Today’s Blooms – Ireland

Just back from a trip to Ireland where things were very green and pretty. In a parks rose garden I found these beauties.

Then I looked in my back yard today.

Hope you are having a beautiful day. #todaysblooms

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Thursday Doors – Old Town

Old Town is an area on the North side of Chicago. It is famous for many reasons but just one is Second City, the comedy club. There are far too many famous people who got their start here to list and it is still doing the same for comedians today.

The area has many beautiful old houses and was originally an area where German immigrants settled. It also became a hip or rather a hippie type area with cute shops and old dark bars. It is still thriving today and has changed some of the old for the new but still a vibrant eating and shopping area.

I did find some lovely old homes and a few doors to share.

This was from a portion of only one block. I really liked the two doors that mirrored the porch covering. Some of the space has been replaced with large new apartment buildings but there is also a lot of charm. Definitely worth a stop on your next visit to Chicago.

Thursday’s Doors – Portland, ME

These doors are from the city center area of Portland, Maine. The 3rd door is from the house of Longfellow which is next to the Museum. Fun day spent in Maine so I could add it to my list of states visited. Only 3 left on the bucket list.

#thursdayDoors

Thursday Doors – Italy

Thank goodness for friends who help pick me up when necessary. I have been very absent to any online activity due to many complications the universe has sent me all at the same time. I mentioned the doors from Europe that I had been sharing and she offered up a couple. Thank you Barb.

For this week’s offering I have a couple of colorful doors from Italy, not sure of the region, but I’ll take it. She has one in her collection of photos with pots of flowers all around the door but that was not shared, maybe I can talk her out of it.

Love the color of aged wood.

This could be from many islands in the Mediterranean.

End 2020, Begin 2021

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

For most of us this change can’t come soon enough, we are exhausted by 2020 and all that we collectively experienced. I have seen several people writing about their accomplishments in 2020 so the year does not seem like a total fail. Several lists have truly impressed me and I hope good habits learned become permanent in their lives and all the bad habits stay away.

So this leads to thoughts that maybe I missed the mark somehow this year. I do have a couple of positives to share but mine pale in comparison to most I have seen, not that there is a competition. I really learned to shop online, I was in the amateur category before and have advance to professional now. Not sure if that is good or bad.

I competed in several 5K’s from all across the country. My first time ever I was interested in actually running well, jogging in my case. I joined for the t-shirts mostly and the fact that this was a way to contribute to a variety of causes in a minimal involvement way. The t-shirts are so I can make a quilt for myself as a good reminder of this year. This is probably something I will continue as long as I don’t have to get into a huge crowd of people and can run the track at my local closed school.

Photo by Snapwire on Pexels.com

I also discovered a couple of online music venues to watch some of my favorite performers “live” performances. Some did live performances on FaceBook , but many of them were really not prepared for no performances or no paycheck anytime in the near future. To keep their families fed they did paid performances online. The cost was less than a regular show and you did not have to be in the town of the performance. It’s great and I am good with this as an option.

I also participated in several online classes to learn or improve skills in a variety of artsy techniques, this was fun but not like in person. Not sure how much of this I will continue.

One of my big disappointments was the lack of travel. I have done a fair amount of travel and had a number of trips already planned. I haven’t been near an airport in over a year. I sure miss seeing my friends in other cities and countries. I will wait until I no longer have to quarantine for 2 weeks upon reaching another city, most of my trips are only 1 or 2 days not for months.

Photo by Jason Toevs on Pexels.com

I agree with the thought of good riddance to 2020. I was at one point happy I stayed alive long enough to live in this year. Today I am happy I made it to December.

Happy New Year.

Covid Safe Travel

Sorry, hope the title did not give you the false impression that a private jet was pulling up to your doorway to whisk you away on your dream vacation.  Since I am in the same time-out, stay-at-home, do not pass go, lock-down plus “your grounded” feeling most all of you are having, I want to give you a little hope.  Extreme-mini-vacay is what we are talking about here.

My first suggestion is a trip to the closest nursery or garden center.  If you have a garden space outside here is a chance to pick some new  plants to live in that space.  If you have no garden area, it’s just nice to go and look at what they have that is blooming.  Take a few photos or make a sketch or two of your favorite plants on display.

Also, take your time.  This is not a place to race through to get the best bargains or sale items, enjoy the beauty, enjoy the fragrances, enjoy the sunshine or rain, enjoy just being out of your house.  Since most of these are outside it becomes a very safe place to be, but wear your mask while walking around.

Clowder

It’s never too late to learn something new. I had no idea a group of cats is called a clowder. There are several other names you can use, but I like this one. Here is my clowder.