Buried Treasure

 As I dove into a small upholstery job earlier today – eager to get a jump start on the project, the most amazing thing unraveled right before my eyes.   It’s one of those things that hit you, and have your thoughts going all over in comparison.  A “whoa, how cool is this” moment.

My friend is doing some facelifts around her home, jazzing it up room to room, adding a pillow or two, some new colors, a faucet, a picture, paint and so forth.  The fun stuff!  So, last year we went around to a few consignment shops, flea markets, and boutiques looking for new treasures.  She purchased a really cool ottoman.  It is round with wooden legs and antique brass leg tips – circa 1970’s all the way.  It was poorly covered with some so-so fabric which she him-hawed about.   She finally decided to take it home, knowing down the road we would re-cover it.

Today was the day.  I dug out the tools and began pulling all the staples.  I removed the first layer of fabric only to find the second layer a yucky blue.  Moving on to the next layer, as I peeled off the blue, was the buried treasure.  This piece shone in all its glory!  I was awe struck as I stood there.  I went to my cleaning supplies to wipe her down and just stood there looking it over on all sides, top, and bottom.  This was the very thing we were looking for, only better.  In its original state, the color and tailoring of the upholstery was so perfect  – I now saw it as the focal point of the newly decorated room.  A couple scuffs gave it character – and I would confidently say, this is the kind of piece designer’s want to include in their ‘make-over’ jobs.  So for over a year, this piece was already in place – just covered up with stuff we didn’t like.

What else is in our daily life is covered up with stuff we don’t like?  I believe we are surrounded by treasure, and just not seeing it.  Treasure and valuable goods are not only hidden in material things, how about the people we meet, or folks we’ve known forever.  Are we missing out by overlooking what is hidden before our eyes?  Do we need to turn things over, or take a deeper look?  Do we need to peel back a few layers?  Let’s take a naval orange for example – peeling off the thick skin to reach the juicy treasure inside?  Many times the good stuff is covered up for protection.  We must peel the outer layer to get to the real treasure underneath.  

Today I discovered the meaning of treasure hunting.  Never to look at anyone or anything the same, I will get out my spyglass to take a deeper look.  I feel alive with anticipation. I am on a mission to find the buried treasure in my life – with eyes, and heart wide open.  

Aargh, let no coffer go unturned. 

Family Matters

Many times, if it wasn’t for family matters, our lives would be void of stress and drama.  Can I get an amen!  Think of the boredom that could set in.

Today’s families, for the most part, are a bag of mixed nuts, and some bolts; not all fitting together but sharing a common thread of either bloodline or addresses.  Or some other link perhaps through marriage, divorce, and the like.  The family of today is not cut and dry simple like the olden days of Mom, Dad, Children (as my cousin would say), Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins.  Family matters are much deeper and more confusing today.  

Apart from the nuts and bolts, many times a family could be compared to the junk drawer.  We all have one, whether it is an actual drawer or just a bucket or spot, we all have a place where we pitch everything we don’t know what to do with.  Nothing in the junk drawer goes together, it is just a bunch of buried treasure we can’t seem to part with, a piece of something we don’t want to lose, a broken part, or something we have no idea where it came from but know the minute we toss it in the trash we will need it like our life depended on it.  

If you have a family matter and not quite sure how to handle it, never throw in the towel.  Put it in the junk drawer for safe keeping, the answer will come to you one day.  Or, pitch it in with the nuts and bolts and something will eventually fit together to make sense of it all.

Because no matter what, family matters.

FRONT PORCH SITTIN’

It is almost that time of year.  Actually, the season is getting a late start.  Nevertheless, I am anticipating a fruitful year and getting the porch ready for the hustle and bustle of nothing much but sitting a spell with some sweet tea, great friends, and the man upstairs.

My nature has always been to be busy, to be doing, or, to be planning what I will be doing next, or in the future.  This way of being has kept me from the sheer pleasure of doing ‘nothing much’ my whole life.  Until last year.

If you haven’t tried front porch sitting, alone, or with someone, I highly recommend it.  I would have thought it to be laziness, or something folks without ambitions would do.  Why anyone in their right mind would sit in their yard, or on their porch, just to watch the cars, joggers, and dog walkers go by had me baffled?  The baffle has been removed.

2013 being the first summer in my new home, I had a ball getting the porch dolled up.  I painted the front door, got a cute dangly thing-ma-bob for the mailbox and purchased a porch size table set with cushions made from ticking, and brought some plants out from the inside.  It was outdoor living, just like they talk about in Better Homes and Gardens.   Each Holiday brings out the new thing-ma-bob for the mailbox and a fresh flower pot or something lovely like that.

