February Chronicle

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• Spent the first weekend home alone while cc traveled to Kansas City. 
• I took Annie to a local park and she fell in the pond.  At first she was shocked and then she realized that she loves to swim! 
• I made my own cold cream to combat dry, winter skin.
• Watched the superbowl in the comfort of my home, and I made fajitas.
• We joined LA Fitness as an incentive to get back into a good routine of working out.  December knocked me out of routine and I'm still working on getting it back. 
• Very exciting...oil change in my car.  But they did update my software which saved me from trying to do it on my own!
• Every Thursday morning I continued the bookbinding class at the Craft Guild of Dallas.
• I went to an Anthropologie stylist event that was hosted by a Dallas blog team, but was disappointed in the results.  
• In trying to keep with my resolutions I avoided purchasing anything for Valentine's day and instead I opted to make cc a very lovely hand made book.
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• I picked up the Wallace family Bible from grams' brother who lives in the area.  Mom and I will need it for our genealogy project this summer.  
• A family friend found out he has prostate cancer.
• cc found a tick on Annie!  I thought since it has been so cold we wouldn't have any issues yet, but I was wrong.  I should have gone into the medical field.  I love that stuff. 
• Annie had a sleepover at our friend's house.  They have a teacup chihuahua and she wore Annie out! 
• We saw Reba in concert at the Choctaw Casino in Oklahoma and spent the night.  The concert was awesome and we didn't lose any money because the casino was so busy we couldn't even get on a machine. 
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• My cousin is having her second baby and I found the cutest onesie at a local store to send to her.  
• Continued with massage therapy and I have to say I am starting to feel the effects. 
• I had coffee again with the same new friend as last month. 
• Annie went to the groomers which she needed after swimming in the pond and all the rain we have had.  She can't seem to avoid a puddle. 
• We took newlywed friends for dinner.
• We attended a five-course bourbon and whiskey dinner at Urban Crust.  They basically served five shots of whisky.  If I would have finished them I would have been under the table.  Even with food! 
• Mom's bill went to committee and it appears it is going to get passed! 
• I worked in the garden a couple times this month to prep for spring planting.  I am downsizing and planting only what we really eat this year.  I trimmed trees, grasses, and berry bushes so they are ready for new growth.  
• I planted potatoes.
• I have been busy raising funds this month for Collin County Adventure Camp.  There is still time to donate if you have a few dollars to spare.  Click here. 
• I saw Parental Guidance in the theater and cc and I watched the Netflix season of House of Cards with Kevin Spacey.  I highly recommend it.
• As I hope to do every month, I've kept up with my gratitude buddy, Shannon.  She helps me remain positive every day. 
• I received another letter from my new pen pal, Joette in Minnesota.  
• Grams traveled to Hawaii this month and rode the zip line.  Unfortunately, as I write this she finds herself in the hospital because of a case of bronchitis that has taken a turn for the worse.  I'm hoping the oxygen and antibiotics will do the trick. 
• I had the pleasure of interviewing Eileen from {eye} wonder workshops this month.  Her workshops are for the novice photographer that wants to better capture daily life through her lens.  She is giving away a spot in her next class.  You have until tomorrow to enter so jump over and add your name.  

Gritty Grandma

GOOD-BYE FOX

He was lying under a tree, licking up the shade.

Hello again, Fox, I said.

And hello to you too, said Fox, looking up and not bounding away.

You're not running away? I said.

Well, I've heard of your conversation about us.  News
travels even among foxes, as you might know or not know.  

What conversation do you mean?

Some lady said to you, "the hunt is good for the fox." 
And you said, "Which fox?"

Yes, I remember.  She as huffed.

So you're okay in my book.

Your book! That was in my book, that's the difference
between us.

Yes, I agree.  You fuss over life with your clever
words, mulling and chewing on its meaning, while
we just live it.

Oh!

Could anyone figure it out, to a finality?  So
why spend so much time trying.  You fuss, we live.

And he stood, slowly, for he was old now, and
ambled away.

~Mary Oliver~

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Grams arrived home from Hawaii yesterday.  As my mom pointed out, who goes to Alaska and Hawaii in a year? Well, she does. When I called to say hello she was very ill.  It appears she caught a nasty case of bronchitis three days into the trip.  It was no surprise as she suffers from respiratory issues on a regular basis.  She went to the doctor when she returned home, fearing it was pneumonia and had to have a breathing treatment to increase her oxygen levels.  She was prescribed a heavy dose of antibiotics and sent to home for bed rest.

I worry about her health.  Hearing her tell me she walked through the airports carrying her luggage because there wasn't a wheelchair available, and saying she just had to "suck it up" because she needed to make it home made me frustrated.  She has always had this attitude.  I wonder to myself if she pushed herself to far and I worry. Perhaps she should have stayed home.

And then she scolded me.  I wouldn't let her ride the zip line in Alaska and since I wasn't babysitting her in Hawaii she went for it...and had the time of her life.  She was a fox.  She signed no to every medical condition on the waiver and shimmied her way to the platform.  She was the guinea pig for the 60 year olds that weren't sure they could do it.  She laughed herself into a coughing fit just telling me about it.

And then I scolded myself.  How foolish am I?  She is 81 years old, relatively healthy, lives alone, and volunteers on a weekly basis.  Would I not rather she go to Hawaii and ride the zip line with the risk of getting pneumonia than see her sitting at home alone?  There is a life lesson here.

Maybe she is a coyote and not a fox, but either way, I can only hope for half as much gumption as she has when I see 81.  Risk = Reward

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Just a reminder, the giveaway for the fantastic {eye} wonder workshop is still open until Friday.

Flora Friday + Reminder

Happy Friday!  Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to check out the amazing interview and giveaway with Eileen from {eye} wonder workshops!

Orange Coyotes

Do you believe in signs? Animals, colors, words and phrases?  I usually overlook signs, meaning I recognize them, but I don't put a lot of thought into them. I seem to have made an exception recently.  The color of rust, like the leaf above, and coyotes keep jumping out at me.  In a way that almost startles me, like someone throwing an object at my face.

First I noticed the color.  A leaf here or there, the side of a building.  Every time the color would be more saturated.  This leaf for example, was spotted on a very brown road right in my path.  It was almost glowing. I searched for the birth tree in the tree line to my left and I could not spot it.  I have no idea the origin of this leaf.

{source}

Then I started seeing coyotes.  Relatively speaking, I live in the city, but I do have access to the country so it would not be uncommon for me to spot coyotes.  But what about one that is less than ten feet from me in a creek bed I was walking in?  Others running across fields in the  middle of the day.  In the city or in the country, it doesn't matter, I keep seeing them.

Urged by my friend Shannon, I decided to look up the color orange and coyotes to determine if they mean something or see if perhaps I am just going crazy.  My jaw dropped to the floor.  Between what is going on in my personal life and the goals I have set for myself this year, I do believe that an orange coyote should be my mascot this year.

COYOTES

new beginning = transformation

instinctual

mindful of actions

learn from mistakes

playful and youthful

RUST (ORANGE)

creativity 

related to the second chakra

warm and inviting

stimulates activity, appetite, & socialization

optimism

gut reaction

instinctual

emotional strength in difficult times

aids is assimilation of new ideas and free spirit

inspires physical confidence

Please put my mind at ease and tell me your signs.  Have they ever been this present for you?