Word.

Timing and trying to get some small details from the remodeling finished up, I didn’t put up a tree or the decorated garland this year. Oh, I intended to and I did put up some decorations, and received a great “Merry Christmas” banner from my husband as an early gift, which filled up the peak in the vaulted ceiling beautifully.   I ooohhhed and aaaahhhhed over ornaments in shops, and even purchased a couple that struck me as special in some way.  Now, I have spent the last couple days packing up holiday decorations to be stored away.  I admired each small decoration as I placed it in the tote, saying a silent “thanks and see you later”.  I gave the house a “once over” this morning, my eye searching out that one decoration that didn’t make it back into the tote.  There’s always one, one that you notice in February or so, long after your husband has lugged totes heavy with glitter and pine up into the attic.

 

Originally, this post was headed in a completely different direction, my intention being to write of the holidays, of family, of friends, of celebrations.  But, today, I find myself reflecting on the year a bit differently, and with a different theme running through my head.  That’s the weird thing about writing, it can ~ and believe it ~ have a mind of its own.

 

I came across an advertisement on Facebook (there’s THAT again) for a company that wants you to pick a word as a goal, or an accomplishment or desire and then hammer that word into a metal circle, okay, a washer and then fashion a piece of jewelry. Now I am not big on wearing a washer around my wrist or neck on a piece of leatherette but, the idea is fun, and it’s just that it isn’t my style, not that they aren’t cute.  As I reviewed the ad, I wondered if I had a word.  Some pieces they featured offered the usual “courage” “hope” “faith”.

 

Oh, the word I would choose. I thought about my focus of 2017.  Family? Lake? Grandkids? Joy? All of these.  How many words can fit on a brass washer? Can I really only pick one word? Maybe I need more than one bracelet? After all, the word I choose today may not be my word tomorrow. Then what? Perhaps Procrastination would be a good choice for me.  Indecisiveness.   If Joy was my word for 2017…and I finally sort of narrowed it down to Joy…then my word for 2018 would be – what?

I thought about ALL my words.  I have too many words, woven together over the course of my days and are more like a weaving than a washer. Cloth to make a fine garment, a cloak or cape to envelope me, and to introduce me, and yes, to protect me.  2018 is soon to be added to my weaving, to my coat, and one of the words that will guide me, I hope, is INTENT.

Good 2018 to you.  Make it soar.  

cindiswindowlakeliving

Days of love.

After a particularly horrific national event on October 1 of this year I began posting a “days of love” on Facebook. Pretty much without fanfare or announcement,  I wanted only to post reasons for us to love, to feel love, to give love, to just love.  I have posted pictures on my timeline of kids, dogs, nature, my kitchen, coffee cups, crab cakes.  Everything, from minor to major, of love.

 

A few years ago there was this big push, I think because of something Oprah, or one of her guests, said, to keep a gratitude journal.  Before long, there were journals, books, devotional readings all centered around gratitude.   I wonder how many of us are still keeping those journals? Those lists? Are we sufficiently grateful now, ten years or so down the road?  I occasionally see reflections of gratitude posted on social media, mostly around Thanksgiving, but are we no longer thinking of gratitude daily? Or did we train our minds to center on gratitude so well that now we don’t have to be purposeful? Those that went through that exercise and made those lists are caught up, so to speak?

I have a confession.  I didn’t do a gratitude journal or list, or a page a day calendar.  It’s not that I wasn’t grateful at the time, or that I’m not grateful now…it’s more like procrastination on my part or even (I am reluctant here, but transparent) disorganization, apathy, laziness…a possibility of any one or a number of those traits.

I have never been much of a joiner, or a trend/fad follower.  I have been isolated and independent,  a loner, an observer.  May be because of the childhood traveling thing,  but,  I am not the first to volunteer, or contribute…I am a hand sitter.  So while many were expressing their gratitude and seemingly taking pleasure and satisfaction from doing so, I sat on my hands. 

When the attitude of gratitude campaign was underway, we were not on Facebook.  There was no daily sharing of our item of gratitude that day, so it was very much a personal list.  Maybe we spoke it to each other in conversations; we were also encouraged to express our gratitude of a person to him or her, so we shared it to some extent with each other.

I started posting my “days of love” on my Facebook timeline in response to some awful stuff. I post a picture or comment daily on Facebook because I’ve set myself out there as a writer, as someone who shares. For this non-joiner, non-fad follower to share a post of love, to expose my heart and raise my hand …it is a bit of a big deal.  I appreciate, very much, those of you who have sent me messages of support, of encouragement, and even of gratitude. Thank you. 

facebook.com/cindiswindowlakeliving

Choices.

Things continue to get more and more wonky in our world these days.  I read an article yesterday regarding Google’s intent to hire 10,000 workers, and let that sink in for a moment, to monitor You Tube videos for violent, hate-filled and vulgar content.  They feel they have the need for 10,000 workers for this task.  We need to get it together world.

On the other hand, I read a Facebook update from a friend who is taking a position at a new school.  In an article that links to the school’s announcement was mention of their motto: 'Think Also of the Comfort and the Rights of Others'. Ruminating on these words gave me new inspiration, new hope, new goals. 

I’m throwing in with the Facebook friend on this one.  You? 

cindiswindowlakeliving.com

Big things with little people.

These last few days have been some of “those” days.  The best days.  Unexpected, celebratory, family centered days.  Thanksgiving week treated us well.  It also was the week of a grandson’s 6^th birthday.  Six is a big deal to a child.  Turning six is important.

  

As we did last year, we spent the day following Thanksgiving in downtown Indianapolis in a hotel with our grandchildren, leaving only the 19 month-old at home with his parents this year. While we had a great time last year, and got a better hotel deal, we needed a bit more space this time and chose Homewood Suites.  Our soon-to-be three-year-old granddaughter was experiencing this treat for the first time and did really well, being the last to fall asleep and only nearly drowning Papa once during our swim time.  We only had one major spill at breakfast, which is a win in anyone’s book.

