Author Archives: daeja's view

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

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Little Sparkles and a Moment in Time

This little pouch, around 3”x2”, hangs off a tuning peg on my long-silent dulcimer. Inside is a piece of wooden dowel for the slide and a couple of guitar picks. Flashback to the late 1970’s – I’m sitting on a … Continue reading

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Passing of the Buck

I went out to investigate why a police car was parked in front of my driveway on this sunny Saturday afternoon, officers standing there pointing towards the backyard. Years ago there had been a foot chase culminating in a suspect … Continue reading

Posted in Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, Coping, grief, Uncategorized, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

That Old *Beep-Bop* Lady

Down a path in the woods, slipping through an opening in a fence, we would sneak onto the remotely situated 13th hole of a nearby golf course in the early evening, after the golfers had all gone home. Kicking off … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, Are you kidding me?, Dogs, kids, Perspective, Rant, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Linden

This is a rather longish post concerning the frustration of municipal red tape and the loss of a friend, of sorts. It is one of those “shaking my head” type posts. It is also about quality of life, trying to … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, Are you kidding me?, grief, Perspective, Rant, Regrets, Spring, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Surfing the Pandemic

I’ve had no inclination to write for such a long time, even before the pandemic occurred. Now more than ever it has been difficult trying to align cohesive thoughts and feelings and translate them into words. I hadn’t even bothered … Continue reading

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Coping, grief, Perspective, Uncategorized, Weird | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

These Lovely Boots

Originally posted on daeja's view:
Every time I would visit my mother, she would dig the boots out of the back of her hall closet and urge me to take them.  As the story went, Aunt Rose, who had…

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Little Bird

Following a quick but torrential downpour and some gusty winds, the S.O. discovered a fledgling robin scooting around between the dying iris foliage in our front yard. The linden tree immediately nearby is the most likely place it came from, … Continue reading

Posted in Animal Stories, Birds, Coping, Daeja's Garden, grief, Regrets, Uncategorized, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Bullies

A few months back, in the wee hours of a Sunday morning following a tribute event for a departed loved one, someone crept up onto our porch and stole one of our wicker chairs while we slept. In the scheme … Continue reading

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Second Coming

About seven months ago I posted a piece called Rage , concerning a not very good day I had been having that culminated with some crazy-ass woman chasing me into the parking lot of Kohl’s department store in an intense road … Continue reading

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Friends, Perspective, Shopping, Uncategorized, Weird | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Expiration Date

  Hey! I never redeemed these….. I wonder if they are still any good?   ~*~    

Posted in Aging, Humor, kids, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ashes

Left holding the bag again Or box, as it so happens A container of dust That is not really him * Okay it’s true the person is gone Their spirit and essence Does not reside in this unworthy cube of … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, Coping, Friends, grief, Perspective, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Hockey Puck Spy

The box addressed to the S.O. from Lowes Home Improvement arrived some time in late October, minus any paperwork inside to indicate who had purchased it or sent it. Inside was one of those hamburger-shaped personal assistant devices that you … Continue reading

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Sugar Shack

I’m into wild mushrooms. From spring until the end of autumn you might find me foraging around in the forest, hopefully emerging triumphant with a small basket of woodland goodies, yet other times thrilled to have found just one or … Continue reading

Posted in Are you kidding me?, baking, Cooking, Mushrooms, Uncategorized, Wow! | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Crayfish/Karma

When my grandson’s elementary school class sent home a notice saying they have eleven crayfish that are coming up for adoption at the completion of their science unit, my daughter immediately said “NO WAY” and expressed how she is still … Continue reading

Posted in Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, kids, Uncategorized, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Religion

It felt like everyone was waiting “forever” for autumn colors to happen, since it was definitely later than usual. The leaves stayed green, but a dull green, and some trees had already turned brown without any show of color at all. … Continue reading

Posted in Autumn, Perspective, Uncategorized, Wow! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

I Found Your Wallet

It’s the second time in a few short months that I’ve searched out the owner of a missing wallet. The first one showed up in one of our garbage pails, only noticed because the area around the can was surrounded … Continue reading

