Who knew and who knows?

So often in life, one wonders if they would have changed their past if they had current information. In this month, September 2020, we are at least six months into the Covid 19 epidemic. There is debate about when the government became aware of it’s presence and there are still citizens who don’t want to believe that it exists despite the over 170, 000 fellow citizens who have died from the virus.

I believe the Covid 19 virus exists and I have behaved accordingly. I wear a mask in public, I wash my hands constantly, use sanitizer on all appropriate things and avoid crowds too. The thing is, despite all of my precautions, it is still possible that I might become infected. The only thing that I can be sure of is the way that I think and feel about what is going on around me.

I have fought cancer twice in my life. I was afraid of dying from it; despite my being a person of faith. My fear of course, was of the unknown. What I did then is the same thing that I am doing now; I do what is recommended by science experts and I remind myself of the wonderful experiences that I have had in life. My goal is not to prepare to die, but to be content with my life in the present. Worry is not a helpful emotion.

So, I am acknowledging that the country is a little crazy right now and there are all sorts of disturbing events occurring. Yet, I am alive to experience it all and to control what I can. I will continue to share love and seek joy (often while wearing a mask!) As for the rest…who knows?

Kim

Starting over during COVID-19…

There is an virus that has been traveling through the world creating havoc and loss and brought with it fear and pain. I won’t spend time here giving details about it because any one reading this should already know. There are articles and broadcasts bombarding us everyday and we have to choose what to do with this information. I have decided to do a number of things as I ride out this pandemic. You will read about some of them if you return for a visit and I am still here. Right now, I’m back and I’m still here.

I haven’t posted for a long, long, time. I think I lost my passion to share when I realized that so much of what is posted on the net is posted specifically for financial gain. I believe in the right to make money. I love dressing teddy bears for special occasions and selling them. I thought that doing so was a reasonable thing to do since I was already talking about things in my life that I find interesting. The problem is that the web, in general, is so “in your face” that I started to feel uncomfortable. I felt too small to be interesting so I stopped.

Now that I am home quarantining and it has been about eight weeks, I am doing what many of you are doing; reassessing the way that I live and use my time. This is one of the ironies of COVID-19, if you manage to stay healthy, you have time on your hands.

Oh, sure I have plenty to do but there also a lot of things that I cannot do since the state of Massachusetts is shut down. I have the same 24 hours that I used to have but I’m not using time to travel, run lots of errands and other things. I can use that time in another way and I have decided to use some of it to get back to blogging. I want to share stories about some of what I am doing because I can’t come see you and you might be wondering about me or just getting to know me- since you probably have some time right now too. Try to stay safe and healthy. That’s what I’m doing. Hello again but bye for now.

Kim

What had happened was…

It has been a long time since I was here. I have no excuse but I do have a reason- I have a grandson who is turning one year old tomorrow, April 27, 2017!

I will not post a picture of him yet though he fills the pages of my Facebook account. Yep, he’s adorable and takes up a lot of my time- time that I willingly and gratefully give.

When my son and daughter were both infants, I remember being concerned that I wouldn’t have enough love to go around. I wasn’t long out of childhood myself and thank God I was wrong. My love expanded and continues to grow to this day. Now of course, I have a love for my grandson that is made up of emotion and lot’s of life experience.

He started life with deficits. There were lots of doctors telling my daughter and son-in-law that things were not right with this pregnancy. They said that the baby was very small and had very small limbs. The couple was frightened and so were my husband and I but they were determined to birth this baby and love it no matter what. Oh yeah, they also didn’t want to know the gender!

My son-in-law has a very demanding and public intensive job and I was asked to accompany my daughter to many appointments. I consider that experience a gift. We cried together, laughed together, and most importantly for us, we prayed together. Not prayers that we have a perfect baby, but prayers that we be able to be the best family ever for this baby and yes of course we’d be truly happy if there were no major abnormalities. We wanted the baby desperately despite it’s condition.

