LIVING A VERY SIMPLE LIFE

 The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. (Helen Keller)


Hello lovely people, how are you? Mom and I are fine. We are cozy and warm, staying inside on a very cold day, Living a VERY simple life. 19 F, for us, here on the coast of Maine.

I love this little illustration...


The wind is whistling through my window even though it is cranked shut, but not locked so it's not tight. I actually like that sound. I can hear yet another red squirrel upstairs (I do not like that sound) and I am hoping he goes into the trap I set for him. The new trap I brought with me from home is great, so easy to use, just a flip of the handle. I have caught 3 of the little buggers in the past week. There must be  a hole somewhere with a sign that says "enter here". The joys of living in a very old house. 😑

Well, here is a better capture -I threw out some apples. My aim is very bad and they didn't go very far from the deck with the exception of one.  Only one deer had the courage to come close enough to get the treat. I wish I could enlarge the video but I haven't been able to figure that out...yet!


Yesterday was lousy here. Wet slushy snow and a dampness in the air that ate into my bones. So, I had to pry myself from our cozy abode, shovel, clear my car off and head for the pharmacy and to do the shopping at Burnt Cove Market. I had a huge list but I later learned that Mom's Folgers decaf coffee bags (as in teabags) were not on the list! So, I shall have to go back. Roger told me I need to pay better attention. 😯 (Husbands, they should talk!) I don't drink coffee so didn't think about it. It's 10 miles one way to Stonington (or there about). Anyway...Today the slush has frozen so with my track record of falling I am staying in the house. My back is killing me as it is. I sound like a broken record as I repeat that a dozen times a day. 😐

 In other exciting news, I have made two batches of fudge this month! I can't believe that I succumbed not once but twice to that little devil that sits on my shoulder saying "aww, go ahead, you know you want to." Mom has been in fudge heaven. 

Photos


I was looking back through my photos to determine which ones to delete. This one is a keeper. It used to be a church. It's built on a rock.For many years it had a thriving little congregation in the town of Stonington.Eventually they built a larger church elsewhere. It reminded me of the parable of the wise and foolish builders in the book of Matthew and the importance of being grounded in the teachings of Jesus. When the winds and rains come our "house" (we) will stand firm if our faith has a strong foundation but the house built on sand will wash away. 

And I added text to this one...




A new hobby...


Punch Needle. I ordered the supplies I need to get started. The needles came yesterday and the rest of the supplies are supposed to come by UPS today.I've been watching YouTube videos on rug hooking and punch needle. I have loads of yarn. I'm waiting for monk cloth, a frame and various size needles. 
But first I have to finish the two doilies I started in January using this pattern. Getting there. 
 


Through My Kitchen Window 

A lot of turkey activity has been going on. The poor things seem starved.  I happened to look out the other morning and saw them in the cold, snow and ice, with the wind ruffling their feathers as they tried to find any leftovers of seeds and corn. Despite being in my nightgown with my hair going in all directions I put my boots on and went out with a bucket of seeds and cracked corn. There were about 25 of them. They all gathered around making little noises so happy to have some chow. Without realizing it I have become the Mother Teresa of the neighborhood wildlife this Winter. Word must be getting around. 😏




Accomplishments

I can't say I've done much yet I always seem to be busy. I have to take a lot of breaks with the housework because of my back issues but sitting with a heating pad does wonders. Cooking for Mom is a challenge. So I collected all the cookbooks in the house and have been going through them searching for recipes she might like. I then scan them to a folder on my iPad. 


I didn't read any books or listen to Audible. I did spend many hours on YouTube. I read my email and many blogs. I talked with family on the phone and caught up on the News. The news out of Washington  is disheartening so far. Sad to say but the borders are back to chaos and the jobs situation has worsened significantly. A lot of tearing down but no building up so far. But, Biden does have a soft, persuasive, grandfatherly voice and demeanor. I really hope to see some backbone soon. Something tells me Vice President Harris has enough for both of them but she's not the one in the Oval Office. 

I must include at least one ocean scene.💖 It has a calming effect on me. I have a large, beautiful Thomas Kincaid at home in our bedroom that my first husband, Doug, bought me for Christmas one year. It's got A lighthouse on a cliff, rough seas, and a ship. The caption says "He calmed the storm to a whisper." I found this copy of it on the internet. It's not nearly as lovely as the real deal.❤




And there you have it!


