2020

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
- C.S. Lewis


Happy New Year!  

Voice

"For last year's words belong to last year's language.  And next year's words await another voice."   -T.S. Eliot

Less than two days left in 2019,  I  found this quote so inspiring.  May we all find the voice we have been searching for in 2020.  

Classes were small today and tonight, but that's ok.  The ones who needed it came.

Be kind tomorrow.

Sunday Gathering

Pouring rain all afternoon and evening, as a cold front pushes through.  Our day time high is supposed to be 16 degrees cooler tomorrow which means we will have normal temps.  I can't wait.
70 degrees in December, at Christmas , for me is not enjoyable.  I want to wear sweaters now, not tee shirts. 

Just a couple of days left for 2019.  2020 has such a weird feel to it, like the title of a science fiction book.  Maybe George Jetson is waiting just around the corner.

We had one last family gathering today.  A couple of folks were sick and couldn't make it, and one couple stopped by on their way to the hospital.  Their baby is being delivered in the morning.
Babies and kids make the holidays special.

Enjoy these last days of 2019.  Be kind, spread joy.

Christmas Thoughts

Christmas and Christmas Eve go by so fast that it seems you never really experience them.  You just go and do all the things you are supposed to do and then suddenly it's the day after Christmas.
I never really get to enjoy our Christmas decorations until after Christmas.  Things are always so busy and hectic before.  I am one of those who leave their tree and decorations up until after New Years.  It's so nice now, to sit at night and look at them and experience their beauty and joy.

A friend of mine remarked that Christmas was actually a season, not just a day.  My grandparents celebrated the twelve old days.  It wasn't about religious beliefs, just interesting ways of looking at each day including planting winter crops.  One of my favorite Christmas memories of my dad's parents was standing in front of their fire, eating a peppermint stick while my grandmother peeled an orange for me.  Those smells of peppermint, orange and coal burning in the fireplace are etched in my brain.

The Christmas cookies that I bake with our nieces and nephews, I often bake those at Valentine's .
Unlike the frenzy of all the kids decorating and sugar crystals filling the air, at Valentine's I get to savor the rhythm of baking, and the house smelling of cloves and ginger and cinnamon.

For me, I have come to realize that I often enjoy Christmas at different times of the year.  After the actual holiday I will sit with December issues of magazines and savor the decorating tips and recipes, storing them away in my memory, with plans to enjoy them next year.   Often in late summer I think about designs for cards.  During the oppressive heat and humidity of July and August I will watch Christmas movies with the hope that one day I too will have a white Christmas.

I sometimes dream about spending Christmas in Ireland or Prague or Italy, absorbing different holiday cultures and traditions and foods. 

It's warm here in Alabama tonight.  More storms coming our way tomorrow.  Stay safe, warm and dry.
Goodnight, Sweet dreams

Classes

I love taking online classes.  This past year I have taken yoga certifications, Pain Management classes, nutrition and meditation classes on line.  For Christmas,  Rick and I bought a year's membership in the Master Class courses that are offered on line.  There are writing classes, music classes, photography classes, a large variety of online classes taught by those considered masters in their field.  I am excited.

Rain  moved in today.  More rain the next couple of days with storms by Sunday, then cooler temps.
Once again we are in the 70's, never good in December.

We have recovered from our food binge during the past few days.  A smoothie for breakfast this morning and a big salad for dinner tonight.  My body is starting to feel normal again.

I hope your weekend and the transition into the New Year is good for you.  Be kind, spread joy and hug those you love.

Holiday Nap

Hook and Kodak have become best friends.   The Christmas holidays have been exhausting for them.
They have had way too much fun.  Today, they had to take a nap.  Under the Christmas tree was their happy place.

2019 Christmas Card

I realized this morning that I have painted Christmas cards for the past 40 years.  Some years it has been as many as 200, some as few as 25.  This is the one for 2019.   Merry Christmas from the Watsons.

