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.

Trash and Treasure

Several walks today.

And plalking

Picking up litter while walking.

The only kinda water bottle I want to see on the ground.

It's a drinking fountain just one street away from us.

And then I saw this.

It's a varnished puzzle someone put out for the trash.

So I grabbed it and brought it home.

When my husband saw it, he said

 "why would someone take all that time to put it together to just throw it away?"

I don't really have a place for it inside, so will use it to decorate our parking area.  The black cat in the puzzle reminds me of our street kitty that lives under our covered parking.

She has a couple of soft spots where she can sleep.  And gets food and water and pats on her back every single day.

Happy Thursday!

Warm Winter Wishes

 My girlfriend in New Orleans sent a video of herself making a snow angel in her backyard.  And my brother sent a photo of the falling snow seen from the front window of his house in Mississippi.  I can't believe how much snow has fallen in the south.

Meanwhile, our winter here is more like spring.

With flowers, feathered friends and pollinators.

The yellow wildflowers are known as Al-Nuwair.

They appear this time of year in random spots, wherever there's rain or some sort of water source.

This tree was filled with the very loud chirping of soooooo many sparrows.

Lots of new birdies are taking flight.

If I cannot fly, let me sing.

(Stephen Sondheim)

 Have a wonderful Wednesday,