SPRING PROJECTIONS

I had plans, for downtown this morning – meeting a friend for lunch. The plan had been made a week ago; when the weather held a hint of Spring on the breeze.

This week … snow has been making an appearance as Jack Frost has been reluctant to move on.

I looked out the windows as I passed through the house on my way to the kitchen, and noticed that the snow that fell while I slept, had clearly stuck around.

My budding plants had had their Spring projections interrupted by a serious decline in the warming weather temperatures they had been experiencing ☹

I like snow around Christmas time, and for my birthday the end of December … but I don’t like late-season snowfall that hogs Spring projections. I am at the place with Jack Frost that I am with the obamanite biden administration; GO AWAY ALREADY!

A light dusting of snow touched down overnight.

The tiny daffodil bulbs I planted in the Fall were starting to blossom.

There was no bird chirping this morning; they are conserving warmth and saving energy.

My poor strawberry & sedum plants.

On a hope and a prayer, I washed my hair/dressed warmly/applied makeup – and drove into town. I hadn’t been downtown-downtown since before Christmas: I was missing my weekly “treat yourself day”. I figured if I was the only one that showed up … I’d have lunch anyway. Not a hamburger basket lunch as usual, but a bowl of soup; a warm soup is satisfying on a cold, wintery day. And I’m determinedly sticking to my ‘shrink the kardashian ass’ goal 😉

I had an allergic reaction to yesterday’s potluck buffet, and my cheeks were cherry red: so, I didn’t have to use much blusher today; just the barest hint along the upper cheekbones.

Ready to walk out the door.

I arrived a little early, and received a text from my friend: there had been 1½-inches of snowfall in the Silver Lake area, but I would still have company downtown 😊

The hour was filled with laughter, catch-up chit-cha;, and Spring projections, that included a trip to Packwood – and I may go back again, in the Fall. I like pawing through Flea Market offerings.

Lunch plans at Country Folks Deli, on Commerce.

’Downtown’ song: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GdPPhTbg-0)

Packwood Flea Market 2022 scheduled. YAY!

On my way back home, I saw plenty of evidence that The people are angry with what is happening in DC, and they are revolting against local civic leadership with dispays showing thier discontent ... and intent on changing things in the near future. Spring projections are showing that the obamanites will be losing thier placed seats in all elections across the board: across the Nation.

The People are fed up with the obamanite lunacy, and ready for a real Leader to be at America’s helm.

And I stopped at Lowe’s, and bought filters for the heat pump furnace. I bought a lot – enough to last the year. With all the damage the obamanites have done to the economy and fluid moving of merchandise, I didn’t want to risk the chance of not being able to have a filter when needed.

It seems like every time I walk into Lowe’s (or any store, actually), everything has been moved to a different location; so, I asked where the filters were now located. The salesman pointed them out … and also pointed my attention to a new filter on the market ‘designed with a finer mesh to do a better job of filtering out viruses’. I bought three. I will use one on Tuesday when I switch the older one out. If I do not notice a difference, I’ll return the other two, and replace them with my regular type filter.

I bought 8 filters today & had 4 at home; 12-months’ worth of filters; the 1500 appears to be cashing in on the covid craze.

A finer mesh; we'll see how it does - this one will be going into place Tuesday ... it's a very spendy 1-filter package.

Something new. The salesman said he uses it because his wife has COPD, and he thought it might work better for my asthma, too.

This is what I've been using, and it comes in a 2-pack; at an economical cost.

I've noticed that the new 1085 filter, now has concave edges. WTH; I hope the new edges won't trip up the fit needed for my heat pump operation.

I finished the evening by designing and working on another Angel Baby Blanket. This design is a projection of soft Spring pastels 😊

MOD Andalusian Stitch Angel Baby Blanket; Girl. Knit.

ATTITUDE, NOT AGE

When I became a widow in the winter of 2018, and started documenting my New Life Journey on my Blog – I realized that women of all ages were contacting me, and following my FB Page because what I had to say was inspiring to them. I began to see how things I had survived, and things I was struggling with (before, during, and after Bob) was helpful to strangers who were going through similar things in their own lives.

