Would you believe it?

My blog idea stash is empty.

😱

Amazing that after thinking several times of a blog subject to post about, my brain says the harvest of good ideas is over. There must be charming old wood crate stored somewhere in blog cyber space that’s out of my reach. 

Here’s a silly one.

Click to enlarge

What was I feeling when I chose that Anthropologie mug as my Fall 2026 mug? 

Out of all the dozens of mugs I had looked at, I believe, this one is the best design and most cheerful. The gold accent is a nice touch; and, it was on sale.

There are other items at Anthropologie with the mug theme.

Not a sponsored post

Mug inside bottom

The route of the revisit

Yesterday revisiting my idea of becoming a photographer felt right. Raring to go, I have no idea where my old notes are. They will turn up when I clear out old spiral notebooks. 

Today, the spirits (confidence muse team) tell me I’m on the right path. As it happens, years ago a blog was created for the purpose of being my photography blog*. As I recall, some of the details, one is that the blog will not be connected to this blog. 

Back then, there was a blogger that appeared out of nowhere, crossing over to several other blogs, I think, through the Blogspot feature, Blogs I Follow gadget. The surge of familiarity had a very who are you vibe. Other troll like things going on then also gave me reason to want that blog separate. 

Fact is, once you’ve been online for so many years, concerns like that shouldn’t impede  progress. I ended up feeling I wasn’t ready to take on promoting my photography. Maybe that helped dampen my enthusiasm. It can be creepy when you tell a person or persons about your blog, but they never mention they read your blog, (even when they happen to mention content you happen to have recently posted).

Ah, the old days.

That old blog has a plan that fits well with my pursuit of learning photography. It is nice to know I gave the project a lot of thought to have that done. 

On the landscape of elevating life, revisiting an old idea is proving to be a source of happiness. 

I hope y’all have revisited an old idea that brings you happiness.

* Forgot to mention that the name of the photography blog is clear of any similar word use online. Salty Pumpkin was clear as well when I began using the name. This time I will be carefully watching for anyone trying to use my photography blog name in some way. 

On being happier, a slow journey

It was still dark out. Awake, I wanted to sleep more. At 4:30 AM, there are options. Think for a few hours hoping to fall back to sleep. Read. Stretch. Start the day in pajamas.

I chose to rise and tackle a couple of projects. Then back to maybe sleeping for a nap after getting dressed. The pulled muscle is too tender for me to do much. 

I have 5 areas to sort out instead of a list of tasks to do. That approach declutters things in my mind. 

Adding an outdoor part to the day, cleaning up planters after the hard frost is an area that will be coupled with taking photographs. 

And then without warning, as I rest, a heavy wave of dread unrests me. I have so much to do, any reduction of energy is not good. But, an anxiety disorder doesn’t care. I say happy. Anxiety says oh no you’re not. 

I might fit a nice donut and coffee into my day. I’ve given up sugary donuts in favor of a plain donut. Not the best reaction to a slam of dreads, but it works for me.

What’s going on this week?

The calendar I have says nothing much.

Tomorrow is Elevate Your Life Day. In other words, be happier. Sounds like a trap to me because my plans have a tendency to go awry. 

So, I Googled elevate your life.

Top result is for www.prevention.com with an article, “You can find joy every day. Experts Swear by These 28 Habits for a Happier Life.” After struggling through the ads and popups, a glance through the tips appears to be well thought of.

The next search result has “5 Simple Ways to Elevate Your Life,” on www.daydesigner.com. No ads to battle, the 5 tips have a lot of wisdom there to consider.

Both websites, in their own style, do provide ideas that can help people. The work to better our lives rests upon us.

The two question I ask myself are:

Is my life the way I want it to be? 

If not, then how can I be what I want to be?

Then tips become helpful to me for sorting out the direction I want to pursue. The usual is that there are several things to change or try. 

The fun is to select one unusual or old idea at a time. 

For example, years ago I felt a strong pull to become a photographer. I even bought a low end ( price wise) starter camera. I studied and planned until the enthusiasm faded into the thick brambles of life. I’ve used the camera a few times. 

What I learned is what a base camera is, one that needs additional (expensive) lenses. 

Trying again, with what I have, is a good idea.

I feel elevated already.

Not a bad photo for an amateur

A view from the sofa

Thankful I be that from the sofa, I can see fall foliage color out my window. It would have been a rainy boring day without that sliver of autumn to lift my spirits.* 

The sun umbrella reminds me that summer still needs to be put away. A bird feeder needs to go up. (Birds began to show up last week.)

I use a sled to bring old planters and stuff to the dumpster. There’s a couple of petunias still blooming. I think the hummingbird is long gone. Once there’s a hard frost, the blooms will be gone as well. 

There’s no denying that cold weather is creeping in. It has snowed in Maine already. Chances of mountain snow is in the forecast for parts of Vermont. 

Check windshield wiper fluid, shovel and ice melt in trunk, and an extra pair of gloves in the console. Stock up on canned goods. Keep a watch for soup on sale. Take out the crock pot. Make an apple crisp and freeze half.

 

* Pulled muscle is better after that day

of rest. Sore, but less so. Adding another slow day

to the healing.