OK! I Admit It, I Have a Problem!

On February 9, 2015 I wrote a blog page entitled "Is There Such Thing as Too Many Books" . At the top of the page was this quote: "It is impossible to read all the books on my to-read shelf but I keep adding books anyway". This is exactly what I do! I have added and added and added every chance I got. I somehow convinced myself that I would be able to read all these books and I would keep buying and buying and buying!

 Recently my oldest Granddaughter moved to an apartment while attending her last semester of college, leaving her bedroom and adjoining bathroom without an occupant. While I will always think of it as her room, I didn't hesitate long to take over. There is a bed in the room to accommodate guests should there be any, but my intent was to build a sanctuary library. I bought three 30 inch wide bookcases just like the two I have in my bedroom downstairs. It is when I began filling those shelves with books that I truly realized the scope of my problem!! I have a shelf of Christmas books and one or two shelves of some of my favorite books (books that I have already read, but love the gentle stories that I almost feel I could live in), most of the books are unread by me. Once I started adding unread books from one room to the other and from boxes in the basement, I admit that I have problem. If I keep going the way I have been I will have to remove the bed and line every wall with bookcases. I seem to be spending more time buying books than reading them!

A Real Treasure Right in My Own Backyard

I started this post several months ago but never finished it or posted it. Sometimes I start posts and decide that they are not really meaningful or blog worthy. This was not the case with this post, I was simply trying to decide how to tell the story.  In addition I was unsure how to include pictures since I had a new computer that I didn't totally know how to use. 


A Warm Fall Day

Today I spent part of the day walking and exploring Majestic View Nature Center and Community Park with a friend. We started out to walk in a pleasant outdoor setting since the weather was well above average and it was a beautiful day. We ended up being amazed at what we found. This reserve sits just off busy streets surrounded by housing. If you enter the park from 72nd Street you park in a parking lot that faces west and offers a spectacular view of several acres of prairie grasslands, Oberon Lake and foothills in the distance.

 Normally at this time of the year the air would be crisp and there might even be snow on the tops of the foothills, but not this day. The temperature was in the low 80's. First we walked down to a little lake that is home to water fowl and birds of all sorts. We stopped on a little observation platform and looked out across the little lake (we later learned it was Oberon Lake) where we enjoyed the peaceful surroundings. We listened to the birds as they flew into the trees that circled the lake and we felt like we could just stand there all day, but instead we decided we needed to see as much as we could of the surrounding Nature Center. We walked up the hill passing several different demonstration gardens that contain various plants and trees found in various natural environments and topography of Colorado; prairie grasslands, mountain tundra, riparian (which I found out means wetlands along a river or stream, semi-desert Shrubland, Montane Forest among others. Outside the building containing classrooms, kids activity area and meeting rooms,  it was quiet and peaceful. A bench provided seating and I felt as if I could just sit there for a long time soaking up the stillness and serenity. Instead we entered the building where a truly educational experience awaited us. There are several docents who will gladly tell you everything that the center has to offer. There are interactive exhibits, books, hands on displays ,examples of wildlife of the area, public classes, demonstrations and classes for school age children. There are several meeting rooms that are available to rent for events or groups.  My daughter, Baby Bird, is an elementary school teacher and each year her class visits the center for part of day. She relates that the students love the experience and all the volunteers and docents are enthusiastic and informative. It is incredible and impressive that within a few miles of home this remarkable place exists.

View to the West

The City of Arvada provides funding for Majestic View in additional donations from the public which make it possible. 

Several miles away from Majestic View you can also visit Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge. It covers 72.2 acres which includes 63.2 acres of uplands, 9 acres of wetlands and three small ponds. The reserve also sits just off a busy urban street and when suburban expansion threatened the space in 1990 concerned citizens worked to save it from development. In 1992 the Reserve was established to protect various animals and high plants. Two Ponds is the smallest urban unit in the National Wildlife Refuge system. The east side of the refuge is open May-September, the west side is accessible all year long.

Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge









Both of these wonderful places are within 3 miles of my home, right in  my own backyard!

What Would It Be Like?

