How do you feel about wrinkled clothes?

This is true. I read an article many years ago that mentions how wrinkled clothes in the summer shows off an out-of-a-suitcase vibe. Wrinkled fashion speaks vacationing tourist. What a refreshing way to think, and, a freeing one as well. Oh! That slob is just a fashionable tourist. 😎

As you may guess, under the spell of the mighty pen, wearing wrinkled (but not badly) summer clothes entered my life shortly after reading that article. I rarely ironed anything. There was one blue camp shirt (worn until thread bare) that had to be ironed. 

Now that I’m an old lady (age wise), I speculate that folks might look at my wrinkled clothes thinking How sad. She needs a care giver. 

Despite the paranoia, I continue to appreciate the wrinkled traveling tourist summer look. If you want to give it a tree, (I typed try) then get dressed and roll around on your sofa like golden lab rubbing its back fitting into a nap nest. 

Day 163 of Week 24 June 2026

The Heat Advisory out of KBTV issued by the National Weather Service station, puts a summer vibe over the day here in Vermont.

 Outdoors, I put up the small umbrella to shade part of the concrete deck. Indoors, the cool A/C air is much appreciated. It is muggy out there. 

Please, review hot weather safety tips at weather.gov. Update your vehicle’s hot weather safety pack. 

Spruce trees up ( i typed only spruce up) your summer wardrobe with light shirts, shorts, for gals flowy skirts, sundresses and loose linen tops. After all, shlepping across the parking lot in the brutally hot sun, you might as well look stylish. 

Have a Styling Cool Weekend!

Make a mango smoothie

Draw your favorite bird

Write yourself a note to open in a year

Read about door knob history

Browse online straw hats

Search for an old tin tub

Start a new collection of something 

Looking good to be sunflowers

Muggy city days are upon us

Heat is exhausting. I went outdoors briefly this morning. The air feels thick. It is muggy city out there. 

If you are elderly or of frail health, and can tolerate air conditioning, then consider having it installed. Please, don’t underestimate the impact heat has on your health. 

Last night thunderstorms rolled by. The sky in the south lit up bright white. I shut off the TV to create a sort of 1950s vibe. I’m hoping this Summer is a Summer’s Summer with heat, thunderstorms, beach and picnic days galore. 

Yesterday I visited Lowe’s in South Burlington. Wow to their gardening section! It is full of gorgeously healthy plants. The annuals are a good price as well. 

Petunias

Earth, Heat & Cooling

🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎🪐

I was pondering the flow of life around me when enters the question: Are the planets aligned right?  To me, it feels Earth’s vibe is in turmoil.   From dropping little things to major health issues, there is a lot of things going not so great.  

Online, I start to read about Earth’s magnetic fluctuations, the geomagnetic field to see how it’s doing. All of us, all animals are to  some degree affected by Earth’s geomagnetic field. In past blog posts, I have written about this line of thinking. 

Instead of blaming or boo-hooing somebody put a curse on me, I look to the beauty of science that God created for understanding why things seem to go wrong so often. 

Karma does not always balance.

Today, I took action to make my life better. Already weakened by Very limited bland menu,  I felt really lousy. I had an errand to run that had to be postponed all morning for fear of having an episode of pain while out and about. After a tiny meal and walking around to see how I feel, a window opens where I have energy. Setting out felt wonderful having control back, and a nice cool air conditioned space to enjoy. My errand finished without problems. 

The temperature in my apartment was regularly 78°F-80°F. I felt all right with fans. I attributed feeling lousy to my health issues (that includes sporadic severe pain). The heat was draining me, in addition to my woes. 

Ah, what a difference a few BTUs makes

 

Thinking about food

Green lentils
because I don’t  have a photo of black beans

Imagine this. If you cleared your food consumed cache to start over with a new menu of things to eat, then what food would you add first?

I’d add fruit and vegetables first. Second, I’d add bake, broiled or boiled meats in limited kind and quanty. Lastly, I’d add dairy and eggs.

That is what I think of as good food. The issue is that not all fruit and vegetables are good to me by taste, allergy and/or digestion. 