December 24

According to our advent cabin, it is December 24.  It has been a day of merrymaking on the farm.  We went next door and had breakfast with my brother and his family this morning.

Then the kids came over and cookies were decorated and baked.

I baked more cookies tonight, because I figured our floors did not have enough sugar on them.

I hope Santa brings you what you wished for.
Sweet dreams, Goodnight

Tradition Continues

The Charlie Brown tree tradition continues.  We started this with Jordan's mom, Samantha.  He loves it.  Rick taught him how to swing the ax today.  He wore closed toes shoes for that.

Trying to get a picture of these two not clowning around is just about impossible.

The gifts are all wrapped.  I am about to make cookie dough for tomorrow and maybe have a cup of egg nog.

You might wonder about Jordan's choice in footwear today.  It will be warmer tomorrow and Christmas day than it was for Halloween and Thanksgiving.  70 degrees...I am not a fan.
I need cold, maybe a few snow flurries.  Maybe it will snow for my birthday in March.

Be kind tomorrow, safe travels.  Christmas Eve is almost here.

Happy Holidays

Though it has only been in the 40's today, the rains have been monsoonal.  I think at the last update we had over two inches and that was early afternoon.  It is still raining.  It's ok, cold and rainy feels like Christmas.  The forecast though is for 70 degree weather Christmas Eve and Christmas day.
Not fond of warm weather for Christmas.

We finished up our shopping today, and I wrapped most of the afternoon.  Tomorrow we will help Jordan with his Charlie Brown tree and I will do my baking.

We went to the local mall and maybe because of the rain, but there were not  many people there.
Even the local Walmart was not crowded yesterday.  Not sure about where you live, but I think our local holiday sales have been soft.  It will be interesting to see what the tallies are for the end of the year.

Enjoy this holiday week, regardless of what holiday you are celebrating.  Spend time with your family and friends, eat the foods you love and hug the people you love.  And don't forget to laugh out loud and be kind.

Special Gifts

Jordan came over today and made his mom, Nana and Papa Christmas gifts.  He made Nana a Christmas wreath.  His Papa always takes him Trick or Treating so he painted a wooden picture frame and put a picture of him in this year's Halloween costume.  ( he was a hot dog)
Through the years I have made and sold many pieces of jewelry made with all sorts of gem stones.
He did his mom a bracelet today with an assortment of stones, including jade, moonstone, amber, bloodstone and sterling silver beads.  I think she will love it.
He loves making things with his hands and I think he understands how special home made gifts are.
He hugged me today as I told him how special these memories are to me.
Tomorrow is the Charlie Brown tree, and then Rick and I have to finish shopping and I have to wrap!

Christmas Tree

Jordan and his Nana came over this afternoon to help me with the tree.  Well, Nana came to supervise Jordan and me and drink hot chocolate.

Our tree is Colorado Blue Ice cedar and our house smells of Christmas.  The branches are feathery and light so instead of all my heavy glass and crystal ornaments we used all the light weight plastic ones.
I think it is beautiful,

Tomorrow a little shopping and Jordan is coming to work on presents for his mom and Nana and Papa.
Home made gifts are the best!

I hope your Friday has been as delightful as mine.
Goodnight, Sweet dreams

Stillness

Those of you who read my husband Rick's blog know about the new addition to our rescue family.
We now have a nine month old pup.  He is a mix of course, we think lab and shepherd. He is 50 pounds of non-stop energy.  We had forgotten how much energy a pup has.  And oh yes, he chews.
He is curious and unaware of how big he is.  But he is sweet and loving and all those good things that make you love a young dog.

I snapped this picture of him this morning.  It is a rare moment, this stillness, but it captures his spirit.

Not Fair

Jordan hung out with us today.  We needed a Jordan day and I think he needed a Rick/Jilda day.
He and Rick took me to work, then went to Starbucks and Books A Million.  Not fair.

Tomorrow is another one of my long days, but then I'm off until December 30.  Our tree is still not decorated but fingers crossed by Friday it will be.

