Dear Reader:

Excuse me if today’s blog is short…but so is the last of the warm weather for awhile…and I hear the ‘sirens‘ luring me outside even as I type…before the wind changes direction…coming in from the north bringing Old Man Winter with it.

Yesterday was truly my Winnie the Pooh “favorite day.” The doorbell rang early and it was FedEx delivering my “Life is Good….Live and Give t-shirt! (Just in time for Valentines!)

As FedEx was leaving UPS was arriving with my “special” medicine which helps allow me to live and give…and yes…life is good.”

I got out early in the garden, got caught up on some correspondence with family and friends and then met Anne for lunch at Oscars. Ran in the grocery store on the way home and picked up some logs for the fire….I am ready…come on Old Man Winter…do your thing and then please leave…I am so ready for spring!

*(I heard one of the ‘television groundhogs’ got fired from his job for forgetting to mention all the feet of snow to accumulate in the next six weeks….at least we don’t have that problem in the lowcountry.)

When I got home I built a barricade to keep Lucy in the kitchen on the B&B side since Jack Frost was coming a’knocking…I love Lucy but I don’t love cat hairs on carpet and furniture….so I figure if she just stays on the kitchen linoleum I am pretty safe and it is easy to clean up.

On the way to lunch I stopped by Ginger Snaps (love that store) to let Kay know another little “Dingle” will be here before we know it. Started getting some ideas for our newest addition to come.

Then I made one last stop to see Samantha…at Simple to Sublime…it was great to get caught up since I haven’t seen her  before Christmas…between bronchitis/laryngitis, frigid weather and babysitting….time has gotten away.

But sweet Samantha always stays the same. News flash! * I will be gone next week but Samantha is having a guest author Thursday the 19th from 5-8… and the children’s book that she wrote sounds adorable. Samantha is saving me a couple of copies for the author to sign…it is all about a lollipop Easter Hunt…based on planting seeds and doing acts of kindness.

*Copies of the book are available now in the store.

*This year there will definitely be a “lollipop” addition to my Garden Easter Egg Hunt. Too much fun!

I think I mentioned to you that I am taking a Bible Study course on Tuesdays. The study is on the prophet Jeremiah. There is a lot of emphasis about not putting all our worldly “chickens” in one basket…or as the video narrator would say “safe havens” or “false idols” for comfort and security. We should be open to new opportunities and changes.

Isn’t this the hardest thing to do though…when we finally find our niche and are so happy in it? Anne and I were talking about just how blessed we each are in our lives…to a large degree because we have been fortunate enough to live long enough to “retire” and leave so much stress and “deadlines” behind.

We each have pursued new hobbies…gardening, art (for Anne) travel, making time for friends with lunches, babysitting (for me)…should we feel guilty for being happy for something we dreamed about and yearned for so long?

I do believe that simplifying my life has definitely added to the quality of it….de-cluttering has been my greatest achievement in recent years…physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I realize now that once we start giving possessions away…the freedom to do other things multiplies….a simple life can be enjoyed and shared simultaneously.

Here are some of my favorite thoughts concerning the benefits of a ‘simple’ life!

*Source (10 Ways to Live Simply in 2015) Duane Elgin

1. A choiceful simplicity means staying focused, diving deep, and not being distracted by consumer culture. It means consciously organizing our lives so that we give our “true gifts” to the world—which is to give the essence of ourselves. As Emerson said, “The only true gift is a portion of yourself.”

2. Simplicity means to feel such a strong sense of kinship with others that, as Gandhi said, we “choose to live simply so that others may simply live.”

3. Simplicity means that the way we live our lives represents a work of unfolding artistry. As Gandhi said, “My life is my message.”

4. Simplicity means taking charge of lives that are too busy, too stressed, and too fragmented. An uncluttered simplicity means cutting back on trivial distractions, both material and non-material, and focusing on the essentials—whatever those may be for each of our unique lives.

5. As Thoreau said, “Our life is frittered away by detail. . . Simplify, simplify.” Or, as Plato wrote, “In order to seek one’s own direction, one must simplify the mechanics of ordinary, everyday life.”

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So until tomorrow…Thank you Father for the simple life. A life in which we find time to enjoy all Your Blessings…while giving back a portion of ourselves to others.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Kaitlyn put this on Facebook:

 Rudy made it through surgery! He’s very groggy, down one anal gland and a tumor, and wearing this terrible cone but doing ok!  Please keep the prayers coming for good results on biopsy results. 1 week. We love you baby boy. Thanks Mimi and Boppy for being good nurses.

Rudy and his “cone”!

 Kaitlyn later sent these pictures….Tommy had sent his Clemson t-shirt for Rudy to wear following surgery and then last night when Kaitlyn and Tommy went out to eat they stopped at Pitt Street…Rudy’s and Atticus’s favorite walking haunt….and this beautiful sun was setting…a God Wink for getting Rudy through the surgery.