When I have an upset stomach, slow down portions and go bland, I think of dairy first. I want a grilled cheese, macaroni & cheese, chicken with rice soup, and lots of water. I don’t think fruit or meat. 

Foods provide different things, different nutrients for us. In a case of for survival, fruit and vegatables are nice, but I’d want meat before a carrot. 

So, I search the Internet with this question: Can black beans provide the same nutrition as steak?

The AI results state the two have similar amounts of protein; and, black beans has more fiber and other nutrients. I ask for survival which is better and the results are that black beans are better.

When I clear my food cache to create a new menu, I realize I might be a non practicing vegetarian in real life. Switch focus to the logistics of food, how to have good food daily, then my new menu becomes more complicated. 

Bottom line, I think it is time I go back to learning how you make a good black beans burger. The last time I tried, I only ate what I made because I knew it was food. 😂

What’s been going on catch up

Under the chin?

A recent health condition flare up slows things down for me. I stress out worrying if this the beginning of my elderly decline. Careful what I eat is a struggle to balance stress and eating right.

The point is that we know our bodies better than anyone else. We may not have the knowledge depth medically trained people do, conditions, treatments and such, but we know us. I think there are times when we forget that as well as how all of us works when facing issues, conditions, illnesses that life throws at us. 

Paying attention to our health can prevent  situations from getting worse. Write things down, ask questions, and be vigilant about symptoms no matter how small. 

If you see on a label, Zero Sugar, read the ingredients to know the sweetener used.

Have a wonderful week

Day 156 of Week 23 June 2026

Edited post because stats took a really steep nose dive.

June is sliding into Summer mode well with higher temperatures and rain, some thunder included. 

Have a good weekend

Sing

Make your own barbeque sauce

Browse stovetop percolators online

Draw a dandelion field

Take a walk with friends

Hand sew stitches for fun

Buy basal plants

How Do You Shop?

 Let us count the ways:

Need 

Garment specific

Thrift stores

Sales and bargains

Color

Fabric

I know when I see it

Fashion fad

Bored and needed to get out and about

Shopping all ways now and then, I believe, is the right answer. 

I am mainly a thrift store shopper leaning into need.

 Last fall I I over did it on tunics, bought more than I needed. That turned into more laundry than I care to have. So, now I am keen on asking myself do I need to buy whatever. I am skilled at making excuses in that regard. Get it down to will it break my heart to say I don’t need it is the coin toss. No wins more often.

Deciding on no is a major change of my shopping attitude. Proof that we can change. Yay me!

A local thrift store is running a 25% off clothes sale. That is worth a quick look. I bought 2 Summer tops and a pair of Gap Madras shorts. I love Madras. I look for Madras in the men’s section because it is difficult to find, and when I do, it is in the men’s section. 

Today though, I didn’t look on the men's racks. As I make my way to the check out counter, something out of the corner of my eye briefly catches my attention. My neck snaps in that direction. Madras! What a thrill. The mind knows what the mind knows. 😎

Alterations needed

Mulling over thoughts of summer heat

Summer Wildflowers

Summer Sky

Summer Fields

As weird as it may sound, since a kid, I’ve liked hot summers. Heat waves, however, I am not a fan. 

Hot ambient temperatures signal my brain that it is warm enough to be outdoors, be in nature, wear sandals, picnic time and know the scent of fresh air after a thunderstorm. There are wonderful elements of hot weather.

And, Air conditioning is number one. Relief from the heat is needed for safe healthy living. 

After that, when the sun doesn’t sting my thin elderly skin, it is therapeutic to me that sunshine rules the day. Feeling the heat from the sun, for a brief time with a thick layer of sunscreen on, is a connection to the universe, a science fiction moment, being one with the solar system. 

This summer I have pondered not having an air conditioner. So far, fans are cool enough. But, one day returning home, when I opened my front door, I felt a rush of hot air. Thoughts began fading from oh this summer will be cooler, no A/C needed. Yes, I do need air conditioning took over. 

Summer Flowers

A Midsummer’s Night Celebration

Day 2 of June, thinking about the summer solstice on 21 June 2026, I also think of how to celebrate one of my favorite special days, Midsummer’s Night, 19 June 2026.