It's been another chilly day.  I love this weather, it is energizing for me. 

Be kind tomorrow.
Goodnight Sweet dreams.

Changing Pressure

Eight hours of yoga today,  I am wiped out.  It's freezing cold, the high was 38 degrees after being in the 70's yesterday.  These weather extremes play havoc with our bodies.  Just think our bodies are around 60 to 70 percent water and every time the barometric pressure  changes, our bodies react.
If you have migraines, arthritis, any kind of chronic pain, you are at the mercy of the changing pressure.

I am about to drink a cup of hot tea and crawl into bed.

Be kind.

Goodnight, sweet dreams

Cedar and Lemon

I canceled community class tonight and did not go to work this afternoon because of the risk of storms.   The front has moved much slower than what our weather guys had predicted this morning.
This morning they were saying the worst would be coming through between 4:00 and 9:00, the time I would be on the road going from home to work to class to home.  It's just beginning to thunder and rain.  You never know with this weather stuff. It is a crap shoot.

It was 71 degrees today.  Tomorrow the highs will be in the 40's.

The house smells of cedar.  We dug up a Colorado Blue Ice that had been in our back yard a couple of year.  It's about 7 feet tall.  It's not full and bushy, but rather feathery and light.  The branches are delicate so decorations will be kept to a minimum.  I am still a little concerned about the new puppy and the tree.  He is so rambunctious.  Most of my ornaments are glass, so concern is warranted.
I will decorate it Wednesday and keep my fingers crossed.  Pictures to come.  If the house would smell this good all the time, I would be tempted to keep the tree in the greatroom along with the lemon and grapefruit trees.  By the way, the lemon is blooming. Cedar and lemon, it's a great combination.


Where ever you are tonight,  stay safe, dry and warm.
Be kind.

Eye to the Sky

Well the tree is inside, but not decorated.  We just ran out of time and energy today.  It's all good, it might be Wednesday before it's done, but that is ok.

Warm and windy and humid today.  We are in the midst of our second tornado season of the year and we are under a risk of severe weather tomorrow.  Looks as though I will cancel my community class for tomorrow night.  I want to make sure my folks are safe and not driving through the darkness in nasty weather. 

If you live in my neck of the woods, keep your eye to the sky tomorrow, stay safe.  And, may we all be kind.

Hanging the Wreath

The Christmas wreath is hung.  Cards are painted and mailed.   Inside and outside, the house is decorated.  All is done but the tree, and that will be decorated tomorrow.

Still shopping to do, baking and wrapping but the festive feeling of all the decorations inspires.

Hot tea is ready and so is our warm cozy bed.
Goodnight, Sweet dreams.

Get It Done

The cards are all painted, the second batch gets mailed tomorrow.  A haircut today brightened my spirits and if all goes as planned the house will be decorated and so will the tree by Sunday.  And sometime next week I will finish the shopping and start the wrapping.  It seems time moves faster and I move slower these days.  But I get it done.

It has been cold and rainy today, yet there are strong storms predicted for Monday.  It's one of those seasons when the jet stream is fickle and we bounce from 70 degrees to 45 in just a few hours.  Throw in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and we get storms.

This will be a busy week at work, but I am off Christmas week.  I am so excited.  In my fourteen years at the center I have never had Christmas week off.  Woo Hoo!

My cup of hot tea is ready, laugh out loud tomorrow, spread joy and kindness.

No Moon Tonight

So very glad we saw the moon last night.  Clouds rolled in around mid-day and the skies were masses of dark clouds tonight.  Tomorrow a much needed haircut, the completion of Christmas cards and the beginning of decorating for the holidays. 

My cup of hot tea waits for me, Rick and I have both had very long days.  A good night's sleep will make us right and having the day off tomorrow will help.

Stay warm and cozy, be kind and spread joy.   

