work arounds...

Today promises to be a serious scorcher.  Pretty sure that means I plan to stay inside and work on inside chores. I took the time this morning to sit outside, work in the garden and harvest a few fresh veggies. I only have one more set of plants to give a drink before the heat rolls in, but I have a couple of hours to do that. 

It's a normal late July day.  Same as it is every year, despite the warnings I am getting from the weather apps and the brilliant red and orange colors the news is using to portray the dangers.  It's normal.  And in my normal fashion it means I am going to finish up with some inside projects and wait for the evening to venture back outside. 

Last night I got a text from my girl, asking if we wanted to hang out.  Hubs had already wandered off to bed, and I wasn't too far behind him.  I don't often get to see the girls, we are all busy, so I headed down the hill.  Only to quickly return for my swimsuit as the youngest grand wanted someone to play in the pool with her.  She is such a snuggle bug and she loves to touch and play.  Her mom is not a snuggler, hasn't been since she was five years old.  So of course "Gram" was happy to oblige.  

Gram seems to be the name that she has given to me.  As she often resorts to it when talking to me.  Every now and then it is full out grandma, but mostly it's gram. And she says it with this old soul voice and smile on her face that simply melts my heart.  As my own Grammie would say, she is an "imp".  She is high spirited, very intelligent, full of non-stop energy and knows her own mind.  Often it is easy to forget that you are talking to a five year old. 

Even though the heat of the day had beat down on the pool and I expected a nice tepid bath, it was surprisingly pleasant.  She and I splashed and played as the sun went down, giving mom a break to sit in peace and relax.  And Gram got all the snuggles and splashes.  She asked that I start keeping my swimsuit in my car so that I can play with her all the time when I come over.  She really wanted to hang in the hot tub, but I need the air temperature a bit lower before I climb in there. 

It was the perfect way to end the day.  I enjoyed it so much.  Snuggling with the little, chatting with my girl, simply enjoying life. My grands are very "attached" to their mom, so I don't often get the opportunity to take them places alone.  This play time is truly the closest I can get to stealing them for a few hours.  My girl is the only stability they have in their life and they are both afraid they might lose it.  That happens when you experience a tragedy young.  I get it. I am more than happy to meet them where they are most comfortable. 

I waited a while with them to see if their "pet" raccoon would show up, but I am not so sure he is comfortable around me, when I finally headed up the hill at 1030 last night, he still hadn't stopped by for his dinner.  The girl and I are pretty sure he was sitting just outside of view, rubbing his little hands together waiting impatiently for me to leave. 

I had to run my car in to get the a/c checked yesterday and as the oldest works there, I was able to spend a short while visiting with her.  It was so wonderful, we haven't seen her in a bit, so it was great to catch up, evidently the guys hadn't told her I would be there, so I was able to sneak in and surprise her.  I'll get to see her Monday morning again when I drop off my car so they can take it to a bigger shop, the tweaks they did yesterday didn't fix this issue that the a/c only runs for about 30 minutes before it doesn't. Fingers crossed they get it fixed quickly. I'm so thankful I sprung for the big warranty package. 

If I could have seen the boy yesterday as well it would have been the perfect trifecta, but he lives too far away for that to happen just because.  

she got the coveted spot by mom

I'm not sure what the puppies are up to, but it sounds ominous.  They kill every stuffed toy they get and have been working their way through the toy box.  If it can be destroyed it must be destroyed and then they have to feud over the bits that remain, each looking for the noisiest part. Beau was just standing in the toy box picking another victim.  They definitely keep me on my toes.  So far the current toy appears to be intact, in fact it doesn't appear to be viable victim as he is once again rooting through their toy box. 

Well the quilting thread that I needed to finish the quilt I am working on was delivered yesterday, I have some sewing I want to get finished this morning, so I guess it is time to start the day.  I want to finish up these inside projects this weekend.  Hubs and I are going to watch a mini-series about the elusive D. B. Cooper, and it will give me time to do the handwork to complete a couple of projects. 

a bit of today's harvest

I hope you find things that will help you stay cool, during these warm days, and remember very soon we will be in the depth of winter again longing for the warmth of this moment.  

love and prayers...

how do you say hygge?

Are you living a hygge life? 

