Red Ribbons and Bows

I generally do not decorate for every holiday.  Before I retired, I didn't have the time.  After I retired, I swore off collecting more "stuff".  Stuff has to be stored, and we have prioritized our valuable closet space for outdoor equipment!  And yet, Valentine's Day, with red dominating the color scheme, is easy on me.  I already have many red articles in the house, and some "Christmas" items can be re-purposed for Cupid's Day.  Let's take a look!

My Mom's apron doubles as a table-runner in this tableau and her vintage tomato strainer has red handles, seemingly meant for this occasion!  The Handarbeit candlestick holder already held a red candle, and it was joined by the matching flask.  Handarbeit, which means "handwork" or "handmade, is marked on the bottom of each piece of pottery. 

 At the other end of this table I placed two brandy snifters, partly filled with plastic candy hearts.  (I'll admit these hearts were one of my few purchases a couple of years ago to augment my decoration stash.)  Another candelabra with the requisite red candle moved from the fireplace to round out the arrangement.  

 

For years, we had had several garlands of red beads, and they have been used in many ways, most frequently at Christmas.  Since we moved into our log home five years ago, I had yet to find an appropriate place for them during the Christmas period.  As we packed up the Christmas decorations at the end of January, Spousal Unit noticed them in the bottom of the box, and suggested it was time for them to find a new home.  Of course, this was quite motivational to me, and you won't be surprised to see that I found several creative uses for them!

Did you notice the red ribbons with the pine cones?  Those were recycled from Christmas crackers several years ago!  The mantlepiece is strung with a glittery red tulle; the massive red vase was a retirement gift from colleagues in Poland.

My decorations extend (slightly) outside as well, thanks to Spousal Unit.  You see, he gave me a complete set of garden flags, one for every holiday/season, as a Christmas present.  Doesn't this flag brighten up the monochrome scene below?  (The dark something to the left of the flag is my metal moose sculpture, almost overcome by the snow.)

I am joining LeeAnna for I Like Thursday.  This week, the prompt is: What do you like about Valentine's Day?  Do you have a special cake or truffles, for instance.  Do you give cards, get chocolates, give gifts?  You could send flowers to a best friend, or give a sweet heart necklace to your daughter, or call your Mom ...  It's about love and showing it.

As you might surmise, I like decorating!  Generally, Spousal Unit and I do get each other cards, but not much more than that.  Going out for dinner on Valentine's Day is no longer "special" in my book - reservations are almost impossible to get, and prices are exorbitant.  I prefer surprises, such as a small bag of chocolate hearts that I gave Spousal Unit a couple of weeks ago.  Beyond my dear Spouse, I don't do anything formal for anyone else on Valentine's Day.  I do make an effort to find simple but meaningful ways to show love throughout the year, from hand-drawn cards to scheduling video calls with family to organizing social gatherings to commenting on blogs!

A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  JESUS CHRIST

Love is sharing your popcorn.  CHARLES SCHULZ

People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants.  But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.  ELIZABETH GILBERT

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Linking to Mosaic Monday

 

Mosaic Monday #167: Random Ruminations

"What's another word for 'mish-mash'"? I asked, peering over my glasses at Spousal Unit.  "Context?" he parried back.  "I am composing my blog about a mish-mash of events from January and February ..." I explained. "Gamoosh," he proposed.  Pausing, he added "Hodgepodge.  Random ruminations."  Eureka!  That's it! What word or phrase would you have suggested?

Since I started this post with a birthday photo, I might as well continue the theme!  I was feted with many texts, phone calls, cards, comments on my FaceBook timeline and more.  Each of us deserves a day when we are showered with love, and I certainly felt that on my birthday!

Spousal Unit took me out for dinner at a local steakhouse, which is also a treat for him since it is a night he doesn't have to cook!

A former HR colleague scheduled a Zoom call with several fellow members of the team, and for 30 minutes we caught up with each other, and had some good laughs reminiscing about our time working together.  We may be fatigued from Zoom and Skype and FaceTime, but these tools to stay connected are surely a silver lining from the pandemic.