A Gift

 A little snow, a little ice, a bit of a dusting...it's all good and it was a gift we got last night, early morning.  The decks were white  and it definitely looked a bit like Christmas.  The clouds rolled away by mid-day and this evening coming home from work the moon was stunning.  This might be the prettiest December moon I have ever seen.  For the past two months we have had cloud cover during the full moon so it was thrilling to step out of the building at work and see this enormous pearl hanging above the trees.

Where ever you are tonight and tomorrow night, if the sky is clear look up.  Even if it's cloudy, look up.
Winter skies are magical.

Tomorrow be kind, spread joy, know peace.

Tuesday Thoughts

This morning when I left for work it was around 60 degrees with rain.  Now it's 33 degrees with rain and a chance of sleet/snow later tonight.  This weather stuff is always a toss up isn't it?

I started training another one of our counselors to be a yoga teacher today.  She already teaches meditation classes so this is a perfect fit for her.  She has such a lovely spirit.

Not sure if I am coming down with something or I'm just tired tonight. One cup of hot tea down and I think I need another.  Bed is sounding really nice about now.

I hope your week is has started smoothly and maybe today you treated someone kind.  Tomorrow I hope there is joy and maybe a hug at some point in your day.
Goodnight, Sweet dreams

Meditation

I think this quote really does a good job explaining meditation.


"Meditation is simply the creation of a space in which we are able to expose and undo our neurotic games, our self-deceptions, our hidden fears and hopes. "  -Rinpoche

Painted Sky

Clouds have rolled across the sky today and continued this evening.  Rain is on its way, it seems for the next few days and then a blast of colder air.  It's ok, it's December, I am ready for the cold.

One batch of cards ready to be mailed and then one more batch to paint.  I love painting them, but it is especially hard when I have to steal moments and don't have hours to paint.   I would love at some point to paint this photo I took of the December sky.  Maybe soon.

A busy week ahead, probably so for most everyone.  Be kind.  Spread joy and at least once a day, laugh out loud.

A Surprise

I have painted Christmas cards for most of the day.  About noon I walked down to the mailbox and as I was looking through the stack of mail, found a small package addressed to me.  I had bought some of the kids books for Christmas so I just thought one them came through the mail.  I was wrong.

The book was for me.  But there was no name or indication of who had sent it.  The title of the book, Women Rowing North.  I took a few minutes to read the introduction, it is an amazing book.
It is written by a therapist on aging as a woman in our society.   This book came at the perfect time.

My path is changing.  Cutting back on my classes at work is going to allow me to do some things I have wanted to do for a long time.  Even though on paper, my work hours are not that much, I spend an enormous amount of time working on class notes, handouts, meditation cds, and taking continuing education classes so that I am the best teacher I can be.  Teaching only one day a week at the addiction center, I believe will free up more time and energy for me.

I have spent many years giving freely of  myself to those in pain and need.  I am not burned out, but I am depleted.  It is time to refill my well.

After checking in with a couple of friends privately to see if they had sent the book, I posted a Thank You on FB.  A long time friend admitted she had sent it.  She will never know how much this kind gift meant.

Rick and I are tired.  Time for hot tea and bed.
Good night, sweet dreams

Happy Birthday Momma

Today was my mom's birthday, she was born in 1917.    She was beautiful and tough.  She made it through the Depression, a first marriage to an abusive spouse, birthed 5 kids before she was 20.  And then she married my dad and they had my sister, me and my younger brother.

She barely made it through 6th grade, but she was smart.  Reading was required in our house, if you said you were bored, you got a book and read or went outside. She taught me to draw, to cook, to garden and to dress well on a shoe string budget.  I shopped thrift stores way before they were cool, learned to sew and make my clothes.

She had olive skin, rich brown eyes and dark hair.  I was her polar opposite, blonde, blue eyed and fair skin.  When I was small, I watched  her put on red lipstick and Evening in Paris perfume.  She wore high heels until she was in her mid-eighties. When she died, she still looked so young that even the undertaker asked me if her birth certificate was correct.

