Category: Uncategorized

On kindness

My goal for my 1,000th post was to have
gathered 50 or more random acts of kindness from folks
who came across the blog post either randomly or as frequent readers. 
In the past three days alone, more than 700 people stopped by to read it
according to site stats.
200 today! 
A dozen of you wonderful people told us what you do or have done
as an act of kindness, and I thank you for your particpation in my little “project”. 
  The world is a better place because you are in it.
I learned something here too…. 
I had better not ever quit my day job to become a motivational speaker…
🙂

~~~~~
It only takes a little ripple to impact the world for the better.
You don’t require a fat bank account or even spare change.
A simple smile or a compliment or the bringing in of a newspaper,
the returning of a shopping cart,
 can be worth a million dollars. 
Believe it. 
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” 
― Mother Teresa
“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” 
“No one has ever become poor by giving.” 
― Anne Frank, diary of Anne Frank
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Using random generator online,
comment number 7 was chosen.
Susie2, you’ve won the give-away!
Please e-mail your mailing address and full name
to karenthisoldhouse@hotmail.com
and I’ll send it out to you right away.

Thank you all –

The Kindness Project

   What you are reading right now is post 998 at This Old House too.   Holy wow.   That’s a lot of posts!  To honor the 1,000 milestone, I want to have a give-away.  I’ve started putting together a package to send out to the winner chosen using the random generator.  Below are items I’ll include …and there will be a surprise or two as well.

This is a really neat little  -five year!- One sentence journal –
No big time sucker here – the goal is to write one sentence
each day about what brought you happiness on that day. 
The dates are already in it.. you just have to write your one sentence.
Even in the most trying of times,
if you Look for the Good, you’ll see it. 
Reading back over your journal entries years down the road
will trigger good memories too 🙂 

 Two  Autumn Owl  Hand towels –
and this awesome Evelyn & Crabtree Lip Balm…
So.. what do you have to do to enter the give-away? 
It’s real simple.
Commit a random act of kindness, come back and report it here
in the comments section of this post. 
If you can’t leave a comment for some reason, 
send me your random act of kindess in e-mail and I’ll post it below.
karenthisoldhouse@hotmail.com
What acts of kindess will count?  
Anything you come up with. 
Need ideas? 
Pay for the next persons coffee in the Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks line.
Donate some books to your local library.
If you use tolls on the highway or bridge,
pay the next persons toll.
Drop off hand lotions to your local hospital Intensive Care unit.
The nurses will thank you profusely. 
Give the next person in line your silver coins from Big Y.
Take your elderly neighbor a hot meal.
Bring in their paper on a rainy day. 
Adopt a cat or dog from your local shelter 
(ok, that’s a BIG one.) 
Bring some canned goods to your local food pantry. 
You get the picture. 
Now GO.
DO. 
And come back and tell me about it. 
Spread the word about this blog post too..
My goal is to see atleast 50 acts of kindness in the comments. 
Help me reach that goal, won’t you? 

Big

  People often ask me what it’s like to have such a big dog in the house.  Funny thing…. recently Mike made the observation that Ben doesn’t even seem BIG anymore, we’re so used to his size.  Dogs like labs and rottis and shepperds actually seem small.

  Now that we’ve lived with one for more than four years I’m convinced Danes think they are just another person in the house.   They are sensitive, intelligent, gentle giants – unless you try to mess with their family.  Ben sits on chairs just like we do, has respect for the fact that there is food on the table and he can reach it, but can’t take it unless it’s given to him…and when we go for our walks  he does not pull. He walks along side me as another person would.  He “talks” when you ask him a question with a series of moans and grumbles I have yet to decipher…except to know it’s his way of answering.

   I know why there are Dane rescues.  They look awesome as puppies and the thought of a REALLY BIG DOG is appealing to some.  The truth is, it’s expensive to feed them and they take up ALOT of room. Because they are so big… (Ben weighs 190 lbs)  they require support for their big bodies in the form of a good bed.  Some use the family couch, some use really big orthopedic dog beds.  Ben has my son’s old  queen size mattress on my office floor.  They are a fragile flower, meaning they can’t live outside because their coats are pretty thin.  And lastly, because they are protectors too, they can be dangerous in the wrong situation.  This is a  truth about any breed.  All these facts become daunting to some Dane owners, and often the dog is eventually dumped.  Sad truth.

