sentiment

cupcake is feeling a little sappy tonight. some longing. some sadness.
what is this new year to bring? which adventure awaits? where am i willing to go and do? what do i want?
i often say, "i just want to be happy", but, what makes happy?

i wish a better new year to all my friends. you all have carried me throughout this year, and probably longer .... i am most appreciative of my fortune(s). i do realize my luck, and i am most grateful. thank you.

drinking for a cause. really!

sutter home wine is not my first choice for drinking, but when shopping for cheap wine, i noticed the sutter home wines had a special tag hanging around the neck. for each foil top sent in, they are donating a dollar to help find a cure for breast cancer. the offer ends at the end of this year, so, i better drink up fast, and then find a new cause for drinking.

we have light!

finally, after weeks of darkness, i can see the fishes again!



i took my box from marineland over to petsmart, to test out a new bulb in the new hood/light. it seems that my problem with my previous set up was indeed the light fixture, because, the bulb i thought was broken worked fine in the "new" hood. hmmm .... which also means my other bulb was probably fine, and it's long gone in the trash. but, i did not have to pay for these new parts. whew!

i was excited about being able to see the fish again, so i bought them (me) some new aquarium toys. i found a small section of an aquarium backdrop on sale for 50 cents, from which i was able to cut out two backdrops for my small set up, and i got a couple of new plants. the new plants are probably too big, but i just wanted to see something different in my tank. and, it gives the fishes more places to hide. i'll have to clean their tank and do a water change before christmas.





my first batch of paperwhites finally grew so tall that some of the stalks flopped over. these grew to 24" tall!

my first batch of paperwhites has fully bloomed. i love their fragrance. my second batch is not nearly as tall as this group, and will likely bloom within the week. i think being near a cold window kept the second batch smaller.

i've been eating soups from the freezer a lot lately, but mostly the veggie & beef soup. i need to find some more soup recipes to try out. i like the convenience of having something already made, that's nutritional and delicious too. when i go home for christmas, i will be taking my 1/2 paper sack full of pecans with me, and some recipes i printed out for pecan pie. the trick is to not make one that is overly sweet.

not much else to report. it's super cold in here, though i'm sure my ceiling is toasty warm. my fishes are still in the dark because the marineland people don't know how to ship a light bulb (but, i talked with someone at petsmart and they said i could exchange my bulb!). ... so, stay tuned for fishy fotos ....

such is (home)life

my paperwhites are ready to bloom! this is the first batch that i set up, when things were a little warmer around here. i look forward to their scent ....



this batch was just set into rocks and water yesterday. i had gone back to the nursery to buy some more bulbs, then went to the thrift store to buy some more jelly jars for the bulbs. though the presentation won't be as dramatic as a bunch growing together, they could make nice little gifts with a red ribbon tied around the glass, ... or, i can just scatter them around my home and enjoy their fragrance.



there's a pretty glassblown christmas ball hanging in the window with those paperwhites ... i bought a few many years ago from the gallery at penland. if you ever have an opportunity to go there (as a student or visitor), you must!







they catch the morning light coming through the kitchen windows.... now, these cute bells came from the nursery. i got one each for my niece and nephews. i'm sure i like them much more than they will. kids!







two pretty creatures from the aquarium

and, i found more of these in a secret location! these are even bigger and fatter than the other pecans i picked up before ....

it keeps calling

i'm feeling a little weepy today. i, on occasion, check my pocketmail account, and found, last week, (don't you love 'commas'?), a message from bearbait.

"I wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving. I thank you for your friendship this past spring and enjoyed meeting you. Stay well and the best of what life gives.
I hope our hiking paths cross once again.
BearBait"

and then, i went onto trailjournals.com and found that one of my previous hiking buddies is going out on the trail again. and, i want to go too! i do. i don't know why. it's just a calling.

it's very emotional. i don't know why i, or anyone, feels the need to walk 2000+ miles. i only walked about 500 miles last time, before i was distracted.
i just need to talk to solace. maybe he can calm me down.

well, that's how i'm feeling today.

(hours later)........ and, solace did calm me down.