Monday, November 30, 2015

Advice To My Younger Self

As a woman in my early 50's I have some life experiences under my belt. The older I get the more they have revealed themselves to me.

For anyone reading this, in no way am I indicating I am unhappy with the man I chose to live the rest of my life with, or my living circumstances, there are just a few things I have learned along the way that would have most likely spiked up the quality of my life and my relationship with myself and this world.

Here they are in no specific order:

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You can fall in love with a rich man just as easily as you can a poor one. Financial struggle is a long, hard road and very real.

Better yet, don't rely on someone else to support you. Learn a useful trade. Make your own money. Have your own savings/retirement. Be independent.

Speaking of retirement. YOU WILL need it one day, so this one is a must.

Don't lose yourself in someone else. Getting married and having children can make this happen. Remember, there is still a YOU.

Taking chances and chasing dreams are for the birds. Most of the time you lose - unless your the lucky type.  Play it safe. The grass is not always greener on the other side. Water and fertilize your own grass.

Wear the pants in the family. ALWAYS wear the pants in the family. Make the leader be you. You're the only one with any God Damn sense anyway.

You don't have to say yes. Sometimes making sure someone else is happy results in your own unhappiness. Selfishness is good. Make yourself happy before you try to ensure anyone else's happiness. To each his own.

If you choose marriage, make sure your chosen one gets along well with his/her parents. You don't need someone with "mommy and daddy" issues. They will carry that baggage with them and unload it on your relationship and you will end up feeling responsible for a situation that has absolutely nothing to do with you.

If you lay with the dogs, you wake up with the fleas. If you are the smartest one in the room, you are in the wrong room.

LOVE YOURSELF.  Make decisions that will benefit you. Think with your head not your heart. This will save you a lifetime of heartache.

Think long and hard about the decisions you make. Some of the outcomes will follow you the rest of your life and can't easily be rectified.

You are a lot prettier than you think you are. When you reach the age of 50 and your eyes aren't as bright, your skin is pale and sagging, and the wrinkles appear, only then will you realize you were a lot prettier than you thought you were. Take full advantage of your youth in any and every way possible. Smile for the camera.

TRAVEL anywhere and everywhere!!!!!!

If I have any young readers, I hope you take heed to my list and spare yourself some misery along the way. I can no longer help myself, but I hope I can at least plant seeds of wisdom in someone else's mind.


Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Downtown

Toby and I took Bo for a morning run at the park this morning. I loved the way these pretty white flowers contrasted up against the bark of the tree...then I noticed there was a bee on the flower too...


I admire these bright, red berries on this tree every time I see it....


Toby spotted a flock of butterflies on the white flowers. I didn't get as good of a shot as what I would have liked....


Even though I have walked past this old, abandoned home in the park thousands of times, I always wonder the story behind it...why it's still there and not been torn down?...


Donkeys in the field on the way home...

We dropped Bo back off at the house and headed downtown to Great Outdogs to pick up Bo a winter sweater, but not before taking a few mile stroll around downtown...

I'm in heaven when I'm downtown. I love the vibrancy and bustling energy and there are so many interesting things to look at. The architecture of the buildings, the lake, the old houses, the people...all of it keeps me mesmerized.

When I was younger,  Mary Tyler Moore was one of my favorite T.V. shows. I would always imagine what it would be like to be Mary. A pretty, single, professional working woman living in an apartment with a large balcony window that looked out over the city. I longed to be like Mary with each and every episode I watched.

Every time I pass the condos downtown I think about Mary once again, and wonder what it would be like to be her...



I didn't take too many pictures, but here a few I took along the way....






I enjoyed the day, and look forward to next time.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Relieving Stress

Quite honestly, most of the year 2015 has not been a pleasant experience for Toby and I, especially for Toby who has to bear the brunt of the challenges we have been facing. The fact is there is an ebb and a flow to life. The key is acceptance and hope for a better tomorrow.

“Your joy is divine and so is your suffering. There’s so much to be learned from both.” ~ Wayne Dyer

Trying to be supportive and positive, I usually point out how things could be much worse. My philosophical husband always responds with a heart felt, "They could be better too". The glass half full or half empty dilemma, I suppose.

I'm usually the one to plan our weekly activities, but today Toby requested we head to Lady Bird Lake for a walk. We both enjoy the amenities of the city, and no matter what state of mind we are in, downtown Austin has always been our happy place.

He apparently had a lot of stress to walk off.  Short of running, I could barely keep up with him on our 5 mile walk. I don't know how a man with such short legs can walk so fast. The conversation was flowing too, which made it a much needed walk and talk.

Along the way, I took pictures. Austin is such a photogenic city. I feel like I can never get enough pictures of downtown.















For lunch we stopped by downtown's Baby A's for some lunch and a much needed Purple "Rita. Behind us an older woman was crying because her husband had cancer and was in chemotherapy. As I said,  our problems could be worse.


Saturday, November 14, 2015

365 Days

I've missed a couple this week due to full overcast skies or rain. It's been a pretty cloudy week.








On The Farm Again

Today we met up with friends at the Crowe's Nest Farm. Today was a special tour day and since I LOVE the Crowe's Nest Farm and it's only minutes from my house, we once again showed our support for all they do in providing a sanctuary for injured animals.

Farmer Dave does a wonderful job of interacting with and educating the groups about the animals.






Mr. Tom the turkey

Hershey the cow










I was also super envious of their luscious looking greens....



It was a lot more fun this time with friends.

On another note, here is a small Christmas crochet project I finished the other day....



Monday, November 9, 2015

365 Days

If you read my blog you already know I love sunsets. For awhile I've had this idea to record the sunset every evening for one whole year. I had it in my mind to begin Jan. 1, 2016, but then I thought why not start at the beginning of this month??  So on November 1, 2015 I begin my photo journey of recording every sunset for a whole year.



Just so you know I've already failed miserably. There were a couple of days where it was rainy and/ or cloudy and it slipped my mind. A photo of cloud coverage is not all that exciting. That said, the challenge is for 365 days...rain or shine.


November 1, 2015

November 2, 2015

November 3, 2015 - almost an exact replica of the evening before
November 4-6 Rain and cloud coverage

November 7, 2015

November 8, 2015

Until next week.....

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Bubbling Bull

The best time to head to the creeks is after a good rain. I love listening to the rushing sound of the water and watching it spill angrily over the rocks. So clear and crisp. I could pitch a tent and camp alongside it endlessly with the animals and vegetation....



It was almost warm enough to take a dip, but the water was frigid!!




We headed along a path on the other side of the creek we have not ventured yet. There was a rock ledge trickling drops of water as we walked under it....



We walked along the trail stopping along the way to play in the water.....






We found an entrance to the Bull Creek Preserve and headed back to the car via that path...


There was a viewpoint above the creek along the way....






More rain in the forecast this week. I'm looking forward to checking out more areas after the rain that are usually dry.