In a Mood

For a few weeks now I have been in a mood.

Not really a bad mood.

Not really a good mood.

Not really a depressed mood.

I don't really know how to describe it. Perhaps it's an introvert's utter avoidance and quiet time mood.

Usually a news junkie, I have barely checked the headlines. Some days I don't turn on the TV at all.

When I watch TV, it is mostly to catch up on things I set the DVR to record, and lately it has mostly been house shows. My favorites are Tiny House shows that have fascinated me, but I also watch house hunting shows, and I really enjoy the remodel and/or fix up and flip house shows. I have discovered that I like the people looking for tiny houses much better than those hunting for their huge dream houses. The big house people are so demanding--Oooh that beautiful Mexican tile must go, because only hardwood is acceptable; ugh! that (insert anything here) is so dated I could not possibly live with it; unless it is an open floor plan it is simply awful; if it is an open floor plan it is simply awful; only a huge, spa-like master bathroom is acceptable; a kitchen without granite countertops is simply primitive and must be gutted; only white cabinets are acceptable; only dark cabinets are acceptable; stainless steel appliances are the only type that aren't outdated; stainless steel appliances are simply too commercial; likewise, closets must be enormous and special shoe closets must be available for the hundreds of pairs of shoes; and so forth. Are those houses lovely? Yes, they are. It is all about attitude.

 And, I must admit, that sometimes I am looking at houses through the lens of my current age and life situation. What I would, in the past, have seen as a wonderful home, I now see as a house that would be a terrible burden to clean and keep up! (And the tiny houses just look like fun!)

Of course, there are days and days of reading or listening to books on my Kindle. Though I have always loved the look, feel, and even the smell of "real" books, my vision these days makes e-books much easier to read. And it is so easy to obtain a new book--look it up on Amazon or Audible, purchase, download, and there I go!



While listening to books, I need a focal point that keeps my eyes and hands busy and uses a different part of my brain than that used for absorbing the book. So...I have been working in various adult coloring books, using a variety of media--colored pencils, crayons, or markers (haven't used paint pens for a while).


So that is what I have been doing.

What I have not been doing:

• Cleaning house
• Organizing and discarding unneeded items
• Blogging
• Keeping up with Facebook or even going on the Internet at all some days.

Okay, I do keep up the laundry, run the dishwasher from time to time, make my bed, and swab out the bathrooms when necessary. I don't live in absolute squalor. But I have not felt like doing the deeper cleaning and, if there is a little clutter here or there, there is no one to see it but me.

One of these days, I know from past experience, my mood will change, I'll get my house in order, the sun will shine, it will become actual spring, I'll be thinking about flowers and planting my deck pots, and, hopefully, get myself in gear and go for walks.

But, in the meantime, there are more books to read/listen to, more interesting houses to look at via TV, and more quiet days (always soothing to my introvert's heart.)



Currently working in this book about
Ancient Egypt.

One Hundred Years

My mother was born 100 years ago today. She narrowly escaped being a Leap Year's Baby of 1916. Her mother named her Rosa May Mackey, but the doctor entered "Rose May Mackey" on her birth certificate.

The Mackey family in 1916: Back Row--Will, Rhoda holding baby
Rose; Front Row--Vera and William Boyce.

Mother died in December of 2010, so she did not quite make it to the century mark. Her almost 95 years left a big mark on her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, as well as so many others whose lives she touched. I've lost count of her descendants, but she is widely known as Grandma Rose.

When she died, her body was afflicted with many age-related problems, but her mind was always her own. I like to think of her with her strength and energy restored in Paradise. Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mother!