This is where I am, with you, at this very moment. I am at my work table, a very, very old 9 foot long farmer’s table that came out of a barn, just about my favorite piece of furniture ever. It is so massive and so heavy it took 4 guys to get it in here and I am so grateful that I didn’t lose it in the fire. Most of my antique and vintage things, the things so close to my heart, perished that night in the explosive flames, but my beloved work table was saved. It is big enough to have multiple dog beds under it because the pugs like to be very close to me. This is where I start and end my days, where I had coffee with my daughter Rachel this morning, and where I still am at nearly 6 p.m. save trips around the house and out with the dogs. This is my safe haven, I live mostly in this one room, the Cozy Room is next to this one where the pugs and I sleep, but this is where I live. I love it so much, I have never been more comfortable anywhere in my whole life.
And you can see my fire on the computer. I turn on this fireplace app first thing every morning when I sit down here with my coffee after feeding the dogs. I love how it pops and crackles and blazes bright. Sometimes I just close the browser and let the fire fill the screen while I write on my big white notepad which is always beside me, daily lists, notes, things I don’t want to forget, calls to make. Right now I am watching the fire while I write and listening to my favorite album this time of year, I have loved it for over 30 years, I know it by heart, it soothes me like no other music and I have shared the youtube video of the whole album here before. It is George Winston’s “December.”
There is something so peaceful about Sundays to me, and this one started out so sweet. I was in the kitchen about 10 a.m. making coffee after feeding the dogs and giving them their meds and I got a text from Rachel that said, “Up for a little visit this morning?” and I wrote back immediately, “Absolutely!” She came and had coffee with me and we visited for awhile, such a really sweet way to start the day. And when she left I had such fun on amazon looking at Christmas possibilities for my 2 and 5 year old grandsons. I’m going to be talking to my daughter in Chicago about the boys and sent her a list of suggestions to see what she thought. I’ve already shopped for my 18 month old grandbaby in Atlanta, and I have to shop for my darling 13 year old grandson, Rachel’s son, soon! I love looking at things for the little ones. I’ve shopped for my person for this year’s adult gift exchange so I’m almost finished. It is going to be a peaceful, relaxing holiday season.
I had to stop for a minute to rub Delilah’s face and head and ears. My tiny girl pug is my sweetheart and my velcro pug. I don’t move without my little shadow. She will bounce up from a sound sleep if I slide my desk chair back to get up, and she goes where I go, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, outside. I have to laugh, it reminds me of when my kids were little and I always had a toddler or three in the bathroom with me. I can barely go to the bathroom without an audience! Delilah has taken up the gauntlet and comes along now. I say I “live alone” but it’s hard to be too lonely with 3 pugs ever underfoot! I am so grateful for my little babies.
Sunday night is when I feel mellow and grateful for the lovely weekend I’ve just had and turn my thoughts to the week ahead, wondering what it might bring, looking out across the days ahead and checking what appointments need to be dealt with — tomorrow I go to my med management appointment and then to Costco to get meds refilled and groceries and it’s time to get the big 25 pound bag of wild bird seed for the wildlings. I have numerous bird feeders outside the studio windows to my left and love to watch the many, many wild birds as they come and go. Mornings are birdsong and pug snores as my little ones go back to sleep after their breakfast and I start my day. Despite it all life is good. Sundays seem to be a day for reflecting on all that I am grateful for, and there is so much to be grateful for. My dear family, friends near and far, and all the goodness that there still is in the world despite all of the heartache and sadness over the state of the world. I love to watch the work of the charities this time of year that help children and families have a Christmas who otherwise wouldn’t have one. And I think of all the people who left the earth this year, it barely seems possible, one minute someone is there and the next they’re gone. It is a constant reminder to love with your whole heart and being the precious ones still in your life today. And may all beings be blessed.
It’s almost time to feed the pugs their dinner. I just wanted to stop in and spend some time with you. It’s good to see you. I appreciate you so much if you are here, reading, leaving comments, sharing this journey with me. I look at the Live Traffic Feed on the bottom right side of this page and watch it scroll by as people from all over the world visit this page, all over the US, Canada, Ireland, the UK, Sweden, Belgium, Germany and all over Europe, Australia, New Zealand and countries all over the world and I am so grateful for all of you. Tonight my heart is so full of gratitude and love. With my whole heart I am wishing you beautiful, love-filled days ahead, and the peace of the season. God rest ye merry gentleman, and Joy to the world. Another season full of blessings is here…
The Experiment ~A 365 Day Search For Truth, Beauty &
Happiness: Day 1 ~ Introduction To The Project
“Do or do not. There is no try.”
Yoda
I love your work table Maitri! No wonder you feel so at home there. I am going to look for a fireplace app on my ipad. We have one on our TV and I swear I feel warmer looking at it. Thank you for sharing your workspace with us.
I like Sundays too. Reading the newspaper, watching CBS Sunday morning and eating waffles, bacon and coffee. Yum.
I hope your week goes well and I look forward to reading tomorrow’s post.
Love, Jean
Hello Dear Jean, 🙂
Thank you! I love this old table, it is thick and heavy and worn smooth. It is a great comfort to me (and the pugs too!). And oh, it sounds like you have lovely Sundays too. I am so glad. And honey I hope you have a beautiful week before you filled with blessings and peace. I’ll see you tomorrow! 😀
I love your table! And all those windows!
