It is a name that is sweet and unassuming but she is packing a punch! Winter storm Ellie has stomped in wearing her winter boots and holding most of Germany hostage. The German Weather Service (DWD) has issued an official warning and upped it to “Red Warning Level: Storm “Ellie” brings train cancellations, black ice and extreme risk of falls,” add up to ten centimeters of fresh snow, freezing rain, and strong gusts of wind and you know what Ellie is about, not as sweet as her name implies.
“Experts are warning of chaos on the roads as well as dangerous conditions on the highways. The north and east of Germany will be particularly affected with temperatures dropping to minus six degrees in persistent frost.”
Looking out my window, I see that strong gusts of wind are at play bending the willow tree in the neighbor’s garden like it was nothing! No snow yet but it is predicted for this evening and should stay till tomorrow. This means I will be on snow duty again, snow shovel in one hand and a bowl of salt in the other! Honestly, I am getting a little tired of it but as I was reminded by a neighbor, “It is winter.” Yes, it is.
Last year, we had very little snow but this year it is making up for it. Not only that, it is adding freezing rain and ice to the mixture. Chachi, the cat has been complaining about his TV acting up all the time! He doesn’t understand what is going on outside. Sometimes it is white outside and at other times, the wind is howling like a banshee. He has decided to leave it alone and has found refuge in his basket. Sleeping most of the day is the norm now.
I’m trying to keep myself occupied and I am grateful that I don’t have to be out in this weather, however, it is getting old and I want “Ellie” out of here as soon as possible!
I am learning that each new day is a reminder to do better.
I am learning that I am fully capable of dealing with everything life throws my way.
I am learning that I need to practice gratefulness and to be thankful for all that I have.
I am learning to accept me as I am and to make changes if some of those things don’t work to my greater good.
I am learning to let go of things that don’t serve me and I am making room for those that do.
I am learning that I can’t change people, I can only change myself.
I am learning that life is a journey full of ups and downs and nothing stays the same forever.
I am learning that there is no such thing as forever, just the here and now.
I am learning that love is fleeting at its best and at its worst, it has the potential to turn your world upside down and inside out. Tread carefully.
I am learning that cheaters never change. They are repeat offenders. Integrity is just another word to them. A relationship with such an individual is like throwing pearls at pigs.
I am learning that today is a blessing, a gift and I have it in my power to make it an amazing day.
I am learning that life is ever-changing. It is a learning curve and mistakes are made to show us a new way of handling things and to learn and grow from it. Perhaps that is what life is all about.
“But most of all, I am slowly learning how to just be in this moment. How to exist. How to understand that I cannot control life, that I can only experience it in both its light and its dark stages. I am slowly learning how to laugh and cry and feel through it all, how to welcome the confusion and the joy that come with loving and living and breaking. I am slowly learning how to accept where I am”
“I am slowly learning how to simply believe in the person I am becoming.” Unknown
My mission if I choose to accept it is to spread love not hate. More than that, my focus is to bring injustice of any kind to the forefront. My core focus has been on two things, racism and criminal injustice. I’ve been successful in doing both having published numerous articles on the topics but there is still much to be done.
My voice has grown quieter these days but that doesn’t mean I don’t see what’s happening and there are times when I really want to get back into the fray again but these days it is in a more subdued manner. It is not a 24/7 obsession anymore but speaking out only when keeping quiet means letting it exist whatever it is. Sometimes a small voice does carry weight and can boom like a megaphone.
I believe that it takes courage to speak out against injustice and racial inequalities. My goal is to continue speaking out against such atrocities.
We’ve been peeking up at the stars tonight, listening to the quiet woods as one year tiptoes away and a brand new one is before us. The paths look the same, the trees still whisper their secrets — but somehow everything feels full of possibility.
A new year is a little like stepping beyond the garden gate for the very first time. You don’t always know what you’ll find, and that can feel exciting– and a little bit scary too. But we’ve learned something important on our adventures: you don’t have to know everything before you take the first step. You just need a brave heart, a curious mind, and a friend by your side.