I began to take my morning coffee to the porch, sitting with robe and flip flops, and sometimes the local paper.  Coffee never tasted better.  The smell of the outdoors.  The folks waving and honking as they mosey on by.   Living large.

A couple questions were posed recently at a group gathering, in which I took as questions referencing health and fitness routines, but now realize they could be used for any single area of our life.  The questions are ‘if not now, why?’, and ‘if not now, when?’.  Excellent questions, wouldn’t you agree?

What took me so long to learn the soul satisfying art of being still?  And thinking about it……….really…………it is actually doing something.  Something truly quite valuable to our health and well being.  Time well spent you might say.  Soul food.

So I ask, do you partake in the pleasure of front porch sittin’?  If not, why? And if not, when?  If you want to practice at my place come on over and sit a spell with me.  It will be a blast.

Recyle That!

Each of us has a hot button, something that grates our nerves.  And depending on how our circumstances may be panning out at any given time, our hot button may stay stuck on open.  Maybe.  

For those who know me, know I like recycling.  I like to find new uses for old things.  My mind whirls with creative solutions at all times, thinking of ways to re-use stuff.  Not in a junky way, but a lovely, fairy garden sort of way. If I come across something I have no use for, I usually know someone who would have a use for it.   I just don’t like to throw things away.  I use a recycle bin and put it out to the road when the snow is less than two feet deep.  I shred paper and put that by the road.  Sometimes I use a bit of the shredded paper in my compost bin outdoors.  

So if you get the picture here………….I sort my garbage and have a specific method of what goes where and how to get the best use of everything – from a fiscal point of view to a 'save the earth for my grandchildren' point of view.  I often wonder if I have too much time on my hands which would allow me to sort trash.  I don’t believe I do.  I know my grandmother used to sort her trash.  I suppose trash sorting is hereditary.  She cared about me, so in a sense I am paying it forward.

Which brings me to the mail.  I get so many offers in the mail to renew magazines.  I don’t subscribe to most of the magazines I get offers for.  I get offers for insurance comparisons, funeral arrangement forms, credit cards, and AARP.  These people are relentless.  And apparently have a lot of money for marketing and postage.

So I got to thinking.  Rather than shred all the mail I didn’t ask for, why don’t I use the ‘no postage necessary’ envelopes they provide and return it back to them with a note asking them to delete me from their mailing list?  So that is exactly what I have been doing.  Seriously.  These solicitors have to pay postage for every envelope they receive.  So now it is really costing them!  

What I realized is, this is a hot button of mine.  I don’t like junk mail.  Whoa, settle down sister.  I also realized I am irritable and lashing out. Every time I put one of these return envelopes in the mailbox I think to myself  “I’ll show you by golly!” 

You may be wondering if I am always this crabby, or you have created a picture in your mind of a hoarder house.  Just to clear the air on that, I am definitely not a hoarder.  

It’s been a long winter. 

Global Warming

One of my fondest winter memories happened in the late 70’s, sometime in April, when we had the biggest snowstorm I ever laid eyes on.  It was crazy! School was called off for a week.  Cars were literally buried to the point you did not see them.  

My Dad fired up the old snowmobile.  And I mean old.  He hitched up the sleigh that went with it, and began going door to door in my neighborhood asking the lady folk what they needed from the store.  He took the lists, almost like Santa Claus really, and headed to the nearest grocery store roughly six to eight miles away. 
 

The snow was so deep the entire County was in gridlock.  Except my Dad.  Now mind you, this was a kids’ perspective.  Naturally, the other Dads’ were probably moving and shaking things up in their neighborhoods too.  Even the main road of M-59 was only passable with snowmobiles!  

When he arrived at Food Town, the shelves were almost bare, and only one or two employees made it in to work that day.  He bought up every roll, bun, or bread equivalent he could get his hands on, along with any milk equivalent he could muster up, and anything else he could pick up from the list, or it’s nearest counterpart.  He loaded up the sleigh and headed back home making the deliveries on our street.  My Dad was a hero that day.   

This has been a snow crazy month here in my little town.   The storm that started yesterday doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon.  Everyone is busy getting their exercise with shoveling and snow blowing.  I feel so blessed in that I have received a lot of assistance.  I could not do this snow clearing alone, and apparently I don’t need to.  When God was handing out goodwill towards men – I was given extra helpings.  I have the best neighbors, friends, and family in the world.  

For me, Global Warming has nothing to do with ozone layers, and everything to do with our heart.  It is people helping people, paying it forward, creating a world wide epidemic.