Friday Afternoon Thoughts...

I know, I know, I just posted in the wee hours of the morning. I'm on a roll I guess, sitting here in my front room, listening to the Doobie Brothers, and feeling so fine!

I have been sorting through the hundreds of photos on my computer. Some long forgotten gems have been hiding right here in folders. Blog gifts, family photos, art projects, etc. My head is filled with all kinds of projects and ideas! Oh, what a lovely day it's turned out to be! Here's an image to enjoy, as we head out of September and October is ushered in!

This was a free image gift from The Graphics Fairy a few years ago. Enjoy!

© 30Sep2016 ajj

When Things Go Wrong...

This has been one of those weeks. It seems what could go wrong, did.

I wasn't up to participating in last weekends yard sale, and now with September at an end, it will have to wait till spring.

My printer sputtered and died. I tried all my various tricks and techniques, which had worked in the past, but  nothing helped.

The old 52 Chevy, my husband loves so well, took it's final gasp. It will need a rebuild or replacement engine. The one he dropped into it last year has failed him.

My niece fell from the 4th floor fire escape of her NY apartment. Thankfully, she landed on the edge of the 3rd floor fire escape and was able to hang on till her friend got to her. She's very banged up with bad scrapes and bruises, had to miss some work, but so grateful to have survived!

You know the old saying, when it rains, it pours. That can apply equally to good things and bad. Well, I'm expecting some good, cleansing rain! I shared this thought on social media yesterday:  I'm not dismayed or even anxious, which is my normal response. I feel like a good wind of change is coming our way.

Putting that positive thought out there has already reaped benefits. The $2800.00 car repair looks like it will cost less than a third of that amount! Printers are on sale right now, and we have a bit extra because of my husband's unexpected overtime hours. Positive things are happening for both sons! Perhaps I'll just donate most of the items I had set aside for the yard sale, and keep that "cleansing rain" going strong!

Well, those are my thoughts tonight. It's getting late. Time to get some rest!


© 30Sep2016 ajj

Autumn Arrived with Rain...

My favorite season arrived yesterday, and it came with rain! I love rain! It calls for some warm soup and crusty, buttered bread, hot coffee, and books read in cushy chairs.

I also have a feeling of sad nostalgia for things long forgotten. People who are now only shadows in memory. Music I used to love. Songs I used to sing, welling up from somewhere deep inside. That old mama cat I loved so well, who disappeared one summer never to be seen again, and Spooky dog with your sweet, sad eyes. That little friend who told ghost stories in the night, and the little boy who drowned in Indian Creek one summer day. Hiding in books, so many books. Stories of adventure removing me from my realities. Playing the piano, letting my fingers search and find the mournful notes, the minor chords, healing my broken heart as the sad notes rose up and away.

Life is funny. Our hearts are often a mystery waiting to be solved. We journey on and suddenly, we are there, in the autumn days, and they are sad, and they are strange, but also beautiful. It's a season to revel in, to enjoy. May it be a long season filled with both memory and discovery.

© 23Sep2016 ajj

Voices...

I'm sitting here with my coffee and reflecting on the voices I've been hearing. Yes, they're all in my head! Characters talking, stories begging to be told, imagination running amok! The one thing I didn't spend enough time on over the summer was my writing. Intentions were high, but motivation was at an all time low. I spent a lot of time visiting with my sons, watching Formula One racing on the weekends (a new obsession of mine), sorting through boxes of keepsakes and old photos (I have hundreds), chatting on the phone with friends, sipping coffee, napping, reading... almost anything but writing!

I intended to blog at least once a week. I intended to work on my book. I intended to completely organize and redecorate my home. What is it they say about good intentions? Never mind...

Vintage Sunflower Botanical, compliments of Dawn of The Feathered Nest

Today is a beautiful September day! Time for a fresh start as we head into autumn! Have I told you this is my favorite time of year? Of course I have! It always feels like a time of beginnings to me. Though I'm in, what many might define as, the autumn years of life, it seems appropriate for me to look at this as a time of beginning. I will get serious about my writing. I will read more and take better care of myself. Three things. I can start with three things!

You're wondering why this feels like a time of beginnings to me? I think it has to do with school. New pencils, crayons, paper. New classmates and teachers. Then there were the school clothes and shoes! All new! A clean slate! So we would begin again.

Well, enough for today! The voices are telling me to move on to my other writing. I promise I'll return soon, with more of my ramblings! Joy to each of you!

© 09Sep2016 ajj