News Around Hobbit Cottage

"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds."   --- Psalm 9:1

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Perhaps my celebration of feeling much better is going on too long, but that's my excuse for not being here. Oh, how wonderful to feel good again!

Anyway. 

Does anyone remember the adorable white hanging little cabinet from out at our farm kitchen?

(The small one on the right.)

For nearly 15 years I've regretted leaving it hanging on that plaid wall. I've missed that thing! Yet not badly enough to buy a new/used one. Hmm.

Well, guess what? Though I said nothing about it to her, Naomi gave me an identical one last month. Oh my! Instantly I replaced our little wonky metal spice rack with that one. It's perfect and what a treat, even, to open the door to retrieve spice bottles.

I'd gladly show you a photo, except I can't figure out how to connect my old (old!) camera to this newish laptop and I keep forgetting to ask Tom for help. At least I found my camera. Lost for months, it was exactly where it was supposed to be. Argh.)

Anyway, trust me, I'm so grateful for that sweet cabinet.

Something else? Today, from Amazon, I'll be receiving a perfect small ottoman for in front of our red couch. All these months, I've kept my vitamin bottles on the top and lower portion of my stained glass side table--

Now, on my droopy days, I felt grateful for something easy to reach, but oh dear. Last week, I became sick of the way it looked with cluttered pill bottles covering it (most in a clear plastic lazy Susan thing, another gift from Naomi). So I went online, perused a hundred tiny footstools/ottomans (no room here for a coffee table), and chose this one with gift card moola:

Seriously, I'm counting the hours till it arrives. How lovely to just throw (and hide) the vitamin bottles in there, instead!

Has anyone else been super-enjoying gardening this season/year? Every morning, around 6:00 a.m. I'm out there planting seeds, watering plants, spray-painting patio chairs, trimming things, feeding the birds, transplanting seedlings from small pots into larger ones, etc. Usually I'm up at 4:00 a.m. drinking cocoa and watching Homestead Tessie because my head keeps planning how best to garden that morning with the fewest steps.  シ

And so it goes each day. With enormous gratitude.

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Oh, and as I wrote at Facebook:

It's Tree Day! We're finally having the 2 huge sycamore trees (yes, I always think of Zaccheus. heh) trimmed back from hanging over our roof and sidewalk. Also, the backyard cranberry tree will be pruned, another thing needed for years.

We try to do one large home task yearly, but last year I was so tired and didn't want to think about it. Hooray for healing, for progress and tree safety!

Oh, and I would add photos, but this is a newish computer and I'd not set it to upload photos yet. At least I did find my camera's card and charger after many months! Where? Right where they were supposed to be. Eegads.

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The ottoman arrived and it's perfect! It holds all my many vitamin bottles and even my back brace, tablet, comb, lip balm, books, a small box of kleenex, ponytail elastics and a spiked ball to run under my feet. Don't you love it when a plan comes together? シ

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Oh what special Youtube videos I've found!

Whispers in the Garden Many of his videos are from the yards included in the yearly Buffalo garden walk. What inspiration, indeed!

I'm not even a fan of lavender decor, but I certainly love what she did with it here.

As others commented, I came for the camper, but stayed for the adorable dog. heh.

Oh wow. The most perfect 'she shed' on the planet.

Oy! This goes against everything I've said about decluttering, but I totally would've decorated like this in my 30's and 40's. (Minimalists, please don't watch. You may have a heart attack. Ha!)

I'd never before heard of these metal British after-the-war houses! Tom and I found this fascinating.

---and here are two of those British houses from the inside. When first married, we could easily have lived happily in one. Maybe even now. Well, maybe. heh.

More terrific videos next time.....

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And a special thanks to Angela for letting me know you'd watched A Marriage Made in Heaven. So happy you enjoyed it and thanks for mentioning it to me!

Also to the person who watched Grimm on my recommendation (ages ago)---a special thanks to you, also, and again, I'm thrilled you liked it.

And to the person who bought the Mary C. Jane books--oh goody! I'm glad you did and I hope you've enjoyed them as I have.

Thanks, Everyone! I love knowing I've added something good to your life.

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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

If You Can, Do It Now

(The Reno, NV train station. One of my very favorite photos.)

"You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out."   --- Deuteronomy 28:6

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Still here!

Mainly I've simply been celebrating feeling soo much better. You know, having little gratitude parties on the red couch while watching Youtube videos and, lately, reading old Mary Jane's Farm magazines. Oh, and gardening. Lots of morning sit-down-gardening for just minutes, but hey, it adds up.

And also? I'm again counting my blessings for, years ago, not procrastinating what the Holy Spirit nudged me to do. Why? Because these past 7 months I pretty much desired to do nothing but lay around and heal.

And although during those months the house was, er, a mess, at least I could lay on the red couch (or on a hospital table-like bed) and rejoice that I'd done tasks (or traveled) over the past years because Honey, no way could I do any of it now. 

Plus, I had those memories to pleasantly mull over while I could only lounge around.

Examples?

Tom and I bought that tiny farm and lived our farming dreams right on the cusp before we could no longer handle it. Often, I recalled my favorite farm memories while recuperating from internal radiation surgeries when I could only lay on my back in recovery.

There were our camping trips, motel stays and later? The train travel across the country--4 times. Could we do all that now? Most likely, uh, no. Our train season, as the farm one, is over.

