March 2026 – Page 6

SWAMPED!

“Life can get exhausting, overwhelming, and stressful sometimes.” Unknown

When I decided to take on the responsibility of adding two more cats to the one I already have, I didn’t count on being overwhelmed. I didn’t realize that it was going to be a huge amount of work and trying to get a handle on things would be a next to impossible task.

Two weeks in or is it three weeks? It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I am SWAMPED! It is overwhelming, time-consuming, and it is taking everything within me to not throw up my hands and to say, “I surrender! This is too much.” The thing is, I don’t give up easily and I see this predicament as a challenge. I THINK I can take control of the situation and come out the winner but it is testing my patience and nerves!

Don’t get me wrong. I love the two cats. They are sweet-natured but a ball of fur! The Persian cat, Shiro, is white and I am beginning to see white hair everywhere or is that just my imagination. Gallahad, is a dark grey cat and he has long hair. Put the two together and it is a never-ending task of vacuuming and getting rid of hair! I bought a hairdresser’s kit recently. It came with a battery-operated gadget that trims hair. “No way!” says Gallahad. It also comes with a comb and scissors and I went to work. Shiro is looking a lot slimmer with less hair and Galli, well, he let me do the tail area but getting anywhere closer is a problem and a half. Anyway, there is a lot less hair to go around and I feel like I’ve achieved something at least.

They are eating well, sleeping like they should, and have found someone else to get close to. The “cat whisperer” as I am known to them is the “Pied Piper” as far as they are concerned. They’ve taken to hanging around me, rubbing up against my leg when I walk past and waiting outside the bedroom door hoping I would let them in. Nope, that is not going to work.

Chachi, on the other hand, has taken hissing to a new high. He hisses every chance he gets and when Galli got too close to him, he jumped on him and held on for dear life. He stayed there not knowing what to do. It was a good thing that Galli didn’t pounce on him and knock some sense into him. Galli is twice his size but the Little Macho thinks he is a big guy plus they (the two) are intruding into his space and it is not setting well with him.

I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for trouble but being the watch dog is wearing me out. I’m exhausted come evening and after doing a once over with the vacuum, it is time to shut down for the night. I must say that they take it in stride and the nights are usually quiet. Chachi loves it when I shut the door and settle in bed. It is his time to shine. Cuddling takes priority and knowing that Galli and Shiro haven’t worked their magic on me seems to do wonders for his psyche. HE IS STILL NUMBER ONE!

“Sometimes it’s okay if the only thing you did today was breathe.” Unknown

I did a whole lot more than that but who’s keeping tabs!

Have an amazing day.

Know Your Self Worth

“Recognize your own worth and you won’t be drawn to those who don’t see it.” Doe Zantamata

According to medium.com, “Your value is directly linked to your belief. If you treat yourself like garbage, you’ll never appreciate your potential.”

It’s interesting how many of us walk into relationships expecting the other person to validate us in some way. We look to them to make us feel wanted, to feel loved, to feel that we are worthy and to make us feel special. Basically we hand over our power and energy to that person and wait to get reimbursed. When it doesn’t happen, we find ourselves in a dark place and beat ourselves down to a pulp.

The truth is, self-worth is your sense of self, your values and your belief that you are worthy of care, support and compassion. It basically means you value yourself enough to know the boundaries and limits and what you’ll accept and what you won’t. It is that feeling within you that says you are worthy and deserving of the right kind of love and that there is a balance in the relationship. If you’ve been doing the chasing and you’re the only one investing in the relationship with your time, energy and efforts and you are not getting or getting next to nothing in return, then it’s time to reevaluate and to take a good hard look at your self-worth. How much is it worth?

“Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and won’t accept.” Anna Taylor

If your self-worth is lacking, here are some strategies to improve it from the people in the know. (verywellmind.com)

Do things you enjoy and are good at:

These help to reinforce your strengths and abilities and can make you more confident.

Exercise and challenge yourself:

Physical activity is linked to a greater sense of self-worth. It also helps to recalibrate your mindset and offers both physical and mental benefits.

Challenge negative thoughts:

Thoughts are not facts. Next time you have a negative self-thought, think of an alternative realistic thought to replace it.

Be kind to yourself.

Learn to be assertive.

Start saying “NO!” I have to learn this one myself.

Focus on the positive.

It is important to have a healthy sense of self-worth because loving, respecting and valuing yourself starts with you. It is the first step towards gaining the same from others.