 

We started the stay with pizza in the hotel suite with everyone before we muscled our way through the crowd to Monument Circle on Friday evening, just as the lights were going to be turned on.  Our daughter and son-in-law both work downtown and their buildings had been opened to families for viewing the festivities.  We sat in the warm offices of our son-in-law’s employer and looked out over the crowded street to the circle while he made hot chocolate for the kids.  People looked up and saw our little group, they waved, we waved.  I only felt a little like I was in one of those big battle scenes in an arena before the lion comes out.  It was a little surreal.  

I didn’t fight the lines at stores for Black Friday deals, or even turn my phone on for the alerts from retailers throughout the day as to their deals ending soon.  I enjoyed my family time, loved on my grandbabies, reveled in their conversation with each other as they fought sleep and whisper talked into the late night, while I eavesdropped.  Those little, bright boys, so much like their daddies…I thought my heart might explode.  My almost nine-year-old ballerina granddaughter with a rare, free weekend before the Nutcracker performances, allowed her to be with us.  Awake an hour before the littlest grandgirl, she waited patiently for her to wake up, circling her bed and just barely touching her hair, willing her to open her eyes so they could have “hotel breakfast” which was declared as a favorite, delighted to go in her pajamas. 

   

Husband and I returned home on Saturday afternoon, leaving shortly after the kids were picked up from the hotel, and I won’t deny sleeping almost the entire 2 ½ hour drive back. I came home to the computer and a chance to do some online shopping and get some great bargains, some “just right” gifts.  I have revisited our Thanksgiving weekend a hundred times, at least, thought deeply about family and how grateful I am for mine.  I am blessed beyond measure, for sure.  

facebook.cindiswindowlakeliving

We've remodeled. Now what?

Halloween decorations are down, and no offense to those who feel otherwise, it’s too early for Christmas to come out, but, oh I am excited to bust out the Christmas soon.  Besides, I am concentrating on getting some storage solutions around here before I get more out, so quell my excitement I must.

    

The remodeling brought more room, yes, for people, but not necessarily things.  I cleared out an antique china cabinet, for example, and those items are boxed up and in the guest bedroom.  For the last year and a half the things I have boxed up, or just needed to find a new place for, have ended up in the guest bedroom.  I’ve watched a lot of HGTV over the years and I know a guest bedroom, if you are lucky enough to have one, can turn in to a storage unit. Last week, I set my site on the guest bedroom, developing a vision of how I’d like it to be, making a list and tackling a little each day.

I don’t mind the big – okay, too big – black dresser but I do need to organize it.  The closet is a mess; my prom dress actually hangs in there.  My.Prom.Dress. Also, my son’s size 6 Levi jean jacket.  He’s 37.  I think I can move on from that, too.

I decorated this room a few years ago for my more mature and grown-up role as a woman with an empty nest, and it coexists as an office.  It is nice, it is utilitarian, and it remained so until the remodeling, sort of.   My 18-month old grandson slept in his portable crib in the guest room last weekend, pushed up against my desk and with full access to everything on the surface, which ended up on the floor or in his crib.  Nothing really of value, but nothing he needed either. That’s probably my impetus for getting this under control.  He didn’t really need my tweezers in bed with him. Yes, I do pluck my eyebrows at my desk, thank you.  The light is really good here by the window.

So, the guest bedroom is a fall/winter project.  Before moving the bed 180 degrees, I placed leg extensions on the bed frame, moved a storage box or two underneath the bed, including one filled with Halloween decorations, and replaced the bedskirt to accommodate the new height.  I’ve made headway on moving out some of the overflow to the attic, recycled catalogs and product pages, filed away manuals and warranty info for new appliances and tried to make some sense of the many receipts and invoices from the construction.  Do I need to keep all this paper? I try to do just as they advise in all those articles on organization and sort by keep, donate, toss. 

Tossing is not my nature, folks.  The struggle is real. 

cindiswindowlakeliving

It's getting "chili" in here!

This has been a fantastic couple of weeks for us.  We celebrated our 40^th anniversary, with a wonderful, short-stay-long-weekend trip to Seattle, to visit our son and daughter-in-law, did a few things there we have never done before and had a great time. The Pacific Northwest is certainly beautiful and so very different than Indiana!

A favorite was the ferry ride over to Bainbridge Island where we spent much longer than we dreamed we would, tasting wine and eating cheese.  Of course, Pike Place Market is a “must-see”.  We hiked down Post Alley on our last morning, stood in line for 20 minutes for some unbelievably good crab and lobster chowder.  We also split a lobster roll that tasted incredibly fresh.  It was a great trip indeed.

 

Our son works at the Museum of Pop Culture, otherwise known as MoPop, which is super fun.  We took in the Space Needle, of course, and visited the Dale Chihuly museum.  I thank my days at a local art/education museum for providing me with a pretty good base to appreciate studio glass. Chihuly’s work is mind blowing.

Home only a few days we hosted our annual chili party this past weekend.  Both daughters were here early to help me get ready, and I could not have done it without them. Delayed by rehearsals for the Nutcracker in Indianapolis, one granddaughter arrived just in time with her dad and brother.  The holidays are fast approaching, and the Nutcracker will soon be put to bed.  Of course, not until the performances are complete! Our granddaughter’s first year in the production brings a new appreciation for this timeless ballet, and the anticipation of her “debut” as a wooden soldier ripples through her, to her mom, to me.

   

The Annual Chili Party was a success…rain kept us inside this year but we have plenty of room since the remodeling.  We laughed, we spilled, we ate way too much, we admonished kids, we let them be.  I love seeing the family together. It is a chance for the first cousins, and now their babies, to catch up, without the "extra" of a holiday and all that it brings.  

These past few weeks also brought sadness as I lost my older brother to ALS.  He was dear to me, and a sweet guy.

 

I recently committed to posting a “days of love” photo or video or happy-stance on my Facebook timeline.  I have heard from several of you that you enjoy this happy post habit so I look forward to giving you more!

Squeeze the ones you love. 

facebook.com/cindiswindowlakeliving/

A fine-tuned machine are we.

My goodness, days can fly by when there are kids around.

