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It makes me happy when you post! It’s always insightful and thought provoking…. 

Ha...as I'm missing your posts, there you are in my inbox!  Oh joy! :) Oh the validation (as usual)!

Yes, the damage to adults and children is coming out. I read it often in news articles that aren't "mainstream." Children are depressed and anxious.  They're brains (and adults) are shrinking.  It's proven that the world is becoming "dumber". I can't stand it when I see an adult hand their toddler their phone, or the kids have a thousand toys and the parents say they play with them all.  Yes, they do but for snippets of time!  The gov is a mess, the media doesn't "report" anymore  and so many on medications rather than looking at the cause!  I could go on, but I won't.   It's really sad time we live in.  I'm just so thankful I was brought up in a time that was so much healthier!

I just heard that the average amount that people spend on Valentines Day is $200!!!!WHAT? What does that say about our society?   So as you said, little joys are oh, so more joyful!  Yes, decorate your home as you see fit! I say to people stop looking for other's approval because your house isn't trendy!  I scroll on by so much, because people's homes are all the same!!!  Better yet, get off those sites.  As you said, Donna, embrace YOUR own home! We've lost ourselves and people need to get it back. Do YOU I say!  I love this post because you are giving people the idea to be themselves. 

What a joyful post!   

Thank you for another thoughtful post. I really enjoy hearing how you both are. The video was something else ! Such a relaxing and inspirational clip. Stay well and in the now x

There is an account on Instagram I follow, fit_ momof7, and she shares videos of her 91 year old mom exercising and interviews. One recent talk the mom said the same about kids being entertained with technology and it being unhealthy, and about simple living. I am convicted at how I am not making myself a priority to move my body. I keep having so much I need to do that I put that off. I have been limiting social media. I have set a limit to how long I can be in daily. At first I was opening Facebook or Instagram almost every 15 minutes just to see if there was a comment. It was such a habit I'd open it and realize I'd looked again and close it quickly.  Finally I broke the mindless habit after a few days.  

Your trip home reminded me of our early days, around 1990. We didn't have any money for gas to go home 5 hours away. So, when we went it used our grocery money. We never told anyone we had to do that, but God always provided. My husband's grandmother would give us home canned blackberry jelly. My husband took a peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese sandwich every day for lunch. My mother in law always made a ham or a roast when we visited. She would throw out the carcass! So I started asking for it. I'd bring it home and boil it and remove all the meat, usually atleast a cup and a half of meat. Then I'd make a soup or big pot of beans with the broth. She usually would have a bag of chips and cookies she bought that didn't get eaten and we used that with the sandwiches for lunches. We would then have a lot of meals like purple hull peas and rice with cornbread, or no meat suppers until I had money for groceries again. The gas took a good two weeks from the grocery budget. Every once in awhile the inlaws filled our gas tank before we left. 

My son was picking in me about all the stuff I have in my home and said he was minimalist. I joked back I was maximalist. Everything is either passed down from family, or bought at estate sales or garage sales, mostly antiques. I am a home maker so am surrounded by things that remind me of my mom and Grandmaw that have passed. I have my great grandmother Singer treadle machine and dresser, Mama's cedar chest, husband's grandmother's chair and hob nail lamps and a hanging lamp, his other grandmother pie safe, quilts, my dad's dresser and nightstands, dining table and buffet mama bought from the preacher in 1971, and 32  place settings of Mama's china and American Fosteria crystal, and her silver service. 

Holly D, my mother had that same Fostoria crystal!  She never had china or silver, but she had the Fostoria.

I feel for my grandchildren.  They are, thankfully, encouraged to go outside and do, but they still have so much to distract them that I, and even their parents, didn't have, such as endless options on TV.  What a tough time to raise kids.  It's a difficult time to be an adult!  While I miss the hectic days of having growing children at home, I have to admit, it's nice these days to have a quiet home to which I can retreat at day's end.

So excited to see another post from you Donna. Thank you very much

Before this post came out I had decided I would invest in old fashioned board games for our grandchildren....and us. TV and computers/phones are such a trap and we feel like we're missing out on something if we're not watching or checking all the day long. Twice last month I left my phone at home when I went to town and felt panicky. I do have a terminal husband so it was because of that. "In case......"something happened.!!!!!! I grew up when there was no such thing as cellphones.

I like my home to be as quiet as possible so don't have the radio on all day nor the tv. I watched a game show last night called the 1%Club. This one was the Australian version. The host had a disgusting mouth on him, full of innuendo and smutt so that was the end of that. The original from the UK is not like that. 

Hence the board games as tv does not offer much good now.

As I age I tend to want to have less around me as far as stuff goes.

