Tag Archives: Peace

Let Peace Prevail

Thoughts On Life, , , ,

I found something wonderful that I decided I wanted to be a part of. In my internet perusing’s this morning, I found a site called Blog4Peace on a friend’s Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/Cat-Chat-With-Caren-Cody-208923585790514/ If you like dogs and cats, you’ll enjoy her page.

The new website I found is at this link. https://mimiwrites.blogspot.com/2022/03/blog4peace-ukraine-dona-nobis-pacem.html. It’s a website called Blog4Peace. Who doesn’t want to be a part of that? Right now, the page is promoting Blog4Peace4Ukraine. Or, if you don’t blog, make a Facebook post for peace for Ukraine. A worthy goal. Who can be against peace?

Even many of those aggressors who are being told to fight, I hope want peace. We are all human beings (or as my daughter said when she was little, “I’m a human bean!”) This war on Ukraine has brought most of the rest of the world together like nothing I have ever experienced in my lifetime, and my lifetime is more notable than it used to be. I will be 60 years old at the end of this year! The reasons for this war don’t seem very justified to the rest of the world, so we imagine how we would feel if it were us in the shoes of the Ukrainian people. Our visual connections via television, streaming, and many public medias immerse us in the suffering of the Ukrainians, and we are a part of it every day. We can turn it off and take a break, they cannot. They have no choice. They are living it every day. And so much of the world feels united by their desire for peace.

My husband made this replica of the Ukrainian flag in his workshop and planted it proudly in our front yard. All who pass can see our support for Ukraine. I encourage any of you who feel so called to do the same. A piece of paper with blue and gold colored on it will suffice. A plastic sunflower in your yard or window will also serve the purpose as the sunflower is also a Ukrainian symbol.

As you blog for peace, post for peace, share a symbol for peace, or have thoughts of peace, don’t forget to send up a prayer for peace. Be a Peace Warrior. Today, I sign off with my frequent wishes for my readers, which today I extend to the world, “Peace Be With You”.

Books Read in February 2022 and Why I Didn’t Read One, or Maintaining Peace

Books & Reading, Thoughts On Life, ,
One of the books from my home library.

My reading list is rather scant again this month. I expect next month’s list to be longer as I will be on my own for the next few days and intend to do lots of reading. The first thing on my list? A trip to the library! Hope I don’t hurt myself getting all those books and magazines to the car. My daughter is coming over on Saturday and we are going to look at books and magazines and have pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes. The Kent Free Library always has lots of fun specialty magazines. So, below is last month’s list, slim as it may be.

  1. My Love Affair with the State of Maine-Scotty Mackenzie with Ruth Goode: (Non/fiction) Scotty and her friend Dorothy vacation in Maine. They end up buying a store and becoming part of the community. A dream shared by many of us. A nice snapshot of 1950’s coastal Maine. This one is a keeper from my home library.
  2. A Rant of Ravens-Christine Goff: Rachel Stanhope goes to her aunt’s ranch for a long visit. The ranch is also a bird sanctuary. Aunt Miriam is scheduled for a trip to the Middle East, but a murder throws a monkey wrench in the plans. Aunt Miriam soon disappears, and it is up to Rachel to figure it out and set things right.
  3. RFD Vermont-Marguerite Hurrey Wolf: (Non-fiction) The author shares insights about her daily life in Vermont and her writing is magical. The style is reminiscent of Gladys Taber. I picked this little gem up at a library book sale. I will be keeping it to read again.
  4. The Nightingale-Kristen Hannah: A good book that I could not finish right now. I will pick it up again later.

Magazines-Country Living (2), Yankee Magazine, Smithsonian, Real Simple (2), Best Friends

You might wonder why I could not finish reading The Nightingale if it is a good book. I made it 180 pages before I stopped. It is a long book, over 500 pages. The reason I stopped reading it, is because of the war in Ukraine. There are so many parallels. The Nightingale takes place during World War II when France surrenders and the Nazi occupation occurs. Shortly after the book opens, one of the main characters flees Paris to join her sister in the French countryside. She is one of many escaping the city. She becomes hungry and battered and bruised.

When I watched the news, I saw many being interviewed as they fled from the Ukraine, looking for safety. I saw the bombed-out buildings and the bodies and the hungry, hiding underground. I see the Russian troops moving forward under direction from a dictator, moving towards occupation.

A similar thing to what was happening as I read the book, was unfolding before my eyes on my television screen. It became too much. The book and the reality were too similar. It made me feel surrounded by war. And so, I returned the book to the shelf for another day.

One of the reasons I read, is for down time. It has a meditative quality for me. I may be too sensitive on this, but hey, we all need to do what is necessary for our wellbeing. I moved on to the book about Vermont. It did the trick, and I perceived my life to have balance once again. And so, in these trying times…

Peace be with you, my friends.

Are You Happy? You Can Be!

Gardens, Thoughts On Life, , , ,
Heirloom Cherry Blossoms

Did you know you can take actions to make yourself happier? Apparently, you can.