Having stayed with grandkids, or had them stay with me, parts of the last couple of weeks have left me wondering where October went.  I would barely get breakfast in ‘em when they would be asking for lunch.  Forget trying to leave the house with them in tow.  I am tough, but not that tough. The sticky squeezes, however, the snotty kisses? To die for.  Seriously, the best.  My last couple of weeks of grandmother in charge was magical, wonderful, filled with laughter.  One of my favorite moments, and it’s silly, was after asking my two-almost-three-year-old granddaughter if she was really opening her candy right now she replied “No, you are” and shoved the bag at me.  I laughed so hard.

Now we prepare for some adult time.  We are flying to Seattle this week for a bit of a get-away to visit our son and daughter-in-law, and also to celebrate our *gulp* 40^th wedding anniversary.  We really don’t know how we got here.

 

Forty years ago I was swooning over the bridesmaids dresses which were a lovely spice, rust color knit material called Qiana.  Pure polyester.  With white lace trim.  Oh, the girls were stunning.  The gentlemen were decked out in a more pastel shade of rust…if there is such a thing.  Not peach, not salmon, not cinnamon.  Pastel rust is the best descriptor.  Charming, yes? Ah, the seventies...may they rest in peace. 

We had a wonderful wedding, fun, and one of the best receptions ever.  Our friends and family asked us to have it every year, in a small little building at our local park.  With 120 guests sitting elbow to elbow and a live band.  Great times.

Much like the days of the last two weeks, forty years have flown by. We have had great days, good days and not so good days.  Celebrations of every sort, as well as fights and disagreements, fits of laughter, and of tears.  We established ourselves. Wedged ourselves in.  We know who the other is, and accept each other.  Over the span of forty years, we tested, we fine-tuned, we adjusted.  We don’t fight now, that was some of the fine-tuning.  We have moments, now.  Moments when he is lucky he is still working while I talk myself all around an issue or aggravation.  This week it was his leaving my car empty of gas.  Oh, there was a lot of “You never this" and “I can’t believe that" in my head, while I stood at the gas pump, in the rain.

 

When he got home that night and I asked how his day went, he replied “The worst part was hearing from you…sorry about the gas”. 

It’s okay.  Guess what? We’re going out for dinner. You’re buying, and we’ll take my car.  

facebook.com/cindiswindowlakeliving

Seasonal slow down.

The rain in this joint is just about too much.  We've got some spongey, damp, ground all around the house...which means mud and other such unpleasantries.  The mums I was so happy with last week look like mop heads this week. 

This week was a bit slower than my usual early October days as I was in charge of a couple of grandkids while they were on "fall break".  Now, my kids never had a "fall break" although they did get Columbus Day off, and there were some teacher inservice days.  The grandkids get a whole week, and I think most schools do that as well.  It is nice to have that long break in October as they have been in school a long time by this month.  I always found that college students were really homesick long about October, too.  Anyway, it is getting a little slow around here, gearing up for the holiday season.  The calendar is filling up those December squares.   

I started on Sunday with a trip to a Garth Brooks concert.  Yes, that's right, Garth Brooks.  Now, I am not a die-hard country fan or anything, but, we heard a LOT of Garth Brooks around this house when my middle child was a pretty big country fan.  She did a fair amount of singing in those days, and we liked the story telling aspect of country music.  Besides, Garth is like the world's best showman.  The concert did not disappoint my two daughters and I; we also treated my 8-year old granddaughter to her first concert and it was awesome for her, and for us knowing it was so awesome for her.  Not a bad first concert choice.   

The next few days was the child watch.  I had a grand time although the weather didn't cooperate as much as it could have.  I laughed a lot, I helped out where I could, I received a million kisses and hugs and would have gladly accepted more.  I will get a chance, too, because this week is fall break for the other grandkids and they will be visiting for a couple days for their own Camp Gigi.  It's always camp around here but especially so when the parents aren't around! 


http://facebook.com/cindiswindowlakeliving/

 

One big, happy dinner.

It’s Saturday and not the typical blog day for me, and this is not a typical post.

   

This was a rough week.  I could barely drag myself off the couch on Monday.  I found myself sleeping when I couldn’t take any more.  Hubs got a salad and warmed up soup for dinner, and a leftover applesauce cup. I ate nothing.  I struggled on Monday.  Hard.

On Tuesday, I slapped myself out of it.  I rallied.  I will not succumb to terror, I will not.  I will speak out on gun control, and I have opinion on the current administration that goes beyond party.  However,  I still will not use this blog for those things, other than those statements above. Can we disagree and still wish love and joy for each other? I believe we can, and I guess we’ll find out.

A week ago, my house was filled with my favorite things ~ all three of my kids, their spouses and all five of my grandchildren.    I could not have been happier than if you had sprinkled me with pixie dust.  I was beyond pleased.  There was a wonderful big family wedding, at a barn, a handsome groom and a gorgeous bride, with everybody. I think only one or two – okay, maybe three -  unable to be there on Saturday but the rest of us were in that barn, celebrating the wedding, and celebrating each other. We were one happy, dancing, loving, singing crowd of a family, let me tell you.  I love weddings, I really do.  It’s like having everyone over for dinner at one time.

 

Last Saturday and Sunday morning were perfect for us.  We laughed, and we loved. I watched little boys swing and heard their giggles, I talked nonsense with a two-year old grandgirl and marveled at the grace and poise of an eight-year old.  I love watching my girls mother their children…and my sons-in-law are princes among men.  My endearing, intelligent and independent daughter-in-law loves my boy, who brings nothing but joy to me, quirky joy, but joy all the same, and displays his roots.  Sitting around a fire with my family on a chilly Sunday morning, after a rollicking Saturday night…I wish it could always be so.  I also know it would not be as special if it happened every day, even every weekend, but I sure would like to give that a try!

Saying goodbye to the travelers never gets easy.  We vowed to make our circle tight, to keep in touch, to visit.  We hugged, we waved and blew kisses.  These are the days that make us.  

cindiswindowlakeliving

Speed it up just a little, though.

My postings usually contain happy musings, random, rambling, recreational thoughts.  Oh, occasionally I have dabbled in opinion, but, rarely advice.  I’ve talked about personal experiences and how they made me feel, or maybe my reaction to an event, the importance of home and family.

