Do You Remember?

I read a blog recently that really struck a chord with me. I've lived long enough that some of the interesting things that have happened during my lifetime, to this point, are pretty funny and sometimes amazing.

I remember when young women wore girdles and stockings every day. To work, college, and any social gathering. Pantyhose made our life so much easier. Not long before that we wore stockings that hooked to our girdles with garters.

Most homes had one, centrally-located, black, table top phone. Everyone made and took calls at this one spot. There were party lines, where more than one family used the same telephone line. You could pick up the receiver and hear talking. I was a telephone operator in Southern Montana and the switchboard had plugs that I would plug in to attach lines to receive a call. I had to memorize the ring for each family. The ring would be one short and two longs or two longs and three shorts...etc. I wasn't supposed to listen in but I did quite a bit. This was pre-answering machine days and no voice mail either.

I remember having a milk truck that would deliver milk in glass bottles to our front door. There were zinc boxes to put the bottles in so they wouldn’t freeze. The tops of the milk bottles had crimped paper caps with the name of the dairy on a disk on the top. The disks became collectibles.



Milk Bottle Caps



I remember long hot nights with a rotary fan moving air around the room. No air conditioning. The fan’s cord was thick and had a woven cloth covering.



A Rotary Fan

 

I remember real ice boxes a big box on the back porch. A guy would come and drop 50-pounds of block ice into it, using huge tongs, and you would put food in to keep it from spoiling. OK, I barely remember it because it wasn't long after I was born that refrigerators became available.

I remember having a pump in the house that I had to pump water out of by hand. The water was used for cooking or filling up a large metal tub for me to take a bath in. There was no indoor plumbing, no toilet inside. So, of course, I remember using an outhouse every time I had to go to the bathroom. Many of my Alaska friends use them even today.

I remember pulling into a gas station and having a guy (always male) come out, wearing a coverall uniform and a hat, put gas in your car, wash your windshield, and check your oil. You paid for gas, but not for the other work. And no tipping.

I remember having to do the dishes every night after dinner. I had to wash the dishes by hand. I would wash, using a tub of hot soapy water, rinse by dipping  the dishes in a tub of clean, hot water, and then placing them on a towel beside the sink area. Another person (if I was lucky) would dry the dishes using linen towels with designs embroidered on them. Glasses, plates, knives and forks, and pans. We always used different towels for utensils.

I remember only have a radio, a huge radio console, in our living room. I would lay in front of it on the floor and listen to my favorite programs. We didn't get a television (black and white only and only one channel) until I was 12 years old.

I remember the first shuttle launch...and how almost impossible it was to imagine a man walking on the moon!

So in my life there have been many inventions and upgrades to those inventions. Why I didn't even start working on or even using a computer until I was in my 30s. Many people didn't even have electric typewriters for a very long time. I actually got my fastest time typing on a manual typewriter (90 wpm) when I was in school. I remember I got a job I really wanted because I knew how to use a new IBM Selectric typewriter. I remember that when I started working on computers that the only operating system we had was DOS. I remember when we didn't even use a mouse. WoW!! So many things.....

Do you remember things from your past like these things???

I hope your weekend is wonderful!!

Janie

The Artist Within

If you have read me very long, you know I'm into the arts, of all kinds. I love to draw, sew, do needlework, photography, almost anything creative....I love to do it.

It has been no secret that my most favorite thing of the recent past has been pen and ink abstract drawings. I haven't really been doing it much lately and have, in fact, been much more interested in sewing, and especially since my oldest daughter so generously gave me a brand new sewing machine for Christmas.

 
Yesterday I made a journey to a local fabric store which is more like a warehouse. It is delightful!!! I started looking at patterns and found the pattern I had been looking for and then started looking around for cotton fabric. There were stacks and stacks of cotton remnants as well as shelves and shelves of bolts of fabric. The stacks were $6.99/yard and the bolts were $9.99 and up/yard. I got some great pieces for the apron pattern!

