Category: Simply A Moment

simply a moment | 4.15.21 …

Published on by Honoré11 Comments

7:20 am

Morning. Quiet. Silence! Save for the always-on sounds of house creaks, static electricity, and a motor…from where? Ah, the refrigerator. Stopped. The furnace kicks on…it’s that cool?, I think out loud. A quick check of the temperature shows it’s 54 degrees F…

Time to replenish my tea, read a bit and figure out what’s on today’s agenda. Pleased that I’ve made more progress with bashing the stash in my craft room since last week Thursday. I now know what’s here and where. My goal is to move out the excess by May 1 — hoping I can locate places that will accept donations.

4:15 pm

I just returned from a brisk walk on a very windy but lovely spring day…flowers are blossoming everywhere and I see that my azalea bush – which has its own bloomin’ schedule – is putting forth blooms. My neighbor’s irises are plentiful and beautiful.

I realized today that I’d not written a simply a moment post in quite some months…understandable, since my days over this past year have truly been upside down. Today was a good one to resurrect the practice …and to share the lovely, colorful flowers I saw on my walk.

simply a moment | 9.15.20 …

Published on by Honoré10 Comments
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… “today, 9:15 am, EST.

Soon, time to make/take notes for “Simply A Moment.” Hard to believe we’re halfway through the month of September! Today is also Ali Edwards’ Story Theme Day – MORNING! OH YES! [deep sigh]. Mornings – Love, Love, Love them. And I’m so grateful that today is quiet. I sit in my usual spot, at the table. Norman’s still sleep. He needs that. The past few days have been a challenge – his glucose readings high. But with the help of medication, and constant monitoring, he’s getting closer to normal. And that’s a good thing!

I took a Zoom class last night on Gelli (gelatin) plate printing and made not a mark ’cause my paints had all dried up! Frustrating (and also a bit embarrassing). I have access to a replay – so all’s not lost …and now I have an excuse to shop for new paints. Which leads me to contemplate today’s agenda – perhaps a trip to the office supply, Michael’s, a PSL – pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks and a salad – maybe even a chibata bagel – from Panera…

9:15 am! There goes the timer… taking photos for this post of the view before me. Saw Smoke – our resident feral cat – hopping along the back fence – grass is a tad too long and wet for her liking so she gingerly makes her way through. Note to Self: Txt Jason re time to cut lawn. Refresh tea after I finish reading today’s Simple Abundance essay. Light candle. Contemplate breakfast: decide on smoothie and avocado toast. Watching Ali Edwards monthly Story Kit reveal : MORNINGS. Thinking how perfect could that be?! Every month I’m reinspired by these story ideas and especially this month’s. I think Ali’s quote for this month: one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day! is just perfect. Guess I’d better wrap this post up and get a move on…soon the day will be over and I’ll not have made it out of the house. How was your morning today? I trust as pleasant as mine.   Cheers~

simply a moment| 7.15.20 …

Published on by Honoré10 Comments

 

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~wednesday 15 july 2020 | 7:15 am | 73°~

the scent of the lavendar candle permates the air, caresses my olfactory nerves. a squirrel travels across the FIOS wire, high, thick, truly a super highway – no delicate balancing required! my tea cools in my Morning Glory mug. birds fly high…I look out the deck door windows – flashes of traffic on RIA – tho’ still very quiet.

my first sip of tea, feels good in my mouth; soothes as it travels down my throat; I feel it land in my tummy, ever so softly. on comes the new A/C unit – yes it works and well it should, at ruinous cost. the noisy roar of the motor soon to be quieted, I am assured – the part is on its way. I wonder why the little things in life are so complicated…and sigh deeply. I think about the cost and tell myself, we’ve certanly done our part for the economy. the A/C rests … and quiet returns.

now, I hear the steady tick of the clock; earlier, the distant sound of a CSX train’s whistle. the sound of the refrigeratior reminds me I’ve yet to call about the freezer door – it doesn’t close tightly. perhaps the gasket needs replacing?  again, I sigh; the frig is 15 years old …planned obsolesence at work?

summer, fall, winter, spring; morning in, morning out, if at home, I’ve greeted the day at this table: my journal, pens, books, iPad, tea, a cool glass of water to refresh and recently, the fragrance of a lavender soy candle… capturing in words and photos my mornings, thoughts, prayers, hopes, memories, experiences  – the simple moments  of my life.