I asked for a drone, and my wish was granted.  I have begun watching "how-to" videos, and soon I will be ready for my first flight.  We'll have to go somewhere that has some wide open spaces!!!  #1 Son surprised me with these new reels - perfect for my ski pass - and snazzy bright ski socks.  Too bad they get covered up by ski boots!

Thoughtful gifts require some creativity, and knowing what's important to someone.  My Dear Neighbor Friend surprised me with this gardening shovel - she knew I "needed" one after she helped me transplant some juniper last fall, and saw that I was trying to dig them up with a spade!!  And of course, her cinnamon rolls never come in wrong!!!

On January 23, I wrote about our trip to Idaho Falls to help #1 Son make the move to his new job.  Along the way, we stopped at the Dell Mercantile, and although it does not look like much on the outside, it contains an eclectic collection of gift items.  I could have taken a dozen pictures of amusing sayings printed on different objects.  

And I loved this mural/quote in the ladies' restroom - I had to work to get the whole mural in the shot.

Speaking of decorations, I switched over to a red/Valentine's theme when we disassembled the Christmas tree and packed away the holiday decorations.

I enjoyed drawing this birthday card for my oldest sister.

As I write this post, we are under a Winter Storm Watch - by Monday morning, we could have 3 - 5 inches of snow, with 6 - 12 at the higher elevations.  Of course, for us winter sports fans, this is welcome news.  More white stuff makes for better cross-country and downhill skiing!

One of the great privileges of serving as a Mountain Ambassador is participating in the Whitefish Winter Carnival parade, representing the Resort.  I have written about this before - 2/16/2020.  This year, the theme was 80's Re-wind, and the Resort float was designed around the Ghostbusters movie.  (On the mountain, we have snow ghosts, so it seemed fitting!)

I haven't shown you enough food in this post ... one night after "work", we had the mountain of nachos at the Craggy Range.

We have endeavored to add more fruits and vegetables to our diet via smoothies.  But sometimes your Spousal Unit spoils you with a huckleberry Danish!

This week, Head Chef made a salad that was out of this world.  Mixed greens, freshly cooked beets (still warm), tomatoes, grilled chicken (still warm), pecans toasted with Cajun spices, grilled red peppers and feta cheese.  So many flavors - very satisfying!

At the end of January, we tried Mercantile Steak in Kalispell, and we would highly recommend it.  It is pricey, but as a treat it is worth every penny, starting with the gigantic popovers sprinkled with Gruyere.  So tasty!

Two final, random ruminations.  Close to running out of milk one day, we stopped at the gas station for a half gallon, and I was thrilled to read that Horizon Organic has a goal to be the first national dairy brand to be carbon positive by 2025!  Buy Horizon Organic!  Meanwhile, Spousal Unit was refilling the washer fluid in his truck when he found this critter nest under the hood.  The question is: where did all this material come from?  I suspect we won't find out until we give the garage its spring cleaning!

***due to a trip to Idaho Falls/Utah next week, I will not be hosting Mosaic Monday on February 27.  Come back March 6!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Mosaic Monday #70: Follow your Yellow Brick Road

Coffee and Cinnamon Bun

At the house of Dear Neighbor Friend

It was a struggle to compose this post, and even as I type these words, I am not sure the post will ever see the light of day.  The melee began when I decided to write about the third anniversary of my retirement, March 3.  In typical Angie fashion, I reviewed past posts on this topic (Week One, Week Three, Week Five, Week Twelve, Week Nineteen, Week Forty-One, Week Fifty-Two, Week One Hundred and Five). Part search for inspiration, and partly sprung from a desire to avoid repetition.

