A TIME TO EMBRACE ONE'S PASSIONS

Yesterday we replenished the 'larder.'  That's an old-fashioned word for a cabinet where food is kept.  Before refrigeration, the term described the practice of covering meat in lard (animal fat) to preserve it.  The modern word is 'pantry.'

Our groceries were johnny-on-the-spot ready for pick-up at 12:30, and we both took a trolley downtown.  A stop at the pharmacy replenished my meds for three months.  It's unheard of for us to simply drive from home to our destination and right back home.  Never ever happened in all the years with the boyfriend behind the wheel.  We're still cruising around, checking out neighborhoods, new homes being built, old homes that have provided shelter until they can't withstand the weight of the world.  

(example)

A new housing addition is being developed next to the Venny property.  We're seeing a trend of dark grey to charcoal colored homes being built.  It's definitely a bold departure from the traditional.  One house near us is nearly black, and the owners have chosen an orange-coral color for contrast in the front porch chairs.  Front doors are sometimes painted in contrasting colors, too.  

The exterior of a home is like an artist's canvas.....a way for the owners to make a statement about their sense of style.  The level of maintenance speaks to their pride in ownership.  The color of a home suggests a preference for classic or modernistic.  The front yard of a double-condo down the street from us had a glorious assortment of flowers blossoming most of the summer.  Every time we drove by, I heard myself comment about how pretty they were.  Homeowners have the opportunity to make our world more beautiful without even thinking about it.  One small ornament can decorate someone's world.

Now that the boyfriend and I have transitioned to Venny and retired from work.....not life....we feel we've earned the luxury of watching others mow the lawn, clear snow off the sidewalks, wash the windows, and more.  I enjoy watching the younger generations enter the stage where home-ownership is a financial possibility.  Looking back, we realize now just how much work and money it takes to own and maintain a property.  The last straw for us...when we were selling our house...was the unexpected flooding of the creek that ran through the back of our property.  Migod, the tears I cried thinking the sale would fall through.  But, the young buyer's perspective showed us the shining light of youth and its optimism.  Yup, retirement often gets a bad wrap, but with a positive outlook, it is the chance to enjoy life the way one chooses.  It's that business of perspective.  We can look forward, or we can look backward.  Personally, I'm really tired of the past and rather look ahead to a blank page.  

Tis an overcast Sunday where we live, there's pomegranates waiting to be devoured, and no have-tos.  Some people are depressed on cloudy days, but we look at them as cozy-in days where we can look out the window and let the world go by.  They say life is a story....might as well make it a best-seller.