Category Archives: The Everyday

Bumper Stickers

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I recently found myself in the passenger seat of a car behind this classic El Camino. This isn’t a vehicle you see often but I have randomly seen four or five in the last month.

Can you read the bumper sticker? Here’s a closer look.

“God Bless John Wayne” and “I’d rather be driving my Packard.”

Perfection! I thought the car and the statements were both pretty fantastic. And, as I often say here, you never know what you’ll see in the world if you just pay attention.

Have a great day, friends! Go look for the strange and interesting around you!

Throwback Thursday?

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The kids these days are pretty excited by this cool idea they have. They think it would be great to have a phone that just stays at the house that anyone can use and that isn’t connected to the internet.

Seriously. I’ve seen the videos of young adults talking about how amazing this would be.

Since that isn’t possible, they are settling for these retro phones where you connect your smartphone via Bluetooth and talk with an old school corded phone. It doesn’t take pictures or connect to social media or anything. It’s just a phone and you have to sit or stand still to use it.

My tired little Gen X heart can’t imagine how we’ve reached this full circle moment but here we are.

I got rid of my landline several years ago because it seemed like an unnecessary expense. These days, I’m thinking about going back because I’m tired of having an iPhone in my hand all the time and it’s my only connection to the people who might need me.

As an only child with aging parents, it seems unwise to silence my phone at night. If they got sick and needed to reach me, this is all I have. As someone with apparent insomniacs for friends, I’m astounded by how much noise my phone makes in the night as they text or send social media messages whenever they’re thinking about it despite the hour.

Maybe a landline IS the answer.

Unfortunately, locals I know say they are getting letters from the phone company letting them know they will be shifted from landlines to internet based phones. This will be worse than useless to many who have held onto their landlines.

In my county alone, many of our residents live in hollows where cell service doesn’t go. Satellite internet is costly, unreliable and inaccessible in a power outage. This won’t help these people.

Anyway, everything old is new again. I guess. If you need a retro Bluetooth phone, they’re available online. This one is at TJ Maxx.

You Make Your Own Day

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Yesterday I found myself standing in front of a cashier in a big box store. She looked to be about sixty and had a pleasant demeanor. As is my habit, I asked if she was having a good day.

She said yes and then she launched into the story of WHY she was having a good day. In a nutshell, she said the quality of your day is up to you. It’s up to you to make it good regardless of your circumstances.

She admitted that she had just had knee surgery and her knee was hurting but she talked about how fortunate she is to be in her seventies and for that to be her only complaint. She listed the blessings in her life – her kids, grandkids, a roof over her head, a job – and no other ailments besides that knee.

She wished me a very good day and sent me out into the world feeling better about life.

Note that she is about fifteen years older than she looked and I am convinced that this attitude has kept her youthful and healthy. Internalize stress and it will ruin your life. Be able to acknowledge there are things in this world you cannot change and suddenly other people’s bad attitudes are not your burden to carry. Everything you have is suddenly enough.

The theme here at Make The Journey Fun is “you’ll be as happy as you make up your mind to be.” This is more of a mission statement than anything for me but this lady is the living, breathing embodiment of the idea.

Meanwhile, I’ll keep trying.

Pausing Prime

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One of my projects this year has involved calming my life, ridding my body of inflammation, and trying to get back to the basics of what matters to me. As I recently mentioned, I traded travel for a bathroom remodel this year and had more time at home to do some thinking.

I have been trying to view everything as an opportunity to exercise decision making skills. Do I really need to buy something or can I get creative and use what I have? Should I let my body rest or should I do the planned chores? Should I buy a prepared food that saves time or make something with simpler, anti inflammatory ingredients? Do I really want noise in the house or would I be happier reading?

You get the gist.

So when I was working on my August household budget and realized it was time for my Amazon Prime to renew, it was time to make a choice.

When I started with Prime, it was well under $50 annually but the cost today is almost triple that.

For many people, this is a bargain because there are benefits like free and allegedly faster shipping, streaming services for music and tv/movies, discount ebooks, and even a Whole Foods discount.

But, as you may have surmised, I’m not most people.

I don’t watch a lot of tv and the few times I try to watch something with Prime, what I want to see is either pay to play or not available. I like the show The Marvelous Mrs Maisel but it’s over now and I don’t need to couch rot on reruns all the time. Also, the fact you can’t actually buy and own a physical copy of the show feeds into a whole other conversation about what happens when they decide to stop streaming something and the possible loss of culture when it’s not accessible.

The music app limits your listening choices unless you have an additional subscription. It wasn’t that way in the beginning and they didn’t grandfather in longtime users to which I took offense.

Ebooks are not for me and my nearest Whole Foods is ninety minutes away and the few times I get to go, I always forget to use the discount.