I am currently taking an on-line college course that was offered for free by Coursera. (Not all Coursera courses have a free option.) I had never heard of them, but now that I am aware, I will be taking more of their free classes on my computer. The class I signed up for is through Yale University. Other classes may be provided by other institutions. If you want a certificate at the end, you have to pay, but I don’t care about that. I am auditing the course.

This class is about happiness. It is taught to Yale students, and during this time of Covid, they wanted to offer it to others who might benefit as well. I first became aware of the opportunity when it was mentioned in the newspaper. The name of this particular class is The Science of Well-Being. It lasts for eight weeks and requires about two hours per week of effort. Lectures are pre-recorded video clips and there are quizzes and a bit of home work. I’m having fun!

Double Daffodils

The lectures first tell you some of the science behind happiness and various theories, studies, and experiments. Then it moves on to how this pertains to us. I am learning a lot through the course and having a good time doing it. Some of the ways to be happier are not news. The one that everyone has heard about is gratitude.

Narcissus

Gratitude is an easy outlook to apply. Just look around you. What do you see that you are grateful for? I see flowers, plants, trees, and gardens that I am grateful for. If I look at my more immediate surroundings, I see dogs, books and magazines, and coffee in a gifted mug that I am grateful for. One of the dogs is currently gazing at me adoringly and that is a true blessing. And there are so many more. We have but to open our eyes and hearts and see.

What are you grateful for? Yes, I really want to know. There may be things that I am overlooking, and I care what others see as blessings.

Namaste. Peace be with you.

Ways To Deal With a Pandemic

Thoughts On Life, ,

Surviving a pandemic is hard. Even if you aren’t sick. You have to socially distance and practice isolation as much as possible.

I have not been inside a grocery store since the beginning of March. Thank goodness for curbside pick up. And thank you to the shoppers who make it possible. There are many things I miss.

See that little notebook? It is how I cope. Every time I want to do something but realize that I can’t because there is a pandemic going on, I write what I wanted to do in the notebook.

Our memories are short. I don’t want to miss out on anything and I will surely forget some things. Now I have a record of them. I have a post-pandemic list of desires and goals ready and waiting for me.

It helps me to feel that I am not missing out. I just can’t do these things right now. But they are on my list.

Some examples

  • Spend time with my nieces (again & again!)
  • Invite various friends over to spend time on the patio
  • Spend an afternoon at the library
  • Resume yoga

Your list may have different activities. But take heart dear ones, these restrictions will not last forever. One day we will be able to start work on our lists.

Peace to you.

Spirits of Peace

Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings, , ,

I love this photo. It is of Lacey and Merlin sharing couch time. Both are gone now, but their spirit of peace lives on. Both were strays of a sort.

Lacey came from my family/friends. She was born to an Amish cat that gave birth in their barn. I asked if I could have her because she reminded me of my beloved Grey Cat who had recently passed. Lacey turned out to be nothing like Grey Cat, but she was a great Cat in her own right.

Merlin came running down our dirt road one day and stopped near our driveway. I had recently gone to a large greyhound event and wanted a greyhound. Wish granted! Merlin was probably a greyhound-lurcher. He may have had a bit of hunting dog in his background but he looked like a greyhound that wasn’t quite long enough.

Both were wonderful additions to the family and provided many years of love.

Namaste

Dogs & Other Animals,
Morty & Orange Kitty

We have two kitties. Morty (aka Mortimer, or Mortimer Kitten) is our little black and white cat. Orange Kitty (hey, it’s the only name that stuck) is our large orange tabby. Morty weighs 8 lbs. while Orange Kitty weighs about 20 lbs.

Mercifully, Orange Kitty is one of the mellowest cats I have ever met. He is a friendly, laid back guy. This is fortunate for Morty as Orange Kitty is nearly 3 times his size. Both kitties like to sleep together, especially during this colder weather. On the rare occasion when the kitties do have a dispute, our sheltie, Shelby, keeps things under control. She does not allow growling, hissing, or swatting to continue under her watch. Shelby will run to the kitties and stand in between them, like some kind of referee officiating at a WWF match.

Orange Kitty in Normal Pose

This is how Orange Kitty spends most of his time. Not much bothers him. His only real interest is bugs. He loves to sit and watch them. He will even upon occasion gather the energy to pounce and swat at them.

Big Yawn

He sees no need to get too worked up about these things though. If everybody took life as well as Big Orange Kitty, the world would be a more peaceful place.

Namaste.

That Face

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, ,

The face of innocence. Don’t you believe it for a second. This does capture a peaceful moment though.

This is how Zekie waits for me to go to work once I start heating up and loading the car. He has given up following me from room to room and just lays in a chair where he can monitor my movements.

If I were the only one home, he would be laying on the back of the couch, frantically watching out the window. But daddy is still home so all is not lost. Living with a dog with separation anxiety is not easy.