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Updated August 25, 2002

Here we are with a fresh blank sheet of paper... what will it hold, as future memories are established in our now?

I have been caught up with my freelance writing through the summer. It is a grande feeling, expressing my thoughts and putting into words thoughts that might be of assistance to others.

Several publishers are accepted my articles through the last several months. When I write here again, I hope to be sharing a site that will be publishing one of my books... God is sooooooo Gooooooood!

We have a new look to our home, too. Previously, it was a dark brown but we decided to lighten it up and add some contrast. Along with doing the painting, Bill has also kept busy making lattice fencing both on the front deck and at Tho'ts Inn with honeysuckle climbing the new arbor archway. Somewhere along the line Tho'ts Inn has moved to the back patio rather than out front. It is a relaxing, enjoyable spot for pondering.

Here is how it appears now:



Shawn has been home, except when travelling around with friends, through the summer. His second year of college classes start this next week. He's planning to major in English/Communications and he is also learning what it means to go job hunting.

As is each season it its unique way, this is an enjoyable time of year. I still enjoy watching the variety of birds flittering from tree to tree or coming down to say 'hello!'

Updated October 4, 2002

Autumn is definitely upon us! The trees are like gypsies, dancing with their dazzling spangles of gold, red and orange with a few accents of green still showing. And winter is telling us it is on its way with temperatures in the fifties and rain and cold winds a-blowing!

Summer has been delightful both weatherwise and with the other gifts it has provided.

Articles have been sold on a regular basis - a lifelong dream - and today, accompanied by squeals and joy bubbles on my part, my first book is available online as an ebook, entitled "Music Is Everywhere." If you're interested, you can read about it at Music Is Everywhere.

If you look at one of my Tho'ts Inn entries back in winter 2000, you may note that I have not been too crazy about having to drive to work on ice and snow. Well, for this upcoming winter, at least, I do not believe I will have to be doing so! One of my part-time jobs, as an insurance agent for a telemarketing firm, is closing shop by the end of this month. I still have my other part-time job doing home typing for the credit bureau so another part-time is not urgent at this time. It has not totally registered yet - but it will when I walk out the door the last time - but I know, when that time comes, I will be elated! It will give me more time to be with friends on internet, as well as with my family.

Updated November 15, 2002

As I looked out the window this morning, I realized that autumn is late in its season already. The leaves have fallen. We watched a squirrel rummage through several of our flowerpots on the patio, finally surfacing with a walnut in his mouth. We keep a holder with a full corn cob close to the window so enjoy watching blue jays, woodpeckers and even wrens come to peck at a morsel and carry it off and to flutter back shortly for another.

We have only had a light dusting of snow - last week - that was hardly measurable. And it came during the night so I am still waiting to enjoy a hearty wet snowfall during the day while I can stay indoors to watch - or even go out and play! I won't have to drive anywhere!

Am absolutely actually living my dream/heartthrob - enjoying abundant free time at home. And it is marvelous!

My days are filled with just the necessary household projects and as much time on computer and internet as possible. When I am sharing my time on the net with family, I find a writing project on my computer to work with.

I missed mentioning where one of the articles I sold could be found online. It is at Communication - Group Gathering Senior Citizen's has purchased several more of my articles, as well, plus some to other magazines that have not been published yet. And have my book available online, as mentioned last time. Living my dream? You betcha!

Along with that, I have been training Shawn how to do one of our home businesses - collecting material at two courthouses - as the economy crunch has made job finding almost obsolete - for both of us. It will allow me to stay home more (I'll still do the typing from the information Shawn collects) and it gives him some spending money. Bill is helping add to our prosperity with a healthy workload in our other home business that requires searches of another type that he does at courthouses.

Are you ready for the upcoming holidays? I am not - yet! I am going to choose a full day in the near future to, hopefully, do all of my Christmas shopping. We are just starting with Christmas cards (printed on our computer) and, of course, a letter to go with them. We don't know yet for sure "where" we will be spending Thanksgiving or Christmas. "It all depends on the weather" is our ritual statement each year. My mom lives about 250 miles from us so we will either go over there or bring her over here for a few days, "if the weather permits." Bill's family lives close by so we will share part of the holidays with them.

