My Say What Blog Archives - Page 39 of 56

May 24th Memorial Day – More Than A Three Day Weekend

Memorial Day is upon us, a lot of you will be hitting the highway to go camping, fishing or traveling to friends’ homes. You might be planning a big get together with family and friends or just decorating the graves of loved ones. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, stop for a moment and remember the reason we celebrate.

Did you know that all Americans are encouraged to pause for a minute of silence at 3:00 p.m. on Memorial Day? That’s right, wherever you are during your festivities, please take a minute to honor and remember our country’s fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

No matter how bleak things look, I still believe we live in the greatest nation in the world. If you don’t feel the same, maybe you should reconsider your locale. I can say that because I live in the greatest nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Be Safe and Have a Happy Memorial Day!

Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged camping, freedom, hiking, lives, Memorial Day, remember, Weekend by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.

May 16th Awww a Spring Weekend – What Did You Do?

How did you spend your weekend? We spent the weekend in the dirt. The sky was blue, the temps were perfect 75-80 degrees with a mild breeze. I put sun screen on all my exposed skin, but forgot the tops of my feet. Guess what— Yep, they got burned in patches through my sandals that look so weird. LOL

Last week, we cleaned out the garden and got it ready to plant. Added several bags of new garden soil with fertilizer and put in seeds for carrots, kale, romaine lettuce, and sugar snap peas. This weekend we picked up five tomato plants and a six pack of Marigolds. We use the Marigolds for pest control. They do a good job and look pretty too.

My hubby, our chow chow, Mystic, and I spent most of Saturday visiting the local garden centers. Boy were they packed! I guess everyone was like us and decided the warm spring weather was here to stay. Could be a mistake. Since I’m a life-long resident of Colorado, I know better than to plant outdoors before Memorial Day. Nine times out of ten we get a freeze and end up covering up or carrying in all the tender plants. Heck it’s been known to snow in July. But… after cleaning up the yard last weekend and trimming up the bushes, I couldn’t help myself. I needed some color out there. Darn it.

We picked out several plants in varying sizes and colors to fill our empty pots in the front yard. (They’ve been empty since 2016.) I’ve been accused by friends and neighbors of tempting Mother Nature, again. Though it’s been two years since the softball size hail of July 28, 2016 at 10:30 p.m. Yep, I’m still shell shocked after that experience. Lived here all my life and never seen anything like that. However, this year it didn’t stop me from sprucing up our front and back yard. The lilac’s lining the perimeter of my back yard are in full bloom. So beautiful.

I went so far as to start a fairy garden. I even planted a pumpkin patch in a spot in our yard I scouted out last year. It gets the most sun all summer long.

Wish me luck! Share in the comments what you did this weekend or plans for next weekend. Are you planting? Or do you live where your plants are already flowering and your garden is producing?

Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged Colorado, Fairy, Gardening, pumpkins, Spring, tomato plants by Tena Stetler with 4 comments.

May 9th Have You Ever Had Trouble Making A Decision?

Let me ask you something and feel free to respond in the comments to these questions. Have you ever had trouble making a decision? Do you let your head and research guide you? Or do you make decisions with your gut, emotions or look for something that just feels right? I had one of those Aha moments this morning. I still am not sure whether my response was the right one or not, guess only time will tell. But in reality it wasn’t a choice but an outcome that left me scratching my head at the decision.

Normally, I see decisions as cut and dried. Either you want what you can’t have, or isn’t good for you, so your forgo that option. Left with a feeling that maybe you should have taken the chance. The second is what is best for you and your life path. Kinda black and white. This morning, to my surprise I discovered another option. Without going into details, I”ll make a long story even longer.

At least once a year opportunities arise that may create a alternative path for me. Each time, I usually check out the opportunity, maybe even stick my toe in the water to see if it feels right. Ultimately, I usually make the decision to stay on the current path. Okay, I admit I have been accused by friends and family of loving warm fuzzy ruts, which is possibly true. My hubby is one that hops from one warm fuzzy rut into another new and exciting opportunity, dragging me with him kicking and screaming. Well maybe just figuratively, but kicking and screaming all the same. He decision usually turns out to be correct. Now don’t tell him I admitted he was right. LOL

I considered the upcoming opportunity, studied the options and got a headache from trying to figure out what to do. I’m happy with the path I’ve taken. But is there better opportunities to be had? Yes, yes, I know, the grass always appears greener on the other side, until you get there. I look around and see others successes on that other side, at least for a while. then…. Which brought me to the decision to leave it to fate or a higher power, depending on your faith. If the opportunity materialized in it’s entirely, I’d grab for the proverbial golden ring and see what happened. If not, no second thoughts and maybe I should have’s.

The final curtain has not fallen yet, and may be months before it does, but the message was clear. I was supposed to stay on the current path at least for now. It’s funny but I feel calm and centered with what happened, rather than a ball of nerves wondering if i missed a chance I should have taken. Have you ever felt like that? How did it turn out for you?

Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged Decision, Fuzzy Rut, Greener pasture, gut feeling, Life Path, opportunity by Tena Stetler with 2 comments.

Mar 20th The Spring Equinox is almost here!

Sure enough, according to scientists, astronomers and people who know these things, Spring Equinox will arrive at 12:15 p.m. EDT, on Tuesday, March 20, 2018. You wouldn’t know it here in the Colorado Rockies there are still big wet snowflakes blanketing the tulips and daffodil plants that should know better than to stick their tender green sprouts above ground this early. The good thing, when the sun comes up after a coating of snow over night its gone in a matter of a couple of hours.

Did you know Vernal Equinox is another name given to the Spring Equinox or called the March Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. But in the Southern Hemisphere the March Equinox is referred to as the Autumnal Equinox. If that isn’t confusing enough, when September rolls around (I am in no way hurrying the seasons) the equinoxes are switched – the Northern Hemisphere experiencing an Autumnal Equinox and the Southern Hemisphere having their Vernal Equinox. What is the equinox you ask? Well…the equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator.

Whether you call it Spring, March or Vernal Equinox, it brings a plethora of traditions and rituals including more sunlight hours, which makes me happy. I love to watch new life sprout after the dreary, brown last days of Winter. Don’t you? Easter for Christians falls the first Sunday after the full moon subsequent to the Spring Equinox, which this year is April 16th. Others celebrate the Spring Maiden or Goddess who watches over the emerging flora and fauna, a reminder of earth’s fertility. Still others have traditional dances and hunts to celebrate the arrival of Spring.

Another sign of spring is the Crocus who is famous for bursting forth and blooming when it’s cold outside, even through a blanket of white snow! This brave little flower can help banish nightmares and generally infuse your dreamscapes with a cool serenity. Because Crocus reminds us of vibrant beauty even in the most wintry landscape, it’s also considered a harbinger and symbol or happiness. Saffron actually comes from the stigmas and styles of a variety of Crocus. Bet you didn’t know that!

As the snow melts, the thirsty ground sighs with relief soaking up the much needed moisture. Boy howdy we need the moisture this year. Hope springs eternal for the promise of warm sunlit days that awaken the budding flowers and bring spectacular color to our world. Happy Spring everyone! Are the early spring flowers like Crocus, Tulips, Daffodils poking up through the ground yet at your house?

Do you have all your camping reservations set? I have a few, circumstances beyond my control curtailed some of my camping reservation dates, gotta get those six months from the date you want to camp, or you’ll be out of luck.