CHALLENGE

 “The point is not to pay back kindness but to pass it on.”

We were challenged yesterday to do three random acts of  kindness daily, for the next 21 days.

Game On!

MY MARCH HOROSCOPE

 

Sagittarius (November 22–December 21)

Finances improve on the 10th. Sell or buy property on the 18th.

Home is where your heart is this month. Mercury retrograde makes this the ideal month to finally tackle those renovation projects. Mars adds muscle when it sidles up next to the Sun on the 2nd. Progress kicks up a million notches, allowing you to quickly reach every finish line. A career boost occurs around the 3rd’s Full Moon. This could mark the moment when you bust through obstacles and rise to the next level. Love comes calling when Venus shimmies into your true love sector on the 6th. Put your heart on the line—and let love rule your actions. Your ruling planet, Jupiter, stations direct on the 10th. If your finances felt tight for the past few months, this cosmic happening turns the fiscal faucet back on. Over the next few weeks, opportunities to increase your security will emerge. Looking for new real estate? Want to sell your current nest? The New Moon on the 18th is your best bet for buying, selling, or moving. Romantic possibilities increase when the Sun flounces into passionate Aries on the 20th. That same day, Mercury stations direct, freeing you up for fun. Workplace harmony ends the month on a positive note due to Venus changing signs on the 30th

HISTORY REMEMBERED

HISTORY at its FINEST

Found in the Library of Congress 

MARCH 2026

 

CHEERE CAMP

 

Mayberry at kindergarten cheer camp… here we go!!!

REGRETS

 The only regrets in life are the chances you didn’t take. 

I have none!

RED LETTER DAY

I got a hug from Gretta today!

It may sound like a small thing, 

but for me it is HUGE! 

It is a red letter day!!!

START TO LIVE

 I read the post below and in so many ways I had been there. I went through this in my 40s but it was the same feelings and change in perspective. 

I started living at age 58.

Until then, I never thought life could be any different—without the fixed routine of housework, shopping, laundry, meals to prepare, and silences to endure.

Since childhood, I had been taught that the most important thing for a woman was to settle down, marry, have children, and stay with the family.

Do not contradict. Do not argue. Do not complain.

And if you dream—do it quietly, because dreaming is useless.

I married young and had two children.

I was a mother, a wife, a housewife. I washed, ironed, cooked, and ran all day.

My husband worked. He came home tired, ate in silence, and sat in front of the TV. Then he began to criticize: that I was boring, that he had left me alone too long, that I had nothing left to say.

He told me that with women like me, you don’t live—you survive.

And what did I do?

I kept quiet.

Because “family is sacred.”

Because “you have to be patient.”

Because my mother always said, “Be patient. You’re a wife, you’re a mother.”

And so I was patient.

I waited for the day my children would be grown, independent, and then—maybe—my life could begin.

Then one day, he left.

No scenes, no explanations.

He packed a suitcase and never came back.

I was alone.

And strangely, the first thing I felt wasn’t pain.

It was silence.

A true silence, deep and unfamiliar—yet in that silence, for the first time, I heard myself.

At first, I was lost.

I no longer knew who I was.

I couldn’t remember what I liked or what I wanted.

I walked around my own house like a guest.

I asked myself when I had last laughed freely, or woken up without rushing to the kitchen to make coffee for everyone.

One morning, I woke up—and didn’t make the bed.

I brewed coffee just for myself and sat on the balcony.

I noticed the sunlight slipping between the curtains.

A tiny, simple thing… yet I watched in amazement.

Because it was mine.

Something shifted in me that day.

I enrolled in an English course—simply because I wanted to.

I learned to use my smartphone to buy a train ticket.

I took a trip. Alone. For the first time in my life.

Then I went even further.

I saw the sea in winter—the real sea, not the one in photos.

It smelled of salt, sharp and alive. That day, I understood freedom.

I took off my shoes, sat on the wet sand, and thought:

“Why did I wait so long?”

A neighbor asked me, “Are you out of your mind? Traveling alone at almost sixty?”

I smiled.

Because maybe, at last, I wasn’t lost anymore. I had found myself.

Now, I live alone.

Not because no one loves me—

But because, for the first time, I love myself.

I have no schedules, only choices.

I don’t spend my days in the kitchen anymore.

Instead, I spend hours in museums, on regional trains, in bookstores, or curled beneath a blanket with a novel I left untouched for years because “I never had time.”

Sometimes I look in the mirror. The wrinkles are still there.

But my eyes are different.

There is a new light in them.

Because at 58, I stopped surviving.

And I started to live.

LOST AND FOUND

My husband gave me the most lovely tennis bracelet for Christmas. 

This weekend, I lost it.

I struggle with the clasp. I couldn’t understand how it could have just come off. 