“Once you discover your true worth, walking away from where you are not valued will become the easiest hard thing you will ever do.” Unknown

If they don’t see you as valuable then don’t try to convince them. Remember the only person you need validation from is you. You are enough as you are, you are worthy, you deserve respect, your well-being matters and so does your emotional health. Work on your self-worth and you’ll start attracting the right kind of people, the kind who will respect your worth.

“When you realize your self-worth you’ll stop giving people discounts.” Unknown

AND

“Know your worth and then make sure to add tax.” Unknown

Have an amazing day.

Middle Name Significance

Photo by Kristina Paukshtite on Pexels.com

Oh God!! Another one of those questions I think goes deeper than I want to answer. First of all I never paid much attention to my middle name, it is stuck between my first and last name and that’s about it.

It’s there, it has been there and will continue to be, that’s the significance. Do I like it? I couldn’t give a flying flip about it. I never liked my first name but I didn’t have a choice in the matter, it was left up to two people who at the time looked at me with love and decided, we’ll call her TIA! The middle name was of lesser significance so they came up with something imaginative according to them.

Either way, it doesn’t matter. I’m not looking at both with a magnifying glass. I’m happy with both my names, one to a lesser extent than the other, but if I had a chance I would like to have a name that grabs attention. What? I don’t know. Maybe Christine. My sister is called Christine and I used to envy that. Oh well, it’s done and I’m stuck with it.

Daily writing prompt

What is your middle name? Does it carry any special meaning/significance?

View all responses

The First Daffodil

As spring flowers go, nothing signifies spring like daffodils. There are others that show up earlier than expected like the Snowdrops or rather snowbells, tiny white blooms that appear at the end of winter and the crocuses ranging from deep purple to golden yellow and sometimes pristine white. We get the purple ones here. However, it is the daffodil that heralds spring with its trumpet-like flowers, waving its yellow and white head to the sun that tells me spring is here and is going to stay for a while.

I headed out the door this morning looking forward to my walk when I noticed that the sun was already there telling me that it was going to be a glorious day. As I closed the front door and looked towards the front garden, I noticed the first daffodil in bloom! A beautiful yellow one looking directly at me! Soon, there will be plenty more but this is the first one I’ve seen in bloom and it put a smile on my face.

Saturdays are not for walking as far as I’m concerned. Too many people out there and with such a beautiful day, there would be plenty more. I like having the fields to myself. Not today. I noticed several people already there turning their heads skyward enjoying the sunshine. I took the forest way hoping for peace and quiet. No luck today. There were a few people already there enjoying the quiet and as we passed, there was a nod of the head and, “Guten Tag,” which is the norm here of friendliness and perhaps politeness as well.

There was the sound of a lone woodpecker in the tree somewhere pecking away for all its worth! Rabbits were scampering around, a couple, not many but soon they will be out in full force. Spring is just beginning and they have work to do. No deer today but it is early yet. I walked to the pond and it was quiet there. No herons, storks or ducks there. The stream meandering through the forest was gurgling gleefully as it made its way to where it needed to go. No daffodils yet. They usually show up on both sides of the stream in a blaze of yellow and while. Not today. There is time yet. It was quiet in the forest so I decided to head back.

Spring is here, not in full force but it will get here soon enough. When it does it will be a sight to behold and that one daffodil in my front garden will take a backseat as others come to take its place. All part and parcel of spring. It is one of my favorite season of the year.

Have an amazing day.

Another Day in Paradise

My idea of paradise is open spaces, blue skies, mountains, forests and streams running through the whole shebang! It is beautiful, calming and at the same time mesmerizing.

Today is no different except spring is in the air and there is sunshine everywhere. It’s a great day for a walk and to let the imagination run wild. There is a herd of deer standing still at the top of the hill enjoying the warmth as I’m doing. I watch them and they watch me in return. A shrill squawk attracts my attention and looking skywards, I see a heron in flight. It is majestic as it glides effortlessly through time and space. Two more herons join the symphony in motion and the dance is graceful as they dip and take off again, weightless against an azure blue sky.

A movement down below attracts my attention and two rabbits take off into the bushes and disappear from sight. There is a different energy out here today. Nature is breathing life back into the fields and everything is waking up after a long winter’s sleep, energized and ready to go. The air is crisp but still a little cold. It is exhilariting.

The only problem, there are more people out and about and where once I was the only one paying homage to paradise, it is no longer mine alone. It too is a sign that spring is marching in and staying indoors is for the birds when you have “paradise” just a stone’s throw away!

A beautiful walk nonetheless.