 

I’m struggling here, folks.  I have strong thoughts as I know many of you do, too. Please know I am struggling with pain, hurt, disappointment, confusion, even fear.  However, my blog is about the less controversial, less negative, less confrontational and way, way less political.  I do not want anyone to believe I have buried my head in the sand for I most certainly have not, my focus here is on home, lakes, families, humor.  Come to rest here, to laugh here.  Look out my window with me. Some are staying off facebook these days…I get that.  You don’t have to go to facebook to find me..save my link, cindiswindow.blogspot.com/ and become a follower of the page, check back often (I typically post once a week), relax here with me.  I play nice.

Our son is home for a few days as we prepare for a family wedding, our nephew, his childhood best friend.  I always enjoy having him around.   The girls will be coming in over the weekend and while it’s hectic, and the house will be full and there will be a line for the bathrooms, I am excited for everyone to be here for a couple days.  My daughter-in-law flies in for a quick stop but for a brief time, they will all be here. Our soon to be nine-year-old granddaughter has a part in the Nutcracker performance in Indianapolis this year.  Oh, she is excited to be a toy soldier! She and her daddy will be late arrivals to the wedding as she has rehearsal on Saturday afternoon, followed by a two-and-a-half-hour drive. I remind myself to stay in the moment, that it doesn’t happen nearly often enough, to enjoy every second.

 

So this week I am concentrating on getting a few small things around the house in order.  There are some missing switch or outlet covers, for example.  Some touch up paint, a light fixture to hang.  I don’t guess I will be seeing my cabinet hardware installed or the stone put on the fireplace quite yet.   Yes, that’s right.  The fireplace is not yet done.  I can have a fire and by golly, I am decorating for Halloween this year…cement board and all.

Except for two boards, both front and kitchen porches are done.  I have pots of mums and decorations on the doors, have swept down spiders and cobwebs, and sawdust.  The lights are hung and the result of the soft glow is exactly what I hoped.  I washed windows yesterday, and moved a couple of plants.  My son and I moved ladders and scaffolding, and carried an old piece of furniture up for the garbage (or anyone else) men to take. Slowly but surely, things are finishing up.  

Sometimes I forget what the house looked like before we started and well, that’s okay!  There is still so much to do, small things, and a few bigger things, but, we are nearing the end and who said it was a race. 

facebook.com/cindiswindowlakeliving/

The annual slow down.

This is one of those rare, quiet weeks, following Labor Day, still warm but beginning to feel that chill in the evening breeze.  Not a lot going on around the homestead and the lake calm, settled.  Our boats are not yet out so we have taken a few lazy, slow cruises in the early evening.  We’ve built fires and sat around watching the sky darken, said our good nights to the day over a glass of wine, a hunk of cheese.  It’s rained a bit and the flowers are tossing their goodbyes, petal by petal, into the wind.

 

Up early on Saturday, hubs and I went down to the courthouse area and strolled through vendor booths, at an annual festival.  I then asked if we could go to the greenhouse and pick up a large mum, and maybe a couple smaller ones, for some pots around the house that I haven't yet filled.  Now, this was an amazing feat…an arts and crafts festival AND a trip to the greenhouse? To buy stuff? Rare in this house for him to go along, but go along he did as I walked up and down the aisles at the greenhouse trying to make a size and color choice.  It’s only one dang pot of mums for crying out loud, just pick one.  I could hear it as clearly as if it were spoken out loud.  Only it wasn’t from him, it was me.

 

I don’t want that orangey bronze…too close in color to the millions of leaves we will soon have fluttering into the yard.  I don’t want yellow, again, too close in color, but, we also have so many yellow daffodils in the spring I want something different, and the pots are yellow, so no.   No to white for no particular reason, just no.  Lavender pink? No, not vivid enough. Red? Sure, red! Of course, red.  My favorite color, duh.  Now, which one? Perhaps a hundred pots of red mums to pick from.  Not enough buds, too many buds.  I can’t tell, how do I know for sure this one is red? Is it round? Does that look a little caved in to you?

We settled on a nice fully rounded, deep crimson, with about half and half blooms and buds, and two smaller pots to combine into one planter ... one of them yellow. Cause yellow mums, hello.  We talked about future boxes for the deck, once the railing is complete, so not this year but next year, look out.  Loaded the mums in the back of his car, talked of the work he has planned for the rest of the day but, hey, let’s take a ride first.  I don't know if I have ever been down this road.

We’ve got nowhere to be and no one coming in for the weekend, yes, let's take a ride.

bloomsgreenhouse.com/

facebook.com/cindiswindowlakeliving

Mums the word.

Last week I wrote of the summer season coming to a close, the lake houses are beginning to shut down, the boats coming out of the water and headed back to a driveway, garage or pole barn.  It’s sad to see the bright colors of summer leave the lake, for sure, but I am an autumn girl, an October birthday.  I love the colors that are just around the corner for us. The way the sun hits the yard…I’m looking forward to a beautiful fall.

Mums.  That’s my big project this month. I think it’s a bit early but I am watching for mums.  Last year, I was drawn to mums at my favorite place to shop in Indianapolis, Sullivan Hardware, and thought “Oh, those are so fancy, so expensive.  I am going to pass.” And, I did, maybe even against my better judgement,  and regretted it the rest of the fall.  I’ll be going to Indianapolis next week and will stop in at Sullivan’s to check out the mums.  Truth is, the mums were only one or two dollars more than others I saw closer to home, but, those mums were different.  More vibrant, more lush.  I may be imagining their specialness,  but, I want mums from Sullivan’s this year.

Some progress made this past week on the exterior of the house…only a few pieces of siding left to hang once an outdoor faucet is moved. There's still a long list but,except for two boards, the porch overhang is complete, the lights are hung, the skirting is almost done and I have shrubs to plant.  It is the most complete this side of the house has been since we moved in and there was no door, and certainly not a porch, on the roadside, just a lot of overgrown shrubs.  I am way excited, and yes, already have fall and Halloween decorations for this new porch – just no mums.  Yet. 

facebook.com/cindiswindowlakeliving

Not yet, not yet.