We searched the house and the yard. We called our friends and they searched their car. John even sent a message to the restaurant we visited. 

I felt so awful. So totally awful. 

Tonight, as we were preparing dinner, I opened the freezer, and there on the ice maker was my bracelet. 

I was so surprised, so happy! 

Ice Cold Bling!

TAKE

 

FRIENDSHIP

 Love is the greatest form of friendship 

What makes most relationships fail is not the lack of love, it’s the lack of friendship 

OPENLIBRARY

 Go to Google

Type in OPENLIBRARY

Tap VISIT

You are welcome!

KALI

 

🩷🧡💜

OPTION OR PRIORITY

 “Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.”

— Maya Angelou

FEBRUARY TWENTY FIRST

 Maybe it’s not odd that this date sticks out to me. I have known several people who share this date as their birthday. 

Funny how, in retrospect, you see your past so much clearer than you saw it at the time. How you see what others added to who you are. 

Maybe that’s why today stands out for me. Those people who share this birthdate have touched my life profoundly. They helped to shape my youth and the person I am.

They have left their fingerprints on my life. Some positive, loving and uplifting, some negative and devastating. 

The good and bad all helped me become me. Lessons learned. 

Here is to another February Twenty First. 

CONQUER

 “If one day you have to choose between the world and love, remember this: If you choose the world you’ll be left without love, but if you choose love, with it you will conquer the world.”

— Albert Einstein

GOOD PEOPLE

 

FIRE HORSE

 I was born in the year of the Fire
Horse. This year I turn 60 and it is also the year of the Fire Horse.

LIFE IS A GARDEN…

 Life is a garden.

One to be created and nurtured and enjoyed and, like all gardens, it’s sometimes work and effort too, but if you cannot bring yourself to love the work, you’ll never truly love       the garden.

GJB

FEAR

 Fear can be the companion or the driver; the choice will be yours.  

You are the architect of fear.

GJB

LIFE GOALS

 "When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down "Happy". They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life." Through this remark, he suggested that happiness, not job titles or wealth, should be the ultimate goal.  

John Lennon

AND MAGIC

Some women are made of steal, stone, tears, dust, bones, scars, books, music, rainfall, stardust, moonlight, flowers, daydreams and wild adventures…

J.M.

VALENTINE ♥️

 

DO THIS

 https://www.threads.com/@detoxwithmadison/post/DUvHDbKkj0q?xmt=AQF0O5nGAKOksEGPy531yNjTWOVzYeY4woJEmtXKDgCxzAWPHyLG3tno4cWnGKhFeWIBKY8&slof=1

I AM NOT

 If you think what I said to you is mean… to you I say:

I am not being mean to you, I am just not actively making you comfortable.

MY LIFE PLAN

 "In order to be irreplaceable 

one must always be different."   

Coco Chanel

SLEEP OVER

LIKE MINDED

 Last week we went to a ‘Bourbon Share’ event. Lots of like minded people, sharing dinner and their collection hobby. The group is comprised of  a wide variety of folks from lots of different walks of life. 

It’s not a drinking party. It’s a sip and share event. There can be as many as 100 plus bottles there. But these collectors aren’t interested in emptying the bottles. They are there to share the experience. Most bring their own tiny glen-cairn glass, and literally they only sip from the ounce they pour. 

They share bottles, wisdom and stories. They eat from a wide variety of great food and they mingle with everyone who attends. 

I have to say, it is really a great adult event. 

I am not a bourbon drinker but I do enjoy attending. The ratio of women to men is small, but it’s still a nice mix. Lots of different career paths and lifestyles. It’s respectful and lighthearted. 

Last weeks event gave me the opportunity to meet Cookie. She isn’t a bourbon drinker either, but I was delighted to see that she also brought her crocheting project with her. 

So as the ladies watched the bourbon connoisseurs, shared their passion and wisdom, we shared current projects, needlework techniques and great conversation. 

It was a very nice evening.

WEAR IT OUT

"Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use."

- Charles Schulz

MUSEUM

 When you take a Mayberry … 

to the Museum!

BE YOU, FOR EVERYONE ELSE

 

WHY FAIL

 

CHOICE

 I watched something on social today, with advice from a 76 year old woman. She shared her secret to life. The social spin was to just “keep on going”. But listening to the vibrant woman speak, she told of her true life choice. She sees her life as beautiful and blessed. 

We all have a choice every day, to see your life as happy, beautiful and blessed or to see each day as something less and verging on misery. 

I agree with the 76 year old, it’s my choice every day. And I see my life as beautiful. I know I am so blessed. And I hope my happy attitude reflects on all those in my life. 

GARLIC

 

ACTIONS

 

1. Dreams are only wasted
2.  if they’re not linked to action.

Words without actions

mean nothing.

