Is it OK or Okay?

Life is an exciting, adventurous experience. There are times when less excitement and adventure is appreciated, HaHa!

Never been to Oklahoma. Through it on cross country trips, numerous times. This week finds me quite unexpectedly in Broken Arrow. Beautiful, scenic area of Oklahoma; pasturelands, rolling hills. Texas Long Horn cattle… 😉 in Oklahoma.

Things will be Okay in OK this week. Maybe I can even play tourist and go to a museum or two. Maybe even an historic fort we passed on the way here. Possibly pictures, too 😎!

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The Maid was in the Garden

…hanging up the clothes. Along came a blackbird and snipped off her nose! 🎶

I remember Gramma Allen singing and teaching me Four and Twenty Blackbirds when I was a wee one. She always had a song to sing, a poem to recite, or a story to tell. What a perspective she had on life, having been born in 1894. Her oldest Sister had been born in 1874. They were fascinating ladies, willing to teach and share their collected wisdoms and witticisms.

Today was not a good day for laundry, TeeHee! No blackbirds in the garden, thankfully. A 24″x24″ polyester pillow form disintegrated in the washer and snipped off my nose instead. Bailing out a front load washer that won’t drain, picking out pieces of poly, moving everything out of the laundry room, mopping the floor… Aye, definitely lost my nose this time. Next up: move washer out, remove drain hose, clean said drain hose and drain pipe. Ferverently praying the water pump isn’t damaged.

Funny how one thing leads to another, though. Moving things out of the room lead me to a box of Gramma’s old cook books. I was overwhelmed with a tidal wave of nostalgia. There’s just something about opening a box of books; memories come pouring out. The next thought is, “Oh I must go searching for a barrister. These books need to be protected, on shelves, in the kitchen, so I can use them.” Then the next thought… and the next… and the next… one of my favourite PBS programs was Connections. Maybe the blackbirds got into my head and scattered my thoughts, HaHa!

Best away to removing the rest of the boxes. May not get to the drain hose this afternoon. I can always do laundry the old fashioned way if must needs =}.

TaTa for now!

Fresh(er) Air

Indoor air quality is something I value. Allergies are the bane of my life… seven decades worth.

We’re slowly remodeling a 1947 Ranch, restoring original details as much as possible. That means a lot of cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. It’s amazing how much mold, mildew, and schmutz accumulates over decades. Four years on and it seems like it’s no farther along than Day One sometimes. *Sigh*

To help clean the air better, I invested in three Germ Guardian® brand air purifiers. They do help filter dust and dander! I got the larger tower model with a two-stage HEPA filter and UV light. Through Amazon® Prime, they were 109-USD plus tax. Moderate price unit for it’s size, 190-sq’. Filters are 30-USD plus tax; suggested to replace every six months.

With around 1,200-sq’ of living space, may need to get at least two more. Right now one is in the entry room, the great room, the bedroom. That covers the basics! The open floor plan, Great Room (yes, it was designed that way in the original 1946-47 floor plans 😊) may require two units. The HVAC air return is in the great room, so we’ll see. 20″x20″X1″ air filters are cheap, HaHa.

I truly like this house. It has an interesting layout of rooms, a large fenced yard, covered patio, and two! driveways. A lot of work has been accomplished since July 2013, and I’m pleased with the improvements. Learning along the way is always a bonus.

Up by… Wait!

What does Up by Eight mean and why did this blog get that name?

Does that mean I’m up by 0800? Perhaps. Starting the day slowly is something I’ve come to savour. A cup of good, rich, black coffee. Glorious colours of early morning sunshine on dewy grass. Quietude. Contemplation.

It may reflect my love of music. Octavia isn’t unusual to see in notation for the small harp. Four octave diatonic scale requires a bit of creativity.

Mid-back length hair might also have something to do with different styling options. I’m growing it to Lady Godiva length, HaHa! There’s something liberating about long, grey hair. Natural silver highlights glistening in the moonlight. Ooh, and hair toys =}.

Playing Tag

Why did I tag line this blog Inspired Modest Lifestyle? Reframing retired as inspired puts life into a different perspective. So does stepping into a more modest lifestyle rather than a minimalist or a maximalist.

Approaching life with mindset of abundance, easy, and joy takes a lot of introspection and Soul Searching. Oh my! a lot of Soul Searching. It has encouraged me to become inspired and start reassessing the age old question, “what I want to do when I grow up?”. I’m quite curious as to where this path is leading.

 

To Write… Right?

Seriously considering participating in The Daily Post word-of-the-day. Perhaps take the 2-week “Blogging Fundamentals” program WordPress offers.

Coming back to creative writing after a decades long hiatus is a unique experience. Why do I really want the responsibility of a blog? Where do I start? When do I set aside time or just wing it? What topic do I address? The “Who” of it, too. Is there an audience of like-minded people; ones whom shares similar experiences or may enjoy learning something new, different?
So much to consider… learning how to use WordPress and Canva for starters. Oh! If I use Emoji will they display across platforms 🤔.

 

First blog post

Yes! this is my very first post of a “Lifestyle” blog based on personal observations as an “over 60” woman. Who knows where The Muses will lead me.

There are so many interesting topics to write about; ones deeply personal, ones passing fancy. As thoughts now brew and steep, I come back, to my own surprise, to starting a blog.