While there are bad situations you experience throughout the course of your life – and your life, currently, may not be working out the way you want it to; you can make a change. Even if it’s scary. There is no need to accept an unhappy life. You can mentally … and actively … make a Plan to live a happier Life.

18 months into my new life, I determinedly downsized personal belonging (Bob’s, mine, and ours), waved bye-bye to a life that no longer existed (except for memories); and started a New Life hustle in my now hometown of Longview, Washington – in my mid-60’s.

And you can too 😊

It’s all about attitude, not age.

You do not have to fade into the woodwork once you turn 65, retire, or become a widow. You can still cultivate and enjoy a vital, vibrant, fulfilling life.

You only get one lifetime to experience life on this planet Earth: make it worth leaving your mark in living your Life Journey. Own your life. Stay focused. Keep resolute. Be your own judge (be kind to yourself, but also be realistic). Constantly reassess your outlook, your goals, motives, and behavior.

In the beginning of my new life’s journey, I didn’t do much of anything. I was in shell-shock-limbo. When I did finally start re-engaging in life – solo lobo – it took me two full years to learn how to enjoy it. It had been decades since I could indulge in being fully myself: it was strange to be in a place in my life where there was only me to consider (I’d been married to the love of my life since I was seventeen; motherhood and grandparenthood followed in those 44 years).

I began to enjoy hitting the road whenever, and wherever I felt like heading the car’s nose. I cook/eat foods my taste buds had been craving; and while out and about, I ate at restaurants along the road route that looked interesting (I also gained weight – there are pros and cons to that). I started wearing clothes again that appealed to me (I prefer shopping Thrift Stores, flea markets, estate sales, and yard sales for boho style bits and pieces that make up a whole; Bob never understood why I wanted to spend “good money on all that junk”). I fell back on a shorter hair style that I like (Bob liked my hair long, and I do too, but I really prefer the Shag style 😉). I started playing around with makeup again – not crazily, but just for the fun of experimenting with it again. I walk every day – sometimes a short 2-mile loop walk, sometimes a lengthier 4-mile loop hike.

And I embrace getting older; most women feel anxious about aging … too many even attempt to hide their age as they feel the years creeping up on them. What’s the point? Their bodies will continue to age – whether they consent to it, or not.

I admit I could stand to kick some excess poundage to the curb – and I’m working on that by curbing what I eat/when I eat it/how I prepare my meals; walking every day; muscle-toning exercises; and body strengthening weight workouts. I’ll continue all of this as long as I physically am able to do so. I’m not unhappy with my body, but I need it to be in tip-top shape to carry me through the ensuing forward years 😉

Walking past the floor length mirror this morning, I nodded to the reflection staring boldly back at me; and thought that at 65, that reflection wasn’t anything to be ashamed of. My body has been good to me – it enjoyed pleasure, and gave pleasure to a loving man; it carried a baby to full term, and it cuddled and comforted a daughter and four grandchildren. It continues to support my walking habit, and it’s relatively healthy (aside from the asthma, and heart arrythmia). It’s hour-glass curviness is a bit more ample than it used to be … but it still appeals. My skin (face, arms, legs, hands, feet, and breast area that shows) is freckled, and I’m okay with that; I enjoy being outside on nature trails, or dinking around in my garden areas: my skin really is holding up well for its 65 years. I decided a loooong time ago (1974; I was 17 at the time of this decision) to gray naturally – and so far, the gray is coming in complementarily.

I can honestly say that aging is being good to me. People (mostly men) are surprised that I do not dye my hair – aging has been kind in allowing me to retain my natural hair color throughout most of my hair at this late stage of life. It looks great. Again, I hear mostly from men, “How old are you? You look great for your age!” I am not offended. I know I look good for my age. And I am not trying to hide my age. I feel privileged to have reached this age, and I’m actually excited by the unfolding blessing of being able to be living this new era of my life.

I’m having fun 😊

And I’m not spending too much time worrying about my plain face, or my abundant curves. It is what it is, and I do the best with what I have. God designed this body specifically for ME, and I am okay with it.