I can’t make this story any shorter but I can get to the point; last April my daughter was ordered into the hospital and the baby was delivered six weeks early. He was tiny at 3 pounds and several ounces but his little face was perfect! He stayed in the hospital for several weeks and his mom and dad suffered so during that time. My husband and I and our son-in-law’s parents worried too. We all went back and forth to the hospital and I spent many days and hours being a mommy to my daughter as she nurtured her son. I cannot explain the love we all shared and how spiritual it all felt but it was so.

The little boy is beautiful today and hitting all the markers the doctors put before him. His name is Kaleb. He is happy, healthy, and loved immensely. Happy birthday Kaleb! We thank God for you.

Love,
Oma & Opa (German for grandma and grandpa)

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Don’t give up on us…

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Here I am one evening in October, feeling guilty about how long it has been since the last time I shared with you. I thought of all the reasons why I have not written and though they are reasons to me, they may seem like excuses to you. First of all, know that Lars and I love having a web presence. We send texts and emails every day and I also Facebook and use Instagram. The thing is that despite all of those tools, larskim.com is the place where we get to share a different side of us with you.

You have come here voluntarily because you are interested in something that we are doing. Who wouldn’t be excited by that? I have always believed that most of us are trying to find adult ways to do what kids are very clear about; when they want attention they say “hey, look at me!” We adults spend the rest of our lives doing the same thing but never directly. Instead we try to excel at work and other pursuits with the goal of being recognized. Being seen not necessarily for glory or adulation but to be seen as someone interesting and accomplished. It feels good so we keep on doing it.

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I say all of that to admit to you that I have been seeing someone else…Yes, I am guilty. Lars and I became grandparents this spring! Our grandson Kaleb was born six weeks early back in April. He was so tiny and needed to stay in the hospital for a while. He’s doing great now and is five months old. We have been spending a lot of time with him and supporting his parents in any way that we can.

I can’t tell you how much love and joy he has brought to our lives. There has been worry and tears as well. Lars mother passed away before she had a chance to see her great grandson. We grieved but took some solace in the knowledge that she was well loved. You learn a lot about a person when they pass on. Her friends and other family members shared great stories about her. We pray that our Kaleb will have many experiences and fond memories of us over the years.

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So that’s what we have been up to. No excuses, just life. We’re, I mean, I, am finally giving the baby some breathing room and taking some time to fill you in. Thanks for stopping by, I’ve missed you. Thanks for looking at me.

Kim

 

 

 

 

Spring is on it’s way!

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What a strange and long winter. I spent half of it panicking that a repeat of winter 2015 was going to occur. I expected tons of snow, lots of shoveling, and lots of complaining. Fortunately, the only negative fulfilled was the complaining part. Come on, I live in New England!

There were several snow storms that caused lots of damage to plants and closed schools but nothing like 2015. We were cold but not as cold as usual. It’s just that winter dragged on. It was cloudy and dark and so were my moods. I finally bought some daylight light bulbs and they helped lift my mood some.

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My husband and I experienced great joy when we received wonderful news this winter; our daughter and son -in- law are expecting! They are not finding out the gender of the baby ahead of time so there is lots of mystery and surprise in our future.

We also experienced some sadness because our out door stray cat was hit by a car. She survived and somehow made it back to our house and the shelter we built for her. Sadly, we had to give her up to an animal shelter that promised to fix her up (a long term process) and give her a forever home.

So despite complaining, my feelings have been mostly up this winter. I am ready for spring and the hope that it symbolizes. I am grateful to be alive under all circumstances and have much to be thankful for. I was excited by the hawk that my husband wrote about in the last blog entry. I love nature because it continues on despite the efforts of humankind to overpower it. The future is open and bright. The Boston Flower Show is next week so things are looking up already! I pray that life is kind to you.