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Rage

Okay, it was clearly my fault. Today started out poorly, following a week without one solid night’s sleep. Perhaps it was because I stayed up too late watching a forgettable movie with loathsome characters and a predictable outcome, but last … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, Coping, grief, Perspective, Rant, Shopping, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Butterfly Sheets

On the day I was changing the bed linens, I came across a set of butterfly pattern sheets that had migrated to the back of the shelf in the closet. The pillow cases were long gone and the elastic on … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, Coping, Friends, grief, Perspective, Regrets, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Grubby

It’s not as if I need any more books, but it seems they accumulate faster than they get purged. Library book fair day is always something spontaneously attended as there are a number of small libraries scattered throughout our area … Continue reading

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Impermanence

I lost something today. My birthday morning was spent hopping from place to place with a very old friend. After opening a goody bag full of fun and thoughtful gifts, we headed for Starbucks for a free birthday Cold Brew. … Continue reading

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Fakers

There are individuals and organizations that sell service animal certification or registration documents online. These documents do not convey any rights under the ADA and the Department of Justice does not recognize them as proof that the dog is a … Continue reading

Posted in Deafness, Dogs, Hearing Impaired, Rant, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Found and Lost

During the gawky, dark, painfully insecure pre and early-adolescent summers of my youth, I attended what was advertised as an “inter-faith, inter-racial” summer camp out in what was once the wilds of Connecticut, before it became greatly suburbanized. From what … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, Autumn, Friends, grief, Perspective, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Purging With Regrets

Serious clutter-bugs hoping to change their ways were buzzing with excitement about how The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up  by Marie Kondo was helping to unburden their lives. Being the Collector of Lots of Good Stuff, it seemed like just the thing … Continue reading

Posted in Perspective, Regrets, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Circle

Of course I remember July 20th, an image burned in my brain, because that was the day I looked up at the solar eclipse and got slapped in the face by my grandmother, while she shrieked “You’ll go blind!” It … Continue reading

Posted in Perspective, summer, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Pushing the Feline Envelope

There will be some people who have serious disagreements with this post.  But I’ve kind of reached a bit of saturation on the subject and feel the need say something. If you can come up with a better solution, I’m … Continue reading

Posted in Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, Birds, Rant, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Appreciation Day

My Facebook feed has been exploding with pink gorgeousness from friends doing the “oooh-ahhh” from Japan, Washington D.C. and other places around the globe. The cherry blossoms have been blooming.  K. and I were reveling in the herald of Spring … Continue reading

Posted in Holidays, Spring, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hoarding

Beneath the kitchen counter there is a corner cabinet with one of those two-level turnstile type lazy-susan gizmos which is supposed to allow you to easily view and access your stored canned goods and other groceries. I hate it. I … Continue reading

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Cooking, Food, Humor, Shopping, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Vibration

Approaching Exit 21 on the Thruway, an inexplicable sense of weirdness suddenly permeated the drive north. At first I surmised that the early spring sky, low and leaden with moisture, could possibly be the cause of some atmospheric disturbance. But … Continue reading

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Amp-Bump

Out of the blue, my usually uncommunicative brother sent my sisters and I this text: “Do you guys remember amp bump???” Amp bump?  I could almost feel my brain physically shifting into a time warp. Amp bump. Oh my God, … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, Perspective, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

The Littlest of Things

It has been many months since I have attempted a blog post – essentially rendered speechless and saddened by what is going on in our country and in the world. In this time of tremendous stress, uncertainty, conflict, fear, and … Continue reading

Posted in Coping, grief, Perspective, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Magic Sunglasses

As summer has waned and eased into autumn, the deciduous trees have turned to that “it’s-all-over-for-this-year” dull green, with small bursts and streaks of color here and there, as highlights on fading tresses.  While driving, I could not but help … Continue reading

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Raised Them Right

Daughter #2 called me a few weeks ago. “So Mom, I have a story for you!”  I love a story. She went on to tell me that a man walked into the building where she works carrying a guitar and … Continue reading

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Space Invader

Every six to eight months I pay a visit to the hair salon. Because this does not happen very often, I continue to patronize the same person I have been seeing for decades, even though I have moved a number … Continue reading