 
I started looking around and found a table of remnents of drape and apolstery fabric. What a find!! Oh, for those of you who do not sew, a remnent is a piece of fabric from a 1/4 yard on up to several yards that the seller wants to move out of their inventory at a reduced price. Well, on the drape and apolstery table I found a couple of pieces that will make very interesting handbags.

So, on Facebook one of my dearest friends posted the following picture. I love it!!!! It really shows the difference between the right and left brain and how artists tend to see the world in a different way..

 

I had an art teacher in high school who told me that everyone has a little bit of artist in them, but that most are afraid to search it out. Most people say that "I can't draw a straight line"...well, I'm here to say that even artists use a ruler to DRAW A STRAIGHT LINE!!!

SO LET THE CREATIVITY BEGIN!!!

I hope you all find the artist within....

Janie

MOTHER NATURE INSPIRED?

I found some CDs with pictures on from back in 2005. I started looking at them and OH MY!! There were so many different pictures on them. I like to look at pictures from the Internet of the beauty around us...Nature....Good old MOTHER NATURE.

Perhaps that's why so many of my Zentangles are about nature.

 

I think it's fun to go back and look at what I've done in the past and to look at my nature photos and see how they might influence my future Zentangles.





I hope that you have had a wonderful Valentine's Day!!!
Janie

Dream on a Moonbeam: 12 STEPS TO FINDING YOUR OWN HAPPINESS

Dream on a Moonbeam: 12 STEPS TO FINDING YOUR OWN HAPPINESS: Close-up of Valentine Flowers from My Love I�ve been on an exploration to find much needed changes in my life for most of the p...

12 STEPS TO FINDING YOUR OWN HAPPINESS

Close-up of Valentine Flowers from My Love

 

I’ve been on an exploration to find much needed changes in my life for most of the past 10 months. I found this list and really felt it helped me a lot. I decided I wanted to share it with you. It's a little long but well worth the read!!

1.   Find Your Happy Place

Are you happy? It's such an important question because happiness has such a huge impact on your health, from your arteries to your heart, from the glow in your skin to the pep in your step. Happy feelings influence your brain and body chemistry in ways that make you better able to cope with pain and stress and to fend off colds, flu, heart disease, and even cancer.

2.   Believe in Yourself

Finding true happiness requires taking a good hard look at yourself. The goal is to identify any off-the-wall beliefs about your self-worth and adjust them. When you're at ease with yourself and open to others, friendships seem to blossom naturally. Just acknowledging secret self-doubts may help you develop enough humor and compassion toward yourself to reach out to others, who, underneath, are probably just like you: sometimes unsure and shy.

 

3.   Hang Out with Happy Friends

Having someone in your immediate social circle who is upbeat ups your chances of happiness by 15%. Why? It seems happy people have the power to spread their feel-good vibes far and wide the same way a ripple spreads through a pond. Not only do immediate friends matter, but friends of friends, too. So make plans to have lunch with a friend or go for a walk together. It could have far-reaching benefits for your mental health.

4.   Make Time for Play

Swap your endless to-do list for some spontaneous playtime. It packs big benefits for your health, mood, mind, job, and even your relationships. When you're floating free, happy, and totally absorbed, you're taking a mini vacation from deadlines, bills, and your crazy-busy schedule. Anything counts, from enjoying a silly moment with your spouse to hosting an impromptu gathering, to cooking up a new recipe in the kitchen.

5.   Squash Negativity

Is your inner voice quick to snap out things like, "How could you forget that, you idiot?" Sometimes the noise inside our own head is our biggest stressor. When negative thoughts crop up, imagine a stop sign in your head, and tell yourself, "Stop!" To turn things around, trade in put-downs for positive thoughts and affirmations. For example, when you feel tired during a workout, think, "I am strong" or when you start work on a difficult task, think, "I can accomplish anything." Empower yourself to think positive.