I'm not sure the first time I heard the word, probably in regards to certain essential oils from the company I buy most of my soaping supplies from. Being the type of person I am, I immediately started to explore what they were talking about.  Were they talking about fragrances or was it more.

What was this strange word that I definitely could not pronounce?  I am actually still struggling to say it correctly.  My brain completely does not see hoo-ga when reading those letters.  I'm not truly sure I have learned enough to fully know if I am even capable of living a hygge life. At least not where I find myself right now. 

Yet, while watching the flight progress of my kids - I hate when they are on planes - I worry endlessly, I realized that maybe the Dane's don't have a complete stronghold on this wonderful, hard to explain state of mind.

The bits and pieces that I have read thus far all talk about a sense of home, peace, a joy in the simple things, cozy, warm, welcoming, comforting and calm.  Granted they are things that I feel Hubs and I have moved away from right now, I also feel those very things pulling us back. 

After leaving briefly to drop the kids at the airport, we came home.  At first Hubs had wanted to go out and have lunch at one of his favorite places.  Then he remembered we had noodles at home.

Home was calling. 

We fixed a simple lunch and he headed up for a nap.  Me, I lit my candle, the same one that for some reason has burned most of the day and it's just a normal votive.  I curled up with some needlework and a historical documentary to keep me company.  The very act was working magic.  I was calming, I couldn't begin to tell you what I watched, I truly wasn't watching.   It was just background noise.

As the day wore on, I realized that without thought or planning we were doing so much that was listed as a reason the Dane's are some of the happiest people alive. Candles were burning, we shared mundane shows that required little thought - just allowed us to be together.  I made hot tea for each of us and while Hubs made his sandwiches from leftovers, I prepared my chestnuts to roast.

There were no screaming children.  The drone of noise from everyone around us was beautiful, simply by the absence.  We were in our own home.  We chatted and puttered in our kitchen, not making anything substantial, I started the beans to soak for tomorrow's dinner.  A bit later sweet Hubs made a tray of chocolate chip cookies.  Total indulgence, just being.  Our dinner is not going to win any awards for being nutritious for the body. The nutrients it fed our souls, I feel it held that in abundance.

I almost laughed over the fact that we were both wearing our lounging clothes.  Socks to warm our toes and neither of us in a hurry to put away the beauty of Christmas.  Allowing the calm and essence to simply fill our souls. 

We have a few errands to run tomorrow, I think both of us would prefer to stay in our comfy clothes and continue to absorb this hygge lifestyle that we are living without planning it.  For too long we have filled our non-working hours with errands, chores and somewhere along the way we - or maybe just me - forgot to stop and simply be.

Tonight when I spray my pillows and blankets with rose water, a new found joy of mine, it is so calming and beautiful, I will send all my gratefulness to the heavens.  As I do every night.  Yet tonight, I will also say a thank you.  I love when my eyes are opened.

I've been thinking and writing about my need for balance, a need to recenter and to move forward.  Mourning the loss of my garden that brought me joy, the lack of time to write and to create.  The loss of the things that bring me joy... and here it was in my power all along.  Feeling a bit like Dorothy tapping those red slippers together. 

All the things described above are things we always used to do.  We saved dinners out for special things, now that is cooking at home.  We somehow foolishly gave up the very things that made us feel whole.

Hubs asked if we could go riding next Saturday - it will be fairly warm.  Normally, I would feel that I was giving up time to do tasks.  Today, after this time of realization, I was excited at the idea.

Is this sudden massive following of hygge, this quest for balance and happiness, an indicator that we as a society have forgotten to simply be?  I would hazard that is a big yes!

I'm going to continue on this path.  I like the way it feels.  It reminds me of when Hubs and I were first married.  We didn't have much money, but we definitely made time for each other and we were creative in finding ways to spend quality time together and not spend a lot of money. 

Anyone else find that they are traveling the same path?  That without realizing it they are following a hygge life and probably could count themselves as some of the happiest people in the world? It's not about money, it's not about being social.  It might just be designed by introverts like me, what are the odds of a whole country of introverts? I am going to continue studying, striving to understand.

Now where did I put those cards?  Maybe I can talk Hubs into a Rummy rematch tomorrow... I mean, do we really need groceries?