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Blessings Amid the Depression

Breakfast this morning consisted of a handful of foraged chanterelle mushrooms sautéed in butter and garlic, then scrambled into two fresh eggs from a neighbor’s chickens and sprinkled with ground Himalayan pink salt and fresh peppercorn. The mushroom eggs were … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, Coping, grief, Hearing Impaired, Perspective, Rant, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Of Summer

Standing outside watering a thirsty garden watching prisms arc through the spray under a late afternoon sun I am reduced to a child reliving the joy of running under the rainbow in the sprinkler on a hot summer day Sweet … Continue reading

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Waste Not

After having a conversation with an old friend about the healthful benefits of juicing, my guilt about my packed-away juicer was tweaked just enough that I hauled it back out…..what good is it if you are not using it? In … Continue reading

Posted in baking, Cooking, Diet, Food, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Men Give Me Knives

While rummaging through some drawers and stored boxes, I came across a number of different knives, mostly pocket-type and folding knives, which have been given to me by various men over the years.  It is not the first time I … Continue reading

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Miracles and Magic In Your Hands

Have you stopped to notice all the little miracles that pass through our hands daily? While skimming through a number of recent and stored photographs, I could not help but realize how many beautiful things these worn out old hands … Continue reading

Posted in Perspective, Photography, Spring, Uncategorized, Wow! | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fauxtmeal

My very pregnant daughter was standing at her kitchen counter one morning eating some mushy stuff out of a bowl that looked like oatmeal but wasn’t. When I asked, she told me it was “Fauxtmeal”. Just coming into the last … Continue reading

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Adventures in Sourdough

“Why are we paying the price of whole wheat and artisan breads when we could be making it ourselves?” Almost to the day that the Significant Other made this economy-driven announcement, an old bread machine was synchronistically gifted my way.  … Continue reading

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Tale of the Traveling Chairs

The Great Divorce in our family took place in California back in the 1970’s. Along with moving herself and children to the bottom half of a stucco two-family house with a Spanish tile roof,  my mother launched into her new … Continue reading

Posted in Divorce, Friends, Perspective, Regrets, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Buzzed

Our local nursery was having their annual Spring flower display, an early teaser, and it was raining, so I stopped there to get high.  On flowers.  I get pretty buzzed on flowers – it’s true.  Obviously  I am not the … Continue reading

Posted in Gardening, Photography, Spring, Uncategorized, Wow! | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

What It Boils Down To

It’s that time of year in these colder regions where the maple sap is running.  This past weekend a number of local people have been busy boiling down their sap.  On a Saturday complimented by a stellar-blue jay sky, friends … Continue reading

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My Little Black Book is Blue

Not that long ago it seems, before cell phone contact lists and computer address databases, there was The Address Book.  Even though that information is stored on both my phone and in a computer file, stashed in a top drawer … Continue reading

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Priorities

The Significant Other is self-employed in the construction trade and is kind of a “Mr. Fixit.”  Following a recent accident which required some surgery, the involuntary down-time has kept him home for much of the week.  He is pretty good … Continue reading

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Humor, Perspective, Rant, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Don’t Steal This Book

My books are like old friends.  When it comes time to purge items from the home, the most difficult items to reduce seem to be the books.  Even when I know I am not going to be reading a particular … Continue reading

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Birds, Uncategorized, Wildlife | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Machine Age

You would think I had grown up in the days of my grandmother or possibly my great-grandmother if you saw the kind of appliances I had in my house, right up into the 1990’s.  As a twenty-something and even a … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, Cooking, Perspective, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A Bowl of Good Fortune

Returning from the weekly excursion to our uptown farmer’s market, I added sweet white donut peaches and local apples to the avocados, tiny Seckel pears and other staples already filling this bowl of good fortune.   This vision required the need … Continue reading

Posted in Diet, Food, Perspective, summer, Wow! | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Telekinesis of Grief

This is an odd thing that I have only shared with a very small handful of people because it is so weird. I have often wondered if anyone else has had the same experiences, and after giving it some serious … Continue reading

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Coping, Deafness, grief | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments