Getting Back on Track

Hello blogger friends!  I have been away from my blog for awhile.  That is because I have been off track.  Things have been very busy and uncertain lately and I have just felt too physically tired and mentally exhausted to sit down and write a post.  I don't like being this way but I know that sometimes life just gets hectic and I have to lay low and rest. Some of the issues I am feeling anxious and uncertain about are listed below: (Hope you don't mind me venting -- feel free to scan through - lol!)  

At Work - I work at a nonprofit in the grant writing, fundraising department.  The two women I work with - the Director who is my boss, and the Associate Director are both leaving - one is already gone and the other is retiring in a month.  So that leaves just me!  They haven't hired anyone to take their place yet.  This has brought a lot of extra work for me and creates a feeling of uncertainty about who my new boss will be and what the future of our department will look like  This makes me feel anxious.  I was hired to work part time, 3 days a week.  I have agreed to work 4 days a week until new people are hired and in place.  Because I am doing a portion of their jobs and having to learn about each of their jobs, I am exhausted at the end of the day.  I have a good work ethic and I will do what needs to be done to the best of my ability, but this is a stressful situation to say the least.   I love my job and I love what I do but I am at a point in my life where I want to work part time with low stress after having a 35 year career in a stressful human resources position so the increased hours, workload and uncertainty are wearing me out! Fortunately, when they hired me they knew this so the executive director keeps telling me it will be fine.  In the meantime, I am trying to rest, exercise, eat well and try to manage my anxiety about the unknown.

Medical Insurance -  I am on the Health Exchange - or Obamacare.  It is a VERY flawed system, but I have been able to make it work by having a high deductible ($6k), basic plan.  It is really just a catastrophic plan.  Fortunately, I don't have chronic issues to deal with so I am not tied to any certain providers.  For 2017 Blue Cross dropped out of the marketplace so I am having to choose another provider and the premiums have doubled.  The only two carriers left in my local exchange are very different than Blue Cross so I am having to figure out which will be best for me now that I no longer have Blue Cross.   That deadline is looming and it is all very confusing trying to decipher the plan options.

Housing - I own my home on my own.  It is an older home and needs constant maintenance.  Luckily, I have a great handyman BUT maintenance still costs money.  I am weighing options on whether to sell and get a townhouse with a maintenance fee or just pay to have things done at my home here.  There are some things I need to get done whether I stay or sell so I am researching and comparing costs.

These are all issues that most people deal with and I am certainly not writing this to insinuate that my "problems" are bad.  I KNOW that I am very blessed and fortunate to have my life.  I live very frugally and on very little money.  I have no debt and I am very independent.  However, as all of us have to do - I am evaluating my choices about work, insurance and housing as life moves forward and things change.  It isn't a BAD thing -- it is simply life.  Right now, I feel tired from it all but I still feel joy knowing I have choices and it will all work out!

Radnor Lake - My sanctuary

Meanwhile - one of the ways I deal with stressful times in my life is by getting out in nature.  In Nashville, we are lucky to have a treasure called Radnor Lake State Natural Area.  It is a beautiful lake surrounded by miles of hiking trails.  It is a natural area rather than a park so there are no picnic tables, playgrounds, etc.  It is rustic and unspoiled.  There are bald eagles, otters, owls, many different species of ducks, deer and wild turkey who call it home. We call it the Southern Walden Pond! It is very close to my house so I go there often. I can hike 3-4 miles in those hilly woods and talk to God about everything going on in my life and He ALWAYS puts it into perspective for me.  The natural rhythms of the earth, the woods, the trees and the wildlife remind me to stop and enjoy the present and let God's holy spirit guide my life and my choices.  When I walk in those woods, the anxiety falls away and I am one with the Creator and His creation.  

As you can guess, I am a HUGE proponent and advocate for wild places and green spaces as I believe they are a balm to the soul.  I take my granddaughter out in the woods as much as possible.  We love to explore and find all of the treasures of nature - acorns, moss, autumn leaves, and beautiful rocks. Everything is amazing and exciting to her and that helps bring out the child in me as well.  

Nana and E at Radnor Lake

I am hopeful that things will fall into place over the next few months at work and in other areas and I will feel more inspired to write posts. Meanwhile - I love reading other folks' blogs and posts and will continue to stay connected in that way!  

How do you get back on track when life gets hectic and you are faced with challenges?  

Thanks for listening to my venting!  

