Nature’s glory or….

Watching a full moon rise.

I missed the almost-full-moon yesterday as it was well in the sky by the time I returned home and noticed it. I was more aware of its being the full moon today but had no idea that on my way back from visiting my grandson that the timing would be so good.

Truly one of life’s ongoing wonders – and often my best full moon photos are of the January one – not sure why, don’t care – just enjoy.

The start of something big… or

One of my presents (thanks S), was a jigsaw puzzle – of 5’000 pieces!

I can do the small ones (up to 500) in a short time – a couple of fun afternoons in the winter garden. Up until now I have not gone beyond 2’000 and this one promises to bring not just a few afternoons or hours, but many, many, many.

I have even located a board to put it on as may have to occasionally move it before I’m done and my puzzle cloth that allows me to roll up the current one with minimal displacement when I put it back down, just isn’t going to cut it.

I have actually already put together 10 pieces – hmmmm – a few more to go!

Someone invented the word foofarah

100 years before I was born….

Now that has a wonderful ring to it, foofarah this and foofarah that, we sometimes shorten it to froufrou – or at least that is what I remember.

And straight out of one of my favorite sites http://wordsmith.org/awad/

ETYMOLOGY:

Foofaraw is a word from the American West, but how was it formed? Nobody knows. Perhaps from French fanfaron or Spanish fanfarrón. Earliest documented use: 1848.

Meaning:

Excessive or unnecessary ornamentation.
2. Fuss; commotion.

I love the froofarah of Christmas – the more the merrier and the like. As a child one of the greatest treats on Christmas Eve was after opening presents and having had dinner we were allowed to fill our pockets with cookies (some of us got sick every Christmas Eve, but I’m not naming names) pile into the car and go see the decorations of the mansions in Pasadena. A child’s wonderland.

As to the other definition: I can make a froofarah at times myself so it is good to have the appropriate word with which to confound my family or friends.

From ABC https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-01/christmas-lights-and-how-to-avoid-complaints-from-neighbours/10564582

Casting a long shadow or…

Reflections as I walk.

For various reasons: the sun was out, I haven’t been walking regularly in quite some time, my younger son has the flu, I just had a bad cold and really, really need to ramp up the health care, I decided to take a walk yesterday (and again today).

Decided to start small with just a flat walk and only a half an hour.

It was the end of the day and as I walked along one of the roads I noticed my shadow – a very, very long shadow stretching meters across the fields.

I reflected upon the phrase “to cast a long shadow”.

If “cast a shadow” has a negative connotation, “to cast a long shadow” doesn’t always:

simply the notion of someone or something having a great or long-standing influence.

Positive examples could be Florence Nightingale, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, etc.

Then I related this notion to people: when we are small, our shadows are also small, as they are in the morning. At noon, or the height of our lives, the shadow is non-existent (does that mean that we are at our most egotistical?), but late in the day – or late in our lives – our shadows extend way across the fields. It gave me pause for thought: may my personal shadow be one that extends good, one that bears only positivity and love.

Am I really that dirty?

OK it’s probably more of a “she has everything” syndrome, but this Christmas was particularly rich in the gifting of bath soaps, bubbles, balls, gels and the like. If I don’t count the refill on my favorite bath gel that my older son finally remembered – yeah – I got various bath supplies from three different people.

Not complaining as have already used a couple and only the best of the best, still one does wonder if I have some kind of apparent smudges, body odor or other reasons that would bring most of my family and friends to gift me with bath supplies.

Ah, ha, it now dawns on me that many know that in the winter I do adore a good, long, hot bath. So they will all get used before next Christmas!

The grandmother calendar or…

I’ve finally made it.

The birth of one’s first grandchild is an indescribable event.

The only present I truly wanted for Christmas was photo evidence of this miracle in my

Life – and I got it!

It hangs downstairs where I see it not only first thing in the morning but several times throughout the day. 12 months to enjoy seeing him grow from 0 – 7 months!

And yes, I was good – no sneak peaking – yet - not sure how long I will be able to hold out though so all bets are off.

New beginnings and all that….

Why do we automatically presume that we must make New Years’

Resolutions, never mind, keep them? Especially as most of us don’t even manage

to master those daily lists.

Still a new year, and now a new decade do call us to reflect and perhaps give some

consideration to what we would like, if not need, to change in our lives.

Yesterday I did make a start, not on any list of resolutions, but simply put it into my

head that 2020 will see me continuing something I started two years ago, ie throw out one item a day, and two, not save the good stuff, be it clothes, plates, furniture, expensive

towels or sheets. Our lives are finite: why purchase things with the vague plan of using them “someday”?

To those I’ll add something I try to consciously do in my daily life: people are more important than things, having coffee, lunch, a drink, dinner with a friend beats anything else. One needs to listen to that inner voice and stop and listen when someone needs us.

After all, cleaning just needs re-doing!

Cheers to all and may this decade be your best!

OK where was that list?