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Author Archives: daeja's view
Mélange
What a month it’s been! Beautiful days, some lazy indulgences, some quirky sights to be seen. Due to the outrageously fine weather, I’ve spent some significant (and perhaps a bit wasteful) lengths of time just hanging out on The Urban … Continue reading
Posted in Aging, Birds, Cooking, Daeja's Garden, Food, Friends, Gardening, nature, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, Spring, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™
Tagged blue, doing nothing, grandparents, May, purple, retirement, spring flowers, the most beautiful May, wild food
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Moving Right Along
Time seems to be whipping by at a pretty good clip. It feels as though we are all in some sped up animation. During a conversation with a friend years ago, we expounded on the theory that time goes faster … Continue reading
Uncivilized
Because it has been so weather-glorious, I’ve waffled back and forth about whether to do the happy thing and share a bit more about blue skies, nature discoveries and snippets from The Urban Porch ™ ……or instead launch into a … Continue reading
Posted in Aging, Are you kidding me?, Perspective, Rant, senior musings, Spring, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Vent, Weird
Tagged angry americans, back in my day, born into an uncivilized world, collapse of society, disrespectful people, lack of courtesy, rude people, something's gotta change, what is wrong with people?
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Radar Love
The ever-revolving selection of earworm songs continues. Following a recent visit to the Southwest which resulted in weeks of the relentless repetition of a particular Grateful Dead song in my brain – the name of which I don’t even want … Continue reading
Oddballs and Mishaps Around “The Urban Porch ™”
So what’s happening on and around The Urban Porch ™ this week? Some lovely rain, prompting the grass to suddenly get so crazy high that I actually mowed for a second time. That might be an April mowing record. Inspired by … Continue reading
Unspooling
I can’t believe I’m back again posting so soon, but it seems the season is suddenly unspooling so quickly that I can’t keep up with it and feel the urge to share my somewhat nerdy excitement about the flora/fauna explosion. … Continue reading
Where I Stand
There are a variety of flags displayed on the front of homes in this area. A few blocks away there is even a street unofficially nicknamed “The Street of Flags,” where just about every house has (or used to have) … Continue reading
Posted in Aging, Perspective, The Urban Porch, Uncategorized
Tagged art flags, flags, house banners, making a statement, neighborhood decor, urban porch
2 Comments
Boom!
Boom! It’s only mid-April and already the grass on this little patch of front yard suddenly got so dense that I realized I better mow it now, before it gets too difficult to push through. Has Spring come on with … Continue reading
Posted in Daeja's Garden, Gardening, Photography, Spring, The Urban Porch, treasures, Uncategorized, Weather, Wow!
Tagged high on spring, spring flowers, the season of Hope, The Urban Porch, warm April
1 Comment
He’s a Potato
Yesterday my four-year-old granddaughter got into a little argument/debate with her mother concerning Humpty Dumpty. She insisted that Humpty Dumpty is not an egg, he’s a potato. She would not be moved on that opinion. Haven’t we all assumed Humpty … Continue reading
Departures and Arrivals
The population in the vicinity of The Urban Porch is experiencing many changes. My wonderful neighbor who has been renting the upstairs of the house directly next door for the last two years just moved out last weekend, on to … Continue reading
Posted in Are you kidding me?, Birds, Daeja's Garden, Gardening, nature, Perspective, Spring, The Urban Porch, Uncategorized, Wildlife
Tagged good and bad neighbors, homemade yogurt, neighborhood changes, neighborhood vibes, relief, spring flowers, trauma from bad neighbors, using up the harvest, what to do with celeriac?
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Out of Focus
Everything feels out of focus this week. Making order of the thoughts in my head has been almost impossible – an inability to hone in and complete most things without becoming distracted. Events occurring in the news are probably a … Continue reading
Posted in Birds, Cooking, Deafness, Food, Hearing Impaired, nature, Perspective, Spring, The Urban Porch, Uncategorized, Wildlife
Tagged cooking fail, disconnecting, distraction, external reactions, internal feelings, low-end hearing loss, RSHL
1 Comment
Mountain Power
If you asked my children or siblings, they might tell you that I have a song for just about everything. Words on a street sign, an incident, a phrase, a photo, and suddenly a song pops into my head. Sometimes … Continue reading
Posted in Birds, nature, Perspective, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized, Wildlife
Tagged ghost riders, mountains, Organ Mountains, songs in my head, southern New Mexico, the southwest
1 Comment
Separate Rooms
Lately I have been stumbling upon a number of articles relating to couples who have decided to sleep in separate beds and separate rooms. This morning I even read one about couples who keep separate houses – his, hers and … Continue reading
Suspended Animation
The happenings surrounding the Urban Porch over the last week have been laced with a series of incidents that have been both mildly and somewhat greatly dramatic. A few days ago I was out with the dog for his final … Continue reading
Winter Prints
It’s been a little freaky having northeast February days hovering around fifty degrees, but I admit it has been nice to get outside in it, even though this weather is most likely global warming right smack in our faces. I … Continue reading
Posted in Birds, nature, Perspective, Uncategorized, Weather, Wildlife, Winter
Tagged freaky February, prints in the snow, small observations, unseasonably warm
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Clouds
At the beginning of this past weekend, the temperatures plummeted into the “I’m not going anywhere unless I really have to” zone, with wind chills of minus forty degrees fahrenheit (-40F). While this time could have been spent baking or … Continue reading
My Children Don’t Read My Blog
