Kitchen

     This is my new kitchen. It's a dream come true! We had this home built and moved in December of 2020. It is a fry cry from the kitchen I was cooking in prior. I loved my old kitchen too. It was very small with green cabinetry. It was definitely cozy, with little working space.  It's' interesting how "you make it work." With a large family like mine, it was a challenge. I cook a lot. A family get together is a feast. My kitchen is a place where I can love up my family; through food!

    With that being said, I am in heaven with my new kitchen. The above picture is the view as I come around the corner each morning. I enjoy being up before anyone else, which is usually the case. A quiet and peaceful morning is my favorite time of day. No complaining or grouches allowed in the a.m. I honestly greet every morning with gratitude. The challenge is to stay in the mode of feeling blessed throughout the day, because life happens. Back to my kitchen...                                                                            

     It's pretty much state of the art. I am able to connect all my appliances to wifi. I could literally pre-heat the oven while I'm at Safeway grocery shopping. That would mean I'd have to pull out the manual and read the directions of how to do that. I just haven't felt like doing that. I don't mind turning my appliances on manually and I detest the thought of adding one more app to my phone that I have to figure out how to use. It just seems unnecessary. Someday, I'll do it when I have nothing better to do (which could possibly be never).

                                   

                                                    My new air fryer from Costco - love it!

         

                                               and our newest addition...an espresso machine! 

                                            yummy lattes made in the comfort of our own home 🤎

    

    Writing this blog has given me the idea that when I am feeling consumed by a little problem or something that is not going my way ~ to step into my kitchen and remember how fortunate I am to not only have a beautiful kitchen, but that I have a roof over my head, a stocked fridge and staples in my pantry. Attitude is everything.

              I can't forget this guy who goes with me from kitchen to kitchen.  A wedding gift from my 10 year old nephew, Jon who insisted to his mom he buy my husband and I a gift for our wedding. He was the ring bearer in our wedding 38 years ago. He bought this toothpick holder at the gift shop of the Radisson Hotel in San Jose, where we got married.

Joker

 

 

    

      This is a fun sketch I did of the Joker character from one of the latest Batman movies shown in the theaters. I watched the first Batman movie that came out years ago, but never watched the following versions. They seemed too dark (literally) and unappealing.

    

    I do, however remember the Batman TV series. I can still hear the theme music in my head. It was a good after school show. Adam West played Batman, Burt Ward as Robin and the insane Cesar Romero as the Joker. He was my favorite.  He was flamboyant, crazy and funny. He took clown make-up to a new level.  

    Cesar Romero probably displayed the most acting talent of the show; although the Penguin was pretty good too. When the Joker appeared on the the television screen as the villain for that episode, I was excited and became more engaged.

    During the Batman TV episode era, I had to get up from the sofa, walk over to the TV console, turn a knob with my hands to turn on the TV and  turn another knob to change the TV to one of 13 channels. 

Those were the days... I was probably having a bowl of after school Cornflakes too.

    

Incarceration

                                                                                    

                                                                     If only...  

                                                                    No freedom

                                                                    Confined

                                                                    Afraid

                                                                    Remorseful

                                                                    Chained

                                                                    Exposed

                                                                    Restitution

                                                                    Angry

                                                                    Tired

                                                                    Idle

                                                                    Offender

                                                                    New reality

(quick ink sketch I did)

                                                                         

                                                             

                                                                                    

                                              
 

Hammer

 

                                                                                   

    This simple picture holds much meaning. This small hammer is 60 plus years old.  It was my dad's hammer that he used for minor repairs and small projects. I was very close with my dad from a very young  age. I just loved hanging around with him and fascinated with everything he did. We spent a lot of time together mowing lawns, building fences and hanging out in his workshop that was in our garage.

    He could fix anything. He had that attitude of being able to fix anything and appreciated every fiix-it challenge. I watched him fix a lot of things and also re-purpose things for use in his work shop.

    I raised six kids, five of them being boys. I inherited my dad's skill and attitude for fixing things. I have fixed a lot of toys. It started with my attitude of,  "Sure, I can fix that. Let's take a look. " I was a good trouble shooter. Today, I look at things before I throw them out and think to myself,  "I can use this for this...or that." It's not that I can't afford to shop for new containers, fabric, jars, etc.  It's just something that is branded in my mind. I can still see my dad's lockers where he kept all his many tools, nails, screws and gadgets, that were stored in various re-purposed objects. I love to repurpose things! 

When my dad passed, I had to have this little hammer. It sat on his work bench and saw a lot of pounding in its day. It lives in my office/craft room. A lot of memories and inspiration in this little old tool.

Golf

         One of the most beautiful places in the world to golf - Pebble Beach, California. My husband and I have attended the AT&T at Pebble Beach for the past two years. This photo is at the 18th hole. Are we big golfers? No, we aren't, but we did buy ourselves golf clubs. We both have played a few times, but would like to be one of these couples in retirement, who take their clubs with them when they travel. Many resorts have golf courses on the property. We're looking forward to taking advantage of that. 

    We decided we would take a few lessons before venturing out on our own so we don't embarrass ourselves and look like we know what we're doing. We can only get better with practice.  Naturally, I went out and bought all the proper golf attire. Maybe, someday we'll golf at Pebble Beach. A small fortune to golf there, so it would  have to be for a very special occasion. 

    The golf course in itself is magnificent with the vast ocean views. There is a small town square for shopping and several restaurants, from fine dining to cafe style or beach patio vibe.

        We don't walk the course, following the golfers or looking for movie stars. We just hang out at the 18th hole, near the storefronts and food. We catch the golfers on their final stretch. One of these days, we'll walk the course. It depends on what day you attend, whether or not you might see celebrities. We usually go on a Sunday. The energy seems to be a little more low key on that day.

    Spring is here and learning to golf is on our "to do" list. This blog its a good reminder that I need to sign us up for a few lessons!

                                                                                                    

United States Flag 🇺🇸

                     

       I opened up my Facebook page a few days ago to see that someone posted a video of the Grateful Dead singing the National Anthem. Being a music lover of many genres, I have always been fascinated with different renditions of the National Anthem being sung by various artists. I have never been a Grateful Dead fan. I guess that's because I didn't hear my older brother and sister playing their music. My two siblings are ten and fourteen years older than me. There was always music coming from their rooms and stacks of 45's on the carpet. My brother was a drummer in a band. He and his band mates would come over to practice. Long story short, there was always music in my home growing up. My parents loved playing albums on weekends too. My sister's favorite was the Beatles and my brother's favorite - Santana.

    Getting back to the topic at hand...I love the Grateful Dead's interpretation of the National Anthem. I like the simplicity and realness of it, which to me, makes it easier. for the meaning of the words to come through and take root. I was surprised how well they harmonize together. I guess it was a side to the Grateful Dead I knew nothing about.  

    I can't say I'm now a Grateful Dead fan (yet), but I'm now inspired to check out some of their older music. Hopefully, they've written a few ballads I might enjoy. 

    There really are no words to describe the weight the National Anthem carries; it can only be felt.

Easter

                                                                                                                                                            

 

      How different my Easter celebrations look today in contrast to twenty some years ago. My youngest child is nineteen years old.  The days are gone of me scrambling the week before Easter (sometimes a few days before) to put Easter baskets together for six young children. All baskets were designed especially for them. Easter cellophane green grass would be everywhere. Come Easter morning, I would be preparing a traditional Easter feast. My husband's dad, my mom, a few aunts, uncles and maybe a nephew or niece. Today, some loved ones have passed and there are no more little ones for the Easter egg hunt. That was one of my favorite parts of Easter, watching my kids hunt for Easter eggs. Let's not forget we would color and decorate eggs together, the day before!

What fun that was...today my oldest son lives in Austin, next son is spending the weekend in Reno with his friend and playing in a poker tournament, next son lives in a neighboring city and will be here or our simple Easter Sunday barbecue. My daughter who is  twenty-four moved back home (some might be familiar with this story) and last two sons still live with us too. 

This season of Lent, leading up to Easter has also been different. I decided to attend mass every Sunday throughout Lent. It has been wonderful! I no longer have to dress the tribe  for mass or argue with which older kid doesn't want to go - I can just go for myself. 

     When I think of Easter, I think of Spring time and new growth. It's a great time to rediscover who I am, set new goals and practice gratitude. I think as long as we're practicing gratitude, we can feel blessed every day of the year. It doesn't mean everyday is going to be unicorns and cotton candy, but there is always, always something to be grateful for and that's where I find my blessings. 

    Happy Springtime!