Shipping was once super fast but has gradually become two days or whenever they get it to you. A lot of my buying lately has been for work, stuff for the now completed bathroom project, or good old fashioned impulse buys.

Worst of all, that free shipping combined with their aggressive targeted social media advertising makes it hard to fight those impulse buys even when you are combatting the idea that your main value in this world is as a consumer.

I try not to buy things online that I can get locally because I would rather keep the money and the tax dollars in the region. After all, Amazon doesn’t give a gosh darn about your town beautification project or whether or not your kid’s school fundraiser is a success.

With his $284 Billion net worth, I seriously doubt Jeff Bezos will miss me as much as the app tries to convince me to believe and I’m certain I will feel better forking over less money to them.

If I need something from Amazon, I can still shop and shipping will be free on orders of $35 or more. Scout’s cat litter can only be bought online but I’m wondering now if Chewy sells it.

In that vein, I’ll try to do more of my online buying with other retailers and focus more of my spending with brick and mortar stores. I actually like walking into a store and shopping around. Nearly every article of clothing I have bought from Amazon has been returned due to inconsistent sizing, poor construction, or simply not being what was described so I end up back at Marshall’s anyway.

I will admit that I did just pause my Prime rather than cancel. That will hold it for a year and give me time to see if I miss it.

This decision seems to have worried a lot of people in my life who can’t understand how I will survive without Prime. I find it equally bizarre that this company has worked its way so far into the habits of Americans they literally think they can’t live without it.

So, we will see. I very well could cave in under a month or I could be happy as a clam looking for alternate ways to get what I need. Only time will tell and I promise to keep you posted.

My Bathroom Project Is Done!

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This summer has been almost completely void of adventure and there’s a good reason for that. You see, I have been staying home because of a remodeling project in my master bathroom.

My wonderful cousin did the work for me but he mostly could only work on Saturdays so all my day trip days were spent at home. Also, all my day trip money was spent on this project so that worked out nicely! Ha!

Normally by this time I would have at least five or six really good day trips under my belt and maybe some hikes. Instead, I have been doing household chores and reading while Nathan worked.

Now the work is done and I’m thrilled to have things put together and looking nice. He did a great job!

The project started because there was a leak at the shower. Repairing that leak was a good excuse to replace the flooring because carpet in a bathroom is an awful idea. As long as we were doing that, it made sense to replace the 23 year old toilet and stand alone tub and then there was the matter of the sink….

You get the idea.

It was a pyramid scheme, this bathroom of mine.

But it’s all done with fixtures and colors that I find timeless and calming. This wall is the focal point. There’s still some work to be done with rearranging things. I like the variety of old and new, farmhouse and polish, gold next to black metal and white fixtures.

I value the small details like this hook for my pjs. The swan reminds me of my stay at the Broadmoor where there are nods to the swans around the property.

The shower is a pure delight in the morning with vintage style knobs and a great shower head. I especially lIke the pretty doors but decided to frame them with some sheer curtains just to soften the room a bit. Unfortunately the glass is so shiny and nice that it’s impossible to get decent picture without lots of reflections with the lights on – and it looks really terrible with the lights out. But you get the idea.

And I’m really happy with the new sink and faucet too! I have always liked this style of sink. The pump style faucet is very low flow but it suits my needs just fine.

And, of course, the house panther has already chewed on the new house plant so much that I had no choice but to move it from this corner already. It was nice while it lasted!

By the way, the flower pot is McCoy and the little stand is an old smoking stand. Both pieces came from the Logan Antique Mall, one of my favorite places to find hidden treasure.

In all, it turned out well and I’m pleased to have a space that feels special even on a regular old workday. It’s comfortable and feels a little like it has always been this way. I am not a fancy person but do appreciate the quiet luxury of pretty pictures on the wall, a great soaker tub after a long day, and powerful shower heads to wake me up in the morning!

Friends, while we may enjoy our adventures, it’s important to have a happy place to come home to. While I’m sad for what I’ve missed out on the world this summer, I’m so grateful to have this sanctuary to call my own.

Another Rain Day

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It’s another nice rainy day. A little dreary but sometimes I like it that way. In fact, it’s wonderful when one can stay home and enjoy it.

Scout seems to like darker days and enjoys the opportunity to be restful. Some may call it lazy but around here we call resting on gloomy days self care.

Also, how can that be a comfortable way to sleep?

I have some chores that need attention but first… I think I should see what this book is all about! I like a good thriller once in a while and this one comes recommended by heavyweights like Jeffrey Deaver and others so I’m hopeful!

Sometimes we just need a good book, sweet kitty cat, and the rhythm of the rain to keep us company.