And, just like that, it’s over. 

I sat on the screened porch this morning enjoying a bowl of oatmeal, thinking about how nice the warm goo felt going into my throat and belly, and looked towards the corner stacked with little kids life vests and beach towels.  “So, I guess I could put those away.” was the thought that strolled around in my brain. Along with “But, I don’t WANT to…”

A definite change every year when the first football game at the high school is played, the school bus begins to honk it’s horn for the children in the neighborhood, the life vests get put away.  We talked this weekend about pulling the boats out and I began to plan the annual chili party.  It popped in to my head that last year the chili party was during the major league play-offs and we combined a game viewing with the event, had a great time AND a positive outcome. Will the Cubs make it that far this year?

I watched this morning as one lonely looking pontoon boat puttered across my view.  I could see that its passengers were in long sleeves and sat huddled together, except for the captain who pulled at his coat collar while drifting by, his motor sputtering to a halt.  Are they going to fish? I wondered, or is that engine trouble?

Casual, lazy thoughts as acorns plunked the roof and deck.  A couple of sun bleached beach towels flap themselves dry in the cloudy breeze, remnants of the weekend and I find myself wondering if it’s time to sort through beach towels, casting some in to the rag bag and refreshing others with a good wash and dry to be folded, stored until next year. Should I bring the chairs in? I need to cover the fire pit table.  Are we going to leave it out all winter? (Winter? I tend to get ahead of myself sometimes). There’s still a lot of good fires, and fire pit conversations that can be had…it’s only the last few days of August! I resolve to fluff the pillows and sweep off the spider webs…there’s lots of time to party, for family and fun.   And then I remember school nights and dance practice and marching band competitions.  The busy fall flexing its muscles before me, reminding me of who is in charge, better not plan too many fireside chats, girl, or you’ll be talking to yourself.  

Did you see that? Tell me you saw that.

Along with what seemed like a million of my closest friends, I ventured to the great beyond to witness a total eclipse.  I went as a passenger with my middle child, and two of her three kids.  We didn’t decide until Sunday morning that we were going to go…and with a quick text to some other family, we hit the road.

By other family I mean the ones that reside in Eclipseville, Kentawucka…or Hoptown or as it’s officially named, Hopkinsville, Kentucky.  My granddaughter coined the “Kentuckawucka” during a game of making up songs or some such nonsense while on a long, late-in-the-day, car ride.

We had a blast.  I originally tried to dissuade her from taking the five-hour car ride, then quickly changed my tune when I started to think of the loss of adventure.  I wasn’t going to miss THIS.  I am so glad I didn’t miss THAT.

So, we were lucky.  Starting our drive at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, arriving well past bedtime, staying up WAY too late with my sweet-as-pie niece.  No sleeping in the car, or in a tent or on the ground for us.  We crashed their lovely home, drank her wine, kicked her sweet kids out of their beds for a night and then, just to make ourselves even more of a Yankee bore, we crashed their neighbors eclipse viewing party, complete with pork barbecue, mini moon pies (get it?) a pool, and super generous and gracious southerners all around.

After the eclipse, and the eating and swimming, we packed up the car and headed out about 4:30.  Did really well for the first thirty minutes of driving and then, well, it caught up to us and every other northern bound guest of Kentucky.  We arrived in Indianapolis at 1:00 a.m. having been slowed down, delayed, rained on, rerouted but never lost.  What did we do before GPS? How did we EVER get from point A to point B? Goodness, God bless that technology.

So it took us 8.5 hours to make that five hour drive.  We talked, we sang, we ate way too many licorice twists, we even tried not to bicker…but we did.  We also got over it and had the best time.  Seeing a TOTAL eclipse is different than seeing a partial eclipse and I can’t explain how.  It was eerie, beautiful, fun, exciting, slightly scary, thought-provoking, conversation starting, memory making, road trip spawning…it was grand.  We screamed and cheered at totality with strangers and group-gasped when it shifted off the surface of the sun to brighten us up in a flash.  I loved it.

Hopkinsville did an absolutely fantastic job in getting ready for the influx of people they began preparing in earnest for five years ago.  They actually began their planning ten years ago.  It’s not like the eclipse was newly scheduled…they’ve known for a while.  The town turned out for their visitors and it was glorious.  Hopkinsville put it’s best foot and face forward.  Proud of you, Hoptown!

I am totally on board for Indianapolis in 2024! Come on Indiana, lets show Kentucky what we’re made of!

Visitors were encouraged to place a sticker on where they were from.

We felt welcomed throughout the pretty downtown.

We saw this a couple times on our way out of Kentucky...friendly folks waving goodbye.

Southern hospitality at it's finest!

facebook.com/cindiswindowlakeliving

Shine light.

I listened as my husband tried to describe some acquaintances to another couple.  I watched him pause as he sought the words he has been newly taught, people first language, in describing one of the family members, wanting to get it right.  I gently said to him “their son” as I realized what he was about to say, the words he was searching his brain for, didn’t even need to be said.  It didn’t matter, really, in the telling of the story. How quickly we need to place a descriptor on someone, a title.  I am not criticizing him here…I know I am guilty of this same thing, and it’s a learning process.  I too often describe someone by their age, or color (forgive me) or, in the case here, their disability (forgive me more).  It seldom, if ever, matters.

I started this post two weeks ago, this paragraph removed from the blog post I was writing, and saved for a future entry.  Today, it seems more appropriate. 

 

Today, I scrolled through my Instagram and Facebook feeds, grateful for the many posts of sweet, smiling kids going back to school, of professional photographs of happy families, chubby, angelic babies.  I even stopped to watch some of those crazy recipe videos.  This morning I needed happy, I needed goodness.  I will take on the news later in my day, but, with my coffee this morning, I needed light. 

I hope you are seeking light today, and finding joy.  It’s a tougher challenge on some days than others, but the joy is there for those who search for it.  For me, I vow anew to start each day with a grateful heart, even if it means scrolling through Instagram and Facebook looking for chubby baby pictures, or a new favorite, kids with horses. Filling myself with light, that I might shine light.  


facebook.com/cindiswindowlakeliving

Getting on with it.

