Committments, updates, empty nests, cabin fever.... all lead to Caledonia

Ok, so I suck.

Here will be a list of my shortcomings and successes with total disclosure (as much as I care to) about my volunteered and hopeful life-changing changes I was making.

I have tried to watch what I eat. And some days I’m pretty good and know how many calories that I’ve consumed…..and other days I’m a grazing cow.

Have done pretty good with self care though. Goddess knows I love my hot baths.

Exercise?

Some yoga and well…..hahahahaha on the rest of it.

I have been doing off and on great with the house. The most recent news is that Talon moved on after temporarily living with us for almost 3 years. He’s on his feet now and I actually have a spare guest room. I cleaned and decorated that room with quilts, folk art, lace curtains and some of my doll collections. It’s cute.

Organized my closet, or should I say, I “played in my closet”, as this was more the case. I put my clothes (going from left to right) and from colors (white through rainbow to black) These are good cabin fever activities. Put things together in different combinations. I tend to wear certain things all the time. So about now, I ask myself, “why haven’t I worn this? This is cute” and make a pact with myself to try to wear something I haven’t worn in awhile. You know, shake things up. Hey, when it's cold, dreary, freezing and you are so sick to death of winter, you find things to do to give you hope in better days and better weather...

The writing exercises went in favor of actually writing pieces. The trip blog, poems, blather like this….you know.

I HAVE been keeping my promise to myself of a monthly Chiropractor appointment and also a quarterly massage therapy treatment.

Storybook Club is coming along swimmingly. Have met with other like minded interested individuals to have fun discussing: Hansel & Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, The Snow Queen, Baba Yaga…and next month will be about Finn McCool for the month of Celtic story and song.

Creativity Circle has been sporadic. It’s sparsely attended, but it makes me set aside creative time for me, and that’s why I’m doing it. If anyone else wants to partake of the pre-booked room and company, they are welcome to it. I have started a 10’X12’ seascape landscape faric backdrop, I’ve done my mending and I got out my watercolors and tried my hand at painting again. I will be booking the library community room for another one for next month (and will try to do this until faire season commences…)

I will be getting out some new music to start learning. 

Songs I’d like to learn are:

The Skye Boat song,  Caledonia, Harvest Moon (Neil Young), Paddle me own Canoe, Beautiful Dreamer.

Songs I’m working on: Cheap Motel, That’s what you get for loving me, Lemon Tree, Mist Covered Mountains of Home among others….

I also have to clean off my desk…but I really need either more coffee or better drugs to get motivated for that chore.

Have been enjoying reading in a quiet house. Current book is "Blackbeard the Pirate: A Reappraisal of His Life and Times". 
I enjoy reading. My eyes aren't the greatest...but I love to read.
People say that they “don’t have time to read”. But it’s not that so much as CHOOSING to read over something else. “I want something mindless to do after work, so I just watch TV” is another one I hear. I don’t watch TV. Oh, at a motel I do…but not at home. We don’t have cable by choice. We have no reception by location.

Looks like I may have found an eye surgeon and surgery center for getting my cataracts done (within reason of a self pay budget, at least) I have an appointment for next Wednesday on switching doctors and starting the process. Who knows? With any luck, I will have "new eyes" by spring!

This is now a new strange stage in my life. Everyone is gone but me, Harry and Monty Joe. For the first time in over 20 years I am here with just one other family member in this house.

My main hope (and fear) is to be able to motivate Harry to find value in the art of organization... so that we can continue to be creative.

I think if we just had staff….
some domestic help, office staff and a production crew…
we’d be amazing.

We just can’t keep up with ourselves, the house, 2 businesses and many hats.

But today, I’m not wearing any hat. Oh, I had on my minstrel hat this morning, when we sang for the folks in assisted living at the VA hospital. It was a "happy, smiling, red is the color" duo of assorted music for a presentation.

There were patients there, so totally out of it. Damaged. Some were aging and old and sleeping, some were coherent but had no short term memory so would continue to ask us to sing, as if we hadn’t, after we were all done. There was a lady there in wheelchair bed that announced she was 97 years old! Well, “96 & ½” as it turned out. Oh there were also the younger vets there who wanted "old rock and roll & country" too, and we did our best for them and mixed it up. I mean, you've never really heard "Locomotive Breath" until you've heard our acoustic version with bodhran :)

Outside it’s a bitter cold day, the wind is howling outside and I can occasionally hear large chunks of ice coming off the roof, which makes Monty bark. I've gotten into lounge clothes as soon as I could after getting home. Navy velours and a big red flannel shirt, cushy slippers, sipping hot tea, listening to harp music from my friends, Jay & Abby (The Harper & The Minstrel).  
The pace is as slow as a long Saturday afternoon should be. 

Talon will be back over for Sunday dinner tomorrow and we will see Shawna over here on Wednesday, I'm having a hopeful "end of winter party" for a houseful next weekend…so.... family and friends come and go and come again…

Caledonia is now playing….making me wish for so much for warmer climes...

"I don't know if you can see
The changes that have come over me
 last few days I've been afraid
That I might drift away
 I've been telling old stories, singing songs
That make me think about where I come from
And that's the reason why I seem
So far away today

Yes and let me tell you that I love you
That I think about you all the time
Caledonia you're calling me
And now I'm going home
If I should become a stranger
know that it would make me more than sad
Caledonia's been everything
I've ever had

Now I have moved and I've kept on moving
Proved the points that I needed proving
Lost the friends that I needed losing
Found others on the way
yes, I have kissed the lads and left them crying
Stolen dreams, yes there's no denying
I have traveled hard with coattails flying
Somewhere in the wind

Yes and  let me tell you that I love you
That I think about you all the time
Caledonia you're calling me
And now I'm going home
If I should become a stranger
 know that it would make me more than sad
Caledonia's been everything
I've ever had

Now I'm sitting here before the fire
The empty room, the forest choir
The flames that couldn’t get any higher
They've withered now they've gone
But I'm steady thinking my way is clear
And I know where I will be tomorrow
When the hands are shaken and the kisses flow
Then I will disappear

Yes and let me tell you that I love you
That I think about you all the time
Caledonia you're calling me
And now I'm going home
If I should become a stranger
know that it would make me more than sad
Caledonia's been everything
I've ever had"