We could fight each other like demons, but I loved her with all my heart.
I miss her every day.

I Wish

No, we don't have snow today.  It is my Christmas flag, but this was from last year.  I am just wishing for snow, even just a dusting like this makes everything seem more Christmasy.

There are rumors again, of the next blast of cold bringing some flurries.  That would be wonderful.  In the meantime, I go through all my snow pictures from the past and dream.

Tomorrow we will do a bit of Christmas shopping and I will see the acupuncturist.  This weekend there will be cards to paint and decorations to display and Rick's office party.

Next week we will work on our Christmas tree.  I suppose you know by now, I am not an early decorator.  It's ok.  I leave everything decorated until New Year's Day and then I am so sad to pack it all away.

Enjoy your Friday.  Be kind.

"Oh No"

I painted Christmas cards for most of the morning before I went to work.  Tomorrow will be a full work day, so no painting.  This is about the time I feel the creeping panic of "Oh no" swell in my throat, but I have been here before.  Those cards always get painted, so tonight I am just taking a deep breath.

I am a bit drained tonight, so it's hot tea and bed very soon.
Be kind, laugh out loud and give a hug.
Goodnight Sweet dreams.

Balance

I met with my director at work today.  For the past several months I had been doing serious soul searching about my work.  I have spent the past fourteen years working at an addiction program for drugs and alcohol.  It has been at times demanding, draining, exhausting yet rewarding exhilarating work.  Giving 100 percent of yourself is tough in any situation, but that is what I have tried my best to do these 14 years.

During the past couple of weeks I came up with an exit plan of sorts.  I presented it to my boss today.
For the next few weeks I will be training in house yoga teachers for our program.  Hopefully then if all goes as planned in a couple of months I will only be teaching the Pain Management group and the First Responder/Military group one day a week.  And when the time comes, I will bow out gracefully from that one day eventually.

I have one amazing teacher already trained and will start another one next week.   Teaching/working in an addiction center is a calling I believe.  To be effective and successful there, you have to have empathy and let go of judgements and be willing to listen.  My students through these past 14 years have given me so very much and I am so grateful to have met each of them.

This is not retirement.  This is about bringing balance into my life, giving myself and Rick the gift of time to pursue some of the things we love.  I have struggled with living a balanced life the past few years, but this past year as 2019 began I made a commitment to myself to work towards balance.
I made a giant leap forward toward balance today.

Christmas Lights

It's cold in Alabama tonight.  Right now the temp is 29 degrees, but as always it will warm up a bit tomorrow. 

There is something about cold winter air that makes Christmas lights sparkle.  Driving home from work this evening on the sparsely populated road from work to home the lights twinkled.
It seems almost every house had Christmas decorations .  Some were simple, some elaborate, some were strewn about with abandonment and yet others were arranged with an eye for beauty and design.
But in the cold air, in the darkness, the lights were at their brightest and all had beauty.

My community  yoga class chattered and laughed tonight about their Christmas decorations.  Some like me, have not even started, yet others are ready for the season.  I figure this weekend Jordan will come over and we will decorate, he's a great motivator.

I hope your week brings cheer.  I hope you spread kindness.  I hope someone hugs you tomorrow.

December 1

December 1...the last month of 2019

December 1...today was Rick's mom's birthday, the 6th is my mom's, his sister's is the 12th, our nephew Haven's is the 21, our niece Jayna's is the 23 and Haven's wife, Alesha's is the 27th...wow.

December 1.. Christmas greenery on the graves of Rick's parents and mine today

December 1...this is the whirlwind month

December 1... Christmas cookies, music, cards and trees, a few of my favorite things

December 1...the calendar is filling up fast

December 1...I've been at my job 14 years this month

December 1...shopping, wrapping, cooking

December 1... painting cards, my favorite Christmas tradition

December 1...what are your favorite memories of the holidays

December 1..Advent cabin door is open

December 1..I still believe in Santa and Christmas wishes