Visions of a Pulitzer Prize, or a National Geographic Photography Award, danced in my head as I scanned those posts.  From the distance of 24 months, I especially admired the post Bountifully Blessed from Week 52.  Insightful and spot on, and complete with resolutions for the rest of retirement.  And herein lies the rub.  Looking in the mirror, I know that I did not follow through on my good intentions as written in that post.  I have not succeeded in letting go of perfection and structure, and, despite my desire to enjoy more time crafting, these activities continue to get deferred because I have jumped head-first into volunteering, working and many other activities, which I give priority.  

Hand-drawn Valentine's Day card for Spousal Unit - I would like to have
more time to draw!

At this point, you are probably ready to click off this post to something more fun. You're probably thinking "Angie needs to get out of her own head," and you would probably be right.  Heck, several times my fingers have hovered over the "DELETE" key; wouldn't it be easier to write a typical light-hearted summary of February, and pitch it as "a month in the life of the retired Angie"?

Valentine's card and candy from Spousal Unit

But once I get an idea in my head, it's hard to get it out without some cathartic moment, some resolution.  How can I let myself off the hook without some introspection? So if you want to find some relief with Adorable Baby Animal pictures, I will understand.  The rest of you can stick with me and find out if the post makes it past a draft!!!

OK.  (You're still here?  GREAT!)  I think my fundamental challenge is the number of hours in the day.  Does anyone know how to double them?   Nope?  Sigh.  OK.  So the only solution is to decide what has to give.  Activities with Spousal Unit?  Blogging?  Cleaning the house? Community involvement? Time with Dear Neighbor Friend? Showering?  Working on the mountain?

And with Spring, new priorities will be added onto the list.  Gardening.  Travel.  Drinking wine on the deck.  What's a woman to do?

Cactus at the coffee shop

Earlier this week, in the midst of my brain-swirl, I posed this question to Spousal Unit: "Is there anything you thought we would do in the first three years of retirement that we haven't done?"  My friends, don't ask a question if you're not ready to hear the answer!  He said "Well, I thought we would have more down-time, like more movie nights or times that we cook dinner together."  Ouch.  It was a Wizard of Oz moment - Dorothy always knew there was no place like home, but she just needed to be reminded!  

If I am honest with myself, I recognize that I have developed some retirement habits that mean most evenings are committed to my activities (other than crafting).  Mind you, Spousal Unit is not sitting around twiddling his thumbs - he reads voraciously, loves watching the Lakers (read: LeBron) play basketball, and he has his favorite TV programs, all while cuddling with Maggie the cat. I should also mention that at no point during this conversation did Spousal Unit make me feel guilty about any of this.  In fact, he said that he supports me in all my activities as long as it makes me happy. But, even before this conversation, it has occurred to me more than a few times that going into our two separate worlds at night is not altogether satisfactory.

Swan River, February 20, 2020

Chicken Fiesta Bowl

Craggy Range Bar & Grill

So, I will be making some changes.  I have made some commitments that will wrap up mid-June, and I will follow through on them because it's the right thing to do.  But then I plan to make some significant cut-backs on my community involvement.  After all, no one wants me to stop showering!

It begs the question - what will I START/CONTINUE doing?  Movie nights and cooking dates with the Spousal Unit, for sure.  Personally, I have enjoyed our "wandering aimlessly" tours around Montana, and I want to do more.  Outings with Dear Neighbor Friend are essential.  Wine on the deck? you betcha.

(In February, Spousal Unit and I took our visitor Tim to the iconic Bar Stool Races in Martin City, part of the 42nd annual Cabin Fever Days.  It is just this type of unique Americana that I love to discover and experience.  Check out these videos.)

(When Dear Neighbor Friend and I go cross-country skiing, we are always accompanied by Sophie.  This enchanting dog hides pieces of deer fur under the snow, and when we reach that part of the trail, she retrieves the fur and joyfully tosses it into the air.  Check out this snippet of video - her playfulness is a message to us all!)

