Books that can add Cheer and My Three New Orchids for Christmas

I have been a bit stressed since all the rain, floods, roads collapsing, and staying close to home since Christmas in my county so I am relying on my book friends for good cheer. The first book I am rereading and is "The Code of the Woosters" by P.G. Wodehouse. It features the wonderful Jeeves and Wooster and their madcap adventures. I think there is humor on every page, for example Bertie Wooster describes his friend as "All right up to the neck, but from there on pure concrete." So many adventures around a sterling silver cow creamer. Will marriages go ahead, will people end up arrested? Mary commented that the audio book versions of Wodehouse books are wonderful, I would like to try one some day.

The second book I am also rereading, "Miss Buncle Married" by D.E. Stevenson. If you haven't read "Miss Buncle's Book" read that one first, it is very humorous. Miss Buncle needs money and writes a novel which is published and which gets her into big trouble in the English village where she lives.

The third book "14,000 Things to be Happy About" by Barbara Ann Kipfer has a title that is self explanatory. She developed her list over a 50 year period and this is an updated version.

Her tips are each just a few words or a sentence. "A cake baking." "Pet portraits." "Clutch purses." "Dulcimer music" and "Green Goddess salad dressing" are a sampling.

 

The next book I am reading (yes, I am currently reading several books) is "The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen: 83 1/4 Years Old" by apparently Hendrik Groen himself. After some research I learned that the actual author is a Dutch writer, Peter de Smet, 61 when this book was published six years ago.This is fun, Hendrik lives in an old folks home in Amsterdam and is grumpy and active and finds friends to go out and have adventures with. There are two or three more books in this series.

 

Just for fun and a glimpse of beauty, I show you my new orchids that my younger son bought me for Christmas, one purple, one white and one yellow. Orchids are a favorite with me, so pretty and easy care. The main thing is finding the right light for them, they like an east facing window so they don't get sun burned. They don't tolerate intense direct sunlight, especially afternoon sun.

Have you found any lighthearted books to read that you can recommend in a comment?

Nice surprises in September

I had some nice surprises and also joined a new group in September. One nice surprise occurred as I was standing in line to buy two tickets to a local Follies show when a lady walked up and handed me two free tickets. How cool is that! I have attended the yearly Follies song and dance show for five years or so and it was founded 50 years ago.
Two of my friends sing and dance in it so that makes it extra fun. The auditions and rehearsals are very thorough. The song and dance numbers included "Pretty Woman", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "Don't Be Cruel", "What Now My Love", "Love Me Tender", "Inka Dinka", "I Gotta Be Me" and many more for a total of forty songs.
All that and we had free seats.
I went to a fund raiser tea on Saturday, Sept. 22 and it was very lively. Some of us, including me, wore hats and one lady looked like a regal Victorian lady in her hat and clothes. Here are some photos of the food tables. There were about 8 tables of food including the traditional cucumber sandwiches and scones and in the first table you can see the delicious home made lemon curd.

The above two photos show friendship and companionship. The fundraiser is for a group that takes home bound seniors out for afternoons of fun and lunch. It allows care givers to have 5 or 6 hours off from their work of caring.
The new group I joined is one for widows that just formed at our church and was created by two widows. We had our first meeting on Sunday which featured a delicious free lunch in the church coffee house and eleven ladies got to know each other a bit. The theme for the group will be that we need not do this life alone. Amen to that. The ages ranged from 60 to 85. I didn't know any of the gals beforehand so I pushed myself to go and am glad I did.
We are looking for a name for the group, do you have any ideas? I suggested "Wild wacky widows" and another gal suggested "Wild wonderful widows." We want to convey widows and upbeat fun times. Ideas for a name welcome.

What makes you smile? Some things that make me smile

I thought I would share with you some things that make me smile. Since the death of my husband last November these smile bringers are doubly precious.

Pretty much any flower, and some weeds too, make me smile. Years ago I went to a garden center and asked for Jupiter's Beard. The plant expert said that is a weed. I thought "ouch, poor plant, now that is hurtful". When I lived on a farm the neighbor lady called these "Meet Me By the Gate"; also called Valerian. I always think of them as "Meet Me By the Gate" and think of Ann, my neighbor. The photo above has a bouquet of Canterbury Bells and Sweet Peas from my garden.

