Share Your World ~ 5/30/23

Di starts us off with the questions & I toss in some answers. To join in the fun & frolic, HERE are the rules & ping back.

1.  If money was no object, what would be your ideal holiday? Hmm, I don’t think I want to go anywhere where money is no object. I like simple. Some place in nature that is free & the only expense is getting there. Or maybe not even that since I always say there is so much beauty in my own backyard. I’d want my family with me & their significant others. The people are who would make the holiday ideal.
2.  Do you save for a holiday or put it on plastic to pay off later? Put in on plastic to get the points but use savings to pay it off. I save for lots of things not just holidays. In fact most of our savings is set aside just in case. I do not dip in too often. Maybe I could be able to retire?!? Aaaahhh now that sounds awesome.
3.  Have you ever been on a cruise? Once not what you think. B & I went on a harbor cruise in Seward Alaska. It was a 3 hour trip & I got seasick. Never again. Bleh!
4.  Do you send postcards or buy mementos? Yes! Postcards are a nice way to check in the old fashion way if I am travelling alone. For mementos, I had a thing for refrigerator magnets. I collected them from my travels & people gifted them to me from theirs. However, when we got the newest fridge, I never put them back up. I had elaborate plans to find a piece of metal & create some art but yea they’re all still sitting in a drawer.

Gratitude:  Sometimes, just having someone by your side is enough. For me, some by my side is always enough. See response to #1 above.

As always, more to come.

Share Your World 🌎 ~ 5/23/23

Time for sharing which is caring. Thanks Di for hosting. HERE are the rules and ping back.

1. Growing up, were you closer to your mother or father, or was it a balance of both depending on the circumstances? My mother & I had a very complicated relationship, almost co-dependent. I respected my father immensely, a definite role model. I miss them both very much & wish they were here to share their words of wisdom with me now. After all that I’m going with both.
2. What was your favourite toy as a child, and do you still have it? My teddy bear Henrietta. I just got rid of her in 2020 during a Swedish death clean.
3. Did you have any secrets? I mostly overshare but I learned a long time ago, how to keep certain things discreet. So yes, I have several secrets.
4. What did you want to be when you grew up, and are you anywhere close? I wanted to be a baker or cake decorator. I’m not even close as far as professionally but I’m a hobbyist home baker. Baking is one of my many self care therapies.

Gratitude: There is something to be grateful for every day, embrace it. Right now I’m grateful for the kindness of my cousin. After rejection by others in the family, he offered to meet me. Nothing definite yet but I’m forever grateful he offered likely knowing full well that I’d never ask. I’m convinced something will come up but the gesture still means the world to me.

As always more to come.

SA Botanical Gardens: Imaginary Worlds ~ Once Upon A Time ~ Mosaiculture

On Saturday, May 20, 2023, Lulu & I went to the SA Botanical Gardens to see the exhibition mentioned in the title. My featured image is how the show begins… Once Upon A Time. We took a self-guided tour deep into imaginary worlds & came out cleansed.

Yep, y’all know I’m the queen comma drama but damn this experience was healing if I do say so myself. At first I said, no pictures, be in the moment, inhale the surroundings. But then, I changed course.

We will go back multiple times before the October closing & on one of the next trips, I will wander around aimlessly & camera free. What’s so cool about these living mosaicultures is every time we return, the plant installations will be changed even if every so slightly. Constant attention by staff & volunteers are called for to upkeep these works of art.

There were six giants of the plant kingdom: Storybooks, Pegasus, Dragon, Rip Van Winkle, Mermaid, & Peacock. What follows are five galleries showcasing a giant in each. Mermaid will be saved for my Thursday Thoughts. I’ll also toss in a miscellaneous gallery – the forever rose garden & other assorted plants. I couldn’t figure out how to make my videos work here but I’ll keep trying for a subsequent post. Neither pictures or videos do justice, this is truly something that must be seen but even if you feel a fraction of what we did, you’ll be better for it!!

Storybooks

Only these 3 pictures, the rest was video.