Lovely to read the comments from others

Karen NZ

I couldn't agree more!  I am 54, so pre google, and I have noticed the severe decline in reporting and news information.  Whereas, yes horrible things have happened since the beginning of time, we were just not aware of every single thing. We also didn't have news that purposely is created to create hostility, division and fear. Fact checking seems to come after the fact or never and there is just so much bad information. I won't even go into the fake news and information on these social media sites. I tried to keep my kids away from it as much as possible, but now they are own their own or in college so I cannot really do too much about it other than talk to them about limiting it. I remember so many road trips where we stop at a picnic table for lunch (and so excited when I was little that sometimes there was a bag of UTZ chips!).  I still do road trips the same way, cooler in the back!  Love reading your posts and feel quite calm reading them. Thank you!

I think the most impactful memory of their childhood my kids may have came on one of our Christmas time journey’s to CO to visit family.  Hubby had made a bed to put over the wheel wells in the back of the van so we could drive straight thru and take turns sleeping back there (HEY….it was the 80’s y’all and that’s how you travelled.  The roads and been cleared.  So take a deep breath and let it go.)  It was my turn in the back sleeping as we were going across eastern CO. Suddenly my son was back beside me shaking me and excitedly saying “Mom MOM wake up!!!! MOM, You can’t miss this!”  So glad I did sit up because…..oh my gosh!  The incredible beauty.  It was probably 2 am.  Full moon.  A foot of snow on the ground.  And hubby was driving with no lights….was so incredibly bright outside they weren’t needed.  We could see the sparkle of the moonlight all around us and the mountains up ahead in the distance.  Such sweet sweet beauty.    How many kids who are traveling now know zero and I do mean zero of how things look If they travel because they are glued to a screen playing games and watching movies?

I hope for my grands their sharpest memory of our house is always arriving to find a card starting them on a treasure hunt to find little gifts.  Or they will be struck by the merry of seeing things always blooming in the yard.  Because of our health limits we aren’t the grandparents who take them to movies or shows or entertain with the latest gadgets.  Hopefully their memories will always be that we were there with them to play games and value time with them.  I hope they’ll be just bored enough at times to look around and really SEE our home and ask about the things they see….most all has a story as someone noted above.  I’ve come to realize I have no joy at going to someplace like TJ Max etc to get things for my home.  I want what I have to come from our journeys or to be crafted by hand.  My friends and I have come to think of this time in our lives, as we are all in our 70’s or nearly so, as prepping the ark to be safe and comfortable and peaceful for the rest of our journey in this life.  So I’m not interested in crafting my space to please others. I’m crafting it for peace.

GRANDMA DONNA WROTE, I am enjoying reading your comments, many good memories too. 

I'm sure enjoying all the comments as well! I find that the more crazy things happen in the world and the more the world pushes me to think I need these things the more I go the other direction and find comfort in our family, our cat, our land, our garden, etc. I tried on Sunday to get the women together from church for a fun evening at our place and just socializing. I even tried to get them to meet up at the wayside for a picnic sometime, but no one wants to do anything. It's so sad when everyone goes to other places and all that is done is watching kids play on electronics or sitting in front of a TV. It's maddening to me and maybe more so since we don't have those things in our home. Friends have even offered to give us a TV and all these electronic things. I can't help but think of how much they are addicted to something of no value. 

GDonna this is so true what you said.

"Our home is our refuge for all that goes on outside our doors, take care

of yourself and those living in the home by making that one space, a

cozy chair by a window or in a quiet corner just for you if there is

only you, for the others if there are others. Everyone needs that one

space that is theirs to settle, relax, read, think, sew, knit, it makes

for a peaceful home"

We found out this morning that a friend of ours passed away who lives out of state. We aren't able to attend the funeral due to cost and time. I think of how those many times of being on the phone with them had we of not listened and had a REAL conversation in the moment how the friendship would've been different. I sure miss people being present. I have also noticed that there is some sort of uncertainty in the world. I'm so glad it's not just my husband and myself noticing it as so many I see don't pay any attention to it at all. We are in our 40's, but can't ever think of a time such as this before. Thank you for another inspiring post to keep pushing forward in what we know to be true in a world of uncertainity.

I keep forgetting to ask this to everyone. How were items frozen in the past to avoid using a ziploc bag? I know that most didn't freeze items such as leftovers and things like cheese were wrapped in wax paper and such, but I can't find much information on that. Maybe a better way to freeze those particular items that you just have extra of. I hope this makes sense. I do use containers, foil, wax paper, etc.

Oh my goodness. Here in NZ one of the supermarket chains is rolling out facial recognition. I read the other chain keeps your computer ID number when you shop online. There is now numberplate recognition when you go to car parks.

Yesterday I cancelled the ,"loyalty" cards from both the supermarkets, cancelled a card that gives you VIP status ( yeah right) at a store that sells wool,fabric etc, cancelled a card that gives you fuel discount but I figured at 6c a litre for 20 litres that's only $1.20 and I can live with that. Besides there is a discount fuel stop where we live and it's always cheaper. Am so over everything we do we have our information recorded. Will grocery shop with cash until that option is removed. I did hear that England and Australia are almost a cashless society now.

