My Spider Story. (Ew.)

So on the outside walls of our Hobbit Cottage we've got some monstrous, rabid spiders. (That photo is only meant to scare you. heh. Not a true representation.)

Really, they chew their prey and blood drips down, leaving dark gross lines. In fact, that's partly why I considered painting our house dark blue this time--so the streaks wouldn't stand out as they do with yellow (but dark colors absorb sunlight and who needs more @#$% heat?).

Those marks were--I thought--unremovable. My trusty vinegar-water-and-baking-soda did nothing so I'd grumble, defrost my brushes, and paint over them.

(Could we have hired an exterminator? Uh, no. I don't believe in spraying poison on my walls around my edible gardens nor while having cats or heck, not while my family is breathing, either. Er hem.)

Anyway.

Good grief. Why oh why did it take me 11 years to search online for a solution? Why is this yet one more thing I must forgive myself for not figuring out sooner?

Last week I immediately discovered online that hydrogen peroxide will remove those blood stains. Traipsing downstairs, I grabbed some cotton balls and peroxide, stepped outside, sat down and didn't even have to scrub hard. The marks faded away.

Gah.

The older I become the more--it seems--I'm fixing things so to make my life simpler, healthier and more senior-friendly. So what I've decided? I can view all this as an annoying fact of Life or as an adventurous challenge. If it's the latter, any successful discovering of solutions will mean I can thank God and be proud of myself. You know the good pride:

"Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else ..."   --- Galations 6:4

So what remains is to stop feeling annoyed by the challenges aging brings and just whack them all down like a good little soldier...

... while anticipating the rewards of simpifying my days, a job well done, and feeling better about Life during these changing later years.

"We can see aging as an adventure, not something that means we have to be miserable and sit around and do nothing... The way we think about ourselves influences how we respond to aging."

---Joyce Meyer from How to Age Without Getting Old

Oh, the necessity of listening to the Holy Spirit in our daily life! Who knows better than Him the best way to do things?

Seems I'm always telling myself, "Forgive yourself. Do better next time, yes, but forgive yourself, also."

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How Grannies Are Saving Spain From a Heat Wave

How to Clear Out Your Parents' House

House Tour: Inside The Restored Grey Gardens  (Warning: lots of colorful rooms here! I love them, but your tastes may vary. heh.)

Five Tips for Helping Your Baby Boomer Parents Declutter

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Life around Hobbit Cottage This Week:

Poncho's favorite spot:

I bought a new toy for my Prayer Garden--the trellis thing.

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Right?   シ

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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. *** "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15