DON’T STRESS!

It is the last thing that I learned and the one that I’ve been trying to come to grips with. It is NOT to stress about whatever comes my way. Easier said than done because I love stressing about anything and everything! I’m an overthinker so that doesn’t help matters much either.

Recently I had problems with my car. The question arose if I should trade it in for a new car or repair it and work with what comes my way. Simple enough? Nope. It became one big stress situation that consumed every minute of my day and if that wasn’t enough, I brought in different scenarios to make matters worse. It became a problem that consumed me until I realized that I needed a solution and FAST!

“Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency.” Natalie Goldberg

I learned it the hard way but I did learn. Things got better when I decided to look at the situation without theatrics, without doomsday predictions and without holding my breath in for long periods of time! The solution came when I calmed down. There were really two options, buy another car or get the one I have repaired.

I decided to get it repaired. It was the cheaper option and since I love the car I have, it became the obvious solution. I placed the order for the part required yesterday, it should be there next week and in two weeks I should have my car back, good as new. Fingers and toes crossed!

Easy enough? It could have been if not for the stressing part which took me on a journey that I didn’t want to be on. Once I calmed down and showed “stress” the door, it became easier. Next time when it shows up as it inevitably will, I will take a deep breath and deal with whatever comes my way in a calm and Zen-like fashion.

Doable? I don’t know but I will give it a try.

The “Hate” Question

I would say it is, “How old are you?” Coming from a stranger it is intrusive and from someone I know, it just doesn’t feel right for some reason. If I wanted you to know, I would tell you is my answer.

Age has never been an issue but the constant retort coming back is. “You look so young!” I do agree that I look much younger than my age. Always have and still do but it is nobody’s business but my own. Now if the question comes from an official source, that is a different matter altogether.

Does age really matter? In some cases yes and in some NOT. I feel that a huge age gap in a relationship doesn’t always work. There is a difference with how a younger person vs. an older person deals with certain issues. Perhaps just the ability to communicate is a problem altogether. I ended a so-called relationship with (the cheesecake guy) someone much older. He was older than Trump and loaded as well. The thing is money may speak in some instances but there was just too much of a difference between the two of us. He wanted a much younger woman on his arm and I decided to wait for someone around my age. A good decision? I think so. However, asking someone their age is rude and if it is not offered voluntarily, DO NOT ASK! I think women like to deflect from the “AGE” question. The older you get, the more it becomes an issue.

So if someone asks me, “How old are you?” My usual response is, “Take a guess!”

Daily writing prompt

What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain.

View all responses

Pete Hegseth (Archives)

This is what the United States SECRETARY OF WAR had to say about the Iran war. He defended Operation Epic Fury like he did those tattoos he carries. He went on to say Donald Trump was righteously avenging every wrong having been done to every American servicemember over multiple generations. “A man who always puts Americans first,” talking about Cadet Bone Spurs, was now going to “finally draw the line after 47 years of Iranian belligerence.”

Then he went on to tout American strength and might. “We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump we are finishing it.”

Hmm…he had a lot more to say but in similar vein. “Turns out the regime that chanted ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel’ was gifted death from America and death from Israel,” finishing with a smirk on his face.

One source went on to say, “deluded people in the service of cult-like devotion should never be put in charge of lethal weapons.”

I totally agree.

Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, was sworn into his new role by Vice President JD Vance on January 18th.

“When President Trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense.” Was it missing? The warrior culture I mean.

He further added, “He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser-focused on lethality, meritocracy, warfighting, accountability and readiness.” He also said, “this is the most important deployment of my life.”

All fine and good. Let’s take a good hard look at the 29th secretary of defense. First of all, he is the least qualified person to ever serve in this position. However, he has two things going for him according to Michael J. Hicks, an Opinion Contributor with USA Today.

“First he doesn’t give a whit about our Constitution. Indeed, he seems eager to fire generals based solely on their willingness to obey the legal orders of the reelected president.”

Hmm….

One of the two characteristics that make him a perfect candidate to serve under Trump.

Second, “Hegseth’s private life provides close parallels to those of the 47th president. Hegseth has cheated on at least two of his three wives, divorcing two.”

By the way, is the President aware that Hegseth once claimed on national TV that he hasn’t washed his hands for 10 years because, “germs are not a real thing. I can’t see them; therefore they’re not real.” He later claimed it was much ado about nothing. So, what does the 47th president and self-professed germophobe think about this and more importantly did they shake hands? He’s good-looking so germs don’t matter that much right?

