travel photos

Hello! 

And Happy Memorial Day Weekend

I hope this finds you all doing well.

I am still away from home and am roaming in the gorgeous 

rolling hills of southeastern Ohio.

I'm visiting family and some friends.

And we've been working on the details

of readying our little cottage for winter living

so our youngest daughter and my niece can 

rent it from us.

We were planning to sell which was a very sad thought.

It's a gorgeous spot which affords us much beauty and

 a place to stay when I get a chance to visit family and friends

and journey down the lane of girlhood memories.

I moved away technically but a big piece 

of my heart has remained here for many reasons.

Here are some photos of our trip that began on

May 11th. On the first day, 45 miles out of town, 

we blew a tire. I was driving. 

We were thankful that we were safe.

The steel belts were showing but as 

I stopped, the tire was slowly

deflating as I got out of the van.

It's still a mystery how that happened...

 We see it as God's protection.

What a beautiful view of New Mexico skies!

 Driving through The Narrows of New Mexico.

 This is Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo.

We've driven by for 30 years

and decided it was time to stop!

If you venture by here on eastbound

I-40, bring a can of spray paint and you can 

add your artistic grafitti to the cars.

 Here are Jeff and I with our OK grand babies.

We had a sweet visit and very special to be there on

Mother's Day.

This unique bridge spans the Ohio River 

between Kentucky and Ohio.

 We saw kids in Oklahoma, Mo, Indiana

 and my brother who resides in the 

Ohio Veteran's Home near Cincinnati.  

I was so happy to see him. He used to be 

near our cottage but has now 

re-located to the Veteran's home which is

four hours from here.

 Wild Irises

 Raspberry Vanilla swirl, waffle cone with...

S*p*R*i*N*k*L*e*S*! 

Very tasty :)

 Hearts...

I love to find them everywhere.

 one of my favorite things...

{WILDFLOWERS}

I will be remembering our veterans this 

weekend and those who are

currently serving. 

I wish you the best as you gather with

family and friends this weekend to be together

and to remember those who have died and 

those who live still

to protect our country and

to help others.

Wishing you 

magical, harmonious days

 filled with blessings.

Thank you so much

 for coming by to say hello.

I will be back home on the 3rd of June and

  back in touch~

Tamara 

XO

A Mother's Day Wish and Everyday Rambles

 I'm just popping in to say hello and

share some of my life ramblings.

It's been a very chilly week here.

The wood stove has been brought

back to life with cozy fires.

That's life in the mountains!

Other than it being very hard on my plants,

I don't mind. This Ohio born girl loves 

a cloudy day or five ;)

We have been busy this week preparing for our annual

spring jaunt to our Sugartree place in Ohio. 

We may be selling but our youngest daughter

and niece may rent it if we can work it out.

We have mixed feelings about that.

She'd be 1800 miles away.

How fitting that we get to see our 

Oklahoma kids and grandbabies

on Mother's Day. And then we travel to MO to see

our daughter and her new baby.

We're so excited to see them all!

Here are some Mother's Day flowers for all of you.

They are from the last year's gardens.

I haven't written much about everyday life for awhile.

I've been working on some crafts.

I will post some when I get back which won't be until June.

Last week, we helped watch our daughter's five

children while she and her husband flew to Virginia

for his grandfather's funeral. We had

such a fun time with them!

We attended a Kentucky Derby celebration at 

one of the restaurants where we sing. 

The owner is from Caintuck. 

It was AMAZING! So well done.

Decorations, games and a lovely buffet of

southern foods.

We have been playing music every Wednesday evening at a

little restaurant in the mountains. Last night was

the last evening of the season there. It was sad to leave it.

There are such wonderful regulars 

who come to listen. And those who work there 

are very gracious and helpful.

The Derby party was the official opening of the season at

the Foxfire, so we will be gathering there to share

our music through early fall.

Music! always MUSIC!

 I must go now and work on watering and packing.

It's been so nice to drop in. I will be 

coming by to visit you while I'm traveling.

What a lovely time to remember our Mothers.

Mine has been gone for many years and how I wish 

I could see her once again to 

honor and love on her just one more time.

I hope you're all well and that you have the 

most wonderful Mother's Day, 

feeling honored and treasured.

Thank you so much for your visit!

Tamara xo

Just Add Color ~

What a wonderful day it is.

Everything is not perfect but that just adds color.

How would would I know what was good if I didn't 

have anything to compare it to?

I can be among the... 

happy people

 by changing my focus which

changes my perspective which in turn, 

changes my thinking.

Sometimes, it takes some creative doing but if it

changes the color of my world, it's worth it.

Oh, I love this!

Color in a picture is like enthusiasm in life.

Vincent Van Gogh

Color! 

What a deep and mysterious language. 

The color of dreams~

Paul Guaguin

  Since the patina that occurs in our life is from our own

handprints, we wouldn't want to alter it.