 

simply a moment | 6.15.20…

Published on by Honoré10 Comments
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~this morning about 7 am~
I promised myself that I’d resume the practice of writing about the  moment on the 15th of the month – a practice I cultivated for 4 or so  years. Why I stopped, I really can’t  say. This morning I wrote a draft in the DayONE app on my iPad, fully expecting it to appear (aka sync) on my desktop. Dinna happen. So at 6:15 PM this evening, I was pre-occupied trying to figure out why not and what to do next…answers that I yet do not have…
In previous Simply A Moment entries, I aimed to capture the moment in time that corresponded to the date: 3:15 pm at 3/15  or 6:15 am or pm  on 6/15.
This morning, at 6:15 am, tho’ I was awake and up, I’d completely forgotten that today was the 15th and therefore, called for this post. At 7:17 am, waiting for my tea to cool, I realized that my body clock was still operating on regular time and 7:17 am, DST, was close enough. And thus I wrote, in DayONE on my iPad:
My tea has cooled. I am settled in at the table. There is a very perceptible breeze. More traffic is visible on the Avenue – Rhode Island Avenue (aka as US Route 1) – tho’ not nearly as heavy at this time of day, pre Covid-19  and despite the fact that some of stay at home orders in the DMV area have been lifted.
It is now 7:48 am and at 8:30, Mindful Monday begins. This practice, my first Zoom session of this week 25 in the year 2020. Led by Jamie Ridler, creator/hostess of the Journal Cub – on summer vacation – Mindful Monday is the time for focusing on the week’s: goals, plans, activities, musts and wants – with more emphasis on wants.  During the session’s 45 minutes, we 
  • reprise the previous week
  • journal
  • plan and choose a touchstone and one thing to focus on during the week.

My idea, not yet a plan, is to use DayONE twice a day, in the morning and evening, between the 6 -8 AM and PM hours, to document my day/s, using a hybrid approach – combining analog + digital script…for I can now also use the Apple pen in DayONE on the iPad!  I’m hoping this will be an interesting experiment. Stay tuned…

And now, I shall move on to the PM agenda: back to joining blocks on my Log Cabin 9 Patch lap robe using the 3-Needle Bindoff technique…

Cheers~

 

 

simply a moment | 5.15.20…

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simply a moment ~ 5:15 pm on 5/15/20

Since the #100dayproject2020 began 7 April and we’ve been social distancing, since forever?,  I have been taking a break at 4 pm to watch a bit of TV, along with picking up knitting the log cabin 9 patch lap robe. Today, I finished the second medium sized 9 patch blocks, just about 5:15 pm, and realized that it has been a long time since I’ve shared a simply a moment post. I’ve no idea why I stopped writing – but that is a good reason why I’ve not shared and for sure a good reason to resurrect the practice. NoteTo Self: add simply a moment to calendar!

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We are having summer! Temp, as I write this, 86°F with relatively low humidity. A great day for a longer than usual walk. I went a different route, feasting my eyes on the lovely flowers, stopping to take a photo of this round house that has been renovated since the last time I walked by… easily a year or so ago…and

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Everywhere, Irises in all their beauty abound…

Have a great weekend and many lovely moments!

Cheers~

simply a moment | 10.15.19 …

Published on by Honoré8 Comments

10:15 am ~ this tree slowly changing colors and losing leaves

Moments come and moments go. As I sit here, this morning, waiting for a service call,  I

  • See the cat* jump on the deck bannister. “Meow! I’m here for breakfast. Please tell Norman. Thanks! “I did … 
  • Hear the doorbell: “Ding. Dong.” Ah yes, everything happens at once. We’re getting a new outer front door; the installer – here to take measurements – has arrived …
  • Resume watching a YouTube video of a new planner system I’m considering…as if I need such but, but…there are only ten/10/TEN weeks left in 2019 and 2020 is a new decade and I might like the one/s I’m considering …
  • Realize Fall has definitely arrived… today is sunny and cool with just a high of 73° forecast and the leaves of this tree are beginning to turn and/or waft gently to the ground…soon, I will look out the window and this tree will be bare; already I see more and more blue sky…
  • Note the clock, time to finish off this post and get ready a doctor’s appointment.

