Living Simply
Ahhh ~ from the negatives to 1 degree above zero Fahrenheit. Yes! 1 degree!
It’s really a mental thing, don’t you think?
From dressing with a coat, hat, scarf, thermal underwear, gloves and covering up your face when you go outside … to …
Coat unzippered, no hat, no scarf …
Yes, it’s definitely a mental thing.
The brain has a strange way of behaving.
Thankful for the sunshine and the above zero temps in Minnesota.
Normally in Minnesota, we have our really really cold snap in January. Not so this year. The bitter cold came in December.
Waking up to -15 yesterday morning (and no, that was not the wind chill) and -17 today, I will be happy when this arctic blast, as some call it, continues on its way.
Looking on the brighter side of life, the skies in the Minnesota skies are the bluest of blues.
It is simply breathtaking to see the sky brushed in a large patch of the most beautiful blue.
Ever since hurricane Maria pounded the island of Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, it has not been able to get anywhere near recovery.
Early on I found a non profit organization by the name of ADRA Puerto Oeste who was working diligently in the community of Mayaguez and the surrounding areas providing meals and food boxes. Through the US postal service, I have shipped them food and hygiene products.
Currently they are collecting toys for the low income children in that area. In addition, they accept monetary donations for the toys and other items like mattresses, tarps (a lot of people don’t have roofs on their homes still), Ensure Glucerna, powdered milk, etc.
Feel free to head over to their Facebook page to see the work that they are doing.
And if you’re interested in helping, here are a couple ways:
1) Give a donation to them directly through PayPal and mark it Proyecto Navidad and they will do the shopping on their end. The name of the Director is Adelina Reynoso and you can search for her name on PayPal. If you’d like a charitable receipt, just put your name, address, email and phone number in the notes section and advise her how you’d like to receive your receipt either via email or regular mail. I have sent several donations their way from friends and they are very responsive with sending receipts.
2) Mail your donations/toys to them directly. You can shop/ship for yourself or order through Amazon. The address to ship to is:
ADRA Puerto Rico Oesta
Barrio Algarrobo
Sector Cuba 1060
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, 00681
(Note: Amazon can take up to 3 weeks for delivery, USPS is taking about 2 weeks so time is of the essence)
Most of the children in that area do not read English so any items donated shouldn’t have any lengthy English instructions. All ages are in need.
Thank you for your consideration in helping the children of Puerto Rico.
Well, autumn is officially here and almost gone.
I never tire of the beautiful colors that our neighborhood affords us. God’s beauty simply cannot be outdone.
The colors are so vibrant and, even though this signifies the trees are dying, it brings a sense of joy with its beauty.
Anyone ready for a walk?
But then, of course, there’s always a downside to so much beauty … raking leaves. (hehe)
It’s fun the first couple of times, but when you have to leaf blow the driveway every day or every other day, this middle aged body gets sore.
I hope you’re enjoying your autumn wherever you are.
Traveling through southern Minnesota, we finally made it to our destination where we had rented a cottage through Airb&b called the Northshore Cottage on Lake Onalaska. This is the second time I’ve used Airb&b and it has worked out great. (Have you ever used them before?)
Our cottage had a view of a bay off of the Mississippi River. It looked beautiful to me but my husband said there was “scum” in the water. Well, if scum can be beautiful then this was it. Kind’ve an olive green, no?
Here’s another view.
We sat on the bench and watched the sun go down one day. It was magnificent!
The cottage had a view of the water from the deck and one of the bedrooms.
The inside of the cottage was quaint and comfortable. I like when the wifi works with no glitches.
I was really impressed with the mother/daughter team that rents this cottage out. They were proactive in getting in touch with me and checking to see if we needed anything. The cottage was quaint and clean.
The restaurants nearby had really good food. I was especially surprised at how good the food was at the Red Pines Bar and Grill in Lacrosse, Wisconsin which was nearby. They even knew how to make sweet potato fries that weren’t greasy! Yum!
Across the street from the cottage we were able to take a trail through the National Wildlife Refuge. And for the first time in my life, I can say that I walked through a trail of grasshoppers. I don’t know why there were so many out but as we walked the grasshoppers on our path hopped out of our way. Very very odd.
This is definitely an area that I would like to visit again.
Almost every year I visit friends in Seattle. It’s always nice to keep in touch with people you can count on at any time. I once heard that you can count your friends on one hand. I’ve been fortunate that I can count them on two. And you?
The weather was perfect while I was there. The Richmond Beach area (right outside of Seattle) is such a peaceful and beautiful place to visit and my friends backyard was still in autumn mode.
I can sit here all day ~ so peaceful.
The begonias were still in full bloom in mid-October. Quite impressive!
A quick drive to see the Olympic Mountains, even if there wasn’t much snow on them yet, was perfect to end the day.
Have you visited the Olympic Mountains before? In winter, on a clear day, they are majestically beautiful.
I enjoy it so much when God paints the autumn sky. It is brilliant!
“From sunrise to sunset, let the LORD’s name be praised!” Psalm 113:3
Deception, no matter how beautifully cloaked,
i.e. a smile, words, touch, etc. is still deception.
SimplyNorma
The William O’Brien State Park is one of my favorite places to go for a walk.
Choices … choices. Â A stroll next to the St. Croix River or through the woods. This time, the walk through the woods won out and with very few people out walking, it made the walk even more peaceful.
The day couldn’t have been more perfect. Â Sunny with occasional restful clouds floating by.
Sometimes I look at nature and it looks messy to me – grasses growing amidst weeds and flowers with an occasional bug flitting in and out of the mess.
Yet it reminds me that this is how life is also. Â No day is exactly the same and sometimes the stress of illness, work or family drama all blends together.
And then … it’s as if someone pulls a blessing out of the sky and plants it right in your path. The heart goes back to breathing regularly, the drooped shoulders relax and the furrowed brows line disappear.
These are the small moments of blessing that I look for every day.
Sometimes ~ just around the bend ~ a large blessing stares me in the face. Â Unexpected and breathtaking, it brings such joy to my heart. Â Today, it was a pair of swans sitting on a beaver dam. Although the dam looks messy, the beavers spent much time putting those sticks in an orderly fashion.
And suddenly, my cares wash away as a field of grass lies before me.
And it’s enough. Enough to overcome any stresses for the day.
“He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth.”  Psalm 104:14
11 days from September and the leaves are starting to change color on both the trees and the hostas. They have called summer over. Now if only the weather would catch up — 84 today with a “feels like” temperature of 94 with oppressive humidity.
Yet an early autumn we will have as nature is always right.
