Today was all kinds of weather days wrapped up in one day. Cool, rainy, cloudy, windy, sunny, warm, misty, clear. Guess Mother Nature was getting all her ducks in a row to spin her roulette wheel in the direction of winter for the next few nights.

The grass is getting greener every day. Gonna need a hair cut soon. My rose bush is covered in new growth. Waiting for the hummingbird scouts. Got two feeders up. Spring has started her journey.

Older brother came by and it was sprinkling and cloudy. A little too cool for the porch swings so we sat in the lady den. When he left the sun was drying out the clouds and it was warm enough for some porch pondering. The cardinal and finches and a few titmice and chickadees were visiting the feeders. A pair of doves bobbed around under the feeders. I really wonder do their necks ever ache. All that head bobbing in sync with their little pink feet. Rain doesn’t deter the cardinals. They will sit on the feeders in the pouring rain.

Heard two sentences today that really caused me to do some deep pondering. The first one I heard on a movie — “Life’s a big stinking mess but that’s the beauty of it.” Okay, I agree that life can be a stinking mess. So what clarifies as a mess in life? We all have chaotic and difficult times in our lives but we have the choice to decide if “our mess” is acceptable or if we need to metaphorically clean it up. Tough times make us stronger. Look for the message in your mess. We all have different paths in our lives but we get to choose the direction we go. When the sun shines on us life is beautiful. When a storm comes, life can be bleak, but another day cycles and given time, the sunshine will again brighten the day. Life is really simple. It’s not complicated but we make it that way sometimes with our choices. That’s the beauty of life — each day is a gift. And every day we get to start with a fresh slate. Strive to be happy and enjoy every minute of life. It goes by so quickly.

The second sentence that caused me to do some thinking was —“We all sacrifice for the people we love.” That’s a powerful statement. Can’t help but think about all the sacrifices we all made during Covid. Our families’ lives were turned upside down and we coped with it as best we could. I don’t think we sacrifice for the people we love. We need to change the word sacrifice to “give selflessly.” We all give selflessly for the people we love. If you love with a true heart you are more concerned with the needs and wishes of those you love than with your own. True love is total acceptance of the ones you love. You don’t try to mold them or change them, you love them for themselves, just the way they are.

This gloomy day has made me gloomy. Let me tell you about my Shady Oaks moment today. Stew came downstairs and I proceeded to tell him what time it was and to remember to change the time on his clock. I was sitting in the lady den eating my bagel and I told him it was 9 o’clock! He says, “Did you have a stroke? Look at your phone, it’s 11 o’clock.” Course I say, “Seriously?” He never understands I don’t look at the phone when I wake up for the time or the date and day of the week. Always look at Chief’s watch on my wrist for the day and time. Just not wired to the cell phone like his generation. Don’t know how I was two hours off on the time, though. Maybe it is time for Shady Oaks. Got three friends going with me. Anybody else want to go? We’ll get a cottage. Smile!