What is courage to you?

The title of this post sounds like it might be very deep, doesn't it? Well, it's actually not...in fact, it was born of pretty shallow thoughts.

I decided to publish my newest watercolor paintings and that takes courage! LOL! I've shown a few in a private FB group that has all levels of watercolor artists, and I've shown a few friends, but to me this is the next step. I think I'm only brave here because not many are following my blog. :)

So here goes... on my birthday this past April, my daughter gave me something I had been wanting for a long time...watercolor supplies!

It took me awhile to actually put any paint on paper, but after rearranging my "studio" space (my kitchen table) 

and watching many "beginner" how-to watercolor videos, 

I gave myself permission to play instead of expecting something professional to flow out of my brush! 

I learned to tape my paper down and how to blend the colors and I started getting more brave as I realized it was just paper and I could always start over if I felt I messed up. It was very exciting to feel frustration being replaced by enjoyment! I have a new hobby! :) 

Once I was feeling more confident I started getting ideas of everything I wanted to paint! First of all was a wedding gift for my daughter and her fiance...I knew I wanted to do a sunflower for her and since he is a lineman (electrical), I went looking for ideas for him. It took me 2 months, but I was happy with the results! And they were amazed! :)

 So, today I am feeling brave about showing my work online! I'm working on more paintings that I can't show until they are gifted, but I'm happy to break the ice about being courageous even about small things!

I also want to mention that I'm meeting many women around my age who are doing something for the first time and I want to enCOURAGE them to step out of their comfort zones and be proud of their efforts!

A little late re my promise...

 ...but, then again, it's never too late! Of course I'm talking about my promise to post every day...oops! Do we always put a guilt trip on ourselves when we don't keep a promise? Probably, even though this was not a live or die promise, I still kept reminding myself of what I "should" do. I have so many excuses even though I don't have to answer to anyone except myself. Here I am today so, to me I'm back on track! :)

Since my last post I have been painting and fighting with fungus gnats! Hahaha...quite a busy schedule, as you can imagine! :) They might not sound related, but one of those gnats literally landed on a freshly painted picture and it was all I could do not to smash the little "f***er"! That is how much rage they bring to my day!

My houseplants are my sanity, as well as my pride and joy for the past year and a half, and I went almost that full time without gnats (different from fruit flies). These buggers love moist dirt. To make a long story short, mine arrived in a new bag of medium made specifically for cactus & other plants that need quick draining. I transplanted a succulent arrangement that I got for my birthday. I didn't notice the gnats until I had already filled that planter AND put some into my other plants! :(

 

Naturally, I went to google and to my houseplant group and tried all the tips they gave me. It's gotten better but dealing with them is very frustrating! :)

So this is my catch-up day and hopefully, I'll be here tomorrow to chat about something more pleasant than fungus gnats!! LOL

Today's priority was ....

 I spent the entire day concentrating on practicing my watercoloring! I watched several videos on youtube (so nice to be able to watch on my tv instead of the computer) and I found a new artist to follow--Peter Sheeler from Canada.

Love his work! He uses ink to sketch first and then very loose watercolor strokes for background or the illusion of something. Today I watched him paint this mailbox. He doesn't chatter while painting and I like that also...just some gentle music. :)

Here's an article about him from the UK and of course you can do a google search to see all his images and more: 

https://bluedoorworkshop.co.uk/about-peter/

So that was my day and now I have to keep my promise and post one of my own photos that will imply what my priority was today.

 

 Tomorrow....houseplants! :)

Priorities...hard to figure them out!

The title refers to this blog...I'm still trying to figure out what my priorities are here! To be so indecisive is exhauting! And I'm still not sure how many people are reading it. 

Those who ARE reading it are not commenting so that makes me believe I'm not being interesting, profound or even mildly worthy. :) Ok, I'm feeling sorry for myself now...it's my own fault. I know very well that if I promote the blog (via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram), I would get new followers...BUT, I feel that I need to have a clear perspective and for now, I'm still all over the place.

I've been procrastinating about posting this month, as I have for years, and it's always about how open do I want to be, how personal, how funny, how serious. I decided today that I want to show either my photography or my watercolor projects. 

Believe it or not, I just gave myself another idea! What if, until I figure out my priorities here, I just post at least one photo each day for the rest of the month? Each day the photo should represent something about that day--be it an emotion, an activity, a disappointment or a joy. I like it!! I will post at the end of the day and it could be one photo or maybe a collage to express that day. :) 

In case you're wondering about the watercolor projects...don't think I'm ready to show them yet, but soon!