Kim                                          DSC_2427

 

Summer time is the time for change…

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Wow! Time keeps moving along whether we are ready for it or not. My husband and I will be updating this site over the summer and hope to bring you new and interesting articles, tutorials, and items.

We hope that you have a fun filled and sun filled summer; along with good health and the opportunity to enjoy it.          DSC_8776_

We will see you back here by the end of the summer. Be careful out there!

Kim                           P1000517

 

I’m in the mood for….

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Spring! Last week I attended the annual flower show at the Boston Seaport Center. The weather cooperated. There was no snow or rain and the sun was shining despite the cold weather. The more than 108 inches of snow seems to have melted down to 12 or so inches and open pavement can be seen.

My husband and I ventured into town on the train which was free that day as a thank you to folks who were inconvenienced by the terrible weather over the past 6 weeks.

DSC_2312The flowers were beautiful and left me feeling happy and hopeful. I don’t have a lot to say today except stay positive even when it is difficult to do so. Our attitude is the only thing we have full control over. That is my intent.

 

Take care!

DSC_2348Kim

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Let’s march into spring! Please…

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I hesitate to make a joke about the horrible weather we are having in New England because that would be expected and childish. But what’s wrong with fulfilling people’s expectations and having a few laughs? Nature has dumped more than 100 inches of snow on Boston, Massachusetts and if you don’t think that is funny you might go crazy.

The only thing giving me solace is my dream of attending the horticultural show in the middle of March. I have dreams of spring but fear that snow will prevent me from attending the show. I have been receiving seed catalogs and when my mail shows up it is often a magazine beckoning me to start planting something.

DSC_2138I am trying very hard to appreciate the present. The snow has given me opportunities to spend more time inside with my family. The snow has given me a way to exercise outdoors. Shoveling snow burns a lot of calories of course it also makes me want to drink hot chocolate or eat a brownie but I digress. Two of the things I enjoy most is watching the birds eat everything I can throw at them and observing the foot prints of many interesting animals.

Hartwell Town Forest, Bedford, MAI truly hope that the next time that I write a post that the weather has improved and that I have lovely pictures from the show. If that doesn’t happen I will bring a better attitude and attempt a joke or two.

Take care,

Kim

 

 

 

My favorite time of year…

November Mandevilla

November Mandevilla

A few weeks ago the temperature in Boston, Massachusetts was in the 60s and 70s. I had flowers growing in my garden in the middle of November. This is somewhat unusual. Today the temps are in the 30s and it is snowing. I will state the obvious and say that winter is actually here now. In many ways I am happy to see it.

Oh I hate being extremely cold. The kind of cold that makes you scrunch up your face and complete whatever outdoor activity that you have as quickly as you can but cold, no wind and bright skies- I can deal with. Also, my  birthday is this month so I am happy to be alive no  matter what the weather is like!

winter floral arrangement

winter floral arrangement

This is my favorite time of year because Thanksgiving gives you a chance to see people you love and eat food of types and quantities that you don’t usually. I already stated that my birthday is in December and I truly enjoy both the religious and secular aspects of Christmas.

I’m sure that you are as busy as I am right now so I want to take the time to wish for you a wonderful, happy and warm holiday season. Look as the bright side if you are busy, you have a life! Yep, it’s my favorite time of year…

Kim

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Everything changes- often for the good!

73329I went outside to feed the birds this morning and the water that remained from our last rain has frozen. I was just about to think something negative when I heard a click, click, click. I looked up and saw a Blue Jay sitting in our Magnolia tree eating one of the peanuts that I put out.

Oh there is no denying it the season has changed, but I realize that I shouldn’t be upset about the season that went away. In fact, the season that approaches and is here is fantastic in its own way. In the summer, I may not have seen the Jay and now that the leaves are gone I can see him or her in their glory smashing nuts. I love it!

DSC_2658            Over the last two years I have watched this little red kitty turn into this gorgeous big red kitty…

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He’s only gotten better with time. I pray the same for you and me!

Kim