I've written a little about getting lost in Facebook, which I do far too often and succumbed to it this morning for more than a few minutes as I finished my cereal and drank coffee.  I like the leisure of it sometimes, you know? But, I have begun watching that little clock in the corner of my desktop screen so I don’t lose hours.  I have much to do today.

It’s a gorgeous day.  I spent a little time yesterday in the garden department at our local Lowe’s and purchased some half price shrubs, which I will get in the ground today.  I have so many places for shrubs that what I purchased won’t even make a dent, but, I must start somewhere and I have to start financially wise.  I wish I could afford a landscaper to come in and just do it all. I do have a bit more “disposable income” these days to make some landscaping purchases, unlike years ago, when raising kids and every extra penny went to gas up the car to drive them to an event or competition.  Those were great days, I wouldn’t change a thing, but I often wonder how we afforded to be on the go ALL the time, and eat at McDonalds more times than I should admit.

Anyway, back to landscaping.  I am beginning with a near blank slate.  As I’ve mentioned, three of the four sides of the house have been pretty disturbed by the recent renovation.  I have a new front porch, which is not quite finished, but is something I have never had.  So, there’s a story there…

In 2006 or so, husband and I began some major renovation to the house.  We replaced all the old plumbing pipes and fixtures, rewired, changed out all new trim and new oak doors inside the house, moved the laundry upstairs and added a pantry in the kitchen.  We took the space that had been the screen porch and turned it into a master bed and bath.  We opened up the roadside wall, created a foyer and installed a new, beautiful wood front door with side lights.  This construction took about 18 months or so, bringing us in to 2008 and the economy started its downward spiral. We had more plans, big plans. We put the brakes on building, and the beautiful front door opened to nothing.  After a few months we put up a temporary deck “landing” in order to be able to use that door, but, it was never quite a porch, and seldom used.

 

Fast forward through that really sucky period of bad economy (especially true for those in the lumber business, such as hubs.) and we were ready to pick up steam and finish some renovation.  Plans were scrapped, new plans were drawn up and that is where we are today.  I have a great new porch, posts (okay, they aren’t finished yet) and dirt that needs to be filled with great plants and shrubs.  The skirting isn’t around the deck, yet, and the lights need to be hung and electrified…but it’s almost a finished porch.

If you see me out and about I may look disheveled, sweaty and my fingers black and gross, but you’ll know why.  The projects are mounting up and the opportunity to tackle them lessens with each drifting leaf that flutters to the ground.  Fall is approaching and I have much to do. 

So, as I have done in the past, I do have a little product recommendation for you.  I will sometimes include a "plug" if I have tried something and love it - little knives, strainers, spatulas.  Could be anything.  Today, this is it.  

https://www.worx.com/20v-air-cordless-leaf-blower-wg545.html

This is my jam.  For cleaning the spider webs from around the door to blowing the little piles of gathering leaves and dirt from the welcome mat, "sweeping" the front steps and even blowing dirt and mulch off the walking stones in the moon garden, or blowing debris out that place between the windshield and hood of my car.  It's not too big and it is powerful enough to do those things I want done quickly, and soon, so I can manage myself.   I became super interested in this when my contractor buddy was using one to blow dirt and bugs out his work area, sawdust and junk off his tools...it's awesome.  

facebook.com/cindiswindowlakeliving

Nodding my head in the affirmative.

I was introduced to someone recently and she responded with “Oh, you’re the writer!”

Gasp (was that out loud?). Gulp.  “Well, yes, yes I am.”

It’s funny, isn’t it, the way strangers see us?  I’ve had so many titles in my life, just like you…starting with baby on up to old woman.  Student, new kid, worker, boss…lots of stuff. I use all those roles and titles to craft stories, offer insights, tell of experiences, give advice.  It has been said about me that I am an observer, which is true.  Which is different than being one who stares, and that’s another post. Most of the time we may be totally misreading what people think about us, have no clue, really. 

I made a decision, fairly recently, to be more deliberate in my life, with people.  While some may say “be present” or “be in the moment” I try to be more deliberate, maybe even deliberately present or deliberately in the moment.  I want to be understood, I want to understand.  Last year, I vowed to take joy, spread joy.  I am not sure I was always successful, which makes me think I wasn’t always deliberate enough. I don’t want to be vague, I don’t want to be overlooked.

   

I’m doing a bit of a reset, I think.  Planting myself more firmly square in my intention.

 

And with that comes a certain amount of acceptance, so here we go…

Yes, yes, I am the writer. 

facebook.com/cindiswindowlakeliving/

Keep 'em coming, please, bring me all the joys.

Most of you already know family means everything to me.  I realize as I write it that it sounds a bit smug.  I mean, after all, family means everything to you, too, right? I don’t have a corner on the market when it comes to loving family, and family time.  Just want to get that out of the way – I feel you.

 

We share this.  I know.  I don’t write about my love of family to place my experiences above your own, but, rather to strike common ground.  Above all else, our love of family unites us, at least I think so, and that’s why I write, and that’s why you read.  Love you, I do!

Of course, every family’s experiences are unique, as unique as each one of us.  I have much in common with many family members and friends.  But, I also appreciate the unique characteristic of each of those groups and individuals.  I have friends raising their kids and celebrating on the beach, or in the desert, mountains and hills, frozen tundra, forests and woods, and deep, tropical oasis.  Okay, that last one is a stretch.  I don’t think I know anyone in a deep tropical oasis, or under the sea for that matter, but it could happen.  You get my point…we are all doing it different, and all doing it the same.

Probably like most of you this is the same reasoning behind liking and using Facebook.  I mean, it is an easy way to keep in touch, to experience life that is just a bit different than your own.  Maybe even imagine yourself in a new setting or town, what you would do.  A friend of mine who was visiting the east coast last week posted a picture of a buttered lobster roll.  Now this has made me want a buttered lobster roll ever since.  Hubs and I started talking about an east coast getaway in the spring or fall of 2018, I will salivate for a lobster roll until then, I suppose, but I wouldn’t have had that motivation or start making a plan without that picture.  No matter what you think of Facebook it does have its way, doesn’t it, of bringing you something new to think about, and bringing your friends and family just a bit closer.