  So m answer to the question always ends with… consider the meaning of owning a Dane IN your home before you take the plunge.

Sampling the coffee cake on the manchild’s plate. 
He was invited   🙂    

 

The boat floats!

   I finally got Mike out in his new kayak yesterday – we  threw Torch and Ruby in the back of the truck and headed over to Cedar Lake for his first “tour” in the new boat.   Torch is a  Hurricane brand touring or expedition kayak, made for rivers, lakes, flat water, etc… and it’s streamlined for a smooth glide, easier maneuvering.  His big blue sit-above, the sea kayak by Liquidlogic, was more of a barge.  So… his mango-orange kayak feels more… oh, shall we say, tippy.  Now, it’s not gonna tip unless you want it to, so as long as you aren’t thinking those thoughts, you’re gonna stay nice and dry.

  He kept thinking those thoughts.

My Ruby is a Necky Manitou…
I absolutely love it. Not expensive, still great capability for this kind 
of kayaking.  It’s  size is perfect for the average woman. 

  So … it’s gonna take some getting used to,  Mike and his relationship with the Torch,  but in the long run he will see that he is free as a bird in that boat, compared to trudging along in the barge.

One can hope.
If you have wondered about it but have never tried kayaking,
it’s a great way to get out into nature and feel the peace on the water..
good exercise at whatever level you wish to achieve, and 
a form of meditation in a way I can’t describe. 
It’s freeing. 
Kayaking has become so popular, there are usually many places in the US
to rent them.  Give it a try. If you love it as I do, there is an abundance of
 kayak models in all price ranges to choose from, and often used boats
for sale at a greatly reduced price.  Once you’ve bought your boat,
the trekking is free.  And freeing – Just sayin!
Happy Paddling – 

The Golden Girls and the Marathons of Life

 My mother has a circle of friends who have been there for each other through thick and thin, sickness and health, triumph and heartbreak  for many years.   I have come to love them through her, and I envy their closeness.  It seems my generation doesn’t necessarily form the same bonds for the duration, as these women have. Perhaps todays’ more transient lifestyles have something to do with it, I don’t know.  What I do know is, friends are essential for a persons well being, and nurturing them provides reward well worth the effort.

   One of these friends lost a son earlier this week, suddenly, tragically. They gathered over recent days to comfort and say good bye to their beloved.  Another son in this circle, a friend of the departed,  has written a beautiful piece about the marathons in life and I invite you to read it…..

Sound Mind, Sound Body

     I’ve been a worrier since I was old enough to remember.  With chronic worry comes the physical and mental toll, especially as we age.   Seven years ago now, several  very sad and terrifying things converged on our family at the same time and all hell broke loose with my body, mentally and physically.  I had a headache for a year straight – MRI, CT SCANS, meds after meds after meds, nothing wrong technically – but nothing got rid of the pain.  My blood pressure was above acceptable numbers and my anxiety peaked. I began having panic attacks.  If you’ve never had one of those, they are awful.  It’s as if you’re dying, that’s what it feels like. And it comes out of nowhere at any given time for what seems like no reason at all.  I could be walking in the grocery store or sitting in a restaurant, and the feeling of being unable to breathe, racing heart, sick stomach, certain doom!… came over me like a heavy wet blanket.   My body ached all the time, all over.  I was plagued by Acid Reflux.    Dr. visits, an ER visit or two or three!… and bad reactions to medications left me feeling absolutely spent and hopeless.  My husband gets kudos here for helping me through it all… there were many nights when I woke up in panic or violently sick in the bathroom and he rubbed my back or held my hair away from my face at the toilet. How’s that for a visual.

   What broke the cycle?  Well, the heart ache of a loss was less sharp as time went on,  and the healing of a child was so appreciated and such a gift it was hard to stay in the negative. But that wasn’t enough.  I changed what I was eating too. Visualize whatever you put in your body is either polluting it or nourishing it. You’re either feeding your body or feeding a disease…..  it’s that simple.  With that mantra, you’ll  think twice before scarfing down that junk food.  I stay away from Gluten most of the time, and boy do I feel better when I do.  I limit dairy too.