🧚🧚🧚🧚🧚

🧚Make a crown with real flowers or faux blooms. The fabric one can be saved and hung later on a door hanger. Wear the crown during events. A selfie is a must.

🧚Fix a large platter of hors d’oeuvres paired with a delicate white wine.

🧚Watch the 1935 movie first, and then watch the 1968, 1999 or the 2016 film version of William Shakespeare’s, “Midsummer’s Night Dream. Or make it a marathon to watch all four.

🧚Read Shakespeare’s play aloud.

🧚Dance to one of the film’s sound tracks.

Invite friends, love ones, do a solo or with a partner. 

Self Portrait 2014
16 x 20 inch acrylic

Sunglasses & Gas

At the garden center, take off your sunglasses for a look around in order to see the flower’s true colors.

Three places I looked for blue lobelia. None to be found. I went back to Greenhaven Gardens on Route 7 in New Haven, Vermont. The hanging baskets there are stunning, best around. A woman had an outrageously beautiful full round hanging baskets of lobelia. I happen to lift up my sunglasses and to my surprise, the purple flowers are actually blue lobelia! 

Blue and red make purple, as the color wheel goes. My sunglasses are a tint of red-brown. Any blue flower will read purple when I have my sunglasses on. 

Lobelia

Gassed up at Champlain Valley Fuel on Exchange Street in Middlebury at a cheap $4.10/gallon. I stopped pumping at $35.00 US dollars. That is the highest amount of gas I have put into a vehicle ever in my life.   

Beautiful day here in Vermont, sunny, windy, nice ambient temperature, perfect for being outdoors. 

Have a wonderful week

Going for a red, white & blue 
America 250 theme

 

Reflection Monday June 2026

Being sure what something is be it a plant or what a person just said can be enjoyable or frustrating. 

The plant in the photo could be a self seeded might or might not be a sunflower. I think it is a sunflower based on last year’s blooms. 

I now have a photo to use for identification next year. 

Seeing the first bud will be nice. The wait adds a sprinkle of magic to the atmosphere.

What’s going or not going on lately

Spirea
aka Wedding Veil Shrub

 Well, it’s like this. A few heavy stresses appeared on the horizon. Happily, one has positive results with a great feeling of thank you Lord and relief. The other requires gathering up papers, documents, and a revisiting my expository writing skill. 

Weather and my energy are slowly aligning where I might be gardening this week. Tomato plants are back on my Summer container garden list. Parsley, basal, thyme, mint, oregano and Rosemary complete the list.  

What is not going on is the deck arrangement. Everything needed is there. Once flower pots are cleared away, the rest will fall into place. Going light is the theme this Summer.

Note under this blog’s banner is the horizontal space for pages. Since I decided to continue blogging, I feel that this blog should be as I planned in the beginning. Most of the Pages there will start posting in late June

Off Instagram again, I notice a decrease in my YouTube channel watching enthusiasm. Episodes aren’t always numbered or dated well. Creators may film weeks before posting the video. A video may publish between videos more current. 

For example, I just watched a cabin being painted. A video posted a week later as new content, has no paint. New video is about saying good bye to somebody going to Europe for three months. The next current video days later, shows the person barbecuing in the back yard, wearing the same tee shirt!

I feel encouraged to think about creating a balance between what I do versus watching what others do. 

Day 149 of Week 22 May 2026

 

One of the prettiest pansies this year, saving the seeds will be a challenge. Other flowers and vegetables are easy to seed save. Pansies are intimidating. 

Weight loss. For years, my weight would stay on a plateau and not budge much outside a 5 pound range. There have been weeks my weight would be the same days in a row. I finally lost six pounds. And what happens? Another plateau. The good thing is that I’m getting closer to my preferred Earthly weight. 

Have an Earth Wonderful Weekend

Bake cheesy biscuits

Sing to a flowering tree

Browse hiking sandals online

Read about your favorite poet

Plan a Midsummer’s Night party

Write yourself a thank you note

Shop for a table fountain

What did I do all day

Philosophically, I spent my time immersed in thoughts focusing on reality’s impact on the range of experiences my life has accumulated.