Take good care of yourselves, 
Susan
💕








PS: Thank you all for your heartfelt comments on my last post.💕 I don't often get too personal but I felt led to write it...so I did! 





Comments

  1. Lovely to see the deer in your video and all the turkeys, poor things. I hope you can take plenty of rest to ease your back pain. Take care x

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  2. I hope you catch the squirrel...and wish you knew where they were getting in. It is nasty here...we have not been out since maybe Sunday. Maybe Monday. I cancelled two appts and Roger has another therapy scheduled for tomorrow...I am going to try to make it but wonder if I am being crazy trying to get him out.

    Love the video of the deer.

    I am sorry your back is hurting...I have had back pain, but nothing real bad that lasted for days. But I know from what I have had that it is not pleasant.

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  3. Good to hear you are safe and cozy! We are supposed to get a warm up in a few days...looking forward to it! We fed the turkeys one winter they sure make a mess:(

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  4. The video is cute. You do have all the critters coming to dine.They know where to find the good stuff.

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  5. What a lovely video, deers always seem to skittish so it's nice that you got it to stay and eat. I'm sure the turkeys were thankful of that corn. We feed the birds, especially in the cold weather, I hate to think of them going hungry. Fingers crossed that you manage to catch that squirrel. I think you may have to block any holes around the property to stop them getting in, once they find a way they'll continue to use it until it's not there any more.

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  6. Word is out about the free food at your place. Loved the deer and wild turkeys have always fascinated me.
    So glad you are staying warm and well fed also.
    That illustration reminds me of a winter we spent in Ohio with only a fireplace for heat. It was really quite comfortable and we ate a lot of popcorn and played games.

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  7. Thanks for the update from Maine. Luv the little illustration and the church. But I have to say say this about deer -- ours are much more aggressive. They'll come right up to the house and destroy our bushes. They also carry Lyme disease. I've had it three times and it's no fun.

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  8. Squirrels seem to have a way of getting into the attics of older homes, Susan, as I well know from my late mother trying to get rid of them. She even had screening put around suspected entry points and still they managed a way in. It does look like word is getting around that there's free food at your place, perhaps this is what is also encouraging the squirrels to find shelter?

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  9. I love the thought of you as the Mother Teresa of the animals on your island. I can understand your worry about them.

    You sure keep busy. Stay safe!

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  10. Its a shame that there is so little food for the critters outdoors, we feed the deer and wild animals also, I love seeing them eat, what a joy it is.
    The doily pattern is beautiful, I am looking forward to seeing them finished.
    I have done punch needle not good at it, I like the look and the texture of the threads, I hope you share the design you will be punching.
    I have never had any critters in my attic we have been lucky so far.
    I hope your back ache goes away quickly.

    Catherine

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  11. i have done a lot of needle punching and really enjoy it!! if you would like to see what i have done, there is a search link on my blog and you can type in "needle punching" and my posts will come up. your doily is gorgeous!!

    years ago we had raccoons in our attic. we had to call muskrat jack and he got rid of them for us!!

    back pain is no fun, i hope you feel better!!

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  12. The deer you caught in the video is wonderful! I was able to enlarge it and watch him (or her) real close-up like. How awful to have squirrels entering the house. We had a bit of a problem with raccoons a few years ago, but we seem to have fixed that problem. I hope you get yours fixed soon. That doily is beautiful. I'm looking forward to seeing yours finished. I have the itch to make another doily - simpler than you show above, though. There's just something really gratifying about going round and round, repeating a pattern, a new pattern every row - over and over again, finally producing a mesmerizing thing of beauty. :)

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  13. Dear Susan or Mother Teresa of the Animal! I'm coming very late to this posting, but the past three months have brought with them some h earth issues for me. Now things are looking up, and I hope to resume some sort of routine. Th at is, have some structure in my life again!

    I hope t his finds you and your mom well. Th at the cooking goes as well as the fudge making!

    In February I discovered--because the heat failed in my home--that a raccoon had taken up residence in the attic. He'd eaten through the flex ducts and so all the heat was up there, not down here where the cats and I live! All is well now, and I can so remember the day when the ducts were fixed, the raccoon was elsewhere, the insulation was in place, and the cats and I were toasty again! Take care. I hope you and your mom have had the vaccine shots. Peace.

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