Photo by Francesco Baistrocchi This will be the last official coffee chat of 2022. Our host is taking the next two weeks off. I hope to continue posting but… Just in case… I thought I would leave you with a Christmas gift of music. I’ve never had a sophisticated pallet in ANYTHING! The food I …
Tag: CheerPeppers
Dinah’s Something New Part 3
So this is part three… I’m trying something new. You can read Part one and Part two using these hyperlinks if you’re interested. Also, if you’re interested in the process, the VIDEO is easy to understand and follow. In learning how to hand crochet (no needles), I’m also getting a new appreciation for learning itself. …
Silent Sunday
Welcome to silent Sunday. Just taking a moment to share some beauty. Enjoy! Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Wishing you peace and beauty today and every day! I’m glad you’re here💜
Something New Part 2
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog post about trying something new. You can see that. HERE. Well… A couple of weeks later I can tell you that I am still trying! And trying is about as good as it gets right now.The day of that first post, I started it and then …
The Liminal Space
Photo by Dinah (c) Years ago two dear friends of ours owned a meditation center that was about an hour south of us. My friend facilitated a regular weekly meditation in the evening. Sometimes we’d co-facilitate those gatherings. It was fun because we were so drastically different. He was far more analytical than I and …
NanoPoblano Wrap-up–Day 30/30!!!!!!!
Photo by Dinah (c) Everyone knows that athletes and artists … (And probably a bunch of other groups that I can’t think of right now)… practice a lot. Most practice daily… For hours! And why do they do this? They do it to build muscle memory. In order to be good at what they do, …
A Poem for You-Day 29/30
Photo by Dinah (c) I’m finally admitting that I do, indeed, have a bug. It’s not serious but…ugh! However, I’m determined to keep my commitment to posting every day for the month of November. So, I give you this poem that I saw on Facebook a year or so ago. I loved the reminder that …
Confession—Day 28/30
I’m a little foggy today from the bug that I’m fighting. So I went to Promptosaur and got a prompt to help kickstart my foggy brain.You can see in the above screenshot that my prompt was to confess to something.… So here goes…I confess to being a horrible and hopeless procrastinator! It’s a personality flaw …
Today—Day 27/30
Photo by Don Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing. — Arundhati Roy Today… I’m feeling under the weather. Not sick. But not well. Today… I choose to believe in better. Feeling better. Doing better. Today… I envision better health for me, …
Scooter—Day 26/30
Photo from Unsplash It sat there for years. I refused to use it. Using it would affirm my inability to keep up; would make me different when all I wanted was sameness. It would make me look DISABLED.I chose to miss out…on a lot…rather than appear disabled. Pride! Time and disability march ever onward. My …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat—Day 25/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Hello my friend.It’s been a while since I’ve done a coffee chat. It seems like a good time to try again.So… Come on in and make yourself comfy. Let’s chat…We had the Thanksgiving holiday yesterday in the US. Whether you celebrated the holiday or not, I hope your day was lovely.Ours …
Grateful—Day 24/30
Photo by Dinah (c) The sun is out and we might hit 50 degrees today. I’m grateful. Football is on TV. My husband is grateful. There’s kibble and water in the appropriate bowls. The cats are grateful. (I think anyway) I’m also grateful for: Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah …
Dysfunctional Family Bingo—Day 23/30
I must begin by giving 100% credit to author Martha Beck. She came up with this ingenious idea. I’m only sharing it with you because I think it’s so wonderful. Those of us with dysfunctional families know that holidays can be more than challenging. Some things are predictable. Some things are not. But regardless of …
Friends and Distance—Day 22/30
Photo by Dinah (c) This will be a shorter post… The day has gotten away from me a bit. However, I committed to doing a post every day. So, I’m going to do my best to do that. But I also want to respect your time and not blab on too long if I don’t …
Family Photos —Day 21/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Life’s circumstances have caused me to expand my definition of family. And this expansion has been so beneficial. My family of choice seems to grow more every year. I love that! Our immediate family is pretty small….. My husband has a very quick wit and makes us all laugh a lot! …
Big Life—Day 20/30
Photo by Dinah “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” —-Mother Teresa My husband and I just watched the Netflix miniseries called… From Scratch. It’s a true story adapted from the memoir by the same name written by Tembi Locke. If you haven’t seen it, …
Strange Day (NPE/MPE)—Day 19/30
Photo by Don Today has been a strange day for a number of reasons. The weather has turned too cold too quickly. We’re trying to plan for some holiday stuff and personal stuff. And I just feel a bit “off" today. Then I remembered that today would have been my mom’s 87th birthday. And tomorrow …
Challah (NPE/MPE) —Day 18/30
Photo from Unsplash Several weeks ago I told my husband that I wanted to buy some challah. That’s a bigger deal than it sounds because we have to drive about 40 minutes to get it. But I really wanted it.It seemed so strange to me. For most of my life I have not allowed myself …
Heart Matters—Day 17/30