Let’s look at Pete Hegseth’s tattoos. The man has multiple tattoos and two of them are often associated with extremist groups. The chest tattoo of the Jerusalem cross and an arm tattoo of the Latin phrase, “Deus Vult,” meaning “God Wills it.” Hegseth gave pushback saying, “I don’t give a damn – but this type of targeting of Christians, conservatives, patriots and everyday Americans will stop on DAY ONE at (Trump’s) DoD.”

It did but for targeting immigrants with tattoos. Trump thinks immigrants with tattoos are all criminals. What’s good for the goose is also good for the gander? Not in this administration.

If you kowtow to the “new Messiah” all things are possible is the message. Tattoos, sexual assault charges and no qualifications don’t matter. If you do the bidding, you’ve got it made!

The Power of Failure

No one thinks that when “failure” happens it is the catalyst to success. Quite often it is seen as the direct opposite. However, it has been said that “Failure is not a fatal event but a crucial, constructive part of the journey to success.”

I’ve seen it happen on a personal level many times over. As a young girl, I fell in love with the wrong guy and it would happen many times over but that first time showed me the catastrophic effects of failure. I took it personally. The after effects I mean, and refused to budge for days or rather was it weeks on end. I wore sackcloth and ashes and mourned the loss like there was no tomorrow. It was only after I decided to take stock of where I was that I learned that there are lessons to be learned, painful ones, but lessons nonetheless. He was the wrong guy and it wouldn’t have worked. I learned never to repeat that mistake again. However, there were other lessons that came disguised as love but of the wrong kind each one teaching me to move forward with grace and to embrace the opportunities that failure brings.

I am at a place in my life where I know that failure is not just failure. It is not the end of the world and neither does it come to visit to stop you in your tracks. It is there to show you a better way, to make you stronger and if you are brave enough to embrace it, it shows you a better path. There is power within failure, embrace it for what it is, a learning curve, and go from there one foot in front of the other.

“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again – only this time more wisely.” Henry Ford

Have a wonderful day.

The Decision

I’ve been going back and forth on whether to trade in my car and to get a new one. The one I have currently is really dependable and I know how it works and that is the important part. All the new cars have lots of things that I have to get used to and some of them look menacing, meaning, if I pressed something unknowingly, it could shoot to the moon! Just kidding. However, I have developed an aversion to new STUFF!

It was time spent going from dealership to dealership talking to different people and trying to get a handle on the price and how everything works. Luckily, I was able to drag some willing participants to the places I needed to go and the “men” made a commanding presence because a woman alone makes easy prey for those who want to take advantage of that fact. They assume “she” knows nothing but I was armed with knowledge, the Google type, and knew what I was talking about. The men in this case were just there for support, I did the talking.

After test drives of potential cars, I zeroed in on two and then there was one. The last one was a steel blue car that looked pretty nice. It was an hybrid and my first reaction was, NO WAY! However, after driving the little beauty I was sure that this was going to be my companion for years to come. We went to the dealership last Saturday, told the guy I would be back on Monday to sign the papers and to get the process going. On Monday, I woke up early, got my papers together and was SURE that by day’s end, I would be the proud owner of a new car. The appointment was at 11 and since I had time to kill, I stopped by the cafe for a nice cup of coffee. Talked to the owner about my decision and he said, “Sounds great.” So, what happened? I don’t know. Suddenly, I felt like I was drowning and decided to pull the plug!

It was half an hour before the appointment and I knew the sales guy would be pissed. Still, I couldn’t make myself do otherwise. So, the call was made and instead of being mad, he asked why. I told him I wanted to keep my old car. It needed the driver’s side headlights replaced and the cost would be around 2,000 euros. Still cheap compared to the thousands I would have to fork out for a new car. The selling point was that I like my car, I know how it runs and I am comfortable with it. He said, no problem and I was off the hook. Talk about a load off my shoulders!

Back home, I called the repair shop and they said, “Sure, come by with the car and we can take the order.” Total wait time for the part to get there was around two to three days and replacement time around 3 hours. Now, I’ve got everything, fingers and toes crossed that once the headlight gets replaced, the car will run smoothly without coming up with something else. I can only hope.

One thing I’ve learned during this process is to get as much knowledge as you can about buying a car. What to look for, the pitfalls and never let someone pressure you into buying something you are not sure of. Even if you are confident, never try to go there alone. Bring company and somehow THEY think men know better! That’s not the case but let them think that.

We know different!

Have an amazing day.