My husband got a new guitar yesterday. Is it wrong of me to be excited that we might jam one of these days?🎸🪈🎵🎶
Category: Happiness
Just when thought I wouldn’t be writing about my latest knitting project, the prompt is ‘Wool‘
Here ‘wool’ comes from sheep or Alpaca or the like. Elsewhere ‘wool’ is the word for yarn. Yarn can be organic or synthetic.
Many people, like me, used to be miserable and itchy when our moms made us wear anything of wool. Some maintain that allergic reaction. My allergies have changed as I aged. Best of all wool, like superwashed wool is so soft and cozy. So I suggest finding some and trying. Wool is strong and stretchy especially when nylon is added. It is wonderful for socks.
My latest examples.
Now without calling too much attention to Finishing Friday or the like. But heck, so as to not pull the wool over your eyes, I’ll check in with the nearly finished Peacock:
Still, I’m streaming on Saturday. Consciousness leads me to mention two shows we’ve streamed today:
And I think I’m a Swifty!
I share my little accomplishments because I have been discouraged in the past feeling less than or that I couldn’t learn or my blurry eyes or hurtie fingers messed with my feelings of success of any kind.
What I’m learning seems insignificant, even to me. But when I look at tiny new things I can do, the little things add up to something huge. I’m so grateful for these lessons and processes.
I can now spend 40 minutes on the stationary bike, 10-20 reps door push-ups, floor/ceiling touches.
My fingers stretch more for the tenor recorder, almost full range now.
I dreamed of playing When the Saints Go Marching In as the chord changes are becoming smoother. And it doesn’t hurt anymore. Can you believe it?
People, including me, believe a person can’t learn and grow in their 70s and older but I’m learning to see it differently. I don’t think I ever had the freedom to learn this way. To play, enjoy all the little things.
Much looks the same as last time. But you want to know what I’m learning as I go? All attempts get me closer to not. Not a baby beginner. Not a total loser. And if I take a moment and look back I find more proficiency. Faster, not so lost. Progress. And it’s not linear. There are times I pick up the recorder and find that somehow God put holes in my fingers. Air is escaping, somewhere.
Sometimes I get the chord progression of these simple songs. But if I don’t, I only have to remember a month ago. I could tune my uke. Now I can sing little songs and not look as I move from F to G7 to C to C7 and more, and I know without looking at my hand that I did it.
I can remember being 12 and learning to crochet and knit. How I got so frustrated when I had to rip it out.
Now I look forward to trying again. The thing that makes these hobbies frustrating is placing time constraints or perfection goals.
I may not be producing the way society deems worthy, but I’m 74 and enjoying my life. Learning is my fun. Seeing changes in abilities, even as I’m told growth can’t happen anymore, THAT is the fun.
I am keeping my goal on the stationary bike and other exercises. And I see tiny improvements.
My only disappointment in me is trying to find my way to the reading aloud/editing goal. But I’ll figure it out.
Here’s the pics of progress.
I feel good about developing discipline. Why is it only now growing?
As many directions as my mind wanted to go with the prompt, this is what I thought of. How many years of putting on mascara only to have it clump or smear. I haven’t worn makeup for at least a decade. Between eyes that are smaller than they were before, not to mention the crop of wrinkles begetting wrinkles, I don’t have a mirror situation to work with my old eyes and inability to stand that long. Not too mention so many other things calling me to get busy. All more fun than makeup. Though, I do enjoy nail polish, a pluck or lotion. But yarn! Diamond painting! The newest binge or book. All far more fun than standing in front of a mirror attempting facial improvement.
I used to have a vanity I inherited from my grandmother. It smelled of her perfume and powders.
“Yesterday…”
Why do I Flounder most with the simplest of prompts?
Sorry you’ve had to see these so often. It’s hard to photograph my recordering or uking it up.
I’ve been trying to rebinge The Walking Dead. I’m finally on season 11 on Netflix. This Sunday we’ll see the what happened to Rick and Michonne.
I’m enjoying a second read of the Clan of the Cave Bears. I love listening to this second book, Valley of Horses while Diamond Painting. It helps me sit there longer. I think this is my favorite of the series. Does anyone know if they ever did a TV series? No, there’s no way it could be as good as the books, but still it could be good.