January 16, 2017
                                   


Could I do it? What would it be like to get rid of things that still have some sentimental attachment for me--"things" that were given to me by friends, grandchildren, other family members? How could I just place them in the box marked "donations"? What about all those hundreds of pictures of my Grand Baby Birds in various stages of their lives? I still smile when I look at them, how can I just place all but the best in the trash? From time to time I thin out recipes that I have collected, but what would it be like to just take the whole pile and get rid of it? Would I feel better, lighter, more free, less unencumbered? What about all those items I have collected because they made me smile, warmed my heart or reminded me of someone or some place?

I have a wall of bookcases filled naturally with books, but also with those collected items. From time to time, season to season, I rotate those collections. Some are always there and some go away in a box for a while but I know that they are still mine. I tell myself that I am going to read all those books although I am beginning to wonder if at my age it is possible. I bought them because "they sounded interesting" and I hope that most of them are, but so far I haven't read many of them.

A friend wrote a blog about two Minimalists (see spongefullofthoughts.blogspot.com) who quit their jobs, sold most of their possessions and started living a "minimalist" life in a Montana cabin. In reading more about these two I discovered that they were at first motivated by certain events in their lives to make these changes. They write in their books about how much these actions improved their lives. 

I have no such events to motivate me to take these actions, just a sometimes a vague sense of too much clutter surrounding me. Can I apply some of their actions to my life to declutter? The big question for me is: Do I Want To? Do I want to look at bookshelves with some books on them and only one or two carefully placed items? I think as long as those items make me smile or give me a comfortable feeling, I won't be able to get rid of much!

TIPS FOR DECLUTTERING SHOULD YOU CHOOSE IT

1. Give yourself 5 solid minutes. ...
2. Give away one item each day. ...
3. Fill one trash bag. ...
4. Make a list. ...
5. Take the 12-12-12 Challenge. ...
6. Change your perspective. ...
7. Experiment with numbers. ...
8. Use your imagination.

More items...

10 Creative Ways to Declutter Your Home - Becoming Minimalist

www.becomingminimalist.com/creative-ways-to-declutter/

What Now?

The Sun Came Up  Tomorrow

Election night is over, it was over rather early with results that surprised a large number of people and left people either jubilant, sad, mad, scared and pondering. Already there have been tears, jeers, insults, compliments, promises, threats and protests all around the country like nothing I have ever seen. So many thought that even when the election was over, it wouldn't be over and that is coming true. Facebook (and Twitter and all other types of communication) is alive with "pros and cons" (a nice way of stating it) of the results of the election.

I woke up this morning with an overwhelming feeling of sadness. It was really reinforced when I saw how my Granddaughters were affected. I honestly didn't think that they paid much attention even though this was the first time they have been able to vote in a Presidential election. But I found out that the results were indeed important to them. Their reactions were of anger and tears, disappointment and fear. We all want our children and grandchildren to have more than we did, have the chance to grow up without the fear of war and strife hanging over their heads. In the case of daughters and granddaughters we want them to know that they are strong, they are worthy, they are important and valuable.  Momentarily at least, I feel a sense of unease with the climate. Maybe I am just being a bit of a drama queen and I can only hope as days pass I will feel differently, and I will take heart in knowing that they did and do indeed care.

"Feminism isn't about making women strong. Women are already strong. It's about changing the way the world perceives that strength." —G.D. Anderson

Election Night 2016

Nerves jangled
Stomach fluttering
Teeth grinding

Hair pulling
Votes being counted
Black vote
Hispanic vote
Women's vote
Cuban vote
Puerto Rico vote
College Educated White vote
Non-College Educated White vote
Percentages reported
Map Red and Blue
Endless analysis
Breakfast for dinner
Seven people in one house
Glued to two televisions
Polls closing
Will it be over quickly?
Or go long into the night?
Tomorrow?

Are We Coming Apart or Will We Come Together?

Election Year 2016


It goes without saying that the 2016 Presidential election has become the most contentious, preposterous,  tumultuous, chaotic, ludicrous, divisive, uncivil,  nasty, disturbing, threatening,  depressing, embarrassing and sad time in our history. I wonder what other countries think of this process; I can only hope they are not listening, but it is hard to ignore.

