LET’S STRIVE

 A person who works with their hands is a laborer. 

A person who works with their hands and head is a craftsman. 

A person who works with their hands and their head and their heart is an artist. 

Let’s strive to be artists. 

LET’S GO

GRANDKIDS IN MY KITCHEN

 

TWO YEARS AGO TODAY

 

NATIONAL BOURBON DAY

FORMIDABLE

Courage and grace are a formidable mixture. MD

Formidable: Bringing feelings of awe, admiration, or wonder because of excellence or magnitude.

MENTAL HEALTH TOOLKIT

 I thought this article did a good job of helping us prep a “pre-need” tool kit for when we need it most. 

Give it a read! 

https://nicenews.com/health-and-wellness/how-build-mental-health-tool-kit/

FLAG DAY

 HAPPY FLAG DAY!!!

THE PIERCING

MAYBERRIE’S GARDEN

 

TAKE THE RISKS

Nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks. Fall forward. Every failed experiment is one step closer to success.

DW

~I believe this with my whole heart. If you don’t take risks, you are not progressing, you are not growing, you are not truly living, you are not truly being you.

AM

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

 

SURROUND YOURSELF

 

“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.” ow

SUMMER MEMORIES

When I was a teen I went cruising with friends in one of these. Some of the best kids, good clean fun, having the time of our lives. Life was so GOOD!

RISE

 From the edge of the world…as I saw it!

Red sun rise

Red moon rise

Myrtle Beach🫶🏻

WORD OF THE DAY

 Jalopy

/jəˈläpē/

A jalopy is an old dilapidated and unreliable automobile. The term originated in the United States in the 1920s. Though its exact etymology remains a mystery, theories suggest it may trace back to the nickname for old, discarded vehicles.

HUMANITY

 

Humanity is a part of nature, 

not above it.”

​

– H F

WORLD OCEAN DAY

 Happy World Ocean Day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday John!!!

 

CREATE

 

Just start by creating your day. Then create your life."

- P

STORM ON THE WATER

 

ATLANTIC COAST

 

JUNE 2026

 

MEMORIAL DAY

 

RACE DAY

Today is the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

And we so happen to be in Indianapolis this morning! The talk at breakfast was all race this and race that. The televisions all had race info and commentary. 

The sky is overcast, but it’s not raining, so I bet all the race goers are happy. 

We are making our way out of town. Happy to have had the opportunity to see Indy as we make the last leg of our full circle weekend. 

OH CANADA

 

“Growing older gracefully means having a keen curiosity about learning things about the world that you didn’t know yesterday, no matter how many yesterdays you’ve had.”

​

– PL

We are all aging, daily, but as I do I’m trying to take the opportunity to reduce stress, love more, cultivate my environment and my curiosity. And take every opportunity to experience new! 

Yesterday we went to Canada. Another first for me. 

Yes, I checked it off the bucket list, but truly I think it just opened my North American bucket list far 

far more! 

Growing old beautifully! 

🍁

TRUTH

 

“The only man who makes no mistakes is the man who never does anything.”

​

– THEODORE ROOSEVELT

JUNGLE JIM’S

 INTERNATIONAL MARKET

4450 Eastgate S Dr, Cincinnati, OH 

&

4450 Eastgate S Dr, Cincinnati, OH

 

We went to Both!!!

ORDINARY

  “Never love anyone who treats you like you're ordinary,”

;

 A darling friend ended her life this week. Never would I have imagined that her life would end this way. 

Everything about her seemed so great, so perfect. She was a truly charming and accomplished young woman, with so much future ahead of her. 

To say this was a shock to everyone, is a fact. No one who knew her could have imagined this. 

Our lives were all better for having known her. She was such a great person. 

Her death is truly unbelievable. I cannot wrap my head around this at all. 

Everyone who knew Avery is deeply saddened. 

She was loved.

COURAGE

 

Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use.

THE VOICE OF NATURE

Happy 100th Birthday to Sir David Attenborough!

 

“It seems to me that the natural world is the great source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.”

IN THE YARD

 

MEANING & PURPOSE

 

BELIEVE

Your mind will always believe what you tell it. 

So fill it with hope, 

fill it with truth, 

but most of all, fill it 

with love. 

 

LET IT GO

 

MEANINGFUL MAY

 

TODAYS TRUTH

Surround yourself with people who make you happy, who make you laugh, who help you when you are in need. People who genuinely care. They are the ones worth keeping in your life. Everyone else is just passing through.