Yet how good to finally accept that seasons in our lives are a thing. They come and go and aren't meant to cling to in sadness when the gate of lovely seasons slams shut. Instead, they're to be treasured with hope that new seasons, though very different, will be just as lovely.

Years ago, I put together a quasi capsule wardrobe. During these months I could barely dress myself, but at least my clothes looked decent. ツ I hardly considered what I wore, but it came together because I'd planned it all out during my normal years.

The garden beds I put in and all the perennials I planted. The bills we put on our credit cards/bank so they'd be paid that way. The decorating of my home over the past 14 years. The decluttering of 10 things weekly (beginning in 2019). My book collection (tho' oddly, I read only 1 book in 4 months!). The arranging of having groceries delivered from Aldi each week.

On and on it goes. All those things the Holy Spirit said, "Do it now," probably adding, "while you still can." But that last part is hard to listen to, right? We want to believe we'll be strong and healthy forever.

Anyway, just some notes for you today, things I've considered many hours. And really, color me so grateful that God alerted me ahead of time, even though I didn't have a clue how it would all piece together during these difficult months of my life.

He is so good.

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And as I wrote at Facebook:

So yesterday was the first time this year that I walked down to the Salv. Army drop-off. I made it back home ok, but just barely. heh.

Anyway, one hour later, Tom and I were sitting here and we heard (and felt) a big boom! We ran to the windows and saw that Neighbor Sue's elm tree had lost a HUGE branch, probably with a 30-inch circumference at the tree's connection. It had tons of smaller branches shooting off of it.

Fortunately it didn't hit her house, but it fell across the sidewalk and street, and even brought down a couple wires from the pole, (one connected to our house, an old phone line).

Wow, only an hour before I'd walked that sidewalk and would've been killed had the tree fallen on me. Color both Tom and myself thankful for God's protection and listening to the Holy Spirit rather than procrastinating my walk just one more hour.

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Some of my perennials:

Mint

Snow in summer

Peonies

Oregano

Clematis

Sun drops

Catnip

Forget me nots (tho' not a true perennial, it acts like one)

Chives

A climbing rose

Daylilies, 2 kinds

Strawberries

Sweet woodruff and another ground cover whose name I can't recall.

And white sweet alyssum

Oh, and a very special thanks to each of you who commented after my last post. As usual, it's taking me forever to get over there and thank you! All the time, I read all your comments and appreciate each one.

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More movies we've enjoyed lately. 

Savannah  (can't believe we just now saw this Jim Caviezel film. It is a sad one, ok, but then it's a true story so what are ya gonna do?)  ツ

Mrs. Lowry and Son  (another true story, some difficult moments, but still inspiring)

The Rendevous  (we were surprised this had basically no 'language'!)

The Way to the Heart

Little Loopers

The Boys in the Boat

Crooked Arrows

The Perfect Game

Did anyone watch any of the movies I recommended last time?

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God's timing? Perfect. Always.

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

A Progress Report and Lots of Things for You to Watch

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His loving devotion endures forever."   --- Psalm 136:1

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Still here!

Yet only recently has ol' Debra returned to her normal self. My, but it's odd living inside a body and mind which you don't recognize-- fuzzy-headed, a feeling of not wanting to do what you once did and legs which feel 'iffy'.

But again, I'm slowly coming back. 

Though ok, a bit tweaked after having lived with this stranger for 6 months. I'm more filled with gratitude for all the healthy decades God gave me and full of compassion for others who, also, are ill. I understand their hardships much better now, so color me thankful.

Also? I'm back to reading books, decluttering, feeding the outside birds and gardening. Just step by step, ok. But whew, took forever to return there and required much patience and forgiveness of myself while waiting. 

Anyway! I've watched tons of lovely shows since December. These have felt like gifts from God (I've even left out many!). We subbed to Hallmark Plus during Dec. and Jan.--all those movies and series felt like much needed daily medicine.

So here you go, just a sampling, below, of movies and videos which helped encourage me these past difficult months. It's as though God made certain I discovered them.

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Texas Country Reporter. Oh my, I've probably watched 50 of these, that is, the ones before Bob and Kelli retired. Did you enjoy Charles Kuralt's program? Guaranteed (well...) you'll love these; even Bob's voice is similar. But warning: These videos are highly addictive and I'm not surprised they've run for over 50 years.

An old-fashioned bowling alley

An inspiring 93 year old woman

A Huge Old Store in a Small Town

Cooking for Her Community

The Lady, The Wolf and the Mountains  (Loved this one so much, I bought her book on Kindle and devoured it in 2 days.)

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Other Youtube Videos:

A Single Woman's Tiny Home  (I liked her decor)

Loved the decor of this home, also.

Darling Desi's Summer Video

One of the Dreamiest Homes I've Ever Seen

George Washington Carver

Agatha Christie

The Well Studio  (these are incredibly comforting)

Movies We Enjoyed:

Marriage Made In Heaven (one of the most unique movies I've seen)

Runt  (adorable Australian girl and dog story)

Still Mine (a lesson for not waiting too late to prepare for old age)

Great Gilly Hopkins  (an old-fashioned film and Kathy Bates is marvelous as always)

Ride Like a Girl

A Brilliant Young Mind

Rory McIlroy

Cowgirls and Angels

Rocky Road

Heart of Champions

I Can Only Imagine 2

Wedding Bells (w/ Danica McKellar. Can be watched on Youtube)

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And as always, a huge thanks to those of you who've shown me you care all these months!

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