This year, we hope you’ll try new things, ask big questions, and believe in yourself even when your paws — or feet — feel shaky. There will be new places to explore, new friends to meet, and stories waiting to be told. And if you ever feel unsure, remember that courage often begins quietly, with one small step forward.
As the new year unfolds, know that the woods are cheering you on. May your days be filled with laughter, kindness, and adventures you never expected — but are so glad you found.
I hope I go before my hair falls out, the same for my teeth and before my bones give way!
I live a healthy life which means working out everyday, eating healthy except for my dives into cheesecake now and then but I’m working on that and I do everything necessary to live a good and healthy life. Add daily meditation and walks in nature and I’m on the right track. However, I don’t think I want to live to be a 100 or so because that means being a burden to someone. Age does take a toll and not only on the person but on those around you and so like I said at the beginning, I hope I go before that happens and I definitely don’t want to do the “Methuselah” bit.
Daily writing prompt
What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?
It is getting way out of hand. The phone keeps going off every 10 minutes or so and quite often, it is the same number calling. A number I don’t recognize. I spent most of the day at home yesterday and I got almost a dozen calls from unknown numbers.
I looked up most of the numbers and also the area codes, some were definitely from scammers. There were warnings out on this kind of aggressive calls. The problem is, the phone rings and when I pick it up, they hang up. Or they come up with some badly devised scheme about the “electricity” bill or something else. Nothing that makes sense. I want to know why they keep calling and when I pick up, they hang up. Doesn’t make sense either.
The aggressiveness comes from the number of calls they are fielding. Sometimes as many as 10 calls per day. Frustrating? Definitely! I was told that I could change my number but that is more than frustrating because I would have to inform friends and people close to me about the change. How they have my number is confusing as well. I am careful about who I give my number to so it seems like they are using some other method to get a hold of the numbers.
It seems that scammers have found a lucrative way of making money without doing any work other than to make you part with your hard-earned money. SCAMMERS get a job and earn money the old-fashioned way like most people do.
My plan is to take down the numbers, the ones that call here consistently and persistently and to hand over to someone to do the job of bringing them down. I hope it works but I’m sure more will crop up. Scammers, it seems, are here to stay simply because people fall prey to their dubious schemes and because they are learning there is another way of making money, one that does not involve going to WORK!
“HAPPINESS IS……a hot drink on a cold day.” Unknown
I totally agree. Sitting with a cup of hot coffee in my hand feels like heaven itself after being outside this morning. I was bundled up but it didn’t help! My fingers were frozen before I knew it and my nose was heading that way as well. The cold snap is here to stay for a while. More snow is expected later today and the rest of the week with temps below freezing or slightly over. This means the snow that is on the ground is going to freeze, thaw, and freeze again!
I recall one winter where we had a blizzard and it left snow drifts like a wall around the village. We were closed in and not much moved for days on end! Luckily, that happened only one time. Recent years have seen just a few days of snow at best and nothing to speak of either. It’s there one day and gone the next. I wanted more snow days and now, I’m getting it!
The problem is, this snow is mixed in with ice and that makes for a dangerous mixture when you are out and about. I love the soft powdery kind that looks like marshmallow as it envelopes the fields and the village in a glow of white. This current snow is crunchy as you walk and beneath lies the ice all frozen and ready to trip you if you make one false move. Walking is not that much fun because you have to watch every step as you go.
Looks like another day indoors with chicken soup and lots of tea and coffee. I’ve almost got all the Christmas decorations back down in the cellar and this morning, I brought the wreath indoors as well. Just a few more items to put away and I’ve got it made.
Update: I’m still taking those small steps forward and I am seeing progress. The journey is ongoing and it seems to be a never-ending one but there are changes taking place. That, in itself, is a good thing.
“You will get there when you are meant to get there and not one moment sooner…so relax, breathe, and be patient.” Mandy Hale
These days ‘relax’ is a word that seems foreign to me. Once, a long time ago, it was the easiest thing to do. I could close my eyes anywhere and go to Nirvana Land at the drop of a coin but not anymore.
What changed? Life did. A divorce, the death of a close friend and life’s curveballs all had me standing at the brink and pulling myself back from staring into the abyss was hard to do but I did.