But everyone needs a little splash of color now and then.

It sometimes comes through change. 

From external circumstances or something

of our own choosing.

It charges us and can re-fire our creativity.

It can be subtle or like a huge watercolor painting

that takes up a lot of room in your heart or home.

 I add color to my life every day by listening to

and playing music. Music is full of color!

Every color that you could possibly imagine.

People experiences and gratitude can add such rich

color to our lives. 

Color evokes emotions that move us and touch

in so many ways. It can inspire and encourage

or take our breath away with it's beauty.

Yesterday, we visited our daughter that lives 

in a group home. We had a lovely, long visit with her. 

When we left, the blues of missing her were splashed

over with the cheery colors of bright pinks, yellows, and

oranges with a mix of white!

~HAPPINESS~

Soon, I'll be leaving to see some of our 

children and grandchildren. Being with them

will brush vibrant, magical colors 

onto the mural of my life, adding yet 

another layer to my story!

The beautiful greens of the east will

take me back to my childhood days 

and will warm my heart with the memories

of my past.

What will you be doing to add color to your life?

I wish you joyous times filled 

with rich, colorful memories.

Thank you for coming by~

Please let me know that you were here and I'll

come by and say hello!

Tamara

XO

The Decision to Take Care of Ourselves And Then.... the Journey

Taking care of oneself may seem like a 

natural and easy thing to do for some. 

And having to make a conscious decision 

to do so may seem ridiculous.

(I'm talking about much more than 

just the basics of

 eating and sleeping and general care.)

But for others, including myself, 

it truly is a journey of

self-discovery and recovery. 

It's a learning process

that happens only if we are 

willing to peel off layers

of wrong thinking, work at

 getting to know ourselves

as well as making changes.

It would take a small book to share

with you the revelations that have come from 

seeking to take better care of  myself..

well-being and a healthier,

more balanced lifestyle.

I used to think that I was healthy.

Several years ago, I came to a place in my life

where I felt numb. I had died inside

and I knew that if I wanted my 

life to be different,

I was going to have to accept boundaries

and live more intentionally.

(I don't mean to sound snooty)

I needed to begin to stand up for myself

and stop making commitments that were

helpful to others but that left me feeling exhausted

and drained physically and mentally.

This was difficult because I love people and

helping them.  But I had to come to realize that

I could still love them but I didn't have to

push myself beyond healthy limits to show that love.

I was saying no to outside commitments at times and

that was good but I wasn't considering limiting

 social outings or time with family as part 

of my care. 

Two years ago, I realized what a 

true introvert was and that I am one and that

it's ok to be one! Haha..

And furthermore, it was ok to fashion my time and 

life in a way that allowed me the solitude that 

I needed to stay rested and to feel like 

my life was not out of control. 

I don't LIKE this about myself but I'm 

grateful to have the understanding.

It's so freeing to be able to make 

decisions based on my needs 

without (most of the time ;) feeling guilty.

Can anyone relate to what I'm saying?

I have learned that I'm not selfish but wise

when I say no to invitations to social events.

Not answering the phone is ok if I'm not up to talking

at that moment. Responding to social media in 

a time frame when I feel rested and can enjoy the

connection is the right way for me.

Learning to listen to our minds and bodies 

and to be able to respond to what we hear, is a gift. 

It requires focus at times and honesty

with ourselves and others.  

People don't always understand. 

My test run circumstance did not end well.

There were broken relationships

and a severing of ties.

It's very sad but I am healthier.

Be prepared and take care of yourself anyway.

If you don't, who will?

This is one of the 

toughest parts of our journey. We don't

want to offend or hurt others. There are always

going to be needs. We can't begin to meet them all.

I was raised to work.

And the harder I worked and the more I accomplished,

the more I was praised. I can tell you that this

set me up for a life time of pleasing others

and totally losing touch with who I was 

or what my needs (and wants) were.

I don't dread telling people no anymore. It

feels good to take care of myself. I enjoy life

soooo much more. The quality

of each experience has been heightened

to the pleasure that it should be because

I have learned to pace myself and reserve what I need

to really be present and enjoy that time. Not wishing that the time

were over so that I can go home and rest.

If you're in need, I hope this has helped 

and made sense to you.

Life is too short and our bodies and minds

have limitations. If we ignore this fact, 

we can do irreversible damage to our bodies

and lose out on the quality of 

life that awaits 

each of us.

There's so much more to it all. 

But too much to write in one post. 

At another time, I would like to write

about the things that we have and how they

demand of us.

(This is a huge one for me and I'm still working on it!

And then beyond our needs are our wants... 

which I would also like to write about another time.)

We have only one life to live.

One time around.

A limited existence with so much to experience.

May yours be blessed. 

Filled with richness and peace.

Thank you for your visit.

I would love to hear any words of advice or 

any stories of what you've learned.

Tamara xo