One More Thing

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4 minute read


What’s your weather like? We’ve had spring, jumped forward to full-on summer for a few days, then fell back to winter. Now it’s spring again. You’ve just gotta love Texas for its weather.

We have been playing with the idea of planting a veggie garden. And planting a tree. And whether or not to take out a large portion of our back yard and add a simple rock “solution” there, which would mean much less lawn-mowing/weed-eating for my sweetie, while adding visual interest.

I think we both still expect to have tons of energy to accomplish things, but we’re finding that we don’t. We discuss, decide, and then lollygag… and nothing gets done.

I think that the political strife is getting to my sweetie. I’m better at ranting, then letting it go. Every day brings something new to freak out about, if you let it get to you. I’m striving to keep my wits about me. I’m also trying to make arrangements for my son to have a series of MRI’s done.
For those of us with good insurance, it’s simple to schedule these kinds of procedures… for those without, it is a Möbius loop of authorizations, denials, un-returned phone calls, and a scheduling nightmare. I know I will eventually accomplish this for him, but I wonder how someone without an advocate would ever get their needs met.

On the positive side, we’ve developed a strategy for decision-making; we ask if what we think we want to do is “going to be one more thing to take care of.”

That question has put the kibosh on lots of ideas because our summers are overwhelmingly hot and neither of us wants to deal with garden maintenance in that kid of heat. So, we ruled out a veggie garden.
It’s also why, despite many, many convos about getting a pet (I’d love another cat) we don’t get one. We are well aware of everything that being a good pet parent requires, and neither of us is willing to do that again. Especially at an age where our pet could conceivably outlive us.

At this point in my life, I don’t think I could even give a goldfish what it needs!

I’ve got two Purple Fountain Grass plants waiting to go in the ground. And a couple of shrubs that need pruning back because it’s starting to look like the Addams Family mansion around here, and today is a good day, I had 10 hours of sleep last night.

Success! The grasses are in the ground, and two of the three shrubs are scaled back. It would be so much easier to keep everything box shaped, but, of course I want them to be round green balls. I brought my hairdressing skills to this task (I was imagining channeling Edward Scissorhands as I plodded along with my clippers) but overall, it looks great.

When I peruse Pinterest… I always admire the topiary gardens. Plants spaced as evenly as pieces on a chessboard. And a pebble pathway through it all.
Upon moving in, I tore out the old overgrown garden that ran along the back of the house, under the kitchen windows. We tried putting flowers and plants in a wild cottage garden style. We both hated it. The next year I strived for more order, but a plant I grew for the butterflies took over – invasive, leggy, stretching for the sun, and stinky! I’ve been pulling that out this year. I assume most gardeners go through this trial-and-error when they plant gardens for themselves, right?
I know what I don’t like, and I am learning from what has failed so far… at some point I hope I’ll come up with something I love.

Sounds a bit like life; our garden setting parameters and guiding us, showing us (and others) a little something about who we are inside.

I am determined. I will figure this out. I’ve done it before at the house we remodeled. I tore out a hedge of holly with its prickly leaves from around the pool, and planted a tropical garden (in luscious soil that held moisture) unlike this dry, rocky fill our new house is built on. Maybe this needs to be more of a desert garden? Okay, I’m headed back to Pinterest for ideas on Arizona/desert style…

I’ll have some great books to share with you next time, and maybe photos of a finished garden. If you have any favorite plants that you know would work, please share. I’d love your input!

XO Donna

AND HERE’S TO YOU

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“Mrs. Robinson. Jesus loves you more than you will know… “
No, wait! That’s not what I meant to say, but now you’re humming it too, aren’t you?

Here’s to you, 2022, because you’re going to be a great year!

I believe this wholeheartedly, and the fact that I accomplished two major goals last year, and turned 70 to boot, gives me a foundation for my belief.

My first goal was to have what turned out to be a life-saving surgery. Now, almost seven months later, I feel so much better that I can look forward to a healthier, exciting year. My cardiologist is thrilled with my improvement – I saw her Tuesday and she reduced my meds because my blood-pressure is now too low – because my heart is working properly again!

My second goal (and I went right down to the wire accomplishing it) was taking an idea that came out of a therapy session, and turning it into a reality. I’ve opened a shop designing/selling greeting cards on ETSY. The cards are made from some of my favorite photos and professionally-printed for me on lovely card stock.

