Morning Glory

This morning was glorious here in the South Bay.  It rained last night, so the air was perfectly still.  If the birds hadn’t been chirping, it would have felt as if the world had stopped moving.  Because of the light, the sound, and the peacefulness, I was more conscious of my neighborhood on my daily walk.  I decided to take photos of some of the things that caught my fancy.

Honey loving her walk

January is an incredible month in San Jose.  While the leaves have just fallen off the trees over the last month or two, life quickly reappears in new blossoms.

At the Rose Garden, the bushes were all trimmed back last week, but the cherry trees are showing their tiny pink flowers.  Combine this with the green-tinged bark, and it is just beautiful.  They smell spicy and sweet.  I want to stand in front of it all day and breathe it in- fragrance and color!

Rose Garden in Winter

Cherry tree from afar

True love! Cherry blossoms up close

Birds of paradise, foxglove, and calla lilies are in their full bloom at this time of year.

It really looks like a bird!

Foxglove

Calla Lily

Fruit trees are producing too.  Lemons, avocado, and oranges are all vibrant and ripe.

Lemons

Can you see the avocado up there?

And there are signs of even more to come!  Freesias and magnolias are just around the corner.

Magnolia bud- more beauty on the way!

Luke 12:27- Consider the lilies how they grow : they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

What a great day to be aware of all that’s out there- and to be alive!

House (Beautiful)

I live in a lovely little home.  On the outside, it is kinda ratty, but inside is open and light.  It has a built-in hutch and an actual dining room, and the kitchen holds every necessary appliance (rice cooker, coffee pot, small food processor, large food processor, panini machine, air popcorn maker that makes the worst popcorn ever, and tea kettle).  It is colorful, which is just the way we like it.  The art hung on the wall is soothing and vibrant; our midcentury TV stand/bookshelf is amazing.  If you come on a day that it’s clean and you keep your eyes off the ancient carpet, it looks great!  The 1930’s bungalow suits us well because of its layout and all the sunshine it lets in.

If we could own it, we would!  (We keep trying to convince our landlord to sell it to us, to no avail.)  I had a really fun time decorating when we moved in, even on a limited budget, and this summer cleaned out all the crap from the closets.  It’s been a nice home to entertain in and grow with Chris.

Chris' graduation party- Because it was raining, our plan for dinner under the stars was foiled. Instead, we cleared out some of the furniture, rented some tables and chairs, and had set up for 14 people to eat. It was a great celebration!

I am the problem in this relationship, though.  For the past 6 months, we have been looking for a new place to live.  I’m sure you’ll find out why in future posts, but we have our reasons.

Because of this, I have spent 6 months avoiding making any major furniture purchases, doing meaningful organization, or making it my home.  I honestly believe that as soon as I find a place for everything and have the perfect pieces in each room, we will move into a house that won’t fit what I’ve bought or will not match the new place.  And that would really stink.

I realized today that this is a bad plan.  I looked around at all the little projects that I keep putting off- going through the boxes in the closets, repackaging things, weeding more stuff and donating it, getting a bookshelf for Chris to use next to his desk, buying a bed.  The procrastination just adds to the clutter and disorganization of our lives.

Some of this is due to lack of funding for the remodel- boxes, bins, furniture, and the likes really add up!  I try to find things on Freecycle, Craigslist, or at thrift stores, but those don’t have it all!  I know that the chaos really affects Chris, yet still, we don’t tackle it.  So, even though we’d like to move, I decided that we are worthy of feeling settled in our own home.

Right now, I am trying to find a new job while working full time and don’t have many extra hours in the day…  I’m going to endeavor to make a dent in these projects.  The peace of mind that will come from knowing what we have, where it is, and that everything has a place will certainly be worth it.  Instead of being a source of frustrating or guilt, my house will provide a place for us to thrive.  It will be restful, a comfort, and an escape.

Today, I finally bought the bookshelf for Chris.  Abby and Susan had to help me get over the pain of parting with an extra $70, but in the end, I’m really excited.  He is going to love it!

And in place of apathy, I am taking action.

The Dods in a clean, cute home

Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear?

Each morning, pouring rain or sun shiny day, Honey and I go for a walk.  It’s usually a half hour, sometimes more but never less.

I try to use these times to do something productive, like pray or just be quiet.

That rarely happens, though.  Sometimes, I talk on the phone to my mom in Vermont or my sister in Turkey.  That’s nice, but most often, I spend my walks just running through all the things I have to do in a day or trying to find an answer to something that is just unsolvable at the moment.  The end result is that I wind up at home frustrated, unthankful, or unhappy.  What a horrible way to start the day!  What a waste of a beautiful walk!

I noticed myself doing this the other day.  My mind was going at a hundred miles a minute as I worried about my job hunt, my resume, and money.  It was exhausting.  Instead of letting myself go down the rabbit hole, I decided to stop.  Someone recently told me that your thoughts are just that; they aren’t necessarily based in reality.  Instead of getting bogged down in what goes on up there, we can change our focus to what is real- that is, what is around you and happening at that moment.

I know, I know.  That sounds REALLY Californian-y.  And while I don’t really understand it all or even necessarily agree with it all, I don’t need to keep listening to the noise going on in my brain.  Especially when God says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”  (Psalm 46:10a)

So I just stopped the whirling, and I got quiet.  And I heard birds singing.  Lots of birds.  I am not joking or exaggerating when I say this, I promise!  Beautiful songs came from the trees on each side of the street.  It had been going on all around me, and I had been so absorbed in my own self that I was missing a wonderful, joyous occurrence.  I continued on my walk, watching the depth of the sunlight, enjoying Honey as she engaged in the scents and sights of the neighborhood (meaning peeing on and chasing everything she could), and experiencing what was happening in the real world.

It’s amazing what I saw when I finally decided to look.