6.   Connect with Others

Make every effort to talk -- really talk -- to people you care about. If they're far away, stay in touch through e-mail, phone calls, texts, and, when you can, face-to-face visits; you'll all benefit by connecting. Get physical, too; hugs stimulate oxytocin, the "cuddle hormone," spreading a feel-good boost. Lovemaking does, too, in steady relationships (those couples report the highest happiness levels). Plus, connecting with others may keep you healthier by providing a coping mechanism for stress. No one around? Connect with others on Facebook.

7.   Keep a Gratitude Journal

Simply writing down what you're thankful for makes you healthier, happier, and more optimistic. Feeling thankful comes, in part, from counting your blessings each day. If you're not sure how to journal, start by answering: What three things am I thankful for? You might find that journaling gives you a better, happier outlook for each day because you're looking for moments to include in your journal each night.

8.   Lend a Helping Hand

Volunteering, running to the pharmacy for a sick friend, or lending emotional support to a loved one can give your happiness quotient a big boost. How? Giving back and bonding with others inspires gratitude for what life has given you, and can help you define your purpose in life. The secret to being happy may be realizing that true happiness isn't about being high on life all the time, but slowing down enough to share your natural gifts with others.

9.   Enjoy the Great Outdoors

Spending time with awesome Mother Nature makes you feel alert, enthusiastic, energetic, and simply happy. Is it the fresh air, the sunshine, the greenery? No one knows for sure. But something about being al fresco appears to help people get even bigger benefits from their workouts and they're also more likely to stick to their outdoor sports be it walking, bicycling, kayaking, or an outdoor fitness class.

10.Turn On Some Tunes

If you want to feel happy, less stressed, and more energetic, flip on your stereo. Whether you love Bach, Lady Gaga, or The Beatles, music that makes you feel good increases your heart and breathing rates and makes your brain release dopamine, a lovely feel-good neurotransmitter. Plus, no matter whether you enjoy listening to your favorite music alone or with friends, it will more than likely give you the mood boost you're looking for.

11.Meditate or Pray

For some, being spiritual means going to church. For others, it means finding a quiet place to meditate and think about life. No matter how you do it or what you call it, meditation and prayer can help slow breathing and brain activity, and reduce heart rate and blood pressure. Plus, when you do pray or meditate, you're more likely to be filled with peace, joy, and other positive emotions that can also lead to positive physiological responses throughout your body.

12.Be Realistic

Being happy means facing the fact that life sometimes stinks and that there will definitely be times when you’ll be unhappy. This doesn't mean you have to lower your expectations. Instead, align them with reality by expecting to face challenges. A little unhappiness here and there forces you to work through problems and think about what gives you happiness so you can set new directions that may change your life.

Aren't they beautiful???

It is my hope that each of you finds your own personal happiness.

Huggs, Janie



Remember your love on Valentine's Day.



Dream on a Moonbeam: LITTLE SURPRISES

Dream on a Moonbeam: LITTLE SURPRISES: I had a busy day, doing laundry and bookwork, sorting through loads of paperwork, you know...the usual. (grin) Well, I was folding my lau...

LITTLE SURPRISES

I had a busy day, doing laundry and bookwork, sorting through loads of paperwork, you know...the usual. (grin) Well, I was folding my laundry and putting it away. When I got to the towel shelf in my bathroom what did I find? A CD with a lovely note on it from my recent houseguest!!! What a wonderful surprise!

We had talked our way through the weekend, catching up after some 20 years and then we went to Pike Street Market and walked all through it and the throngs of people who turned out on that sunny day. One of the street acts was a small group of Black gentlemen who were singing. I had heard them before and really loved them. My friend bought a CD and little did I know it would show up on my towel shelf.

 

Sometimes it is the tiniest unexpected things in life that mean the most....a kind remark, a compliment, flowers, a phone call, a handwritten note, or a little surprise on a friend's towel shelf.

I hope that you will "play it forward" and take this opportunity to do some little surprise for someone else.

Have a wonderful day! Janie

PS I previously posted a blog on a blog that I started a long time ago and I apologize to my readers for the mistake. THIS is the correct one.

Colored markers on jeans

Blue marker on old jeans