  

So, I have been one of those who has blocked people, hid advertisements, failed to reply to a message from someone, even declined a friend request or two and, I’ll admit it, I’ll continue to do so.  It’s how you refine what Facebook delivers. On the other hand, I love seeing pictures, families together, I do get some news from Facebook and it is how I find out about sales or places to visit and what the specials are at my favorite little bar and grill.  I post my blog updates on Facebook and I know I have gained some readers this way.
 

I get lost in Facebook, too, and that’s a habit I try to keep at bay.  I also get mad and irritated at the things I see posted there.  I move on.  I don’t take bait, usually, but oh, boy, there are times I want to throw myself in the middle of something.  Try not to, people of mine, try not to.  It won’t get you where you think you want to be…at least, I haven’t seen it work that way yet. But, oh the good, the great, of Facebook. 

Last week, my sister-in-law traveled to the Pacific Northwest with the surviving 8 of her 10 siblings.  I didn’t know them as kids but, wow, what a house that must have been.   I have seen them all together only once or twice over the last 40 (OMG! Seriously? 40?) years.  There are a few pictures posted on Facebook of their “reunion”.  To see them together brought me such a joyful moment, one of those times when my heart truly felt a warmth, a glow.  Without this digital social media thing I don’t know when I would have the opportunity to see them all together again, even in pictures. Thanks for sharing that, guys. Another post this week of a friend celebrating their 50^th wedding anniversary, the joy on her face in her family picture…when she, finally, had them all in one spot, all ready to smile and to gather around her table and to stop for a moment to get that great shot.  These are the joys in life, the joy of family and yes, the joy of Facebook.   

A small and quick review.

Early this morning, when I couldn’t get to sleep and REALLY REALLY did not want to fall prey to the calling of Amazon and it’s thousands of products, I began sorting through pictures.  I recently backed up all my photos on this computer to Google images, because someone mentioned it was a good place to do that, so I did.  I have no opinion on this one way or the other, but, that’s what I did.

 

So I started organizing pictures, particularly the home remodeling pictures.  Now, you have all been so patient with me and my remodeling stories, and kept reading when others may have said “Enough with the remodeling stories already”.  I may have come close to burning you out, but, you stuck with me.  Thank you!

This is not to say we are done.  Oh, heck no.  There are so many more projects, on all four sides of the house, that have yet to be done, but, happily, they are more along the “final touch” projects as well as some pretty serious landscaping here and there.  It’s good, though, and I am glad.

Last night as I went through pictures I realized we have done a tremendous amount of work, and a lot of it was not in the original plan which was something along the lines of "Hey, lets add a screen porch".  It’s hard to think about when you are in the middle of it, but, we took on some major projects.  Luckily for us the bedrooms and the bathrooms didn’t need to be touched so that side of the house was largely uninterrupted except that it became storage central for everything that was coming out of cabinets and rooms.  Of course, now I want to paint those bedrooms…

Anyway, here are just a couple of pictures of the house before and the house as it is today.  We still have to decide on stairs and a railing system for the deck, and skirting under the deck and finishing off the overhangs on both the roadside and the driveway side, but, the structure is there.  It’s been a year.  A satisfying and scary year, with more ahead.  

 Woods side 2016 

Lake side July 2016

Lake side 2017

Woods side 2017

Can't beat it!

That was a week that was, I tell you.  Glorious weather, smiling faces, family visits, celebrations, reminiscing and restoring.  I cannot put into words how wonderful the last few days have been.  Even though I have tried to turn it all around in my head, it still doesn’t seem real.  It certainly doesn't feel like it should be over.  I have really focused on every part of every moment of the last ten days or so, to fully appreciate ALL of it and my heart can only hold so much, and then so much more.  To recap it all would take more than I have in me, really, but some highlights follow…

Our holiday here at the lake started with our granddaughter’s solo visit.  We had each other to ourselves for a few days before the actual July 4^th holiday and she was a dream visitor ~ helpful, agreeable, laughing, somewhat tidy, sleepy, relaxed.  She enjoyed boat rides and “fancy drinks”, ate whenever she wanted and slept around on the couch or the wicker bench on the screened porch, sometimes reading, sometimes just daydreaming.  It was everything.

 

Her mom and dad, aunt and uncle and the rest of the grands started arriving over the weekend and began filling up the house with noise, activity and laughter.  My sons-in-law let me boss them around like a jailhouse guard ~ I snapped orders out like it was my job.  They cleaned, they painted, they walked around with a screw gun or a hammer, hanging stuff wherever I pointed and grunted.  I love those two men, I really do.  When they weren’t busy helping hubs with the chore of the day, they were helping me.

My girls.  They always come ready to work.  Babies to chase, dishes to wash, lunches to prepare…trips to the grocery store (maybe to escape?) and anything else I scowl at them.  I know when I am getting ready for a party or gathering I am not the most patient; those two get me and just jump in. Could not do it without them.

 

The house and yard is about 85% ready for a party like we had over the fourth, and the party the next day, and the next day and the day after that. We hosted and boated, filled the yard with family and friends and had the best times.  The parade, the party, the bonfire and watching fireworks…it was all golden, and like a dream.  Wonderful food, the big bowl of popcorn, incredible family and friends. It was hot, the bugs were largely at bay, the bonfire, the firecrackers…all of it…nothing but joy.

Things got quiet the next day or so and the kids started heading back to their homes.  Following the fourth we kept the two five-year-old grandsons for a couple days.  You never know what you are going to get with a five-year-old away from home, and we were gifted with two of the best ~ loving, well-behaved, obedient to a degree, confident, comfortable…they were such fun.  We boated at a sunset that should be listed in the dictionary as what a sunset is; a sunset boat cruise of all time.  I took them swimming, they laid in the grass and talked big dreams with each other, spent hours on the swings or in the dirt.  They giggled and hugged and fist-bumped their way further into my heart than one would have thought possible.  First cousins and best-friends.  My life is replaying.

