Chatterbox

The Lost Art of Communication

When was the last time someone said to you, “Drop me a line”?

When was the last time you got a simple handwritten note or letter in the mail?

Heck, in the past few years it really has become a vintage activity. Recycle, Reuse is the mantra of the days and I too find it very hard to spend money on things people will just toss out after a few days or weeks. I decided to purchase and send cards that are unique and/or frameable quill art, popular artist prints or paper pop-ups. I personally love paper art and will use left over wrapping paper and cards to make decorations or incorporate into my mixed media art. Paper chains, ornaments, bunting banners, making homemade paper all are great reusable ways to recycle.

As a practicing minimalist, I like to keep a narrow threshold of materialistic things from entering my personal space. Taking me less than 30 minutes this morning, I cleaned my home and do not regret my decision to keep things minimal after owning and caring for a 5-bedroom, home, rentals, and large yard for almost 30 years.

I enjoy the freedom it brings to my life. Technology has been a great way to keep the paper clutter to a minimal and I find myself frustrated at times when I receive unnecessary junk mail. Even more annoyed with political organizations and credit card approval mail. It makes a quick trip to the shredder, much like the spam and overly abundance of ads in my email accounts. I refuse to pay subscription fees to abolish them, since frugality is my strong suit.

It pains me, that even in a more paperless society, we still have so much waste in paper products. Have you ever watched a movie where someone comes across some old box or trunk tucked away in a dusty old attic somewhere?

The actor/actress will gingerly open the treasured box or trunk and sort through the items until they come across a letter or weathered papers. Maybe they find a bunch of letters that have been bound together with a tattered old string, much like presents for the finders to read with muse.

Were they from a lover, a friend, a spouse, a war hero, someone who has passed?

Handwritten letters and notes are a tangible extension of the writer. We try to imagine them as they sat and wrote them. Were they happy, sad, joyful or hopeful? Was their handwriting representative of textbook cursive, printed block letters or swirly and whimsical? Do the stamps on the envelopes have some cultural story of the day and times or hobby/interest of the writer?

I have letters on military stationary from my first husband which he wrote to me while in the Army. I own notes from an athletic boyfriend that are folded in tiny footballs, that he punted to me with a finger flick behind the teachers back across the classroom that landed into my lap. I have “I love you, Mom” notes and cards from my children written in preschool and school age scribbles. Jokes written in my Dad’s whimsical handwriting inside cards.

When I downsized, I had to decide what to keep and not keep. I could of easily scanned all those notes, cards and letters and kept them handy on a flash drive. However, my enduring love for nostalgia and sentimental “feels” I chose to keep a few that hold very significant meanings that would someday be treasured in their original form. “I hope”.

Today, I was cleaning and decided to sort through any unnecessary clutter. Which for some reason seems to have a way of accumulating even with practicing strict minimalism practices. I came across these beautiful note cards that were done by my 5-year old, grand-daughter.

Lots of Spots!

Signed on the back by her as the Artist and her Age at the time. This was a wonderful and thoughtful fundraiser gift idea done by her play center and printed by www.kidsartworks.co.nz.

I have decided that it was time to sit down and “drop a line”. If you are fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of this particular card, maybe you will be less likely to add it to the rubbish bin and reuse or recycle it. You never know, the artist may be the next Jackson Pollack.

Chatterbox

Gma’s Pod Tour 1

In 2018, I completely downsized from a 5-bedroom, 3000 sq. ft. home and multi-income property to 200 sq. ft. of living space. This space once was part of a small efficiency apartment and our family business office, then converted to a one-room school room during my children’s homeschooling years and later became my art studio. Now, it is the home of my daughter and son-in-law’s ice cream shop “17 Scoops”.

For 2 years, this little space was my co-housing/co-living “Gma (Grandma) Pod, that I shared with my daughter and her family. As a baby boomer and grandma, I was able to spend more time creating in my art studio, writing my blog, traveling for fun and less time working on the road as a travel nurse.

I shared some living area necessities like a basement bathroom, laundry area, and running water but I also had my own entrance and lived independently.

I enjoyed the companionship and security of their presence while spending more time with my two grandsons.