I hope I can remember to do this each day. And since today is just starting, the only thing I can think of is the sun coming out from behind the clouds! :)

Here's to figuring out your priorities one day at a time!

 Happy Birthday to me! :)

These birthdays seem to be coming faster and faster! Could have sworn I just had one! This is #73, but don't really feel that old. 

I wrote that on the 27th of April...didn't get very far. My daughter and her Fiance took me to dinner and gave me some lovely gifts - watercolor supplies!

Now it is the 9th of May...Mother's Day and I'm trying again! :) It's cold (45°) here in Michigan with possibly some rain and I will be home watching and waiting for the Cardinal babies to hatch outside my bedroom window.

 

They've been a joy to watch, even though pictures are through window and screen most of the time! :)

So, with birdwatching, photography, learning to paint with watercolors and taking care of my houseplants, I really haven't felt bored or "closed in" after more than a year of the pandemic. 

The next chapter

Whew! I almost let March pass by without a post! Mostly because I was going to continue with my description of my life from the youngest I could remember (age 3), hence the title of this post. But something has kept me from sticking with that idea...for now. I'm not sure if it's laziness, procrastination, fear or what!

I'm still struggling with finding my authentic voice and deciding how open I'm going to be and who I'm willing to share it with. I'm totally comfortable with sharing with people I don't know, but not with family or most friends. It seems kind of ridiculous to think people would be interested in my private life, so why do I keep posting and publishing here? Part of it is because I love to write and since I threw my 22-yrs' worth of journals away (in 2012), I still have the desire to write.

So, I will try to stay focused and keep posting, even if it's short like this one. :) For now, I will share another moonshot that I just took...the one above was taken March 3 and this one March 20...

I really hope to find out who is reading and who is interested in staying connected even if you don't want to post replies.

Just let me know, ok?

 

I woke up at 3:45 this morning on the tail-end of a dream and then the "almost conscious" waking up time and decided I HAVE to write a book! I've had so many people tell me that over the years, but have always said I don't want to relive most of it so why would I write it all down? Now I'm thinking that this blog may be as close as I come to writing my life story...and I have pictures! 

The problem is I'm still not willing and able to put it all out there and then actually tell people where they can read it. Maybe I'm afraid of being judged. That sounds logical.

I've got one younger picture, but can't find it at the moment. I don't remember anything from this age...

  

I was about 2 in this photo with my paternal grandmother and although I don't remember her, I have distinct memories of the house!And I have inherited her chin(s)! :)

 I have a memory of being taken away from my mother at age 3 and although I've been told what it was about, my father and his new wife got custody of my sister and I for a short time, I have no memories of that time period. I do have some pictures and even that does not trigger any concious memory of him or her. 

Ok, this is the beginning of my timeline...mostly to get my life in order for ME.  More to come soon. :)

First month of 2021 in the bag...

 So! I'm doing great for this year...I will definitely keep up with posting this time! I will also be showing photos I have taken. This Wood Duck was a huge surprise in the creek behind my apartment! First time I ever saw one in person!

We still have so much going on in the world with politics and the pandemic, so I shouldn't have any trouble finding a topic!

I do hope to engage with other people who have something to say, whether it is about general issues or something personal. I keep thoughts and feelings about most things very close to the chest, but all it takes is finding someone who wants or needs to talk about something and I'm ready to open up. 

Ok, I'll try something new...asking you what you think.

1. Have you lost relationships (family or friends) because of your political beliefs?

2. Do you have a favorite recipe that everyone raves about?

3. What kind of traditions have you created with your grandchildren (or children)?

4. How are you dealing with the Covid-19 situation? Are you getting the vaccine?

So there we go...a starting place! :) Choose to answer one or all and even ask your own question for us! 

See you next month! ♥ Dee

 Still watching all the fallout from the events at the Capitol last week. I'm glad to see that they are finding many of the people (who were so proud to be on video or in photos). It's so hard to believe this has all happened in our country. And then the President was impeached for the second time. Holy smokes!

I just pray that no one else is hurt or killed as we go through the inauguration of a new President and Vice-President. It should be an exciting time for the nation, but will be tempered with concern and worry and stress for many. 

So what else is going on in your world? Crazy weather? Weight gain? Missing the grandkids? Hmmm...I just mentioned some of MY issues. 

The biggest (literally) for me right now is the weight. I keep trying to get back to doing what I KNOW works for me (low carb), but this addiction to sweets is hard to switch off!

I'm starting to resemble a certain cartoon character!!