   I also  decided I didn’t want to live in a medication induced fog, didn’t want to live in constant fear, had to get control of my mind again by doing what I knew needed to be done. Getting off the meds if possible.   One of the suggestions that I had always scoffed at, because hey, I am so unbendy , can’t stop the mind from thinking 100 miles an hour, let alone CLEAR IT OF ALL THOUGHTS – HA!… …. was YOGA.  Well let me tell ya, once I gave it a try, and stuck with it….. what a difference a 20 minute simple easy routine for beginners makes.  Because of my hearing impairment, a yoga class is out of the question because I can’t hear the instructor, much less get in the pose while still trying to read her lips.  So I have several DVDs and a yoga mat and I do my routine at home. I try for at least four times a week, just 20 minutes at a clip.  Anyone can find time for that, and I sure do recommend it.

 My favorite DVD is a series that was on TV for a while. My sister let me know about it.
Kate Potter Namaste.  Her blog is HERE   . 
 I absolutely love these simple to follow routines. 
Not too much for the beginner and the scenery is peaceful and ever changing.
I have Season One and Two. 
I’m not being paid to endorse, here, so you can trust what I’m saying is true.  
The combination of yoga, walking and eating healthier has made a difference in my health.
The headache eventually went away and my anxiety is under control. 
My blood pressure isn’t perfect but it’s not in need of medication. 
My body aches are far less and the acid reflux is an occasional nuisance,
but it  not a constant.
Now and then I feel these issues creeping up on me again.
I’ll always worry,…hey, I have kids! … just can’t help that, and I do have arthritis from
all the years of using this body the way I do. 
 When I have what I call a flare up, I can 
attribute it to being  lax in eating habits and exercise routine.
One more thing that is so important to the well being of your body and your mind.
Feed your tendencies toward creativity and nurturing. 
Food for the SOUL as well as the body and mind. 
My family room this morning…
no one uses this room very much, so it becomes my place to “be”. 
My Yoga DVD on the tube..
My little dollhouse cottage project on the right..
and a new painting on the easel to the left. 
I haven’t picked up a paint brush in many years. 
Am I an accomplished artist?  Heck no.
But I love the process, so why ever not.
More on that later.  
Here’s a little peek into my dollhouse project..
The kitchen table… 
Thanks for all your kind words and encouragement, always.
It’s a new day, people, and holy heck, a HOT ONE. 
Stay cool, and make it a good one. 

Just call me Rambling Rose

  When I started this little ole blog, it was all about the rebuilding of this farm and house we live in now.  Then some a$$ started behaving like a psycho with very rude comments and I deleted the whole thing, including the raising up of This Old House once again.   I’m still heartbroken over the loss of the blog at that stage, I deleted too hastily and regretted it immediately. I was not able to retrieve it, no matter what I attempted.

 Anyhow, years and almost 1,000 blog posts later, (I kid you not!) I still love this space for sharing of stories, funnies, good times and bad, garden tips, recipes,  pet and livestock issues, your stories, our collective opinions on current events, new friend making, the list goes on and on.

  Now and then I hesitate to post what I’m thinking or how I’m feeling about a certain thing that might be controversial.  At first I didn’t want to offend anyone if my view came from a different angle.  I didn’t want to share negatives because jeez, we see enough of that all the time, don’t we?  But, blowing sunshine and light out into this space all the time just didn’t feel real, wasn’t really all of me, and so I’ve ventured into the controversial now and then and you’ve waded in with me, respectfully.  I love that about this space. And you are all part of the reason it’s such a joy for me to contribute to it.  Because you contribute too.

  Maggy had this to say in an e-mail to me this morning…

” Thanks for the thought-provoking posts and keeping your blog ‘real’ .. it’s what brings me back, time after time.”

Maggy, If I manage to make just a handful of the people who stop by here to read my drivel feel the same way?  Well, I’m the happiest girl in town.
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  I want to share a portion of an opinion I read on friend Mandy’s FB wall regarding the Zimmerm*n Mart*n  case.


  “It’s disgusting how everyone is trying to turn the Ge*rge Zimmerm*n thing into a race or gun issue.  Neither one of these people is a hero, and we shouldn’t think to have them be the focal point of any firearms or race discussion.  Don’t let the actions of two people of questionable morals you don’t even know turn you against one another. ”   


  Tragedy, it was, indeed.  Neither the young man or the overzealous neighborhood watch guy deserve what they have now… death, and a life altered horribly by poor judgement forever.  But what she said above?  I couldn’t agree with her more.