I am also really impassioned about an initiative called the Violet Protest.  I first read about it on someone's blog, but I have had a devil of a time tracing back to who it was - whoever you are, thank you!  For anyone in the US, check out the website link above.  "The Violet Protest is a public effort to send 50 hand-made ​textile squares to each and every member of Congress ​in support of core American values. Whether we knit, crochet, quilt, or embroider all 26,750 of these squares — through this social action, and from every corner of America; we as makers of all political persuasions, believe we can employ our willing spirit and our talents to contribute to healing divisions that threaten our country.  This collection of textile squares will be first displayed at Phoenix Art Museum, Fall 2020."

Now that's a CRAFTY cause worthy of my time!

As provocative as this week has been, pondering the relative value of showering versus time with Spousal Unit, I am glad it happened.  Even in retirement, it is possible to get into ruts and routines so deep that we can't see out.  It didn't take Dorothy's tornado to shake me free, but I did have to peek behind the Wizard's curtain.  If you have been my lion, my scarecrow and my tin man, sticking with me throughout this post, I thank you.  I think I am ready to see what the next year of retirement brings, following my Yellow Brick Road!  

 

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.
Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.
The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Monday (U.S. Mountain time).
Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.
Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.
As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.
Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.
Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Mosaic Monday #15 - Life with you is a trip ...

I am feeling the love this month, and not just because February plays host to Valentine's Day.  You see, it's also my birthday month!  Cards, a few gifts and a shower of electronic birthday wishes made me as warm and gooey as a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie.  Who doesn't want a little attention now and then?

Sometimes thoughtfulness arrives in a time and way we don't expect.  Like the day Spousal Unit presented me with this gem, a couple of days before my special day.  No, no, no - not a gemSTONE.  A folding utensil - a spork (spoon+fork) - with a long handle.  Why, you ask?  Well, imagine the scene.  You're backcountry camping, and when you are carrying everything you will use on your own little back, minimizing weight is the name of the game.  Who needs pots and pans?  Just reconstitute your chili con carne right in its bag.  But, the average spoon or fork is not long enough to reach the bottom of the bag, and soon enough your fingers are coated with chili as you endeavor to spoon up the goodies there.  

Enter the folding utensil.  Light.  Folds up to stow easily in your backpack.  And unfolds to go where no average spoon or fork has gone before - those corners harboring precious calories that you need for the next day. Does he love me, or what?







So I gave him my heart … my heart sugar cookie from Starbucks!

Speaking of hearts, I adopted a red theme for the house after the Christmas decorations were boxed up for another year.  A stroll around the aisles at the Dollar Store (incomparable source of inexpensive décor) yielded two types of red ribbon, a red/gold mesh, glittery hearts and plastic hearts that resemble hard candies.  I constructed my own bows, and added in natural resources such as red twigs and other flora from our back forty.  And one day, a delicate white doily arrived in the mail, a gift from a former au pair, who lives in Poland.  This hand-made crocheted doily from a nearby village became the piece de resistance on our dining room table.

For my birthday,  a neighbor brought me home-made granola, and a flower arrangement that I utilized as the gathering point for my birthday cards.





To top it off, Spousal Unit (a.k.a. Head Chef) prepared a masterpiece of a dinner.  I wanted a meal at home, so we could both enjoy some wine, not to mention the ambiance of a wood fire.  It was a delight from start (salmon with caper sauce on toasted English muffins) to entrée (three mushroom risotto) to dessert (key lime pie).  

His second gift was as practical as the folding utensil, and one that I had requested - a belt and scarf organizer for my closet.  Yep, folks at this age, it's the simple and useful gifts that matter most. The accompanying card had me in tears … (bold words he added)

Life with you is a trip.  And I'm grateful for every twist, powder turn, bend, detour, hike and off-road excursion, wandering aimlessly tour we take together.  Because no matter what, when I'm with you, I feel like we own the road.

Awww.  Lest you think he is only this romantic for my birthday, check out his FaceBook post from Valentine's Day.

Right back at you, babe, right back at you.  Life with you is the best trip ever.

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.
The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Monday (U.S. Mountain time).
Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.
Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.
As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.
Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.
Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

Inlinkz Link Party