My Fight Smog Guitar From College and the Ocean

 I was ahead of my time, fighting smog, with this sticker on my guitar case back in my college days. I still have the guitar and case and took the photo recently. I sang and played countless English folk songs (Silver Dagger which I still sing around the house when I am alone), the Civil Rights movement (Follow the Drinking Gourd), and lots of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan songs.

Above is the view from a favorite restaurant near my house. Friends took me to birthday lunch there in April. Parking is expensive and hard to find near the beach and this restaurant has free parking for customers, a valet parks it for you. Of course I give a tip. More photos taken near my home near the ocean. I moved here more than 40 years ago and love the sea, it is a balm to my soul and body.

Two above photos taken at 10 a.m. this month, on a foggy slightly drizzly day. The temperature here is 59 degrees F today and a low of 51 degrees last night. My sister lives in Wisconsin where it is reaching a high of 4 degrees F. Brrrr. Stay warm!

How is your January going? Have a great day friends.

Things I Hope for in 2024

 Strong old trees near the ocean and my house.

There are lots of things I hope for in 2024.

Peace.

Laughter. I read P.G. Wodehouse for laughter. The Code of the Woosters is a hoot. 

Puppy love. The love of a pup old or young.

Play. Play with pup. Play with friends.

Silliness. Never too much silliness in my life, it is always welcome. Related to play, see above.

Reading. In this way I enlarge my world and my experiences and my knowledge. Reading Greenlights I get to learn some things Matthew McConaughey shares. Look for those green lights in life, friends.

Spend time outdoors. Breathe deeply in that clean outdoor air and send out prayers of thanks for all good things.

Continue to make new friends, welcome new people into church, invite them for coffee.

Pray for my country to turn back to our roots of freedom and faith and to secure our borders.

Change my routine a bit. Visit our Boardwalk and ride the horses on the carousel. See Silliness and Play above.

Plant more flowers and flowering shrubs and plant another fruit tree. I am thinking an apple tree. 

Just some quick thoughts have created this list. What are some of your hopes for 2024?

The First Christmas Was Simple

 

The first Christmas was pretty simple. It's okay if yours is too!

A Holy Babe, a manger, a Promise of Eternal Life for those who follow Christ. Simple beauty. Merry Christmas to you all.

Book I wrote "Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts"

 

Some of you recall my excitement when "A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts: Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday" was published. I had 5 co-authors, all Christian women writers who are friends. Two of us live in Texas, three in Ohio and me Terra Hangen here in California.

It is a hardcover book with full color on each page, with recipes, upbeat true stories from our lives, and all the Scriptures about the Christmas season. It contains my story about Christmas camping in the Everglades and Karen's about her first Christmas with adopted children and many other stories. It was published by the traditional publisher New Leaf/Abilene Christian University Press. See Amazon link below:

Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts

Christmas is almost here and friends and other readers tell me they get this book out each year to share with their families. Some of you blog friends have copies I know. I just decided to share this, I am just so pleased this book is published and full of happiness to share in this season of love. It is a hard world, I know, and we are called to be light and to shine. I hope each one of you finds some joy today and in this season.

Cathy of Acorn Hollow asked where she can purchase the book: Amazon.com and also most bookstores will order it for you. Thanks for asking.

Light Collar for Pup, We Got Our Christmas Tree and a Funny Snoopy

 I received my first Christmas card (see photo below) of the season in the mail today, and share here a cute Snoopy funny that my dad sent to me maybe 20 years ago. I have kept it all this time. The Snoopy comic says "In our family the older we get, the cuter we get." This is so true for my family and for all of you my dear blog friends.

I got these cool collars that loop easily over Bounce's head so he is visible when we are walking at dusk or later. The collars are inexpensive and very visible as we walk and cross streets. I have used little quarter size battery operated lights attached to his harness but these glow lights are more visible from every angle and you charge them like you do so many devices now, like Kindles and lights. I put them on my pup when he goes out in the back yard after dark too, so I can see where he is.

My friend's friend died last month while walking her dog at 8 p.m. a few miles away. It is so sad, a hit and run. They think they caught the driver, she is 58 and in jail. The lady was a grandma, mom and active. So the lights will be a help at night. Stay safe friends.

P.S. My sons took Mr. B out to a Christmas tree farm on Dec. 3, hiked up and down and got a lot of exercise, had to carry Mr. B parts of the way as he is 12 years old, and found a gorgeous tree to cut down and bring home. After church they set up the tree and put on the lights and the angel topper. This is as early as we have had a Christmas tree up. Christmas is coming so fast, each year it seems to arrive faster for this senior lady.

Worship with Others Leads to Longer Life, Studies Show

 

Being part of a faith based based community and attending services four times a month has been found to increase longevity. Above is a photo of Saint Coloman Church in Schwangau, Germany. The church is named after the Irish monk, Coloman. I think it fits this subject of my post today.

In my AARP bulletin a while ago an article lists 99 tips for longer life. Tip number 99 states: "Pray for longer life. A 2016 study followed 74,534 women for 20 years; those who attended religious services more than once a week enjoyed a 33 percent lower mortality rate than those who skipped church."
That  lower mortality rate of 33 percent is huge!

The AARP list was written by Mike Zimmerman who has written a dozen books on health. Though the title of the tip says "pray" the tip itself says attend religious services.

Dan Buettner's new book "The Blue Zones: Secrets for Living Longer from the Healthiest Places on Earth" lists in his Power of 9 "Belong. Being part of some type of faith-based community and attending services four times a month adds to the longevity of the Blue Zones populations."

The above photo is a synagogue in Romania.

I am also in what we call a "small group" in my church, where the 25 members meet once a week in fellowship and I agree with the leader who says we are family. We help each other in every way needed. We are supporting a refugee family from the Ukraine and found them housing here. Then a wildfire here forced them to move and we found them another home. Imagine the anguish of worry about the war, and having to move repeated times. At church we create families.

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20.

Above is a photo of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, my beautiful lady. Yes, I do feel she is mine and of course she belongs to the world. I visited her a dozen times when I lived in Paris for two summers, listened to several free organ recitals and felt uplifted whenever I entered this Cathedral. My husband and I were also in Paris for one Christmas and he went to a midnight service in the vaults below the church. He told me it was very dark and cold and he sipped from a small bottle of Grand Marnier to keep him warm. I hope Notre Dame will be beautifully restored to its original design.

Remember, gather together in church, temple or synagogue, the rewards are great in this life and the next.

Yacht Harbor, Long Term Friends and Antoine St. Exupery

"

Three of us long term friends enjoyed a get together at the harbor last week, you can see my friend standing at the top of the deck. Antoine  de Saint. Exupery in his "Wind, Sand and Stars" wrote "Old friends cannot be created out of hand. Nothing can match the treasure of common memories, of trials endured together, of quarrels and reconciliations and generous emotions. It is idle, having planted an acorn in the morning, to expect that afternoon to sit in the shade of the oak." Aren't his thoughts beautiful? He is well known for writing "The Little Prince" and sadly he died when his small plane crashed during WWII as he was helping in the war effort.
 

Restaurant where three of us celebrated a friend's birthday. The restaurant above is at the yacht harbor and we sat on the outdoor deck in ideal weather.

The birthday girl is on the left and that is me on the right.

I am on the left and friend on the right. We three have been meeting since 2009 and before, don't recall the exact year and we have been friends for longer than that. We met at work and during the worst of covid we met on Zoom twice a month. It is so worth it to have long term friendships, they are special.