then rise on the third day…

He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,

“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,

take up his cross, and follow me.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for my sake

and that of the gospel will save it.”

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My take on it… We are asked to take up our cross, figuratively. If we follow His teachings, denying the worldly evils and temptations, follow the Gospel, this is how we gain eternal life. I don’t think we all have to physically die, losing our life, but rather take up a life following our faith.

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After church, I stopped for coffee with Mr. Jerry. I had iced tea. I decided to stay after he left to have a quick lunch. As I sat people watching and eating my $1 Big Mac (coupon), a police officer came in and ordered lunch. Just as he was reaching for his money, I got up, walked over to the counter and swiped my credit card saying, ” Thanks for all you do. It’s much appreciated.”

The officer smiled and said, “Your appreciation is much appreciated.” He ate his lunch pretty quickly and when he walked out, he gave me a big smile and a wave and said, “Thanks again.”

If I can make just one person smile and feel appreciated, I’m very happy and blessed.

I stopped at Sprouts and Walmart after lunch. At Sprouts I bought some fruit and vegetables and good healthy things. Well, some wine too. At Walmart, I stocked up on more brownie mixes, marshmallows, chocolate chips, and junk food. I like to keep a well balanced diet.

Oh, the instant coffee is for a painting project, but that’s another story.

In the evening, I went for a nice long walk, catching another spectacular sunset.

But, the BEST part of every Sunday is FaceTime with my beautiful Belle.

I love being a grandma.