Looking for answers to life's questions

I’m a blabber mouth. Yes, it’s true. I’ll converse with you about anything, anytime. I had a teacher actually tape my mouth shut in grade school. I thought it was funny until I almost didn’t get the tape off before I got home. It would not have been pretty. We weren’t allowed to speak at home. I made up for it big time in school.

I love the conversations I’m having with my new neighbors. The blabber mouth part stops when the conversation is done. I don’t carry what I hear from one to the other. People fascinate me and to keep them talking, I spend more time listening and share only enough of my own story to let them know I understand who they are and accept them. I learn from each and everyone.

That roll of metal in the trailer becomes the white cutter coming out the back side. Oh, my. I had no idea how they were made.

That roll of metal in the trailer becomes the white cutter coming out the back side. Oh, my. I had no idea how they were made.

Almost 60 ft of gutter comes out the other end all in one piece. Amazing!

Almost 60 ft of gutter comes out the other end all in one piece. Amazing!

 

In the two months I’ve lived in my new home, I have meet almost all my neighbors. Some just briefly, others have chosen to spend a bit more time. One older gentleman passes by and checks on the progress of my front garden. He asked if I were growing rocks in it. That was mostly what remained from the previous owner. Of course I replied that I was and hadn’t they grown quite large in such a short time. They did look larger without all the cover.

 

Next spring when everything fills in the boulders won't look so big again.

Next spring when everything fills in the boulders won’t look so big again.

 

I have been so busy making my home my own, that I have had almost no time to write about it or anything else that has crept through my pea brain as I tilled the dirt endlessly. I get up early to write in my journal and have my coffee as it is part of my spiritual practice. There is always a portion of my journal dedicated to gratitude. Then the outdoors calls me to come play in the dirt. I am so lucky not to have to go to a job. I love my life right now. Old age has many benefits.

It still looks bare but by next spring maybe I can add some pizzaz and some much needed paint.

It still looks bare but by next spring maybe I can add some pizzaz and some much needed paint.

 

We are getting some much needed rain today so the outdoors will wait for a bit. I could be hanging more pictures and artwork or putting more sewing stuff in a proper home but it seemed to finally be the moment for which I have been waiting. To sit down to read and write.

I’ll have the next three days off with my daughter and while she rests I can read a bit and maybe get a more of that writing done that keeps my brain fidgeting at night.
We are going to the beach. Her birthday gift to me and she has to do the driving. She made reservations for Sunday through Tuesday coming home Tuesday evening. We will be going out as others are coming back from this Labor Day weekend. We will walk, talk, shop and REST.

My sister wanted to play too. Pressure washing the deck before re-staining it. The dark is slimy when wet.

My sister wanted to play too. Pressure washing the deck before re-staining it. The dark is slimy when wet.

This was a cakewalk compared to stump grinding. A lot more still to do.

This was a cakewalk compared to stump grinding. A lot more still to do.

 

I have been dropping into bed each night with every muscle in my body aching from use. What a wonderful feeling it is but looking forward to some down time and as the hint of autumn creeps into the late August air, I feel more coming. I was even persuaded to sign up for the writing class again just to be forced into sharpening my writing skills. I miss all the fellow students and it will be nice to see everyone.

Have a wonderful Labor Day everyone. How do you celebrate it?

He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist. ~ St. Francis of Assisi

From my heart to yours,
Marlene Herself

Comments on: "In Search of Time to Write" (23)

  1. The place is looking good Marlene. Hope you have a wonderful time with your daughter. A well deserved pleasure time.
    I don’t do anything but the usual, stay at home and let the others drive the roads. lol big hugs!

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    • I prefer to stay at home too but time with my daughter is worth the traffic. Lets hope we miss most of it. She needs this trip as much as I do. Haven’t been to the beach in over 4 years so I’m ready. It’s only a couple hours drive.

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  2. Happy Birthday for Tuesday Marlene! Have a wonderful time away with your daughter – we will both be partying at the same time and I shall think of you! 🙂 I love the quote – it is one of the things I try to keep in mind when I am disgruntled with what I am doing 🙂 Your garden is looking pretty already and in a year will amaze you all. I am so glad you are meeting your neighbours – I hope you will build a kind and supportive community about your new home as that is what we all need. I am impressed with all the changes and improvements you are making – it is inspirational!

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  3. Marlene, you are amazing. You’ve done more in two months then I’ve seen people half your age do in a year. The garden looks pretty, and as Pauline says, it will be amazing how full everything looks in a year. I saw old pictures of my garden a few weeks ago and was stunned. Lucky you to be getting rain, though I know you won’t feel that way six months from now when it refuses to let up.

    I hope you enjoy your time away at the beach with your daughter. I love both traveling and time at home. Each activity suits me in a different way.

    I’m glad to read that you’ve signed up for a writing class again. (I think I read that in your last post…silly me). It’s been a few years since I took a writing class. It was always a great discipline and a chance to meet other writers.

    It’s funny to see the gutter truck. We’re actually (finally) replacing ours in a few weeks with the same, cut to size on site style called Leaf Guard. This has been our year of exterior improvements: first a new garage door to replace the twenty year old model. Last week we had the exterior painted and finally the gutters. I like to think we got it all done before the ‘rainy season’ arrives, but I’m trying to set my sites low and hope for the best. It’s so nice to hear how things are coming along.

    Have a wonderful birthday.