Speaking of first-cousin-best-friends, on the night before the 4^th, our nephew proposed to his girlfriend, during another glorious sunset cruise on his festooned pontoon boat, decorated by his sisters and launched from our shore, while we sat on the deck acting like we had no idea it was coming.  Then spied through a zoom lens, as he got down on one knee in front of the stunned love of his life. His friends shot off fireworks from the shore as they passed by.  It was magical for them, and for us, too, as we cheered this young man whom we love so very much.  The middle of our lake became party central as his friends and family, and hers, sped out to their boat on boats of their own and popped champagne corks for the rest of the evening.  It was grand and glorious to see this boy, this man, who has been there for his friends and family time and time again, celebrated and to be the center, the star.  They came through for him and it made me happy to see him toasted, and cheered.

 

We celebrated, oh, how we celebrated, all week.  A beautiful niece, expecting her first child and showing off her baby bump, a dear cousin from out of town and his new bride…little girls discovering what they have in common and pledging to become pen pals.  This week had everything good; missing our son and daughter-in-law our setback.  We remembered those we have lost, and the memories were sometimes hard, but most often wonderful.

Things can start to get rather quiet after the 4th each year, but I know we have more joy coming.  The house will come together a bit more, and there are smaller parties, boat rides, visits and bonfires yet this summer.  We are so very looking forward to it all but, oh boy, these last two weeks will come back to me often as some of the best days…EVER.  

Life at the lake.

Today at the lake, a storm seems to brew and a granddaughter sleeps away the morning.  I am up early and just taking it all in.

 

A couple times a year I like to bring the oldest granddaughter home to the lake for her own special “Camp GiGi”…a few days that it is just her.  She is so wonderfully patient with the younger siblings and cousins during our regular family days, this is a treat for her to be the only one who gets to decide, who doesn’t have to wait on the smaller ones, who isn’t mediating disagreements between little boys…this is her “me” time.

She’s also a huge help as we get ready for the 4^th of July celebration.  Yesterday I was thinking about last year and the big flag we hung up over the plywood that covered our recently removed window, as we prepared for renovation.  Thinking about our old deck, which was torn off on July 6.  Thinking about moving Harry, the walking stick plant, that suffers silently in the wooded area behind the shed now, wondering if he will still recover from the shock of being moved in July.  A year has brought a lot of changes to our house, and we aren’t 100%, yet.

A temporary railing, a bunch of dirt, a change in the deck plan…we may never get done! It gives us something to talk about, however.  This week, we talked all around the “rest of the deck” as we decided to add a lower level, to accommodate the fire pit perhaps, or maybe the grill.   If we were younger, we would indeed be discussing a hot tub, but, it’s just not “us” at this stage of life.  We would rather take a slow cruise on the pontoon, listen to the hum of the motor…enjoy a peaceful evening on the water.  The amazing thing about life on the water is you go out in the boat and look at the same thing over and over, and it never gets old.

I mean, maybe it does get old at some point but it’s got to be only after years and years and years.  I think even small ponds could draw you in every day, in the same way that a view of the ocean can.  A little bench by a small pond, maybe a little pier to sit on, fish or not…have you ever sat in one spot on a big beach, watched waves roll in? It never gets tired.  You might get tired, as it lulls you in to peace – a nap is always a good thing.  The same is true with cruising the lake, watching the water lap up on the sides of the pontoon, looking at the wake behind you, watching over the front as you pass over rocks and plants and sand...mesmerizing. And you can take that cruise every night and it is always the same and never the same.

Welcome to lake living. Glad you are here. 

Oh, and hey, here's a link to my Lake Living facebook page if you haven't already, think about it! 

https://www.facebook.com/cindiswindowlakeliving/

Playing in the dirt.

I may have bitten off more than I can chew with my many areas to weed, cultivate and plant this spring, now summer...took that little 10-day Mickey trip and am a bit behind.

I do love to sit in a patch of dirt, though, and contemplate life. I have had many serious conversations with myself while digging out a weed. Have compared a bump in life's road, a hiccup in a plan, to said weed many, many times. Some very intense speeches have been prepared, but never delivered, to my husband, while I am elbow deep in black dirt.  Oh, if he knew the things I have shared with the hosta and ferns. He isn't always the subject of these talks - sometimes it might be over an unpleasant customer service exchange, or something that has stuck in my craw, as the saying goes, that will cause a plant to suffer through a few choice words.  Gardening is to be therapeutic, right? And, it is therapeutic to release your frustrations, right? Not to harbor anger or grudges?

Funny side story here…I found myself in a therapist’s office a few years ago, talking about some kind of crappy stuff and I mentioned I just wanted to feel well enough to garden.  He said to me “I am convinced you shouldn’t be driving a car, much less garden!”

Today, I feel a little behind the 8-ball in trying to get the yard a bit more ready for the next few weeks of fabulous that make up our summers.  I may have gotten a bit “pie in the sky” thinking a lot of the landscaping would be taken care of by this time, post renovation.  But, it’s a lot to have all four sides of the house disrupted and a bit more tweaking to do and expect the flower beds to all be fixed up. I mean, I got gutters last week, so only now can start thinking foundation planting.  Landscaping is way down on the list…and the budget.

  

This afternoon, however, I did play in the dirt on one side of the shed.  I did some talking to some people, some imaginary friends and some “ghosts”, perhaps, of friends past.  I did a quick review of the budget for landscaping in my head and what I still hoped to accomplish this year.  Aside from the piles of dirt around the house, which I have accepted for 2017, the moon garden needs help, the shed perimeter.  The small bed across from our bedroom and the area just behind it. 

This year, I cemented my fondness for my favorite yard tool, which is that claw like thing that takes out weeds like a champ and lets me get pretty agressive.  I discovered some favorite mulch.  Well, it’s not mulch so much as shreds of bark and clippings, and it's from last year ~ probably not to be found ever more and why do I do this to myself?   And, my favorite plastic trowel, which is awesome in a bag of my favorite mulch, and it cost me 25 cents during an off season sale at K-mart…which is now closed and I really bought it for the grandkids.   

I have a lot on my mind and the flower bed is a great place to release those thoughts.  Protect society and garden, people.