 The 2008 election was historic for electing America's first African-American President. I felt hopeful that perhaps we had turned a corner, that we had finally broken down a barrier. In 2016 we could perhaps break the gender barrier by electing our first woman as President. Whether you agree with her policies or not, it would be a momentous event. But it is dispiriting, discouraging and depressing that it could be tarnished by the current rhetoric.

What will happen in 17 days when it is over and one candidate or another has been elected? In our country there has been a peaceful transfer of "power" since 1797 and it would seem that might be about to change, or is it all bluster and show? Is it an attempt to threaten or intimidate? Or is it a more insidious effort to incite some to rebellion or even violence? Or could it be something more innocuous, like an endeavor to garner publicity for some future venture?

I confess to having a great deal of distress regarding one of the candidates, but perhaps even more distressing is some of the discourse I have read by supporters of both candidates. It's a good thing to be passionate about your beliefs, but at the same time I think we all need to have the same passion for the right of others to have their own beliefs. Is it necessary to rant and rave and rail against "the other side"? I am probably living in a dream world wishing that we could have a respectful  passionate dialogue.

In all ways, this election is unlike any other in our 200 plus year history and I can't help but think that Lady Liberty is crying. After it is over will we come together in national unity or has the chasm too wide? I am worried.

Another 4th of July Experience

When I first thought about writing a blog about 4th of July experiences I was thinking of many times that I celebrated it along with my parents and several of their friends. At the time Baby Bird (remember her? we first started out to write a blog together, a sort of back and forth type  between Mama Bird and Baby Bird. Not to far along the line, she gave up posting as she was just too busy) was not yet a teenager and really had no choice but to accompany us to these gatherings. Thank goodness my youngest brother was closer to her age than he was to mine or my parents so she someone to commiserate with. I was remembering days spent outside in the yard sitting around sipping drinks, talking and laughing and of course eating.  One thing that Baby Bird and I wanted to resurrect from those days was the chocolate cake that was referred to as "Tommy's Chocolate Cake".  I don't know who "Tommy" was but I thought he was a relative of one of my mother's friends, but maybe somewhere along the way I just imagined that--perhaps it was some other "Tommy", a baker perhaps? I remembered that cake as being so dark, chocolatey, moist and delicious. For some reason I thought it had no flour in it and that it was so different than other recipes. 

This past 4th of July, Baby Bird was telling one of the Grand Baby Birds about the cake and we decided that for "old time's sake" we would find that recipe and make it for our celebration. I had the recipe on my computer at one time, but I thought I remembered printing it and then deleting it.  Sure enough, I had deleted it from my recipe folder.  I was determined that I still had it somewhere in writing and made a trip to the basement to search through all kinds of recipe piles I had saved in actual file folders. It took sometime, but I finally came up with it. In addition I found old family photos documenting some of these "Friends and Family" celebrations. It was amusing to see these examples of all the fun times we had (or does it just seem like "fun" now as I look back nostalgically at those times?) )

Those were definitely times when people spent time talking to each other, laughing with each other 

complaining to each other and consoling each other face to face. There were no electronic devices for everyone to be absorbed in (though maybe Baby Bird and my brother wished there were), ignoring any attempts at conversation.  As for "Tommy's Chocolate Cake", I compared it to other recipes I found for old-fashioned chocolate cakes and found that the recipe was pretty typical of all those other recipes with ingredients like sour cream and/or buttermilk, cocoa (I had erroneously remembered it as using baking squares), eggs, two sticks of butter and yes, flour.                                                                                                

I guess it just an example of the memory sometimes being sweeter than the actual event, but I still do believe that those were better times (and better cakes!!).  We tried this recipe this 4th of July and it really did not turn out as I remembered it, perhaps because the cakes I remember had always been baked at sea level and we did not adjust for high altitude. Well, it sounds like a good excuse anyway!                                                                               

                                            TOMMY'S CHOCOLATE CAKE

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon soda
Pinch of salt
Combine above ingredients in a large bowl. Melt the following sauce ingredients and allow to cool:
2 cubes of butter or margarine
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup water
Bring to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add to dry ingredients, stirring thoroughly but do not over mix. To this add:
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Blend thoroughly again, do over mix. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.