Your Brain

 

I was listening to a new to me podcast called House of Joy by Dr.Edie Wadsworth. I highly recommend it if you want some uplifting, inspirational food for thought. 

In a recent episode she taught that our brains naturally seek pleasure, avoid pain, and conserve energy. After hearing this I felt so much better about myself. All this time I’ve been beating myself up for not “being all that I could be,” when actually it was all pretty normal. 

That being said, I can’t help but remember a word of advice I received from one of my favorite authors, Gretchen Rubin, in response to an e-mail I sent her. I was trying to make excuses for not doing something on the pretense that it wasn’t something I enjoyed. She reminded me of the paradox of “accepting ourselves, and yet requiring more of our selves.”  In other words sometimes you just have to step up. 

It might not be pleasurable, it might be painful, and it might use up a whole lot of energy, but at the same time it also might just be the right thing to do.

Summer Bucket List

 

I’m not really a Bucket List kind of gal, but I do know that ever since I retired fifteen years ago, summer has pretty much been about the same as every other season, except for the heat. 

For years as a child, teenager, and teacher I would look forward to summer as an opportunity to take a break from school, and kick back a little bit. Now that there is no real break for me, summer doesn’t seem quite as special. 

The other day a friend of my daughter’s posted a fun Bucket List for her son to do over the next few months. They had written it on butcher paper, and posted it on the wall.

It got me to thinking and inspired me to come up with my own Summer Bucket List. I knew I wanted to keep it simple and realistic. Having just returned from the beach, I knew the chances of hanging out again on the white sands of Destin probably wasn’t going to happen. 

So I tried to think of some fun ideas that I knew I’d probably be able to do pretty easily.  Keeping it simple certainly sounded appealing. If you like some of my ideas maybe you a make your own Summer Bucket List. Let me know some of your ideas!

Stargaze

30 minutes per day reading fiction

Enjoy a popsicle 

Visit a Farmers’ Market

Visit the Stephenville Library

Paint a picture

Blow bubbles with the grandkids 

☑️Make s’mores

☑️Watch a sunrise

☑️Do a puzzle

Make homemade ice cream

Take a day trip

Buy fresh flowers

☑️ Treat myself to homemade lemonade

☑️ Try a new Sumer nail polish color

Paint rocks

Visit a museum

Attend an outdoor concert 

Do a photoshoot 

Visit a new coffee shop

☑️ Get a snow cone

Back Porch Makeover

 

Earlier this spring I began thinking about redoing our back porch. Although, we have lived here almost three years I had never really done much with the back porch. In fact, I spent most of my outdoor time on the front porch, and had added a nice patio dining table last spring which we have really enjoyed. 

I began looking on Pinterest and Instagram for ideas. That’s when the decorating anxiety kicked in. Should I spend the money and replace the well-loved existing patio furniture? What kind of rug would look nice? How about those outdoor lights that seem to make a place look magical? What kinds of plants?

So as time went by I did what I usually do, and put it in the back of my mind reasoning, “ Why do today, what you can put off to tomorrow.”

Except one day I just bit the bullet and took action. I asked Chuck and my eight year old grandson if they could repair the leg of one of the existing wicker chairs. You know, the ones we’ve had for years that had a nose sized hole in the wicker compliments of a Black Mouth Cur? I had already invested in some new cushions last year from Big Lots. Now they had a somewhat tropical feel to them and didn’t quite align with my Instagram influencers neutral tones vibes, but I liked them. 

Then I moved a rod ironed plant stand, and an artificial fern from the front porch to the back. I had a small tin planter with a plastic plant from IKEA that I had used at our apartment in Las Colinas. I added a painted rock that Chuck had painted, and my existing small glass table looked perfect. 

I added a small garden art snail compliments of a friend, and a yard flag. I did need to purchase a stand for it, though. Along with the stand I bought another small, green artificial plant and added it to an existing ceramic planter. I placed that on the IKEA table we had also used in our apartment. 

I decided against a rug because out in the country we get a lot of rain and wind, and the water has a tendency to pool on the porch. We then added a hummingbird feeder, and life has been good ever since. If you haven’t had a chance you might want to read the prior posting about our hummingbirds. 

I can’t get over how inviting this back porch has become by basically using what I had. Chuck and I are spending many a morning out their drinking our coffee and watching the hummingbirds. Some mornings when I get up early I like to sit out there and enjoy the cooler morning weather. It’s a perfect spot to read, and hang out with Cooper and Bluebonnet. 

Now you may be wondering why I chose fake plants as opposed to the real deal. Basically the ease involved. No watering required, and they give off the ambiance of green plants. A friend of mine was telling me about some pretty realistic flowers that you can buy for your porch on Amazon if you want a pop of color. 

Now I know some of you are decorating warriors, and designing a back porch is like a duck taking to water. However, for some of us we may need to dip our toes in the water before diving in. I encourage you to start with what you already have, and start enjoying spending time there. 

Hummingbirds

 A few weeks ago I decorated our back porch using things I already had around the house. One of those things was a hummingbird feeder I had picked up for Chuck last year, but had never used. 

After researching what to feed them I mixed up a concoction of one cup water to a quarter cup white sugar dissolved in boiling water. My feeder actually holds three cups of water and three quarter cups of sugar. 

Within minutes, not hours, as soon as the feeder was hung the hummingbirds arrived. To the best of our observations we have three hummingbirds who frequent our feeder. Two of them like to dive bomb each other. I’m wondering if we have two males and a female?

I must say I have gotten so much enjoyment out of watching their antics. When possible I like sitting out in the back porch watching them.  I can honestly say that they are quite delightful. I find myself regularly laughing at their acrobatics. 

More times than not I hear them before I see them. Their flapping wings make a very distinct sound. In addition they definitely have their own unique chirping sound. 

However, my cat Bluebonnet seems quite taken with them as well, and once knocked their feeder over. It was then that we shortened the cord it was hanging from. Interestingly, we did this by making a loop in the cord. The birds actually use the loop as a perch. I’ve watched one of the birds sit on the perch while letting the other one feed. I’m thinking that might be the male and the female. Meanwhile, when the two males arrive it’s a circa World War I dog fight!

One thing that I want to be aware of, though, is when to stop feeding them. Apparently if you leave the food source out too long they will not leave at the proper time for their migration. I want to make sure they have a successful flight south. 

I highly recommend if you want to bring a little joy into your life for less than ten dollars ( I got my feeder at Walmart.) pick up a hummingbird feeder!