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