here birdie birdie

Hi folks, it's another chilly night in Mi Casa. Why did I ever have the lovely idea of keeping the thermostat on 60 degrees so we could lower our monthly gas bills (2 yrs ago!) and it worked great, really did lower them significantly. But I remember I used to say, "Why the hell freeze to death if we're paying this much money, anyway?" but that was then and this is now. I don't know how my beloved plants are flourishing as they are in this chilly house, but the Christmas cacti are blooming beautifully, and I have 2 blooms on the Peace Lily, the shamrocks are still rockin' and the Angel Wing begonia has about tripled its size this year. Who knew fresh soil and fertilizer would help so much? Some of my plants are very, very old. My Christmas cactus was my Grandma Haswell's and it's been in this house probably as long as I have. She would be something like 140 now. Mom kept it going and now I have 2 large ones since it was outside for the summer once and the wind knocked it over and it broke. I think that's a good analogy of seemingly bad circumstances turning out equitably better. My plants mean a lot to me and I can always tell when I myself am feeling poorly because they will reflect that. I guess I must be doing pretty darned good--perhaps the cold agrees with me?--but the plants are hanging in there in spite of 60-62 degrees. Bless them, because they can often bloom just at the right moment to lift my spirits, like how the cactus bloomed on what would've been my mom's birthday (11/26) and how I was sad the Peace Rose outdoors never put out buds this yr and then in the middle of October it put out the lovely yellow rose I'm using right now as my header photo at the top. That's why I took so many photos of it--to remember. I can look at it and still smell that heavenly scent.
I don't know how I got off on the "plant" tangent after posting Tuffy's photo in the snow, but I think it is good to know that if we are capable of adapting somehow to allow for unforeseen circumstances, there are ordinary, everyday moments in time when you can look around your surroundings and find something extraordinary that only appears to be run of the mill. In fact, I marvel often at this little home we live in...all the memories of a family's lifetime and now our lifetime. I know my family would be proud to know how we are hanging in there, keeping the home fires burning, albeit chillier than in the past, but we have lots of warm clothing and blankets (and Jeff has a nice warm waterbed!) We count our blessings all the time knowing that others aren't as fortunate as we are ... and we would pray that everyone would know the joy of having a place to call home, even if it is a very small place, even if it is one room, because what matters is what "home" is in your heart. Some hearts are warm and friendly and the fires are burning brightly, and others warm their weary bones there ... other hearts are chilled and sometimes frozen and need the nearness of some humanity and love and warmth ... to know life goes on and it's worth it. I am blessed with a best friend in my husband, Jeff, and we do our best to treat each other with love and respect, no games, no name-calling, no disrespect that crushes the Soul ... and we are blessed with a little furry companion who came here when our spirits were sinking, and all of us needed a lift. It was at that time that my nephew, named the same as my father and my brother, stayed with us for nearly 9 months. He got to be Tuffy's "cousin" for awhile and I think he lifted his spirits, too, from grieving the loss of his father. I miss him, though I am doing nothing any more to communicate with him because it is too difficult. One day I hope that he will have enough desire to let us know how he is, as well as his sister, and we can laugh and feel part of a family again. One day, maybe... but for now my family is Jeff and Tuffy Boy. I have some very nice friends spread around all over, and some of you I have met on here while blogging, and you feel very real and meaningful to me, and I thank you. It's been at a time when I needed the warmth of another Soul. It helps me to stay warm, even in a chilly house, even with the cold winds whipping around the little cinder block home, even when our front porch step, the main one into the place, fell right off on what would've been my Mom's birthday. That's never happened in my lifetime...maybe some heavy stuff ran off out the door, said, "Child-woman, you gotta lay your burdens down, you gotta let this heavy shit outta here..." and some Spectre took off, so heavy-laden that that old cement porch step toppled right over! That same day, as I went into the house, I heard the TV blasting in the "blue room" (here where I type) and I turned that off (Jeff admitted he forgot to turn it off--no problem) but after it was turned off, I still kept hearing a buzzing noise and I followed my ears to an old antique lamp of a woman with sunflowers all over, a big sunflower surrounding the face of an old clock which doesn't work... well, the buzzing was coming from that clock, the second hand was caught on the minute hand! I guess it was working all of a sudden? Lots of quirky stuff that day...but I am digressing so badly, I think I better get off here for now. Sometimes I think I shy away from blogging because, being someone who LOVES to type, I get on here and ratatatat forever. I keep thinking I'm supposed to appear interesting or fun or funny or poignant ... but then I remember, oh, yeah! I'm just supposed to do whatever I do! No one to impress here but me, right? And that reminds me, I'm real impressed with my cat ... and I think he's been out in the snow long enough so goodnight, Bloggie Souls, and thank you for being out there. I know you are, but what am I? ;oD
Love from your SisSTAR xoxo