Don’t forget to share and like this video on YouTube

Chatterbox

Do Your Dream-Part two

Once upon a time, as a travel nurse I spent a lot of time being a tourist and living out of Rubbermaid containers 8-10 months out of the year. I was always in search of amazing regional food, local & cultural activities and making new friends. However, living this “Rock Star” existence would soon take a turn that I, nor the World would ever think would happen in our lifetime.

When I was traveling, not only did I try to immerse myself in the region, culture, art and cuisine of the local area but I spent a fair amount of time advancing my skills as a baker taking classes that were significant to the locale. Then the real joy was re-creating and sharing my new artisan experiences and skills with co-workers, family and friends. Food has a unique language all its own and it provides a common ground that people can enjoy and relate to.

I would drag my hand-written recipes in two robin egg colored index card boxes with me on the road everywhere. “Oh, what are those, you say? I’ll explain later”… but it’s something that us “old broads used before Pinterest, Tasty and All Recipes came along. Staying healthy and fit as a travel nurse was challenging but the real challenge was when you’re constantly fighting menopausal changes, genetics and the burning desire to eat every damn sweet thing available in a 25-100-mile radius. Under Recipe Box you will find healthy recipes and some that are bad as hell for the waste-line and for that reason I will rate them (Very Good, Good, and Oh shit, Hide the Scale!).

In 2018, I completely embarked on a minimalist lifestyle and took a six-month unpaid sabbatical from Travel nursing to relearn self-care along with a lil’ sprinkle of fairy dust called “self-love” and rekindled my passions for baking, writing and art.

Then, the “Vid” storm arrived…”sigh“…all bets were off. I returned to nursing, in a near-by town to fight the fight. I worked 50-plus hour work weeks with exhaustion, depression and a bit of PTSD. I struggled with the decisions of others, I cried with families and patients, and I was angered with the insanity that daily unfolded in American and the World. I stayed away from family to keep them safe and my scrubs became my fatigues, as I fought an enemy I could not see. I ate a lot of donated pizza and gained 20 pounds.

Fast forward 2 years later, the Spring of 2022. I decided to take another sabbatical from my nursing career to heal my body and soul. My final take away from all the death and sad human experiences of the last 2 years only cemented my already known knowledge that I needed to focus more on my passions and talents. After a few weeks of licking my war wounds, boredom set in. I immediately sprung into action; started my home-bakery Thunder Moon Bakery and my passion for life returned. I am slowly healing with healthier ways to deal with the physical and psychological stressors that I encountered working in the healthcare environment for almost 20 years and moving towards doing my dream.

Meanwhile, I will be dusting off the cobwebs on all the big white binders and assorted notebooks on my desk and revisit my writings. I will share some of the shenanigans rolling around in my head; humoring the thought that I have a small ounce of writing talent. My Grandma’s, Gma pronounced ( Jee- ma) was intrumental in teaching me, to live my dreams no matter what others “think“, “feel” or “want” me to do. Maybe writing a book is in the near future, who knows?

Sometimes, when I’m driving down the highway with thousands of miles between destinations, I can still picture her next to me in that huge, hard top 1959 Ford, as she drove us to the lake cottage. All the windows down, and her hair tightly wrapped in a colorful scarf all “Hollywood Style”, eyebrows painted on, barely visible above her eye glasses. She turns and smiles at me, her “baker hands” tightly gripping the wheel as we flew down the highway while the sweet smell of freshly mowed  hay fields filled the swirling air around us“.

It’s the simple pleasure of the journey; no matter how long the road may be to your destination. We all have our own path and those we meet along the way ultimately help shape our final destination.

Do Your Dream! What ever that may be.

I hope you enjoy my Blog about My Travel, My Life, My Art, My Food. I will have a lot of pretty cool pictures, fun and heartwarming stories, self-discovery tips, and recipes you can try. So, as long as it takes you to drink your morning coffee, eat your lunch, sneak precious quiet time during the kid’s or hubby’s nap-time, trying to stay calm while waiting in line at the DMV or just killing time on the shitter. I will be here.

Thank you for visiting and if you like what you read or want to read and learn more? Then don’t forget to subscribe before you go. You will be notified whenever I post something new on my site. Like and share me on Facebook. Look me up on Pinterest and Instagram. You have something you would like to share with me? Drop me a comment. Remember I don’t do bad attitudes and let’s keep it PG-13. Peace