I think we all have that velcro animal that follows us everywhere. Here it is 5 dogs (2 Doxies, 1 Bassett, 1 Border Collie/Aussie Shep mix, and 1 very large St. Bernard!) who follow Mom everywhere she goes too. I usually have a cat or two that follow me all over the place. I don’t think we’d have it any other way.
Oh my gracious what a lively, fun household you have Lisa! I’d love to see pictures! And whatever would we do without our fur babies? I was talking to a friend tonight and we were wondering about people who don’t have any animal companions in the house, how lonely that must be. I’d not like to think about a life without my furry loves. Happy Holidays honey! 🙂
I will have to try and get all the dogs together for a group shot, but that would probably take an alignment of the stars to do LOL. I do have random individual pictures of them, maybe I can do a collage piece. I’m not to skilled with photoshop.
Happy Holidays to you as well. May all your days be bright and merry <3
Ha ha ha Lisa, well, if you ever get a picture, or a collage of them I’d love to see it! 😀
The little snorkling sounds of my sleeping dog. Oh, how I would miss these! Just yesterday I felt this joy so immensly. Ben touched my leg with his nose, a slight “tupf” and I felt so grateful and blessed to have him with me. I cherish every day we have together. He is 11, so I am very aware our time here on earth will end. Sooner or later. So we spend time together, go places, play on the beach and snuggle on our recamiere.
Blessings to you and your loved ones from Germany.
Silke
Ah Silke, hello dearest one…
I know so well the deep love and joy a dog’s companionship brings, and I, too, have an 11 year old but he is not well. I found out in June that he has a collapsing trachea and he’s on medication 3x a day and doing pretty well during the day but nights are getting harder for him. There will come a day when I have to let go but he is still so much himself all day I can’t bear the thought of it. It is the greatest love and deepest sorrow, dogs never live long enough. But he is here with me now, and I cherish him and I kiss him and love him, and the others too. For now we are here, we are a little family, and I treasure each moment. I will think now of you with Ben and it will make me so happy. May you still have many wonderful years together…
Maitri
I am so glad you are feeling ‘at home’ in your cottage again Maitri. To me it seems a lovely, colourful, cosy setting. Thank you for sharing.
The company of your pugs sounds delightful and heart warming. We have not had a pet for over a year now since our last cat passed away and sometimes I do miss having that extra little warm body around. Perhaps there will be another pet in the future, but not right now.
I put up our little Christmas tree and the rest of our indoor decorations, so it is looking very festive now. I love the magical spirit of the holidays. It delights me!
Sweet Joan, I am so sad that you lost your dear cat, I am so sorry, and I hope you do adopt another one sometime, they are so dear, their presence so warm and loving, they are wonderful companions and so many desperately need homes. And oh! Your tree is up and now all the decorating is done, and yes, isn’t it just magical. I sit here right now at the place I show you above, and I am about to pour my coffee, and I am looking at my little tree and at the fall leaves coming down like rain outside my windows. It is a good morning, it will be a good day. I am sending you a big warm hug and wishes for the most joyful and magical Christmas season. I so love seeing you here, I’d love to see your tree! Will you put it up on Facebook?
Blessings dearheart… 🙂
I don’t have a simple way of putting up a photo of my tree. I don’t own a cell phone so I have to take photos with our camera, upload them to the computer and then post to Facebook. Sometimes that just feels like too many steps. Talk about having a First World problem, right? 🙂
No cell phone! Wow! I’m impressed! I’ve had one since the year 2000. My husband and I were separated in 1999 and I wanted our kids, 2 in college and 1 almost, to always be able to get ahold of me. Also since I was alone for really the first time in my life at 45 it made me feel safe, if I was out alone and had a problem, and it really saved me once when my car broke down in a bad neighborhood when I was coming home after dark. I got help right away. I know cell phones are overdone but I wouldn’t be without mine. 🙂 But I understand, if you have to go through all of that it’s just too much! 😀
Isn’t it amazing to look at the feed and see the traffic from all over the world. To see people being touched by your words, even in the smallest way. I am utterly impressed by your dedication to write every day, regardless of how you feel or rather in spite of it. I am truly inspired and in awe. I hope to find the same kind of commitment and compassion for my writing, but more importantly, for my health. Keep doing what you do! 💞
Thank you so much dear Aubrey, you are very dear, and yes, I’ll tell you, staying the course, just showing up here each day, has caused amazing changes in my life and days. I am so proud that I am keeping up with it, and I am so determined. You see the last “365 Day” project that I was doing was shut down when my house burned down and I had no way to keep up then. There are a few posts around that time after I was moved with the dogs, first into a hotel, and then a little house where we lived for 8 months. I always felt so badly not to have completed that journey so I fully intend to finish this one. There are days I think I just can’t do it but then I push on and I am so happy and at peace once the post is up and out. Just show up. Keep on keeping on. And that energy then spreads through your life in a marvelous way, at least it has for me. I wish you well on your journey with your writing dear one, may it bring you many years of deep joy…
Thank you for sharing your story. I love that you have made a point of finishing what you started. I have no doubt, it has a tremendous impact on your life. I also have a need to see things to completion, no matter how difficult the circumstances. Sometimes, I have to remind myself that completion is not always attained within the realm of perfect timing. “Faithful over a little” is always playing in my ears – your dedication to showing up, is an honest reflection of this. Thank you also for your words of encouragement and inspiration. Have a fabulous week.
You are so welcome Aubrey, I’m glad I could help. And you have a fabulous week too honey… 🙂