A bridge over the creek at Radnor Lake Natural Area

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.” 
― John Muir, Our National Parks 

Something Old; Something New

I guess it is the change of seasons, but I have been in a mood to change things up.  I rearranged my living room furniture, changed out my decor to more subtle colors and have even started changing out to some fall clothing, even tho it is still in the 90s here.   I have also visited some vintage shops and estate sales and came away with some treasures - old  and new  

One of my favorite new items is a sweet throw pillow handmade by Judy at a wonderful blog called http://20northora.blogspot.com  Judy has an Etsy shop where she sells some of her wonderful needlecraft creations.   https://www.etsy.com/shop/20northora.  I am totally in love with this pillow.  It is a beige linen fabric with a vintage doily sewn on the front and a precious pink rose shaped button in the center.  I just redid my bedroom in pink and white so this pillow is perfect!  Check out her shop and her blog!  This is not a sponsored post -- I saw the pillow, bought it and then asked her if I could share on my blog so everyone could see her beautiful work.  

She also tied a bit of vintage silk as a tassel on the top right corner.  Very sweet

In my living room I added this vintage wood and iron piece along with my urn filled with my daughter's bridal bouquet that I dried.  They were cream colored roses and they dried into this beautiful soft creamy pink.  

I also changed out my china in my breakfast room hutch to my grandmother's Johnson Brothers Olde English Countryside transferware.  This is such a warm, beautiful scene and it is perfect for Fall.  

Found this fabulous chippy wood mirror at an estate sale!

Bought some faux hydrangeas for the galvanized watering can that I found at the side of the road a few weeks ago.  

My next project is to find some little white pumpkins, acorns and pine cones for a table centerpiece.  I don't use orange in my decor cause I have so much pink in my house.  I prefer to stay with creams, greens and browns - always with a touch of pink.  

I am really enjoying seeing how other bloggers are changing things for the new season.  Whether we call it nesting, fluffing or, as I like to say - preparing my den to hibernate - this season seems to bring out a need to create a comfy, nurturing indoor space in preparation for the winter ahead. 

Do you feel this change in the air?

How do you Spell REFRESH?

A REFRESHING cool front came through this weekend and cooled down the temps and lowered the humidity!  I spent the entire weekend outside - mowing the lawn, grooming the flower beds, going for a hike and just simply feeling REFRESHED by the pre-fall weather.

The morning glories on my gate are still greeting me each morning with their happy blooms and gorgeous deep color.  They have taken over the fence row and I couldn't be happier. Their translucent beauty REFRESHES my spirit.

Isn't this little moss clump on a rock with a tiny flower blooming in the middle of it a wonderful example of nature's simple beauty?  This was in the creek near my house. Ahh- sitting on the bank of the creek enjoying the sounds of the rushing water and gazing at this beauty REFRESHES my mind!

My three day a week low stress job has suddenly turned into a 4 day a week, stressful one due to my boss announcing her retirement and another woman in my department being on maternity leave.  I am pretty spoiled and have enjoyed so much freedom for the past few years since semi-retiring from my high pressure job in the corporate world.  It is hard to shift gears and put my nose to the grindstone now. I am hoping it will only be this way for a few more months but it is going to be pretty fast and furious through the end of the year.   In order to keep my perspective and not let myself get overworked, I am making sure I "escape" into nature regularly for REFRESHMENT.  I have been going on a hike in the woods at least once a week, and am walking in my neighborhood every other evening. 

I am also reminding myself to be conscious of all of the beauty around me at any given moment.  The morning glories are just outside my door when I get in my car for work.  The little moss island is in a stream around the corner from my house on a walk.  When I am at the park near my house, hiking in the woods I see deer, otters, herons, ducks, geese, owls and gorgeous vegetation that ALL remind me there is a natural rhythm that is an undercurrent of life and if I allow myself to plug into that current I am rejuvenated and REFRESHED.  I am then able to do what I need to do at work without allowing myself to get burned out.  If I don't get my regular nature "fix" I get anxious and easily flustered.

Once again - I go to John Muir for inspiration --- 

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity...” 
― John Muir 



Yes!  For me - wilderness IS a necessity and is my favorite way to spell REFRESH!  

How do YOU spell REFRESH?

Need Help with a Design Dilemma!

I am struggling with a design dilemma in my 1960's ranch style home that has a living room/dining room combo so it is a long, narrow room.  Because I don't use my dining room for anything except storing odds and ends of furniture, I have put a Shoji screen up as a room divider.  Some day I plan to make the dining room a functional space that can be open but right now, I need to "hide" it.  

A Shoji screen is a wooden frame - mine is a natural color - with rice paper as the screen part.  Because I am on a very tight budget I would love to figure out a way to make it look better as my room divider.  

I have been searching Pinterest for ideas on what to do to somehow make it look better - maybe even pretty - but not having any luck.  I have thought about painting the entire thing white but not sure how that would work on the rice paper part.  I have thought about trying to remove the rice paper (not an easy task) and replacing it with a pretty fabric or paper.  I have also thought about simply stapling some lacy curtains or fabric on it.  