Moments come and moments go …

Cheers~

Last month I invited you to take a few moments on the 15th of the month and share, if you did, in a blog post. I fully intended to set up  InLinkz and did look at the site; I found the directions – or perhaps my understanding – lacking and didn’t get back to them before today…so, I invite you, if you did/do write a simply a moment post to share in this post’s comments.

*The cat is a feral cat who has been around since Fall 2008; I truly think she has a real home and is an excellent imposter.

simply *a* moment | 9.15.19 …

Published on by Honoré7 Comments

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~sunday 15 September 2019 | 9:07 am | sunny/74°

  • listening to Sunday Baroque (www.wshu.org) …
  • feeling a gentle, cool breeze on my knees …
  • watching leaves from this tree gently swirl to the ground …
  • hearing sounds of traffic, punctuated by a noisy car or motorcycle, a dog’s bark …
  • drinking tea – my first cuppa…
  • feeling the cup’s warmth in my hands …
  • verifying the time with Norman who’s drinking water, swallowing a pill …
  • cataloging moments as they occur, transpire …
  • thinking the grass needs another cut; I can see the blades moving, caressed by the gentle breeze …
  • giving thanks for these moments – so simple and yet so filled with sustenance …
  • noting it’s been a while since I’ve captured and shared these moments on the 15th of each month …
  • wondering why I stopped after 4 or 5 years? thinking perhaps I needed a break …
  • deciding I’m glad today I resumed and rededicated this ever so special practice of
  • affirming, these small moments in my life, of my life .

Perhaps next month, October, you might like to join me … and share your moments. Watch this space for more details.

Cheers~

 

 

 

Kayla’s Graduation | 5.29.19…

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I come to you from my niece’ Kayla’s graduation from high school – 609 strong!

Diplomas are being given out – and with them, peaks of joy and screams from friends and family in the stands. We are seated at the U of Maryland’s Xfinity Center – where basketball is played.

Soon our girl Kayla will walk across the stage … and I’ve no doubt we’ll be just as loud and excited! A milestone and a moment in our lives – for the graduates and their families . We’re proud of all and wish for them the realization of the promise this day holds for them … and us!

There she is! A Graduate!!! 10:39 am EST!

Go Kayla Go! You did it!

Yay!!!

simply a moment | 1.15.19 …

Published on by Honoré6 Comments

 

1:15 pm

I realized today that I somehow skipped last month’s  S*A*M – my shorthand for simply a moment, a few moments on the 15th of every month when I pause and pay attention to sensory input: sight, sound, touch, smell, taste. Today, my concentration and solitude were rudely interrupted by a series of three spam calls on our new house phone. The previous one, having been in the house for nearly, if not, 9 years gave up the ghost. I thought I could simply replace batteries and was advised a new phone was cheaper than new batteries…

 

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The ringing phone shattered the peace and quiet I was enjoying as I rotary cut 96 rectangles( of two sizes ) for a new quilt I’m making.

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(quilt pieces I cut yesterday; today, I’m cutting the white fabric)

As I type, I hear Norman rattlin’ ‘roun in the kitchen, making his lunch,  against the background of the television.  Today, there’s more traffic on the streets – roads are cleared and snow-melting is helped by warmer temps; currently, as I type this post, it ‘s 37 degrees…I wonder if it’s safe enough  for a quick walk outside? Maybe I’ll give it a try in a couple more hours.

Time to resume cutting rectangles. But first, I think a cuppa peach tea would hit the spot right about now… What moments stand out in your today?

Cheers~

Simply a Moment is a monthly post on my blog that I’ve done for several years on the 15th of the month.