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!

So....I had to quit the job cutting vegetables at Albertson's, because of the arthritis. even though I was only working 5 hrs a day, it was really hard on my hands, my feet and lower back. 

I was kind of bummed to have to quit because I liked working in the back and especially happy that I wasn't working in the bakery!! Oh my goodness! That would have been a challenge for sure! At least I could snack on healthy stuff! :)
A few months after I left, the store was closed and all the employees were spread out to other spots. I hated to see it also because it was the closest place to run in and pick up whatever you needed. 


In September of 2017, I went to work on the weekends only, at Legend Oaks Rehabilitation & Healthcare facility, rightaround the corner from where I live. They didn't have anyone to do activities with the residents on Saturday and Sunday and since my other job was to drive the grandkids to school and pick them up during the week, the weekend was just what I wanted! 

This has almost changed my life! Honestly, I have such an awareness now of what the aged are going through. I've learned about dementia and alzheimers and about trying to help the elderly live with dignity and respect. I was hired to do activities on the weekend so we had Bingo, fun exercises, Spa Day, worship services, visits from comfort dogs, and music entertainment. Here's a collage of some of my favorite times and people! 

After two years of walking 2-4 miles a day at work and pushing 10-15 wheelchairs back and forth to activities or out to the patio for some fresh air and chit chat, I noticed that I was having back spasms that came from limping because of pain in my foot. I also had a burning sensation in my left elbow, so after a visit with several doctors, I found out I had a fractured toe, inflamed Achilles and plantar fasciitis on my right foot and tennis elbow on my left arm! I was off work for a month and it finally became clear to me that I wouldn't be able to return to work there because I would most surely just injure the same places. 




So now I'm caught up and the latest news is that I am moving back to Michigan in mid-October and will be able to "grow up" with my youngest grandchild (for now), who is 6! 

For those who have been following me on Facebook, there are plenty of posts of my kids and grandkids...like the latest of my two grandsons here in TX in 2012 and 2019. :) 

At my age now (71), it's time to find a place to settle down. I need to be near the kids and I guess I've seen what's to come in another 15-20 yrs., but I can't help but think about a cabin in the woods (with wifi, of course), wild animals strolling by and beautiful scenery to take photos of! Of course, I'll make do with what I have and enjoy being able to share with all of you! 

Leave your comments below...about anything I've written or about something in your life you want to talk about. I love hearing from you! ♥