Monday morning, and I’m trying my best to be a bit more productive and organized. So, instead of making up for a week’s worth of neglected posts, I managed to delay only two days of neglected introspection posts before getting on here… that’s progress!

October 19: Ways you can show more appreciation for the people you love.
I try my best to remember the little things that people share with me… especially the things that bring them joy. For example, I have a musician friend who plays harmonica, and he brings all of his “gear” to open mic in a little canvas toolbox. He’s a carpenter by trade, so it makes sense to him… and actually, it does to me, too. One night, I was looking at all of the things he had stuffed in there, and the subject matter was so interesting, I took a photograph… and turned it into an art print, which I gave to him for his birthday.

Here it is. I called it “Musical Toolbox”. You can see the toolbox in the background. He has a tambourine, drumsticks, a few snack items, and probably some other things that I don’t know about and wouldn’t mention here if I did. 😉

When I was working at a little community college, back about 15 or more years ago, my coworkers and I loved to talk about music. So, every Thursday night, I’d create a goofy music video, where I would dress up and lip-synch something unexpected, and send it to their inbox for the next morning. It became kind of a thing… and, no. I don’t have the links to them anymore. There was a Michael Jackson “Rock with You” that was priceless. Sorry you missed it.

I love using my creativity (and sometimes weirdness) to show those dear to me how I feel about them.

October 20: Things I love about my home.
This is an interesting prompt. I wrote about this early on in my blog. Before living here, I lived in a rather good-sized home for about 22 years. Had an acre and a half of land with lots of trees and a big front porch. And when life had a way of changing things, and I found myself having to sell it, downsizing to this little place wasn’t something I was prepared for… or wanted, for that matter.

But I’ve been here three years now, almost to the date. And I’ve grown to love it. I don’t have the big yard or big front porch, nor do I have as many trees. What this little house has given me is something that I really didn’t know I needed until recently – a place to feel like and express my authentic self.

Being an artist-type, I love to study the interplay of light and color, and this little house is perfect for that. Two of my favorite spots are the front door and the windowsill above the kitchen sink.

The sidelights on the front door made things a little less-private than I wanted, so I found some of that peel-and-stick window film at the local hardware. In the morning, it looks like real stained glass, and I love how the sun peeks through. This photo was taken about 9am this morning.

And here’s a morning photo of the weird stuff I have on my kitchen windowsill. Isn’t that cobalt blue vase just wonderful?

I love cranking up the stereo and dancing and spinning myself into a stupor in sock-feet. The floors are perfect for it – I can do that Morris Day “slide” thing and some of the smoothest swing and shag moves. But some nights, I simply want to prop my feet up and enjoy some mellow tunes.

I get the warm morning sun on my little front porch and the beautiful sunsets on the patio at dusk. Sometimes the clouds make me feel like I’m in another world, and I have to stop in complete awe. And the birds know me, too – in fact, they’re beginning to becoming a little demanding at the feeders.

And I can fill this place with the quirky little things that bring joy and make me smile.

In fact, I think I’m overdue for a few “disco laps” around the living room and kitchen – it also counts as my exercise. Guess that’s enough for now.