“At any given moment you have the power to say this is not how the story is going to end.” Unknown
I realized that I had the power within me to change what I didn’t like. Pulling myself back up and to keep going was even harder but I had no choice, it had to be done. I started by putting a 17 year marriage where it belonged. It was done and I had to move forward. I had to learn that ‘LOVE’ can and does end and I had no say in the matter. I couldn’t decide for the other person so I worked on the person I knew best. I went deep inside myself and then I heard the whisper and it said, “RELAX.” There was power there that much I knew. I took the steps to go back to what was always home to me. My inner self and to get there I had to learn to relax again. It was not easy, nothing ever is. The first few tries were a disaster. A few minutes was all I could do. It was frustrating but I learned to just breathe. Just simple in and out breathing, nothing fancy. The technique took very little time but I could feel it vibrating within me. I was coming alive again.
“If you don’t like where you are, change it. You’re not a tree.” Unknown
However, life wasn’t done with me yet. There were more lessons to be learned and it would not only test my resolve to do better but it would take me back to square one again. Eight years after my divorce, I would lose someone very dear to me and once again, it felt like the rug was being pulled out from under me. Goodbyes are hard but ‘forever’ goodbyes even more so. The peace I had felt within had disintegrated and now it lay scattered around my feet. I wanted what I couldn’t have but he was gone and I had to go it alone. Nothing I did and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get myself to relax again. It felt like I was climbing walls where there was none to be found. I was back on that cliff and staring into a fog covered distance. Then I heard the whisper and it said, “RELAX. You’ll be fine.”
“Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tip toe if you must, but take the step.” Unknown
I took those small steps because there was no other way. My plan of action was to keep taking those small steps until they turned to bigger steps and I could feel myself flying again. It took time, it took looking back at things I didn’t want to look at, it took discarding what no longer served me and most of all, it took courage to move ahead. I learned to relax. Breathing, meditating, walks, enjoying nature, working out, treating myself and learning to like myself all became a daily routine. I talked myself into loving me and to learn that I AM ENOUGH AS I AM. No, I’m not flying yet but I hope one day I will. I’m still taking those steps to move forward and learning to leave the past behind me. Relaxation is still hard but those few minutes a day have turned into more than 40 minutes a day. I am making progress.
“Don’t seek, don’t search, don’t ask, don’t knock, don’t demand…relax! If you relax, it comes. If you relax, it is there. If you relax, you start vibrating with it.” Osho
Good question because it is one that I ask myself on a daily basis. I think I need to stop “people pleasing.” I tend to overextend myself so much so that I am left wanting and my needs and wants are not met. I have this motto, help first and take care of yourself later and that is not working.
This year I am a work in progress. Not that I didn’t do the same thing last year but I fell short. This year I am going to put “me” first and set some boundaries and work on my self-worth as well. It is not where it should be. That is it in a nutshell.
“Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own.” Charles Dickens
The weather forecasters have been predicting bad weather and it’s finally here. After a day or two of freezing rain mixed in with snow, heavy snowfall has moved in! Yes folks, it’s a white world outside covered in about 3 inches of snow and it looks absolutely gorgeous if not for the work involved.
I was supposed to meet a friend for breakfast this morning, the first outing of the new year but had to cancel quickly. The streets were covered in snow and ice and more was coming down so I decided against it. No point taking the risk of slipping and falling.
Half an hour ago, I bundled up ready to go out there to tackle the tedious job of clearing the sidewalk of snow and ice and salting it as well. Then a lightbulb went on in that busy mind of mine and I decided to use the leaf blower instead. It was a fantastic idea because it blew the snow to the side effortlessly and within 10 minutes I had everything cleared, and salted. It was a great buy and I am sure it will come in handy when more snow decides to roll in and keep us company. I’m not complaining, I LOVE snow! The trees are looking fantastic covered in white as well and I bet the fields will be a sight to behold. However, I am staying indoors today. Not taking the risk of slipping, falling, and hurting myself.
A friend just told me that they are snowed in as well. He lives about three hours away, so it seems like a major snowstorm has moved in. Hmm….last year, we had very little snow so I guess it is making up for it this year! It can stay for a while but NOT too long!
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