I recently looked at a truck, briefly thinking, how do so many people afford them. They are very expensive to buy and run. Then I pondered longer, why don’t I have a truck? Can I afford a truck someday? How would it feel to own and drive my very own truck? Do I really want a black one or the metallic gray with lots of chrome details? Is having a truck a realistic goal? 

I drove a big 4x4 Dodge Ram Charger, that’s like a pick-up truck enclosed, back in the late 1970s. I have driven it on roads as well as in deep Texas mud. Trucks feel safe and commanding. Practical at my age to have a truck? No, it is silly. 

What isn’t silly is thinking out of the box. In Vermont there are a lot of trucks and SUVs on the road. They create a landscape with different vibe than an inner city of sedans. 

I also had a nice nap this afternoon. 

Conditioning reality as the boundary crumbles

A few things will run by a person that bothers them that are easily dismissed as part of life. Asi es la vida. C’est la vie. That’s how the cookie crumbles. 

What is it called when a lot of crumbles litter the path of one’s daily stroll? I have no idea. It seems to me, from reading headlines, living life in general, the Such is life, moments are too plentiful.

In the end zone of life, being old, priorities can be adjusted for how we entertain ourselves. The structure of television, streaming, channels, and such, the selection is immense. There are features on my Google smart television I have not explored yet. And it is not even a high end TV model (aka it’s a cheap TV).

A skill to learn is how to blend attitude to what is offered. I love the mystery and drama genres. What I no longer have the emotional slot for is intense violence and suspense. I will turn the channel, use mute through certain scenes or stop watching. 

And here’s the catch. Given the increase in on screen time watching and reading on the Internet, the boundary between film and reality has become thin. Once I could sit through could anything on film, I now cringe and avoid regularly. My brain accepts the fakery of film as a nearer reality than it should be. We are conditioning ourselves to form new parameters that identify the reality experience.

It is sad to think that someday I will have evolved myself out of enjoying a tasteful horror film so much so that I’ll never enjoy blocking my ears, pulling a blanket over my head or running out of the room during the scariest parts. 

😱😱😱😱😱😂

Enjoy the last Tuesday
of May 2026

A Day of Rest

There is at the moment zipola on my agenda that’s worth getting off the sofa for. If there was cake in the fridge, that could motivate me. Earlier, a surge of energy helped me do better than 95% of the dishes. 

It is heavily over cast and raining with a freezing damp in the air that a sofa knows the vibe of very well. Too bad because I and my plaid woven throw are planning to meet for the afternoon on the swivel recliner. 

Enjoy your day

My YouTube Channel

 

Day 142 of Week 21 May 2026

There are dozens of causes for folks to post about, discuss, support or protest. How to choose what to be involved in is not easy when so many speak to our hearts. 

Data centers and BESS (battery energy storage stations) are two very hot topics. There is a serious issue in my community about the proposal for a very badly located BESS. It boggles my mind how stupid the location is for such a facility. 

If you aren’t familiar with those issues, then I encourage you to read about them using various sources.

I’ve listened to videos recording the noise data centers create. How anyone can pollute the environment and cause people that level of physical harm is, I feel, an absolute outrage.

Know what your state government is doing.

Be informed

Interesting things I saw that are only stored in my brain

I saw a gorgeous patch of tall yellow tulips when stopped at a red light.

A vehicle that was briefly in front of me (made a turn) has a design that feels to me like it could hover over the road. No brand insignia, I have no idea the name of the maker.

Waiting for my Dunkin at the drive-thru, I saw a man at a pump holding a bag of chips in his hand. He was just chewing away like he hasn’t had a meal all day. Handsome, light scruffy whiskers, I thought that has to be thee most beautiful and earnest chewing I’ve ever seen. It belongs in a movie. 

Waiting at a road construction stop, I watched a field of tall grass waving in the wind. The pattern follows the plowed rows. The scene reminds me of the 1985 Harrison Ford film, “Witness.” As I recall, the movie opens with a windy tall grass field. 

Glancing towards Lake Champlain, I saw the evidence of brisk winds in the many white caps. 

I didn’t make my usual stop to take photographs today. At home, I realize there’s no pictures to edit. That feels weird to have that sense of separation from a lens.

Lake Champlain April 2026