Pegasus

Isn’t he adorable …

Dragon

Dragon was the star of the show. All these images look similar but there are subtle differences. You be the judge. I have some dragon videos as well, that I’ll post once I figure out how.

Rip Van Winkle

Peacock

I loved the variety in the peacock plumes, especially the succulents along the wing & on the tail.

The Forever Rose Garden & Other Assorted Plants

As always, more to come.

Share Your World ~ 5/16/23

Howdy folks! Di sets up the questions & I toss in my two cents. And away we go ….

1.  Children aside, do you celebrate your birthday/anniversary or is it just a normal day for you? Kind of a combo, we have a low key celebration usually involves food – special dinner made at home or the honoree picks the place. That is if we ever go out to eat again in a form other than take out. No elaborate gifts because how can we top each other? I’m B’s lifetime gift & he is mine. LOL
2.  Do/did you always give your child a birthday party when they were young? The oldest until about 5th or 6th grade, the baby not so much but there is a sad reason for that which I won’t elaborate on here.
3.  If your child was born on Christmas Day (or a few days either side of the 25th), did they have a ‘half birthday’ in June, two presents/celebrations, or something else? Neither child falls into that camp but I did. I always got a birthday cake separate from the Christmas desserts. One year I did have a 1/2 birthday, no gifts, just because, pool party in July … the summer between 7th & 8th grade. I’ll remember that party forever.
4. Would you prefer to give your child a party, or take them and a few friends on a special outing? Definitely the outing.

Gratitude: A child’s laughter is infectious, contagious and a bringer of memories to those of us in our twilight years. This very true. I came across something I wrote about my kids not too long ago that included how the sounds of their laughter is priceless. Nothing better than Pony’s chuckle & Lulu’s giggle. Snaps me right out of whatever bad mood I might be in.

As always, more to come.

Share Your World ~ 5/9/23

Di gives the questions & I toss in my two cents. With a plug nickel. Ha! HERE are the rules & ping back.

1. Do you feel comfortable walking in your neighbourhood at night? I do. We’re in a remote, not too remote area. I feel very safe but depending on the season, I worry about rattlesnakes.
2.  When you shop for day to day things, do you pay by cash or card? I use two different cards for points/rewards then pay balances in full. I think my official term is “dead beat”. I never carry cash anymore which used to occasionally pose a problem but now some places are saying “card” only.
3.  When was the last time you dressed up for a special occasion? So long ago, I forgot.
4.   Have you ever lied about your age? Nope. When I was in my early 30s I could pass for a teenager but after 40 everything changed. I quit coloring my hair in 2019 & am mostly gray. I think I look older than my age but when I ask B how old do I look, he won’t answer me. LOL

Gratitude: Making someone happy reaps its own rewards.

I believe this with my whole heart. Nothing better than to make someone smile or laugh.

Share Your World ~ 5/2/23

Time to Share Our Worlds. Thanks Di for hosting. HERE are the rules & ping back.

1. The First of May is a Bee Gees Song.
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvr2n9q8t3I
   Do you like the Bee Gees and if so, what is your favourite track? I love the Bee Gees. Anything off Saturday Night Fever.
2. What was the first record (single or album) you bought? Hmm, let me think. I used to pass Record Rendezvous in the mall. Album art covers were as important as the music inside. I bought Rod Stewart’s A Night on the Town primarily because it looked like an impressionist painting. It was the first album I purchased with my own money. I don’t think I even really cared for the songs all the much. I liked Maggie May better but that was on a different album of his.
3. Do you know what was top of the charts the day you were born? I Feel Fine by the Beatles. I’ll take it!!!
   (You can check it out here source)
4.  Do you and your partner have a ‘special tune’? Not really. On road trips, we like to blast Metallica.

Gratitude: Music has no hidden agenda, it can inspire, soothe and calm.

Music makes it all better. Not that anything changes your circumstances but the distraction by the beauty of the sound & the movement with the feelings that are invoked is priceless. My life is a song. Like Zoe’s Extraordinary playlist. I wish the show was still on the air.