If you want it

show the action.

DEAR FEBRUARY

 Good Morning 

The snow isn’t pretty anymore. 

Love, Us

HURKLE-DURKLING

 The Scottish have a word 

for staying in bed, 

after it’s time to get up. 

It’s Hurkle-Durkling,

Sounds cozy and good to me!

HAPPY FEBRUARY 2026

 

https://actionforhappiness.org/calendar

REINVENTING YOU

 

"I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me."

- Cary Grant

INTENTIONAL LIVING

Intentional living means understanding your fundamental beliefs and values, and then actively living your life in line with those values.

General Core Beliefs
These are foundational, often unconscious, views that shape an individual's worldview:

• Safety: The world is safe or dangerous.
• Appreciation: The world is enticing or dull.
• Nature: The world is alive or mechanistic.
• Control: Belief in an internal or external locus of control regarding one’s destiny. 

Positive Core Beliefs About Self

• Worthiness: I am deserving of love, respect, and happiness.
• Capability: I am capable of overcoming challenges and adapting to change.
• Growth Mindset: I can learn, grow, and improve through effort.
• Accountability: I am responsible for my actions, choices, and my 200% accountability for my own life.
• Self-Compassion: I treat myself with kindness and understanding.

Positive Core Beliefs About Others & World

• Compassion/Kindness: Others deserve empathy, and kindness should guide actions.
• Integrity/Honesty: Being honest, trustworthy, and authentic in all dealings.
• Respect/Equality: Every person deserves dignity, and I respect the diversity of others.
• Forgiveness: Letting go of grudges allows for peace and progress.
• Generosity/Altruism:Contributing to the well-being of others.
• Optimism: Believing in a better future and focusing on solutions.

Core Beliefs for Personal Fulfillment

• Purpose: Living with intention and aligning actions with values.
• Resilience: Seeing obstacles as opportunities for learning.
• Gratitude: Appreciating what I have and focusing on the positive.
• Courage: Taking bold steps and acting despite fear.
• Inner Peace: Prioritizing mental tranquility and being present. 

Core Values List

Authenticity, Achievement, Adventure, Authority, Autonomy, Balance, Beauty, Boldness, Compassion, Challenge, Citizenship, Community, Competency, Contribution, Creativity, Curiosity, Determination, Fairness, Faith, Fame, Friendships, Fun, Growth, Happiness, Honesty, Humor, Influence, Inner Harmony, Justice, Kindness, Knowledge, Leadership, Learning, Love, Loyalty, Meaningful Work, Openness, Optimism, Peace, Pleasure, Poise, Popularity, Recognition, Religion, Reputation, Respect, Responsibility, Security, Self-Respect, Service, Spirituality, Stability, Success, Status, Trustworthiness, Wealth, Wisdom

AGE

 

“Aging is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person that you always should have been.”

– DAVID BOWIE

I CONCUR!!!

ROCK THE HIVE

 

PETRICHOR

 PETRICHOR: The smell that fills the air after a fresh rain. 

INNER GROWTH

“Real growth is about becoming more of who you already are.”

– LORI GOTTLIEB

In my forties I undertook the project of finding myself.  It all started when my children asked what my favorite ice cream flavor was, and I didn’t know. I looked at my life and realized somewhere along the way I had lost who I was. It wasn’t really about ice cream, but knowing me as an individual.

Learning to become you is tough. You have to stop listening to everything around you and focus on the person within. 

I found the things about me that had I loved, and I found gigantic wholes in myself that I had to reconstruct. 

Finding me was the hardest project I ever did. But by far one of the most rewarding. 

I also learned that you can reinvent you into a far better version of you. Becoming someone that you not only like, but whom you truly love. After all, you are the only person you have to wake up with every morning of your life. 

By giving yourself the right to keep evolving, you will learn to love the life you have.

I learned to really like myself, then I learned to love who I am. It was a game of life changer for me.

And… Rocky Road, the kind with marshmallow swirls, not the little marshmallows. This is my favorite ice cream. Followed closely by butter pecan!

KEEP GOING

 "Maybe the bravest thing we can do 

is keep existing, 

keep creating, 

even when the outcome 

is uncertain."

PD

But... I never again want to merely exist. Life is far too short. Existing is not truly living. There is no effort in existing. And I for  one want to put all my effort into living. Being a better version of me today than I was yesterday. Being kind and loving to those in my life, not just those in my inner circle. 

Be Brave... Live Well! 

YOOHOO?

 I tried my first YooHoo today. 

And to my surprise it tasted just like chocolate milk!

I love chocolate milk, even though I rarely drink it.

Then I looked at the amount of added sugar...

and I poured it right out. 

Now I know! WooHoo...I mean YooHoo!