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rolling Stone Magazine just lost another reader.  I am horrified by their choice of cover, as are many many others.  Walgreens and CVS have vowed not to sell the current issues on their stands, BRAVO. Boston Mayor Menino sent this response to Rolling Stone…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  So, what have we learned this year in the garden?   Apparently, Tomatoes, cucumbers and Squash absolutely LOVE the tropical heat,  humidity and rain fall we’ve had in the month of July.  Holy cow, the plants and vegetables are HUGE.

Frasier is not a small dog.  These are HUGE yellow squash plants. 
Here ya go… Karen at 7:30 am, no makeup, no shower yet,
still covered in sawdust from mucking stalls and coop chores,
No air brushed wrinkles or freckles, 
no dark circle removal. 
How’s that for keeping it real 🙂
Notice those tomato plants are as high as my shoulder!
It’s a jungle, I’m telling ya. 
One more thing to share this morning…
I’m pimping my garden shed just a little.
I found this old metal rack at an antique junk shop
and glass bottles in other antique junk shops. 
I bought that old stool for the potting shed for $20… I think I shoulda haggled more..
and can I brag for a minute about these Lady Elsie May roses?
My iphone does not do the color justice.. they are a beautiful peachy magenta rose
that requires no attention what so ever. 
Connie of Hartwood Roses let me know that roses are not as fussy as we think they are..
and she was so right.
 Well that’s all the rambling I’ll subject you to today.
It’s going to reach 100 and the humidity is swimmable, 
I wish I were kidding. 
Stay cool, folks, and thanks for stopping by. 

Fanning it

  Well, it’s hotter than hot once again, with temps near 100 and the humidity thick enough to slice. Yuck.  It’s important in this kind of weather to remember the animals in our care.  I get the barn, coop and garden chores done as early as I can talk myself into on these hot summer days.

Chickens do not like extreme heat. 
They do better in cold weather temps than they do
in high heat situations.  
I can’t air condition their coop,
but I do make sure they have plenty of clean water and I dump ice cubes in 
the water troughs during the day.  I also make sure the coop is clean and there is 
a small fan facing into their yard to give them some breeze relief.
(pardon the algae… ahem)
Chickens don’t sweat… if they are heat stressed you
will see them with beak open, panting. 
I also let the girls out into the yard where they take shelter in the grove of cedar trees 
next to their coop…relatively  safe from predators and cool in the shade.
Up at the barn, we’ve just installed paddle fans over the stalls ,
high enough that the horses won’t clip themselves on the blades. 
In extreme heat and humidity, to keep the air flowing and 
the hay from molding, I also turn on a window fan for cross ventilation.
(pardon the cobwebs! Sheesh!)
The horses come and go from the barn to the pasture all day long.
When the bugs and heat drive them nuts, they come in for respite.

When you see horses out in pasture on a hot day where there is no protection like shade trees or a barn
 from the sun and the bugs,  oh.. they’ll survive, but they aren’t very uncomfortable.
My dogs go out to do their thing and come right back in, it’s just too darn hot. 
I hate when I see dogs chained out in the heat with dirty water to top it off
– they are also plagued by bugs
and can die from heat stroke. 
We would be miserable in those conditions,
so are the dogs. 
I saw a situation that made me want to spit in the persons face recently.
Sometimes I don’t bother putting a sock in it and
I stand up for the animal being abused. 
They can’t speak for themselves.  
Here at This Old House, the animals are spoiled. 
I know how lucky I am to have the resources to do so.
But it doesn’t take much to be kind to an animal.  Not much at all.
If you make the decision to own  them, treat them right..
or let someone else give them the home they deserve.
– just sayin. 

Overcast perfection

  I took Ruby and my good camera out for a paddle yesterday morning
on the Menunketesuck River in Clinton, Ct.
The weather was overcast and the air was still…
a perfect combination  for glass-like photography.
I love this photo.. may try to paint it. 
  
A juvenille Osprey
The Menunketesuck flows out into Long Island sound, so there are seagulls….
…blue crabs…
and hundreds of thousands of fiddler crabs,
shy for the camera.
Do you see them? 
I could live here happily, I think…
…or here. This place just needs a little love.
 If you haven’t given kayaking a try yet, 
I highly recommend it. Great exercise at your own pace,
and you’ll get a view of your neck o’s the woods and waterways 
that you would otherwise never see. 
It’s a beautiful thing.