Hoping to see some comments soon :) 

 

How quickly things change in the world...

 So, this is the day after the White House was overrun, defaced and basically, rendered shutdown for several hours. I haven't been able to write about it on social media at all, but here I feel safe.

On one hand, I feel disturbed and unsettled after watching the entire event from beginning to end. I could stop watching until I couldn't keep my eyes open. On the other hand, I feel confident that our world will right itself eventually. It just takes longer than usual for some people to draw the line as to what they will accept. 

I will be happy to discuss everything with you, if anyone decides they would like to post here. I still haven't put out a notice that this blog is "open for business". I'm such a chicken, but I may just do it today.

In the meantime, I will leave you with this and hope to hear from you soon. I would like to find out how you feel about our country after all that's happened this year.

To continue catching up...

I'm going to get caught up on a few more things about the past year, and then I'm going to try to get some of my followers back here and find out what everyone wants to talk about. It can't be just about me and there's a huge gap between where I started (Minnie Pauz) and where I am now.

One of biggest changes in my life since I moved back to Michigan is the wonderful addition of a granddaughter and a daughter-in-law! That was great since the boys were outnumbering us girls quite heavily! :) So, NOW we are even! (At least counting the adults with the kids) :) Still have 5 grandsons and 3 granddaughters! (this picture was 5 yrs ago)

So meet Miss Lucy Grace! I just love her name and she is a sweetheart as you can see! Her Momma married my son in Nov. 2019 and I was so happy to be there! They have just passed their 1 year anniversary and Lucy is going to be 4 in August. She loves to read and play the ukelele and have tea parties!

Now we are on to whatever comes to mind, not just for me but for you also. I hope to hear from many of you about what your life is like and what issues seem to crop up most often...the good and the bad. As I mentioned, I will be tracking you down one by one and dragging you over here to help this blog come alive again! :) For now this is my second post in only 4 days so you can imagine how exhausted I am! LOL!! Hope to hear from you soon! Dee

 

Another New Year, Another promise to keep posting!

 Let me apologize once again for leaving you hanging for 16 months! Holy Moly, I am truly going to try to keep this blog updated on a regular basis now that I am more "settled" than I have been since 2012. As you can see from my photo, I've gone through a few changes, but don't worry because I think I've found the antidote...YOU!!

LOL! At least I haven't lost my sense of humor! I have a lot of work to do though, to get my followers back! This 2nd day of 2021 seems to be a good place to start, right?

Ok, it's been 14 months since my last post and I was getting ready to move back to Michigan after living in TX for 7 years. There were no comments on that post so I will start from there and hope followers will catch up. 

I arrived back in Michigan in October 2019, just in time for Halloween and moved into my daughter's upstairs bedroom to wait for my name to come up on the list for an apartment at a lovely 55 & older place called Heritage Place Apartments. At the time, there was no indication of how long the wait would be, but I was very happy to be back with my Michigan family and friends. Also was hoping to make up some lost time with my youngest grandson. I made yearly visits from TX after he was born, but had missed the daily or weekly relationship that I had enjoyed with the other 6 grandkids!

I will never forget the surprise and happiness I felt when I got a call from the apartment manager that, due to many unexpected circumstances, I was going to get my apt. in January...at least 6 mo. sooner than expected! After 7 years of living with my son and his family, I was going to be in my own place again!!

Now I have been in my apartment for a full year I feel really settled in and ready to get back to sharing and caring with other women. My "outreach" to women began back in 1997 (I think) when I created Minnie Pauz. That led to creating this blog in 2006, when I was still a "middle-aged" woman, LOL! 

Now I'm a senior citizen👵 so I may have to change the name of the blog, but I will wait until I see who is going to hang in here with me. 

Here we are on January 2, 2021, in the middle of a pandemic and about to change Presidents...and I'm trying to revive the connection with all of you that has motivated and encouraged me for years to find out things about myself that I had never imagined. I have so much I want to tell you now, but first I will get out there (virtually) and find you and pull you back into my web! LOL! I will be BEGGING you to comment on this post so I know you're there listening and then I will continue to make up for my abandonment! Then I will try to make you laugh again! Oh, just so you know I haven't turned into a cat, here I am with my Covid 20 lbs.

Actually, this was before covid. I'm not allowing any pictures until it's all over and I can lose the 20 lbs!! Let me know how you've been handling all the shutdowns and quarantines. I hope and pray that no one has lost a loved one or friend to this awful virus! Join others on my two Minnie Pauz facebook pages. #1 and #2 for us seniors! Love you all!