23 Free range on the Farm

On 03/19/2023 By Susan St.PierreIn In my humble opinion..., Memories of the Farm3 Comments

Rory’s questions for today:

Are you a person who likes their life to be orderly with set routines and schedules or is that not an essential for you to worry about?

I’ve always disliked schedules, deadlines, and appointments. There’s too much to be ‘thought about’, ‘investigated’, ‘created’ and “played” every day for that. Probably half of the reason I never liked school was because I felt forced to be there. When I was spending summers at my grandparents’ dairy farm, the adults were busy with chores, while I was busy being a “free range” kid on my own. I was never bored. With the farm dog as my sidekick, I explored fields, ditches and barns. Some of my pastimes were braiding bailing twine into belts, teaching the farm dog tricks, exploring ditches for polliwogs, riding my pony while pretending to be Annie Oakley, and collecting interesting rocks.
Every situation since has felt a little ‘confining’.
When I discovered I could make a supplemental living by inviting kids into my home each day, it was my perfect niche. With kids (at least with my style) every day was a different adventure. Sometimes I’d plan activities, but they were always subject to change. If a backhoe showed up to dig a trench across the street, would you want to sit at the table pasting pictures or watch it? The gang and I always chose the backhoe of course.
As for tidiness, I’m not good at that either. Our helter-skelter day care ways left picking up for days’ end… sometimes the next day. 😉

Are you a natural people watcher and if so what do you enjoy about the experience?

Gosh, yes. People are almost as interesting as polliwogs. Everyone has a story, everyone has a natural born temperament, and everyone is a possible new friend. While growing up, I watched people and evaluated them as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ examples of who I wanted to be. As an adult, I want to know what others think when I can get them to ‘open up’. My everyday dress code is mostly a decorative t-shirt with a flannel overshirt. My t-shirts have words and/or symbols that represent a wide assortment of my favorite things. Those t-shirts frequently elicit a comment and connection when I’m in public. It’s just the opening I need to be comical and friendly. The grocery store never disappoints. It’s a place where I can collect new humous anecdotes or curiosities on human behavior.

Do you think your online persona is very different from the one at home or are you exactly the same as you display yourself to your readers?

I don’t see any difference. I’m genuine to a fault. Even when it means I may ask inappropriate questions or state brutal truths, it’s always me talking… sometimes apologizing. LOL

https://earthlycomforts.uk/2023/03/19/a-wild-aloha-to-you-28/

Morning Dawdler 3/17/23 Looking for Miracles

On 03/17/202303/17/2023 By Susan St.PierreIn In my humble opinion...3 Comments

Rory asked these questions a day ago. It seemed a fun place to start the day.

Do you think being outside is good for a person’s wellbeing?

It is absolutely essential. When I’m outside, all my problems seem smaller. The immense beauty and expansive wonder of Nature (something I cannot fully explain) speaks to me. There are forces so much bigger than I. My favorite personal explanation is “It’s a place where I feel comfortably insignificant.”
Once when my granddaughter, at about 8 years old, was having a ‘meltdown’, my cure for it was asking her to go and sit outdoors. It worked. It always works.
I don’t consider it a distraction, but rather a reconnection.

How much of a sensation seeker are you?

This is a good one. I am a bit of a daredevil. But the path I take is usually testing my own limits. As an “eyes wide open” person when it comes to assessing physical danger, I don’t as often take safety risks as I test the “rules”. I think most rules are arbitrary nonsense. Remember the 6-foot distancing during the pandemic? Yeah…that one was actually an IQ test and most people were sadly scoring in the double digits. lol 😉

Do you believe in blind luck?

No. Since I decided to center my life around gratitude it has been even more beautiful. And to feel gratitude, one needs someone or something to thank. I am thankful to God for his grace and love. By finding that life direction which increases my perception of beauty and calm, I haven’t regretted the decision… and I truly don’t care what others think of it. Faith is absolutely a daily decision and no different from deciding what you’ll wear.
Since I’ve looked for miracles (I even did as a child), I’ve recognized SO much. It’s quite like the saying, “You can’t win the lottery if you don’t play.”

https://earthlycomforts.uk/2023/03/16/a-wild-aloha-to-you-27/

The Morning Dawdle 2/19/23- For Better or Worse

On 02/19/202302/19/2023 By Susan St.PierreIn In my humble opinion...7 Comments

Rory has some WILD questions today. Let’s play:

Who do you think you might be in an alternate universe?

This one blew my mind. My answer: You are you because you are here. For better or worse, this environment had a hand in shaping the YOU that you are. So, if you weren’t here, you wouldn’t be you. Same goes for the question, “Who would you be if you had never been born?”. LOL

What would be the most surreal situation you could imagine finding yourself in?

Comparing the America that I ‘grew up in’ to the America that is here now, I’m living it.

You won!!
You have five minutes for a Supermarket Dash in the FoodHall – what will you fill your trolley/shopping cart with?

Meats and medicines.

You have 60 minutes to hide 50 million in hard currency [Notes] in your house – where would you put the money/cash – to avoid detection?

Hiding ‘notes’ in your house is your first mistake (Fire could be devastating.). Keeping ‘notes’ is your second mistake. Exchanging the notes for gold or other precious metals would be the wisest thing to do. Paper currency isn’t going to be worth much in the near future, IMHO.

https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/124997601/posts/4561175402
https://earthlycomforts.uk/2023/02/19/a-wild-aloha-to-you-20/