We have a Privacy Act here in NZ but none of us are asked if we want to participate in all this stuff.

Excellent post, Grandma Donna, and I loved the comments, too.  Like you, I really enjoy the simple things.  Sitting by the fire, walking the dogs, hiking on our trails, baking, cooking delicious meals, and reading library books.  I met up with a friend from out of town yesterday, and she was scrolling on her phone during our conversation.  It was depressing.  I make an effort to really listen and connect with people when we're talking, but so many want to multitask.  I think it's making people angry and argumentative.  Their egos are swelling.  It helps me to do yoga, meditate, journal, and sing.  Hauling firewood is very grounding, too.  Thanks for the excellent post and reminder.

For anyone that wants more info on treadle sewing machines, look up Fiddleybits on You Tube. She'll even show you how to use all those strange attachments.

I just read Donna's post again and all of the comments.  It is very grounding for me in these difficult and unpredictable times.  Karen S. mentioned the changes in her local grocery store.  I live in California and have been noticing these things too.  The local Safeway and Target have all of their personal care items, OTC meds and even laundry supplies locked up and you have to ask an employee (if you can find one) to open the case so you can get your Tide, or Tylenol etc.  At Safeway there are 2 security guards on duty all the time and they have changed the front of the store so you can only go in one door and out another with little metal fencing to show the way and keep you from going the wrong way.  It breaks my heart to see the suspicious attitudes on view here. Where is the love and the caring?  They tell us that these measures are to prevent theft but these big companies have insurance to replace what was lost.  And anyway, if someone needs laundry soap, Tylenol or cold medicine badly enough to steal it, then I say, give it to them.  The richest nation on earth has to lock up essentials.  Sorry, I'll get off my soap box now but these things get my panties in a twist especially when I know it doesn't have to be this way.  

Thank you Donna for your post.. a treasured gift that brightens my day and validates living a peaceful, simple life.  It reassures me that others leave  the noise of the commercial world for just living in the NOW of life.  I loved Maia ...how wonderful would it be to move so fluidly at 95 !  I am inspired to make time to regain flexibility in my body.  Thank you.

My life is a bit ratty at the moment, with unplanned “things” coming at me, so I am not having those wonderful “boring” days at home when I can just potter and enjoy the zen of watching the day move through it’s cycle.  I am helping with my grandchildren as my son in law is away for 3 months doing a course so I am now a support person to the family.  Also friends are needing me to drive them to medical appointments and I m going through the grief of watching dear friends get cancer diagnoses..... ahh it’s not easy losing your old, old friends, who hold all your stories, and you theirs.  I too keep a vase, or a painting, or a chair to remind me of a loved one who is now longer with us...

I do also make sure I make time to build strong friendships with younger friends.  They have a different window on life.  They are watching their children grow up, leave home and are a breath of fresh air with their cheer and hope for the future.  I need that as I making my end of life death planning.  I need the balance of their hope and courage.

It is nice to be at peace in my simple home, to still have my hubby to talk to about stuff, to act ratty at times and not be judged but for him to understand that it has been a trying day and that I just can’t cope at the moment with what the world is throwing at me.  

Your post brought back a memory of a funeral that I went to of a dearly loved Aunt.  How I had no money, travelled for 10 hours by train with a young child but just how important it was to be at that service.  No cell phone or credit card for backup in those days.  

My grandson 10 is missing his Dad.  He is addicted to screens.  So I put him to bed without his screens, I read him a book with him reading the occasional page ...it was a humorous book...and then the golden moment..we talked...he told me how he is missing his Nanny, who he dearly loved, and who died 3 years ago;  he talked about being stabbed and murdered and buried alive and did I believe in an after life...  phew!!  it was 9.30 at night and I’m no spring chicken! So I started a story of “once upon a time”  ..a funny make believe story with him and me in it, we both had to add a line each, it was a bit naughty, there was a fart, a fire, and his Dad (who is away) came to the rescue and was the hero and  we both had to remember the WHOLE  story until the end when, after the adventure, he finished it by saying “and it was make believe and we returned to my bedroom where the whole world was just as it should be”.  You see I tricked his mind to think of other fun things instead of doom and gloom and he could sleep peacefully.   So that is the gift that being older and wiser gives to our loved ones, we have time to help them cope with all the stuff coming at that, with often no one to talk to to help them to process it, as their parents are so pressured by just surviving.

Donna, I am so grateful to you for posting...for sharing your wisdom, how you cared for loved ones and their pets, your love of your hubby, your home, the natural world and your health struggles.  I have freshly baked banana bread and peanut biscuits and just wish I could share a cuppa, in person, with you. So stay well my friend and thank you for sharing your precious world with us all.  We are all richer for it