Maybe it’s my age, although I’d rather blame it on anything else, but the learning curve to get the thing up-and-running was an absolute bear! Have you noticed this, too? Does everything seem more complicated?
It took me months to get all of my ducks-in-a-row, but it opened with a bang on December 31!

Here’s the link to visit: etsy.com/shop/FairviewPhotos

It is so exciting to sit here working, surrounded by packages of beautiful cards in shiny wrappers, imagining all of the loving notes that will be written and received.

Flower Power

Naming the shop was a challenge, but I set an intention one night before bed: I would know what to call it when I woke in the morning. And I did: FairviewPhotos is named for the only street where all of the O’Klock sisters lived together.

It was just me, Terry, and Lynn when we lived in Bohemia, a little town on Long Island, in the mid-50’s. Then, new baby sister, Andee, joined us in Sayville in the 60’s while a new house was being built. When the Bayport house was ready, we moved in, and Elizabeth (whom you met in my post in August) was born. All five of us on Fairview Avenue.

There are two other reasons I believe it will be a good year – and yes, they are “airy-fairy,” but, I study Tarot and Numerology a bit, and last year was a chaotic “5” year. (2+0+2+1 =5) all about personal freedom in all it’s forms – and look what that turned into!

This year will be a “6” year, (2+0+2+2 = 6) and the preponderance of twos is also good because they are about partnership, diplomacy and love. Yes, THANK YOU!

The number “6” is about taking responsibility, with an emphasis on relationships and equilibrium. This year may be more about “What’s good for ALL of us?” and less about “Me, my rights, and what I want.” With this mindset there is room for an emphasis on growth and healing, cooperation, and service to others.

I read that 2022 is also a magnetic year; meaning that you can attract things more easily, both good and bad. Focus on your goals, and think BIG. Stay positive, drop judgements toward yourself and others. And drop guilt. Who needs more of that?

My Vitex Card

The icing on the cake for me, is the Pantone Color of the Year 2022, is VERY PERI. It’s not quite blue and not quite violet, but it is the color of the Sixth chakra, our Third Eye. It’s the color of the Vitex flower, above.

Last year’s color was Ultimate Gray… if that tells you anything. Don’t get me wrong, I love grey. This chakra, and it’s corresponding color, relate to self-responsibility and the ability to see things from a higher viewpoint, rather than satisfying your own ego. It also gives us the experience of being part of the whole.

The gift of this chakra is seeing AND understanding.

Let’s have faith that things are improving, let’s focus on what’s good. It’s a magnetic year, after all.

Let’s decorate our home with indigo-colored flowers, or better yet, plant some iris, lavender, and periwinkles in your garden. We planned to plant a Vitex tree and lavender bed this spring – I knew there was a reason I was focused exclusively on purple plants for my garden!

Frankincense, Lavender, Neroli and Juniper are all supposed to be beneficial for the Third Eye Chakra – they are available as incenses and oils, which I love and my sweetie hates. Relationships and equilibrium, huh? I’ll get back to you on the incense.

Wishing you a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.
XO Donna

Georgia on my mind

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For the very first time, I was drawing a blank as to my topic for today because there was nothing I felt particularly passionate about.  AbiquiuiBut, one thought has been recurring all day: Georgia O’Keeffe.

Why, yes, our last names both start with an O’K.  And we are both born in November, one week apart. And I have been to both her home in Abiquiu, N.M. and to Ghost Ranch, the subject of many of her paintings.  I love this part of the country. With it’s red dirt, eroded canyons, and pinon trees, it’s the real Wild West of my childhood dreams.  A place I could could have grown up to be a cowgirl!

What got her on an endless loop in my mind is that I heard a young woman refer to her as “Georgia O’Keeffe, you know, the artist who paints va-jay-jays.”  Seriously?  I had to laugh, I have never heard her referred to that way before.

You paint a few lousy flowers that reveal the similarity…and you’re branded for life!  Vajayjay

But, she did.  And they do. And at least you remember her name. Now, take a look at her life, her loves, where she came from, and what she walked away from in order to become the artist she did. You will realize her magic. She brought out the amazing detail and sensuality of common objects: a flower, a bone, a skull against the sky…even the barren desert. And with some of her flowers, yes, she rendered them much larger-than-life, voluptuous, and unapologetically sexy.  Exactly the way she lived her own life.

If you are not familiar with her work, just Google her name + images, and be prepared for a visual feast. Turns out that I am passionate about Georgia O’Keeffe. I only wish I could have met her!

XO Donna