So I thought I would turn to my blogging friends for ideas and thoughts on what I might be able to do.  

Have any of you ever repurposed a shoji screen?

Any other ideas - i.e. hanging a curtain rod, etc. as a divider rather than the screen?  

I am open to ANYTHING. Except - sewing -- cause I don't sew.  lol.   I realize it isn't the greatest option - but it is what I have and what I can afford.  

Thoughts?  Ideas?  Please forgive the mess -- I didn't "stage" these pics so there are a few random wires, etc. hiding in there.  lol.  

Falling into Autumn

I am ready for fall and from all of the posts I am reading, it seems others are too.  I am excited for a little crispness in the air and being able to open my windows to let in the fresh air without constant air conditioning.

I am; however, trying to embrace the late summer beauty, knowing that soon the leaves will fall and the flowers will fade.  With all of the rain we have had this summer, there is lush greenery everywhere.

I saw this on my walk this morning growing at the foot of a tree.  It was so delicate and complex.

I am transitioning my decor to more late summer/early fall colors.  Made a trip to HomeGoods this week and found these fabulous pillows to refresh the sofa in my sitting room.  I love decorating my home with muted greens, browns and creams in fall.  In Spring and Summer I tend to use more creams, whites and pinks.

The patina on this urn found at a yard sale adds to the cozy, natural ambience I love.  It stands on its own in my living room.  I'd love to find some silk hydrangeas or dried ones for it.  I haven't had any luck drying hydrangeas myself.

I went to a party last night and this beautiful arrangement was on the table and I got to bring it home!  Perfect late summer bouquet!

Found this great metal tray at a garage sale for $1.00.  I am perusing Pinterest for ideas to make it into a pretty fall centerpiece for my breakfast room!

I am making myself wait til Labor Day to do more transitioning but couldn't resist these little refreshes.

How about you?  Are you making any changes in your decor yet?

Going Solo - I am an Introvert

Sunday afternoon I was bored so decided to go see a movie at 1:45 in the afternoon. I didn't even ask anyone to go cause it was a totally spur of the moment decision.  

I saw Absolutely Fabulous.  Oh my goodness - it was hilarious.  Cheeky, British humor - it is based on a popular sitcom from the 90s.  Incredibly shallow but an entertaining, light weight Sunday afternoon escape.  



https://cdn.amctheatres.com/m/Trailers/223811_med.mp4

Synopsis

Appropriate for their big screen debut, Edina and Patsy (Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley) are still oozing glitz and glamour, living the high life they are accustomed to; shopping, drinking and clubbing their way around London's trendiest hotspots. Blamed for a major incident at an uber fashionable launch party, they become entangled in a media storm and are relentlessly pursued by the paparazzi. Fleeing penniless to the glamorous playground of the super-rich, the French Riviera, they hatch a plan to make their escape permanent and live the high life forever more!

I enjoy going to movies by myself on occasion.  I can go to whatever showing I want, sit where I want, sit through the credits if I want.  

I like to do things on my own.  Pretty much everything except dinner.  I have tried it a couple of times but just don't feel comfortable.   I will,  however, go to my favorite coffee shop to sit and read the paper or a book.  I LOVE to hike by myself - that is the best way for me to totally connect with nature and I prefer to go to museums, craft fairs, and shopping alone.  

There are other things I enjoy doing with friends more than alone - dinner in a nice restaurant or a concert.  Going for a drink and dinner is a great way to catch up with my girlfriends. My daughter - who is a total extrovert, can't understand why in the world I would WANT to go alone and do anything.  She always wants people around her.  I have never been that way.

Reading this, I sound like I don't like people or I am anti-social.  I'm not at all - but I AM an introvert in the truest sense of the word.  I interact with people all day long at work but  do require my alone time to recharge and truly immerse myself into whatever I am doing.  I prefer one on one or a small group of friends over parties or mixers where I don't know many people.  I am not a good "mingler" and having to make small talk with strangers gives me anxiety.

I find that if I am with someone else I tend to "worry" whether or not they are having a good time.  That keeps me from fully enjoying whatever it is.  I know i am not responsible for other people's happiness or their experience, but I am a "pleaser" so I am always thinking like that.   Of course, that can be exhausting.  I have gotten better about that as I have gotten older.

Even when I have been in a relationship, there are just some things I prefer to do alone.  A lot of the movies I want to see are considered "chick flicks" and the man in my life just wasn't interested so I'd still go by myself.  I have never been one to miss out on something if I didn't have someone to do it with.

I absolutely love living alone.  I have all of the "me" time I require and I can get out and connect with friends and family whenever I want to or need to.  

How about you?  Are you an introvert or extrovert?  Do you feel comfortable going to a movie, dinner or other events alone?  

