Tuesday Tidbits

Matcha with love.

Knitting by Susanna.

Crochet by me.

Blue sky.

Live now, believe me, wait not till tomorrow;

Gather the roses of life today.(Pierre de Ronsard)

Have a terrific Tuesday.

Books and Clouds

 I had hoped to read more in January, but only managed to finish two books -- an online version of Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler; and Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale by Adam Minter that I mentioned in a previous blog post.

Today I finished reading Underground, a book I bought while accompanying my husband on a business trip to Dubai in November.

Depending on what you like to read, I recommend them all.

The cloud-filled sky sure put on a colorful show this afternoon as I headed out for my walk.

Wishing you a good start to your week.

Keeping Track

 I have to say, blogging every day this year has so far been pretty easy.

The same goes for walking, although there have been plenty of times when I really just wanted to stay home.  The tally for the month of January was 106.7 miles.

I'm trying to be consistent with at least these two things.  Something to strive for each day.

I thought it had been 7 years since our son had last been back here for a visit, but he and his dad informed me it's actually been 8.  Obviously, a lot has changed in that time.  The beach area we walked today used to be rather barren, and even though we live just minutes away, it's not a place I would go very often, mostly because I hated seeing trash all over the place.  I was actually surprised to see that it's been developed rather nicely and is definitely much cleaner now.

Getting this posted later than usual and since it's past my bedtime, it's time to say goodnight.

Trash Talk on a Walk

 I actually took this picture on November 4th last year and saved it for this very day.

February just happens to be my birth month.

Started off this first day of the month going on a walk with my boy -- a stop for coffee/juice and then over to the beach.

Someone put a sign out near the trash bins a couple of days ago, so tonight coming back from my evening walk, I put it in my tote bag and carried it home.

A sign of LOVE ... literally.  :)

I hope your month is filled with peace, joy and love.

Messages from the Market

 A trip to Friday Market this morning.

Though our son is a thrift shopper, he found the whole scene to be a bit overwhelming.

Neither of my boys are interested in accumulating a lot of possessions, plus, there's limited spaced in a suitcase when traveling internationally.

In the clothing section, there's always t-shirts with messages I can agree with.

And the very first shirt we saw said:

Came out a little blurry but the message is clear ...

... have a nice day.

Expected and Unexpected Visitors

 Our youngest son arrived from the States at 1:00 a.m. this morning; his first trip back in 7 years.  Unfortunately, the visa process took much, much longer than expected -- over 2 hours, and was very, very frustrating.  Good thing today was off for the religious observance of  Israa & Miraj because we all needed a good sleep-in after the airport ordeal.

When I pulled back the bedroom curtain this morning, I was met with a surprise visitor snoozing away.

A north wind blows on that side of the building so I imagine it was pretty cold out there for awhile; didn't want to open the door and scare him off so I just observed from behind our tinted windows -- he can't see in, but we can see out.

Poor thing stayed there the entire day, switching chairs sometimes, and even climbed down into one of the elephant planters, which just happens to be something we carried home when two of them were put out for garbage collection.

Not sure where this guy came from but since we are on the second floor, he had to navigate and jump across several ledges of other homes to get to ours.

As you can see, Miss Rosie was none too happy about an intruder in her space.

But she has already cosied up to our expected visitor and we will all be spending quality time together over the next few weeks.

A very thankful Thursday.

Best wishes,

Found on the Ground

 Walking with eyes wide open and aware of my surroundings means I probably see things that others don't.  Just about every day I come home with something found on the ground.

Granted, not everyone is interested in dragging or carrying home what someone else considers to be trash, but believe me, I've found plenty that should have never been thrown out in the first place.

This is just a sampling of some of the smaller items I've come across.  Some of them wind up in my journal; others are upcycled in some way, some positioned elsewhere for others to find, and then there are those that are actually deposited in the nearest trash can.

Stars and hearts are a common theme.

On my return home from my walk this evening I actually found money on the ground 

.750 fils which is the equivalent of almost $2.50.

Always keep your eyes open.

Keep watching.

Because whatever you can see 

can inspire you.

(Grace Coddington)

Standing Date

 Tuesdays at Sluggish with Susanna.

Coffee and crafting.

The guy who sat across from us said the cafe cat loves to get cozy on his backpack every time he is there.

I walked this afternoon to try and see where last night's fire happened but couldn't find any sign of it.  My husband told me later that it happened in an abandoned house, possibly started by kids.  I know which house he is talking about and honestly, just last week as I passed by it I thought to myself that it looked like the kinda place where bad things could happen.  And so it did.

I always pick up marbles when I find them on the ground.

Somewhere around here I have a jar with all my collected marbles but because I keep rearranging things, I can't seem to find it at the moment.

Have a terrific Tuesday.

Smoke and Sirens

 My day was spent cleaning so I thought I'd take an extra long walk this evening but turns out it was cut short when I saw smoke billowing up into the sky.  

Since it was coming from the direction of where we live I immediately started heading home, but as I got closer, I realized it was coming from the same spot as the previous fire.

It almost looks like it could be the opposite side of the same building that previously burned.  

I didn't want to get too close, so headed home.  Will check tomorrow in the daylight.

Take care,

Silent Sunday at the Park

Peace and blessings,

Every Day

 Blogging - check

Walking - check

If I feel fatigued, I can always take a seat.

As you can see, people dump their stuff anywhere and everywhere.

Just about every day I find something interesting on the ground.

Setting sun.

Day is done.

9:24 p.m. as I'm posting.

Time to read for a bit and then off to bed.

Take care,

Seeing Double

A photo from January 13, 2024.

And one from today.

Cloudy skies.

Tired eyes.

I've had problems with my eyes for many years now and when I go for walks, I always have to remember to carry a tissue so I can wipe my very teary eyes.  Apparently I have blocked tear ducts and surgery is recommended to redirect the flow.

I also was diagnosed with glaucoma in November and just got a second opinion a couple of weeks ago.  The doctor said that without any doubt, I have it.

My eyes feel dry and tired when I am at home, and are constantly tearing up and running when I'm out for a walk.  Yesterday was a good day -- my eyes felt pretty normal.

  Today, not so much.

Time to call it a day and go rest my weary eyes.

Hope you've had a good one.