Share Your World 🌎 ~ 4/25/23

Thanks Di for hosting. Here’s my two cents worth 1/2 a penny.

1. What was the most memorable gift you gave someone? I’m an awful gift giver. Cannot think of anything memorable.
2. What was the most memorable gift you received? Hmm 🤔 first Easter married when B recreated my childhood Easter basket.
3. For the girls: Would you be suspicious if your partner gave you flowers or chocolates for no reason? There is nothing B could ever do to make me suspicious. Even flowers or chocolates just because.
4. Have you accepted a gift with pleasure, even if you hated it? Yes. That’s how the only momma I ever knew raised me. It’s the thought that counts. I truly believe that.

Gratitude: A gift given with love doesn’t need a price tag. That’s true. And gifts aren’t always something material at all. Kindness is free. Maybe that’s my most memorable gift. A former employee recently told me that he appreciated how I kept promises & made each of them individually feel special. That’s sort of like gifts given.

As always more to come.

Share Your World 🌎 ~ 4/18/23

Thanks Di for hosting. HERE are the rules and ping back. And awaaaay we go!

1. Do you have a special talent (ie music, art, singing, dress making, pottery etc). I wish. All I have is the gift of gab 😂
2. What was your best subject at school and was it your favourite? History & yes. I still love history. English was a close second.
3. Do you like to cook? Absolutely love to cook. Baking in particular but putting together a meal is fun too!!
4. Do you get riled easily? Hmm. Depends. The older I become the less riled I get because I realize it’s all small stuff. I’ve learned attitude is everything & being riled makes things worse usually. So the answer for me is not anymore.

Gratitude:
Welcome each day with a smile, that way it will get off to a good start. I agree! It reminds me of make your bed & make your day. I’ve been doing that for years now & doing so has such a positive effect on me mentally. There’s even a book about it.

As always more to come.

Share Your World ~ 4/11/23

Time to share. Thanks Di for hosting. HERE are the rules & ping back.

1. Do you celebrate the Easter holiday and if not, do you have an alternative? Yes we do though this year was very low key.

2. Do you exchange gifts or have a traditional meal? First year for everything. We didn’t exchange gifts or have a traditional meal. End of an era since both children made plans with friends. I did bake my traditional bunny cake though. Just a regular box cake shaped like a bunny.

3. How many Easter Eggs (or alternative) did your receive/give? None this year. Now I want a do over.

4. Was Easter a Bank Holiday in your country or did you have to work this weekend? Yes because the banks are closed every Sunday.

Gratitude: There are only 24 hours in a day…….. don’t waste any as they cannot be replaced. I believe this with my whole heart ❤️ I learned from Willow, the Latin Tepus Fugit – time flies. Once it’s gone it’s gone.

Share Your World ~ 4/4/23

Time to get our share on. Thanks Di for hosting. HERE are the rules & ping back.

1.   Do you have a favourite movie? I guess not because I love too many to name just one. There’s some really good ones out there then another comes along to knock off my #1 choice but then there are the classics. Breakfast Club is one I will always stop & watch.

2.  Who is you favourite actor and actress? Not really.

3.   Do you attend or have you ever attended a live theatre production? Yes! I used to have season tickets to the Majestic Theater here in San Antonio. I’ve also been to Broadway & St. Paul/Minneapolis just for the theater.

4.   Have you ever wanted to be an actor/actress? I was in our high school productions junior year (Taming of the Shrew) & senior year (Alice in Wonderland as Alice understudy). I wanted to act on a small scale like in local theater. I even tried out once at our Harlequin Dinner Theater (And Then There Were None) on post at Fort Sam. Didn’t get a part but I was an usher/table service who got to see the show night after night for free. I never was brave enough to try out again. Still something I will never forget.

Gratitude: I count my blessings every day, and I have many. I agree wholeheartedly. Nothing is perfect but I have been graced with a bounty. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.