My constant Flounder not just in February is with time to sleep. Especially if it’s a good book! Bedtime doesn’t even have diamond painting for a side distraction.
After National Novel Writing Month in November, then the birthdays, Christmas and cold, and the occasional editing and keeping up the journal, somehow, January needed help. Linda G. Hill gives us Just Jot It January. The prompts help make sure we write something every day. I have done those for a couple of years now. I am grateful for the push to Just Jot.
But always, in the past, I found myself floundering in February. Hence, the fish:
He is a quick sketch, and the eraser was smudgy. He’s a little cross-eyed. That’s how I feel in this short month that lasts a couple years. Let’s think about this guy. He is the bottom feeder. He lays on or under the sand, both eyes looking up to catch whatever morsel floats down to him. I’m sure he is grateful for the tension that occurs above. That is how I feel about the tidbits of passion the muses drop to me.
It’s too cold for walks. But I am being steady on the stationary bike. Knitting is to keep the hands busy during TV or chats. When I am nearing the end of the day, Duo calls me, and then I do my blog. Whatever comes to mind. I’m trying to go earlier on these, so there is enough time and energy to build callouses on the uke and stretch the fingers for the soprano and alto recorders. Learning how the music theory I learned and applied to the piano and voice can apply to these other ventures.
To help me get back into playing scales, which will help with getting back into piano playing, I picked up one of these roll-up pianos to play with in my bedroom. It has an earphone plug-in, so no one has to put up with the noise but me. So these are my musical flounderings. Right now, it is just mechanical. But I am hoping that my tidbits of time and energy will spark a real musical enjoyment.
My diamond painting area is now open as the dragon is being shipped to his friend. I don’t know which one will be next. But I intend to flounder and fuss about in there and seek the enjoyment.
So that is what my Flounder Feb is all about. Finding enjoyment, if not passions, and hoping that all the flotsam and jetsam of tidbits build a healthier me. We’re not looking for perfection. That’s what happens up topside.
What is your Flounder doing this February? If you choose to play, use my pic and link back here.
Per Linda:
This post is part of Just Jot it January, and today’s prompt comes to us courtesy of my friend, Kim. Check out her blog here!
Family is the most important thing to me. If I had my choice I would live with everyone in a cave, my adult offspring most important, my husband is too. But masses of cousins all over the place and I miss all of them! We all used to live in one area. My grandparents were two doors from each other so we got to see all the relatives on Sundays.
What I only recently figured out was my cousins’ other grandparents were not where mine were.
I thought everyone had it like me. And most of my relatives went to the same church. My dad’s dad helped built the church. His wife and he were known in the church as Mom and Pop. So I was related to everyone. All the kids had my grandma as their primary teacher. We all learned to read The 23rd Psalm and the Lord’s Prayer from her.
My grandparents and parents are no longer with us, but we cousins are still here.
My biggest problem is a phone phobia that keeps me from calling. I know I’ll answer in a minute if they call me but deciding I’m calling now seems impossible.
So among other things I’m working on family is my primary goal.
I love my family, even the non-blood related ones, chosen extended family.
Per Linda:
Your prompt for JusJoJan, January 25th, 2024, is “cheesy.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!
Cheesy is from Yvensong. Check out my friend Yvensong’s blog. It’s not too cheesy!
She would definitely say I’m cheesy.
I’d say all my friends have to be a little cheesy. We are like fine cheese. The outside may not look like much, but we are aged to perfection.
It’s kind of sad how the world forces us to look at one another. We tend to see the package first. Well, I can tell you my friends had great packages way back when; I did, too. Sure, there were the imperfections we saw in ourselves, but looking back, we were something. Now, we have gone through a lot of life working on our issues and trying to become better people. I think we succeeded. And we are following our passions, the things that draw us to learn more and extend ourselves.
But when we get together, it is hard to say goodbye. We enjoy our time together even though we can only see each other through the internet. We are grateful we can see each other. Physically, it is getting harder and harder with lack of funds and aging joints, so a few hours being cheesy, or communicating our lives to each other, is so worth the wi-fi interruptions and family intrusions.
Each friend:
Darswords 
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