Stories that Blend Past and Present

With the continuing hot weather I have found myself doing a lot of reading.  I want to share an author I found who weaves stories joining the past and present, usually involving a certain item that provides the common thread.  Her name is Susan Meissner.  

I especially want to share her work because so many of you love vintage items like I do and I think her writings may appeal to you.    

I love to think about the history and the story behind treasures I find at estate sales and antique stores.  I am fascinated that someone else in some other time and place possessed the item and wonder what stories it could tell -- what has it "seen"?   What events has it witnessed?   Whose hands have held my "new to me" piece of history?

Susan Meissner's writings bring this thought to life.  Her books tend to blend present day situations with the past in a beautiful way. 

The one I started last night is "Lady In Waiting".  The item that "travels" through time periods is a small ring engraved on the inside with a mysterious inscription and the name - Jane... Below is the description from Amazon.



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003E8AIZ2/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1


Description:
Content in her comfortable marriage of twenty-two years, Jane Lindsay had never expected to watch her husband,  Brad, pack his belongings and walk out the door of their Manhattan home. But when it happens, she feels powerless to stop him and the course of events that follow Brad’s departure.

Jane finds an old ring in a box of relics from a British jumble sale and discovers a Latin inscription in the band along with just one recognizable word: Jane. Feeling an instant connection to the mysterious ring bearing her namesake, Jane begins a journey to learn more about the ring—and perhaps about herself.

In the sixteenth-century, Lucy Day becomes the dressmaker to Lady Jane Grey, an innocent young woman whose fate seems to be controlled by a dangerous political and religious climate, one threatening to deny her true love and pursuit of her own interests.

As the stories of both Janes dovetail through the journey of one ring, it becomes clear that each woman has far more infl uence over her life than she once imagined. It all comes down to the choices each makes despite the realities they face.

Review:

Praise for Lady in Waiting“Lady in Waiting is sheer beauty set in two time periods, both equally captivating stories. Meissner writes characters I care for, root for, and pine alongside—and she does so while weaving enticing, heart-wrenching plots. This book proves why I’m an ardent Susan Meissner fan.”—Mary DeMuth, author of Life in Defiance

“Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner: The pacing, perfection. Transitions between centuries, seamless. Capturing the nuances of relationship, flawless. Put anything written by Susan Meissner on your “must read now!” list, right beside Barbara Kingsolver and Elizabeth Berg. I couldn’t put this elegant novel of love and choice down. A completely satisfying read.” -Jane Kirkpatrick, award-winning author of A Flickering Light and An Absence So Great

The first book I read by Meissner was through my bookclub and is entitled "A Fall of Marigolds" and my club considers it one of the best books we have ever read.  This time, the treasured item is a beautiful scarf.  This is the book that turned me on to this author.  Here is the description from Amazon:




A beautiful scarf, passed down through the generations, connects two women who learn that the weight of the world is made bearable by the love we give away....

September 1911. On Ellis Island in New York Harbor, nurse Clara Wood cannot face returning to Manhattan, where the man she loved fell to his death in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Then, while caring for a fevered immigrant whose own loss mirrors hers, she becomes intrigued by a name embroidered onto the scarf he carries…and finds herself caught in a dilemma that compels her to confront the truth about the assumptions she’s made. Will what she learns devastate her or free her? 

September 2011. On Manhattan’s Upper West Side, widow Taryn Michaels has convinced herself that she is living fully, working in a charming specialty fabric store and raising her daughter alone. Then a long-lost photograph appears in a national magazine, and she is forced to relive the terrible day her husband died in the collapse of the World Trade Towers…the same day a stranger reached out and saved her. Will a chance reconnection and a century-old scarf open Taryn’s eyes to the larger forces at work in her life?

Review:
“Like the golden threads of a scarf sprinkled with marigolds, Susan Meissner weaves two unspeakable New York tragedies—the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and 9/11—into a shimmering novel of love and acceptance. Meissner’s heroines, Clara and Taryn, live a century apart, but their stories are connected not just by a bright scrap of fabric but by love lost.  A compelling novel, A Fall of Marigolds turns fate into a triumph of spirit.”—Sandra Dallas, New York Times bestselling author of True Sisters 

Because she is a prolific writer - she has her own page on Amazon - AND her books are available through the public library - I will be reading as many as I can get my hands on.  

Her storytelling has captivated me and satisfies my passion for the common threads that run through all of our lives and the generations.  It appeals to the sentimental side of me that prefers vintage treasures with a history to new things that have not developed the patina of life, love and experience.

Have you heard of this author?  When you find an author that you love, do you read as many of their books as you can?  Do you wonder about the stories the treasures you find could tell?  


-Lyn


Once again - I get that weird white background when I cut and paste.  One of these days I will figure that out.  :)