Updated January 29, 2003

Where is *time* going! End of January - already! Without much snow until this last week, it hasn't seemed much like winter. Cold temps, yes, but tolerable. Have enjoyed many brisk walks that I don't usually give myself if my path is icy.

Winter frequently brings bald eagles to our lake. We have watched them soaring overhead many mornings. A white tail flashes with a spark of sunlight as they turn to catch another current. They shift and dive; it is much like watching a paper airplane soar. A magnificent sight!

I am very eager to get started "playing" at ebay! I plan to start selling, selling, selling! With Bill's 10,000 record albums, he has a few he is willing to sell. I can also offer the various books I have written. And my library of books by other authors is ready for some recycling. While I am waiting to receive a credit card that will carry a small maximum amount of credit (for protection), I am studying the various possibilities at ebay. It really sounds like a fun project! I would like to see it develop into a part-time income to supplement my other part-time employment.

A few mechanical nuisances slow us down for awhile. My word processing program has crashed twice so we are in process of getting another one. Shawn's car slid off the road after our recent snow storm when he was coming home from his college classes. That required towing and some work on his car. He was in the state park and going slowly - but being an inexperienced driver on the icy roads, he was probably going a tad too fast to make a curve. He was not injured, thank Goodness!

And probably the biggest happening in our family is that Shawn is enlisting in National Guard, if he passes the physical. He is such a beanpole - nearly six foot tall but is under the required minimum weight. He's motivated, doing sit-ups and push-ups daily and is about to eat us out of house and home! We will know whether he is accepted within the next couple of weeks.

I have felt the sense of hibernation through these winter months and am sooooo grateful for internet and email! I continue with my writing with the feeling of joy in accepted articles by various publishers. Another article, appropriate for winter months and one that may stir some delightful memories can be found at Kaleidoscope

Snuggle in and enjoy the remaining weeks of winter!

Updated February 15, 2003

Oh! A beautiful day! Has been snowing thru the nite and tis still snowing! Haven’t gotten to watch it fall too much during the daytime this year… and we really hadn’t had much until now. It is drifting some but we are guessing we have had about 6 or 8 inches so far. I do plan to get out for a little while just to feel it! I doubt if I make angels or build a snowman but I do plan to make tracks alongside the road!

For right now, it feels good to be snuggled inn. We are grateful none of our family has to be out to drive in this.

I continue with my writing. The most recent article has been published at Senior Citizen’s Magazine.

And now, I am going to turn my gaze back to the falling snow! Such a delight to watch!

Enjoying every moment!

Updated October 05, 2004 - Has been awhile since I've been here, hasn't it? Welll, no strong excuse - just got myself glued to eBay - selling record albums, books, and a few cassettes. Tis fun - and addicting! If you care to see what I have posted, go to Dusty's eBay

We took a dreamy, long-time awaited vacation this summer - to the East Coast. I've dreamed of visiting Vermont, but especially Maine, and with that dream come true, I also got to step into the ocean! You can see a log of our trip, with photos, at East Coast Trip.

Bill built a new back porch that is partially enclosed and has a roof so can sit out there when it's raining and enjoy the fresh air! Our cat, Ponder, likes it too, for the same reason. Now I can step out to Tho'ts Inn in any season (almost) and enjoy my quiet space.

My articles continue to be published by Senior Citizen's Magazine nearly every month.

So, yes, I keep busy with two newsletters, a prayer chain, writing, selling, working part-time outside our home, listening to records (each one, before I post them at eBay), keeping our household manageable, going for walks along our lake, and reading Jan Karon's, Mitford series books (have read the entire series three times!) I enjoy keeping "busy" and hopefully my busyness is accomplishing something worthwhile.

Updated October 27, 2004

Tis good for me to take time to write here! Sometimes I'm busy with important stuff but, at other times, I'm not - and that's the time I could be using for introspection and meditation... and writing!

This week that involves preparing a snail bi-monthly family Christian newsletter. You can see a sample at This Is Living or, another sample at This Is Living. This one is more realistic because This is Living uses graphics with many of the articles. My address is at the top of the yellow page - for $2, you can get a sample copy in the mail. The newsletter is only $10 a year - for 6 issues (within United States)! Canada is $12.

My Sis-in-Spirit was here for a week! She lives in Nevada and it has been 4 years since we've gotten together. Of course, we email one another several times every day! She has relatives in Missouri so we drove down last weekend to see them. It was so good to have her here! She's a delight and her bright radiance is revealed wherever she goes!

Autumn here is glorious this year! Sometimes most of the leaves just turn brown and fall, sometimes the wind whips them off too soon for full enjoyment of their majesty. This year they have clung on and given a beautiful landscape for over two weeks now. Driving to town, there's quite a variety in nature. Most of the corn has been picked now so the fields are just stubble - with wildlife romping through to get their fill of left-behind corn. Deer, raccoons, pheasants and squirrels remind me to stay aware while driving.

Walking is another story. I can amble along, crunching leaves and hear the leaves that are still on the trees rustle. The air is crisp and walking is healthy. It revives me... when I take time to put on my jacket and head out the door.

Autumn can be lovely and I am enjoying it more now than I used to when I knew what came after it and had to drive to work daily. Now I only have to drive a couple of days a week and I can choose my day for one of those. I look forward to winter now! I love to watch it snowing! But... I'm getting ahead of myself! I'll stay in my now and enjoy every beautiful moment autumn has to offer! Enjoy every moment!

Updated November 9, 2004

We're still enjoying a grande autumn! The leaves have held this year in the lovely autumn colors - gold, red, russet, bright yellow and still just a touch of green as a backdrop. I love to gaze upon this colorful change of scenery! And, as the leaves release themselves from their nourishment, they offer another delight. Why does it feel so good to amble along a path or roadside that has oodles of leaves to crunch through? It's a glorious feeling!

I sometimes ask myself why I have been willing to settle into a comfortable rut. I think part of it is our lifestyle now (living near the lake - close to retirement). I used to joke about the desire to work two days and have five days off. That has become a reality! I find myself "taking it easy" more than my mind would prefer, though. There are many projects that could capture my involvement but I haven't pounced on them long enough (or often enough) to make any decisions and, therefore, I haven't gotten involved with any for the last several years other than my writing. I enjoy playing with selling at eBay and I enjoy reading. I admire others who take time to do volunteer work - so why don't I get involved? I haven't discovered the reason and don't often contemplate the "why." When the time is right, it will happen. This has been my experience over and over through the years. In the meantime, I will continue with my writing. I can share thoughts with others and sometimes offer challenges. Email has encouraged that type of writing as well as works being published in national magazines.

I have met soooooooo many via email, now considered friends! We discover either thoughts we have in common or, as often is the case when we are brave enough to share our deepest thoughts, diversity. This offers opportunity to stretch our way of thinking by seeing another's point of view without being able to interrupt before they finish making their point. Or, we can write and ask questions. This often stimulates interesting discussion! Visiting via email with persons from other countries and cultures can open our eyes to see either diversity or common thoughts we have. An interesting way to travel!

Embracing God's Love with every breath we take is an opportunity! We can assume it happens whether we are aware or not. The joy comes in being aware!

November 29, 2004

We had a marvelous Thanksgiving - we went to my mom's. She's 87 years young, still maintains her own home and wears me out with all her going places. We had a delicious dinner!

Now we are home and beginning preparations for the next holiday. Christmas is a fun time because there are always so many activities surrounding. First, it's finishing the Christmas letter. Bill made our greeting cards on the computer, using a photo he took from our dining room window a few days after last Christmas:



After those are in the mail, will begin focusing on being in the kitchen making candy. I always start with peanut butter balls because they are easy. I don't have a real recipe. I just by-guess-and-by-golly to get the peanut butter the right texture - not too dry but not too oily, either (easy for rolling into balls) by adding powdered sugar and just a tad of vanilla. I refrigerate the balls for a couple of hours and then dip them in melted chocolate bark and put them back in refrig to set. Yummy!