PROTECTING ME

 Years ago a really catchy song came out. I loved the tune. My son was about 17 at the time, and when it came on the radio I turned it up and told him that I loved this song. Mark asked me if I had listened to the lyrics. I said no, it was hard to decipher so I just went with what I thought the words were. My sweet son said that the song was really catchy but he asked me not to ever look at the lyrics. 

That was about a decade ago. You rarely hear that song on the radio now. But the other day I was modifying a play list and that song came up as one that I may like to add. When I listened to it, I instantly loved it all over again. I was about to add it to my playlist, when I thought, maybe, since I’m not the only person that follows my playlist, I should know the lyrics. 

So I read them as I listened. And like so many great songs, I found out that the lyrics are nothing like I thought they were. I was sad. This tune that I really liked is all about a subject that I cannot glorify. 

I did not add the song to my playlist. I cannot promote, in my life or anyone else’s, such negativity. No matter how fun it sounded and no matter how catchy the tune. 

I am so pleased with my children, for watching out for their mom. For wanting to protect me from the rathe of the world, even when it’s on the Top 40. 

TRUST THE PROCESS

 

You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.

EARTH DAY

 

There are no passengers 

on Spaceship Earth.

We are all crew. 

M.M.

A PERFECT DAY

 

ZEN

 https://paint.toys/zen-garden/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=66c4bf685d78644b3aa504c9

STICKS OF JOY

 My senior year of high school, I went to the Student Store every morning and bought a 

Jolly Rancher Stick

Back then, each stick was about 5 inches long. My favorite flavors were lemon, green apple and watermelon.

Now, I am not a big fan of hard candy. I just don't love that much straight sugar. 

But….

Today, a coworker left a small Green Apple Jolly Rancher on my desk. 

And what great memories it brought back! 

HAPPY ICE

I make it a habit to bring water from home when ever I go anywhere. I am sure it is an instilled desert dweller thing (it is too hot in Phoenix to not always have hydration with you at all times). 

So every day I prep my beverages and take them with me to work. I own several cute bottles. 

Here at work we have an ice machine. I have never used it. (I worked in a kitchen in another life time, and the things I saw when cleaning that ice maker were not pretty)

But the one here was just professionally cleaned. 

So...

To my hearts delight, the ice maker has pebble size ice. I never knew! The kind you get at Sonic. Oh what a happy thing! I even love the way the water sloshes in all that ice. 

Ice makes me happy! 

TOOLBOX

 Sometimes we step outside our comfort zone and surprise ourselves by our accomplishments. 

I’m a big believer in the fact that you can learn new things at any age, and that you are capable of achieving what you didn’t think you could. 

Today my son Chris, one of the most knowledgeable sports statistics gurus I have ever met, did something outside his wheelhouse. 

He took charge of a situation, took care of the issues at hand, got the job done and followed up to ensure that any future issues are resolved as well. 

His dad and I are proud of him. But more important than that is the pride Chris took in his own work, the knowledge that he was bigger than the problem and he alone could conquer the obstacles. 

Self confidence is often the most powerful tool in your toolbox. 🧰 

DEVILED EGGS

Our Easter Luncheon included deviled eggs.

And little did I know that my grandson Derek loves deviled eggs. 

He ate nearly all the deviled eggs. And when he had eaten the last of them, and asked for more, I had him follow me to the kitchen. Where we made more deviled eggs. 

Derek helped with every step. And as he was filling the new batch of eggs, I asked him to teach me how to make deviled eggs. 

So he told me every step. And I told him how proud I was of him. I hope that this simple skill, will help Derek feel successful and help him with future pot-lucks!

Deviled Eggs

SHRIMP COCKTAIL

 We had shrimp cocktail for dinner tonight. It’s simple, yet always a bit on the elegant side. 

I was about three the first time I had shrimp cocktail. My Great Grandfather flew in from Pittsburgh to Phoenix to visit. It was the only time I ever saw him. But that night he made Shrimp Cocktail for dinner. I can still remember what he looked like, but those are my only memories of him. 

But each time I enjoy Shrimp Cocktail I remember my Great Grandfather.

HAPPY EASTER

 

TRUST IN

You have to trust in something-

Your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.

This approach has never let me down, and it makes all the difference in my life. 

SJ

I trust my gut, in my destiny, in life, I’m a true believer in karma too, but I think my faith in God is always going to be my guiding light.

am

SPRING

 

The weather is warm, 

the flowers are out. 

All the colors of spring are here. 

I Love Spring!

APRIL 2026