I like wearing the clothes I have found on my 2-states hop, out and about: some are just everyday wear … some are really too fancy for Longview, so I wear those when I go further afield on my Daytrip ventures, or to Fellowship in bigger metropolises.

Makeup, for me, makes a huge difference. And I’ve taken to wearing it most every day this past year. My face is pretty plain. I’m fair-skinned with sparse eyebrows, and very short skimpy eyelashes. My face also has a short sharp chin, and a thin-lipped mouth – only Bob every saw me as beautiful; with or without makeup, he loved me. Bless him.

That said … makeup transforms my appearance; and I enjoy playing with it. Sometimes, my eyes are very colorful with makeup application – other times, like today, the makeup is low-key.

I was meeting friends this afternoon; so, I just wore jeans, and a sweatshirt. I did wear fancy footwear, and I fooled around with the curling irons – but I didn’t spend a whole lot of time on my face.

I don’t wear foundation: I apply my makeup to a bare face because I have sensitive skin – I always have had to be careful when applying anything to my skin: I was even allergic to my husband’s skin next to mine, until my skin acclimated to his; we laughed about that, but it was a serious issue, and I had to see a dermatologist for a while.

While my face will tolerate makeup on it for a brief period of time, I keep makeup as minimal as possible to keep irritations as low as possible.

My 'now' morning routine; 55 minutes from A to Z – includes fingernail polish.

My sensitive eyes were red-rimmed this morning (due to last night’s makeup remover), so I chose a pink based eyeshadow combo.

I used Soft Brown sculpting brow gel; it wouldn't clash with the eyeshadow.

A light hand with black mascara ...

And a rose-tinted Cheek Heat liquid cream blush - I have high cheek bones, so I apply blush in a 'wedge' shape.

The gray is coming in ... but I've not lost all of my original hair color yet. The 2 shades blend very nicely.

I have a long face with a short chin, so I wear a Shag haircut, and use curling irons to add height & softness around the face. I have crooked teeth due to a very small mouth; a 65-yo body, & I wear glasses. I'm okay with ALL of ME.

A light coat of glittery fingernail polish & ‘Hard As Nails’ topcoat - and I'm out the door.

Stepping out in my cheetah boots.

I always remove my makeup as soon as I get back home. Over-using makeup – and leaving it on your face for extended periods of time, will prematurely age your face. I’m 65 … I don’t need premature help in the aging process 😉

Remove makeup as soon as possible - do not wear it all day long.

Then I repaired my brow and lash brush …

Repair work on brow brush-lash comb tool; good as new ... for a few more weeks.

And I did some workout time, to tone and shape my curvy curves. I enjoy workouts, I always have.

It’s all about attitude, not aging 😊

DICK HANNAH, TAM O'SHANTER PARK, & OHSU

Today started out pretty much like yesterday: a cold, blustery, 37-degree day … with visible snowflakes. Today’s snowflakes were not a big, or as fluffy as yesterday’s flakes, but the pin-dot flakes were still visible.

And there was a lot more happening today, than there was yesterday.

First off, I had a noon appointment in Kelso, with the Dick Hannah Shop for a car maintenance checkup. I drove the Pacific Way backroad to avoid the continuing road work on Ocean Beach.

Thank you, Babe, for taking me on all the backroads: I use them every chance I get 😊

Dick Hannah Toyota-K from Heron Pointe-LV; 21 min (9.8 mi) via WA-4 E. Pacific Way & past Foster Farms.

Snow on the car in front of me; while waiting to get warming, wake-up coffee.

And snow on the truck in back of me. Snow was noticably absent on my vehicle.

Snow on Pacific Way ... about 5 minutes from home - and the incline isn't that steep.

‘When You Rise Up’ song:(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtFY9_WWZHg)

Isaiah 33:2 & 3 – (2) “O Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for You. Be our strength every morning and our salvation in time of trouble. (3) The people flee the thunder of Your voice; the nations scatter when You rise.”