My children don’t read my blog. Once upon a time, perhaps about a decade ago, one of them would occasionally weigh in with a funny comment, but overall it is apparent they have little interest. I’m pretty sure they rarely, … Continue reading
Posted in Aging, kids, Perspective, Regrets, Uncategorized, Winter
Tagged aging, boomers, leaving memories behind, Memories, missed opportunities, parent/child, winter of our lives
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Socks of the Day
“Socks of the Day” was inadvertently born during the early days of the pandemic – that time of fear and uncertainty, when the roads and neighborhoods were suddenly empty of traffic and life, people scurrying to opposite sides of the … Continue reading
Emerging From Eeyore
Well, I’ve been down in the abyss for the past week. I find it consistently amazing that when you (and I guess it means “me”, unless it’s also you) don’t feel physically well, it colors just about every single thing. … Continue reading
Posted in Aging, Coping, Perspective, Uncategorized, Wildlife, Winter
Tagged depression, feeling better, illness and depression, urban porch, urban wildlife
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Summing Up Twenty-two
Yup, it certainly was another weird year. Thinking about it, it appears after almost every year we finish out, we probably look back and say things like “That was really hard “, or “Whew, made it through that one!” Of … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays, Perspective, treasures, Uncategorized, Winter
Tagged 2022, following up, Gifts, Holidays, it's about the love, my micro-universe, small wonders
1 Comment
Little Thrills
A few readers have shared with me that they have been unable to comment on some of my blog posts, that WordPress won’t allow them to register their responses without jumping through a few website hoops. In general I don’t … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Coping, Dogs, Food, Holidays, Perspective, Photography, treasures, treasures, Weather, Winter
Tagged crows, gifting, Gumby, hunkering down, laundry lint, little pleasures, no snow, pieces of the past, simple pleasures, winter food
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A Low-key Flurry
There is a low-key flurrying happening both inside and outside the house. The outside part is a steady, light, gentle, almost-mist of snow occurring right now, just enough to get you a little bit wet. It’s the first real one … Continue reading
Ms. Almanac
The riotous outdoor color show is over. A lacework of sepia and gray branches framing the sky is pretty much what’s left behind, although the grass is still green, for now. I have removed the dead hanging plants from the … Continue reading
A Few Last Hurrah’s and Into the Time of Stillness
Not to be fooled by a string of balmy autumn days more reminiscent of spring, the reality of November is finally upon us. Even after a few mornings of frost, I was surprised (and a little impressed) that the geranium … Continue reading
Posted in Autumn, Birds, Cooking, Food, nature, Uncategorized, Winter
Tagged Changes, last vestiges of autumn, November, time of stillness
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Peaking
The color is peaking in style this year here in the northeast. Despite skepticism that it wouldn’t happen due to the drought, Autumn is delivering with a pupil-dilating, heart-opening array of almost trippy leaf psychedelia. We are pulsing with color … Continue reading
Posted in Autumn, nature, treasures, Uncategorized, Wow!
Tagged achingly beautiful, Autumn, most beautiful season, northeast autumn, the melancholy of fall
1 Comment
The Robe
At the moment I am trying to wade through some difficult feelings brought on by some recently revisited trauma. It’s been one of those situations where there is a strange, anxious, physical vibration in your very core. While this has … Continue reading
Posted in Coping, grief, Perspective, Regrets, Uncategorized
Tagged death, grief, loss, Memories, olfactory responses, possessions, sibling rivalry, trauma
2 Comments
True Colors
When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. – Maya Angelou
Ahhhhh….
Finally, the rain has come; a steady, deep-soaking rain. The earth has been so parched. We have all been so thirsty. When the rain began, it felt as if there was an almost audible exhalation from the trees and fields. … Continue reading
Posted in nature, summer, Uncategorized, Weather
Tagged drought, end of summer, let it rain, Rain, the earth is thirsty, water
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Summer Winds Down on the Urban Porch
The late summer view from the Urban Porch has been one of browned grass and parched hostas. This season of humid, yet rain-starved, scorching days has resulted in a drought. The herculean clouds of August have built up into billowing, … Continue reading
Posted in Perspective, summer, Uncategorized, Wildlife
Tagged city porch, nature everywhere, observations, porch life, summer insects, urban views
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More Views from the Urban Porch
I sit on the Urban Porch with iced refreshment and dog as the summer progresses. Some views remain the same and some continue to shift. The most spectacular event this month was a bit of dramatic weather. Those who know … Continue reading
Posted in summer, Uncategorized, Weather, Wildlife
Tagged dog days, Summer, summer storms, urban wildlife, views from the porch
1 Comment
Quality Control…or The Golden Ticket
This is a rather absurd story about a doggedly ridiculous quest. Some people will totally relate and others will think “Oh my God, give it up girl!” If you get as weary reading it as I was doing it, feel … Continue reading
In Print
It wasn’t a milestone birthday and my expectations had been pretty much non-existent. Aside from wishing some things could finally be repaired or upgraded around the house (I keep wishing for that every year), this day marking another trip around … Continue reading
Posted in Friends, Holidays, Spring, treasures, Uncategorized, Wow!
Tagged appreciation, birthdays, Gifts
2 Comments
All the Horses
I was up in the attic on a search for some of the many beautiful children’s picture books I had stored away after my daughters grew up, hoping someday they could be pulled out once again for future grandchildren. That … Continue reading
Posted in Flashback, treasures, Uncategorized
Tagged Breyer, collecting, finding treasures, growing up, horse-crazy girl, letting go, model horse collecting, model horses
1 Comment