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    • Thank you for the birthday wishes, Alys. We are having a wonderful time while my sister is at my house staining a beam. I chastised her for getting on a ladder with no one there. I’m not allowed on them ( unless no one is looking). 🙂 I just have this long list of things that needed to be done and tried to get as much accomplished as quickly as possible. I feel a little odd not working on the house right now but we had one heck of a rain yesterday and it settled everything down nicely. It also let me know where the flaws in the gutters are. Darn! It’s easy to get the work done, until you run out of money. Things will slow down a bit now. I don’t know how much painting I can do outside before the rains really start. Hard to believe fall is already here! Thanks for reading. Hope to get some writing time in tomorrow while sitting at the beach. 🙂

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      • Writing on the beach sounds lovely. I used to do that years ago in my journal which I carried everywhere. It’s a good place to ruminate.

        You’ve been a work horse on that lovely home of yours. I understand the tug to do more, but the break will do you good as well. I’m sorry to hear your sister is up on a ladder with no one home. I’ve heard too many horror stories. I also fell off a ladder when the fourth leg sunk into the soil, right in front of my then 11-year-old son. I felt like an idiot, and I felt terrible frightening him. That was the end for me. Unless I’m on a 14 inch step stool, I don’t do it alone.

        See you when you get back.

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  4. PS I like the left-justified photos. It flows nicely.

    The quote is fabulous!

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  5. Such nice thoughts from you and St. Francis! Enjoy the beach.

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  6. Alles Gute zum Geburtstag wunderfrau!
    It’s handy having a translator App, Jetzt spreche ich Deutsches tadellos 😀
    I’m thinking you must be a mini Wonder Women to be flying around finishing all these chores and projects so aptly. WOW, you kids are a force.
    DIG GARDEN ! …pow! NEW PLANTS ! …..zing, CLEAN DECK ! ….whoosh
    Wonderfrau !!! (que superhero music)…haha
    Loving the red roses planted along the foundation, they’ll be really pretty when they’re grown up. You must be so looking forward to a little break and the beach will be amazing. I’ve met a few neighbours and had lemonade on my next door neighbours deck. Everyone seems really nice. Seems like you’ve found yourself a really nice place to call home
    Marlenie-bean, I’m so happy you’re happy 😀
    It’s cooling off here too. Fall is definitely in the air but I love the crisp evenings and cooler days. We had a lot of extra warm days this summer. Next year we’re ready for it though. Just got AC installed on August 20th, now I can use my craft room upstairs. Happy dance for that. Have fun in your writing class too ! Can’t wait to hear all about it xoxox Boom!

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    • Danke schön! My daughter and I were so delighted with the title Wonderfrau!!! That made us giggle all the way to dinner. The roses were there but buried too deep in clay. I unburied them and they bloomed. I will move them forward and up in late fall. I am so looking forward to cooler weather and a chance to rest indoors doing the hundreds of things that are needed there. I haven’t had so much fun in years. Ooow! Lemonade! Add a little Limoncello and you have a party in a glass. I think my daughter needed this trip as much as I did. I’ll sit on the beach in the morning and write a bit. It’s only a 3 hour trip but have not been here in almost 5 years. The sunset is phenomenal. Hugs and enjoy your boom room. 🙂

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  7. Happy birthday, Marlene you sure deserve the break. Your place is coming along nicely and the rocks are a nice minimal touch 😉 Of course plantings will look so nice around them in the spring.

    Just when you have some down time I will be running back and forth between packing up here and getting my new home ready to move into. I was making a list of all the things I need to do and power washing was one of them. I added it to the list of things I need to pay for (to rent a machine) when it came to me that my son owns a power washer!!

    I’m sure this is one winter you are looking forward to when you can actually sit down for a while and work on things a bit less physical.

    As for labor day, I don’t do anything. 30 years ago I gave birth to my oldest son just hours before labor day began. This year his birthday falls on Tuesday so I’ll be taking him out for dinner.

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    • So your son and I share a birthday. Another Virgo. Pressure washing is easy compared to the stump grinding. My sister didn’t get the underneath side of some spots, (she insisted she could do it better) and the stain wouldn’t stick. We get so much moldy sludge from all the rain. This is a time of transition for many of us. I did take quite a bit of time to pack and unpack. I’m tenacious, but not sensible about taking care of myself. Your list will help things move along smoothly. I live by lists so my work isn’t redundant. Have a wonderful celebration with your son. Wish him happy birthday from me.

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      • Yes, you and my son share a birthday and a love (and talent) for writing.

        Who is older you or your sister? I would guess she was born first because of her insistence that she could power wash better. 😉

        We don’t have as much problem with the mold but stain and paint don’t have as long of a life with the snow especially if we have to shovel on those areas.

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      • I’m 5 years older than my sister but she has always been the take charge and run things type. Your son has the talent for writing, I just have the need. Yes, shoveling snow off a deck is harder on it than just rain. I’ll take the mold over the snow any day.

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      • I’d take the mold over snow too, luckily I will have much less snow from now on. 😉 How interesting that you are the oldest between you and your sister but it sounds like she could be fun to work with, a little competition never hurts. 😉

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  8. Congrats on your new home and keep on keeping on (as they used to say) ! I love reading about other people in my generation trying new things, learning, and enjoying the challenges of life. P. S. I really hate Windows 8 also!!!!

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    • Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I breezed through some of your posts as well. I lived in So Cal. for many, many years. My son still lives there but maybe not for much longer. I’m enjoying life to the fullest and will always push my limits…safely. I’m at an Oregon beach today. Love it here.

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  9. Glad to be getting to know you Marlene. I’m not going to be reading your posts in any definite order , but I’m definitley getting to like the person behind them. Yes…having your day in front of you to be filled in whatever way you wish to, is definitely a blessing . I find myself in a similar phase of my life and I feel very grateful. By the time I’m getting to read this, you may have settled down quite well in you home and I’m sure the garden must be as cheerful as you are. 🙂

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    • I tend to read blogs the same way. Too much rain right now and the garden is dormant and in my mind as well. 🙂 Love being able to have my day open to possibilities. 🙂 Have a wonderfilled day and weekend.

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