I liked this sight as I turned onto Ocean Beach Highway ... giving honor to Nation & to God 😊

I was early, but they were able to get me in and out again before my actual scheduled appointment 😉

And, they sent me home with another appointment slated for next week – if I had known about the extra care necessary, I would have come prepared; but they didn’t mention it until this afternoon. I came with just enough $$$ to get today’s scheduled work done.

Thank you, Babe, for this car – and for the wherewithal to maintain it; thank you for your loving, “into-the-future-looking provisions” that continue to keep me afloat 😊

Same time next week - same place; more moolah required.

Ownership is spendy; my savings will be significantly smaller this time next week. The Scottish DNA in me is squawking about the expense.

I had left the house prepared to go hiking along the Coweeman River Trail, but stepping out of the Highlander, I was thinking of sliding back into the driver’s seat and heading back home.

It.was.cold.

But, I soldiered on. I want to stick to my daily walking routine.

As I started forward into that biting cold wind, I kept telling myself that 2 miles isn’t that long … and after a while, it wasn’t – I even started to get a little overheated in my heavy, logger’s duck cloth, hooded coat; I was glad I put the ear muffs on instead of the hood (my uncovered head kept the warmth tolerable) 😉

Thank you, Babe, for taking me to this Park, and walking this walk with me – even when you would rather have been doing something else with your time; I appreciate the effort you put into keeping our relationship solid with unwavering love. I’ll start walking here more often, now that I am putting more of an effort into making Cowlitz County my home. And thank you for buying me that first duck cloth coat … it’s been replaced with another when the zipper started losing teeth: and the memory of your caring love was with me during that purchase: **kiss-kiss**

Coweeman River Trail; Tam O'Shanter Park, in Kelso. 2 mile-round-trip.

Dick Hannah Toyota from Tam O'Shanter Park; 9 min (3.5 mi) via 13th Ave S and Talley Way.

Tam O'Shanter Park, in Kelso parallels the I-5 freeway.

That cold 37-degree wind hit my face skin like icy pin pricks.

Bob's son, Alex graduated this school; and our granddaughter, Alyna went here too, briefly.

Highlander School Complex.

Tam O'Shanter Park used to a junkie magnet: we stopped bringing our granddaughter here when she was around 7 yo - junkies were shooting up in broad daylight, around kids of all ages. It looks clean now. Not a needle in sight.

This part of the walk always remains the same ... a duck haven; Mallards.

Brookhollow Mobile Home & RV Park, around the bend.

I think this is a soccer field ... getting a shave. LOL

Snowy hilltop in the distance; Coweeman River flows through the Park.

Coweeman River.

Testy courting drakes.

A Great Blue Heron; and various species of ducks.

Heron takes flight.

The gray, clouded sky looks as cold as the river wind feels. BRRRR

Driving home, I decided to nip over the West Hills area in Longview, because the road drops onto Pacific Way near home – and I could bypass the tire-eating-steel plate on Ocean Beach Highway.

But I was not at all prepared for the sight that greeted my eyes on the downside of the West Hills area.

West Hills, Longview; OHSU is visible from Cedar Place dropping onto Cascade Way.

I was unprepared to see OHSU on the hilltop, across the river. I was able to shake off the stabbing heart pain easier this year: I am healing.

A portion of the sprawling OHSU Complex - I recognized the boxy shape. The shape and color were very clear, even from across the river; there was no doubt of what I was seeing.

Death is not the same as divorce - there is no rational comparison. Only ignorant narcissists would make such a thoughtless, warped comparison.

Bob & gloria's divorce was pretty calm and amicable. Amicable means relations or interactions that are civil, or peaceful; gloria married dale practically before the ink was dry on the divorce papers. Divorce does not equal death.

Bob and I didn't want to end our life together; but, when Elohim calls ... you go.

Thank you, my love, for all the love you gave me; every day – and every night – for 44 years.

Thank you, my love, for the memories that I will always cherish. Even the ones that are hard to relive.

Thank you, my love, for all the ways your presence in my life has shaped my life in all the stages of my life.

Thank you.

My Love.