Song birds in my garden, the hoot of an owl in a nearby tree, and the pelicans soaring along our bay.

Feeling a refreshing breeze. I do not like to be too hot, so I welcome the cooling touch of a breeze.

Picking a vegetable from our garden, admiring it and eating it. For a moment I feel like a pioneer woman. I would like to have chickens here in my city yard and enjoy the photos of you blog friends who have chickens, horses, donkeys, pigs and all the farm critters.

Our cat Fluffy asleep on a soft new blanket. She does sleep a LOT. Cats by their example teach us to be relaxed; they are not worriers.

My dog Bounce adopted from the shelter in the fall of 2016. He is a fun dog and loves to go on walks three times a day so that keeps me active and outdoors. Note the red amaryllis blooming in May.

Watching comedies on TV. I have a new subscription to Acorn TV which offers great British and Australian shows. New ones for me now that I have Acorn TV are Ladies of Letters (my favorite), French Fields and Boomers. Acorn has a whole slew of mysteries and dramas and documentaries too, often on British history which I enjoy. Andy Griffith and the town of Mayberry are great places to visit via our TV and I watch this series on Netflix.

Flowers with what I imagine to be the scent of heaven. For me this includes lilacs, old fashioned roses like the Peace rose, gardenias, common heliotrope, jasmine, sweet peas and lemon blossoms on my two small lemon trees. I planted a heliotrope a year ago and my husband said that is a favorite scent of his so I just break off a tiny sprig and put it in a little vase to enjoy in the house. I recently read on a blog or Facebook that heliotrope is toxic to dogs so keep the plant where dogs can't snack on it. A nickname for this plant is "sugar plant" so I can see why it might attract dogs; the flowers do smell like sugar.

My list could be a very long one. Maybe I should write another book, ha ha. 

What things bring you joy?

My Happy List part two

On July 8, 2013 I posted some things that make me happy, as part one.
ANGEL
This angel is one of my favorite treasures, which my sister bought for me at a rummage sale years ago, probably in a church. Angel is made from an old hymnal and survived being mailed from Wisconsin to me in California. Her dress is made from the folded hymnal pages.

 

WHIMSY
I buy things that make me smile and put them in my garden. Here is my Dancing Seagull from Goodwill.

  

FRIENDS
Yes, friends. They are the flowers in our garden of life. Thanks Sparkles for this suggestion.

QUOTES
I collect quotes, poems and Scripture and can find one to fit any occasion perfectly. Often I find quotes when reading blogs, and add them to my collection. I also collect words that make me smile and that are new to me. A British blog friend says she "took a bimble" and I like that word, it means a stroll, often with no particular purpose, but in a friendly manner. Another British word I learned from Sparkles is "naff", which means unstylish or lacking in taste, or as a verb "to goof off".

BREEZE
A gentle breeze, and sometimes a brisk one, is always appreciated by me, especially on a warm or hot day. Sometimes heaven gets my attention with the touch of a breeze on my face and I even wrote a poem about that.
I walk along the ocean several times a week and there is always the kiss of a breeze on even the hottest day.     

WALKING
I walk along the ocean two or three times a week. Walking is good for my body and my soul. There is a "little free library" three blocks from our home and sometimes I stop on my walk and donate a book or two. Do you have a little free library? They are handmade little boxes on posts, people put them in their front yards near the sidewalk, they hold about 20 books and you can take or donate a book. 

Happy week, roses, peppers, skunk

Some recent photos I took.

Pink and white roses, peppers our neighbor grew, and a young skunk drinking water in a blurred photo taken through the sliding glass doors. All photos from this week at our house.
Some happy events from my week: yesterday our oldest son treated me to lunch downtown. I had spicy chicken mole (no, not the animal mole, LOL, it is pronounced mo lay and is a chocolate and spices Mexican sauce), fancy polenta cooked in a pie type crust with whole kernels of corn in it and a lightly dressed mixed lettuce salad with pepitas in it. I watched two of my friends sing and dance in our local Follies, songs from the 1930s and 40s and a patriotic tribute appreciated all the more since it was on Sept. 11.  Publishers sent me a copy of The Gem magazine which arrived at my house, with my poem "She Walked Alone" in it, and a check. The July 20, 2014 issue.
The weather is great too, from 70 to 85, so I am counting my blessings. And when God sends rain I will count that as another huge blessing.