Along with that, I finish shopping for and wrapping gifts. My sis-in-spirit (see her site at Ms Sunshine's Garden) and I have come to a fun and practical solution for shopping for one another. Rather than sending gifts or gift certificates to one another, we each buy a gift for ourselves, which we define as a gift from the other. We tell each other what we bought and share fun happening surrounding our gift. This year I got for myself ("from Sunny") Jan Karon's "Mitford's Cookbook and Kitchen Reader." It is a delight! It has many tasty recipes of foods mentioned in her books and some other writings, as well. Sunny bought for herself ("from Dusty") some country music cd's! So, we both have gifts we will enjoy.

Sunny and I also began applying to our lives the scrolls from Og Mandino's boo, "Greatest Salesman in the World." (An outline version can be found at Scrolls). We have done this in the past but it has been several years and I think we are both making new discoveries this time around.

Oh, and since I have enjoyed so much reading of the Mitford series, I found Jan's site, which has oodles of fun reading. I joined in on the bulletin board posts, which is almost like a chat room. I am thoroughly enjoying meeting and visiting with so many delightful "Mitford fans" there! If you care to do so, you can visit Mitford!

I also opened a store at eBay for our lp record albums, post cards and books at Reed's Reading Writing and Rhythm.

And it is time for me to get back to finishing the Christmas letter.

Updated December 15,2004

We're playing Mr & Mrs Santa Claus this year at a darling little "house" near the parking lot where I work. We had 70 children come through last Thursday evening, several even with Christmas letters to give to Santa. We were there again Saturday afternoon with about 75 more children and this time Santa even received a cookie! Mrs Claus took poloroids of each child on Santa's lap (or as near as they dare be) for them to keep, as well as handing out special treats. We will do this again this next Thursday eve and next Saturday. A fun happening!

We also attended the Christmas party where I work and had a delicious supper and danced afterward. I danced til my legs felt like rubber! Good live, fast music lures me out onto the floor or I cannot sit still! Hubby enjoys it, too!

I also had occasion to work the entire week where I usually work only one day a week. When someone is on vacation, I get to be there. Only opportunity is that it makes for fun attempting to juggle my other responsibilities, including my other part time job, around to get everything done!

So I am grateful I only have yet to buy gifts for two people - the biggest opportunity, though - for my hubby and son! I will just have to take *time* to do so this next week. I made several batches of Christmas candy two weeks ago but may get a bit more made before our houseful of company this next Sunday eve.

We will have my sister-in-law's family here for an early Christmas Eve - about 16 total! I fix a table full of finger foods, we enjoy a good visit and exchange gifts. It is a fun evening with family!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will probably be rather quiet - a blessing after all the hustle bustle! We plan to have our traditional oyster stew for Christmas Eve and will go out for dinner Christmas Day. My mom will be here and maybe my sister-in-law and her hubby.

However, that's getting ahead of myself... It isn't here yet so who knows what will actually happen!

Enjoy every moment... of the holidays... to the fullest!

Updated January 15, 2005
Our holidays were delightful! My mom spent the week with us. After having my in-law's family here for a pre-Christmas Eve get-together (16 of us) the Sunday before Christmas, we had a quiet week and enjoyed our traditional oyster stew supper on Christmas Eve and exchanged gifts. Christmas Day we went to a supper club for dinner, which was a very pleasant experience - a quiet day after all the festivities! New Year's was also quiet. Our NY Eve celebrating was by staying home, watching folk festivals on public television. New Year's Day was invested watching the Parade and taking down holiday decorations.

We finally got our white fluff - and plenty of it! We received about 12 inches a few days ago. Before that, we had freezing rain so I haven't been out much! I took a walk the day before it snowed as it had warmed up to 32* and the ice on the street had melted. A brisk walk but it felt good! This week, we're hardly getting above zero. Our daytime high both yesterday and today was 6*!

So, I've been enjoying being snuggled in - getting new article written, reading, working with some special household projects, and, of course, playing online!

I contininue to enjoy chatting with other Mitfordites at Jan Karon's Bulletin Board at Mitfordbooks. A delightful bunch!

Enjoy every moment!


Dusty

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