Photo by Don (c) We saw an old friend yesterday. It was only for a minute or two. I hugged him and said… “I love you“ because it was true. Even though I have only seen him probably four times in the last 10 years, I still love him. Our families were very connected years …
Shining Light—Day 16/30
Photo by Dinah (c) “Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.” L.R. Knost (Copied from a …
Writing—Day 15/30
Writing has never been something that I loved the way that an artist probably loves to paint or sketch. Writing has always been something like a stone in my shoe. The words are there. And I can ignore them for a while. But, like the stone, they demand acknowledgment at some point.Thoughts and phrases dance …
Magic—Day 14/30
Photo from Unsplash The memory is still there. It’s still vivid. Magic was so real to me. Magic seemed as real as rain or snow or wind…. just as real and just as elusive… Like the weather, I didn’t understand where it came from… But I knew it was all around me. I knew that …
Happy Birthday—Day 13/30
A warm September day on Lake Michigan Today is an auspicious day. Today is the anniversary of the day that the world was gifted with this kind and generous Soul. And he is indeed a gift to all who are fortunate enough to know him. This last year has been unbelievably rough. I’ve said many …
Something New—Day 12/30
I’m starting something new today.New is exciting and frustrating and provocative.I want very much to love this new thing with all my heart!New makes me think about tomorrow. Will I be good at this thing that I’m trying? Can I be productive?It’s interesting how enjoyment and productivity become linked in my brain. Why is that?I’ve …
A Really Good Story About Angels—Day 11/30
Thanks for visiting. As a way of keeping us both interested in this 30 day blogging challenge, I’m going to tell you a story about something that happened last December. I really felt like it was a gift. And gifts are meant to be shared. Last Fall I was completely exhausted. Life events kept happening …
Beautiful Day—Day 10/30
Geese at sunset yesterday. I’ve resisted the urge to whine about the coming of winter. I can’t promise that it won’t happen. But for today, I’m just too busy celebrating the shockingly beautiful weather we’ve had over the last couple of days. Yesterday‘s sunset was spectacular! And today, in the north, in November… We reached …
Chameleons—Day 9/30
Chameleons…I have vague memories of one of my brothers having pet chameleons. I remember him telling me to watch them as they turned color. It was never as spectacular as my child self expected. It was more gentle, more subtle. I have vague memories of realizing that people do this also. I don’t know when …
Flowers—Day 8/30
THE EARTH LAUGHS IN FLOWERS.……Ralph Waldo Emerson Today is a big election day in the US. Many of us will be on pins and needles for the next several days awaiting the results. On days like today, laughter is truly the best medicine. I can’t tell you a joke because I can never remember them. …
Healing and Reframing the past—Day 7/30
OK… So here goes… I’ve decided to write about things that I have learned by analyzing my memories of the dynamics of my family of origin over the years. I’ve debated this for quite some time. Wondering if it’s appropriate because they’re all gone. My parents, stepmother, and three older brothers… All deceased. I …
Cobwebs—Day 6/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Here, in the US, we turned our clocks back one hour last night. Maybe that’s why I’m a bit off today. Or maybe it’s because I had lots of dreams last night and actually remembered pieces and parts when I awoke. I rarely remember my dreams but I’m actively trying to …
Two Things At Once—Day 5/30
A commentator that I like often says “Let’s remember that two things can be true at once!” I love that reminder. I am always at least two things at once, sometimes I’m way more than just two things. Today I am dreading winter and still appreciating the stark landscape that the season creates. The golds …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat About Accessibility…Day 4/30
Photo by Dinah (c) ~~This is going to be a dual post. It is part of the month long NanoPoblano blogging challenge. It is also part of the Weekend Coffee Share. Please see the last couple of paragraphs for explanations of both of these groups.~~ For those who are new to the space, I have …
Continue reading Dinah’s Coffee Chat About Accessibility…Day 4/30
Fall Pause—-Day 3/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Time seems to be moving so quickly now. Just a few weeks ago it still felt like summer. Recently though, I started to notice all the subtle changes. The light was changing. I tried to ignore it but that really didn’t work. The sunlight hit the windows differently. The yard seemed …
We Hope….Day 2/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Today… We did a lot! We hoped… And that is big, big work! Hope is not a standalone emotion. Hope is a mixture of so many things. It is faith. It is belief. It is wonder and magic and it makes living possible! We hope, so we voted today. We know …
NanoPoblano 2022 Starts Today-Day 1/30
So here it is… November is upon us. That means that the Nanopoblano blogging challenge is up and running once again. This is a wonderful blogging challenge and community that is facilitated by the illustrious Ra Avis. You can see her blog HERE … And I highly recommend that you do. Her writing is spectacular.Ra …
Complexities
***Photo by Dinah Lately, I seem to alternate between being completely enchanted by life and then completely befuddled by it. And both of these extremes seem to deepen with every passing year. I feel like I genuinely love people more but I see them less (thanks partially to the pandemic). I care about the world …
Connections and Community
The above is a Facebook meme I’ve craved community and connection for most of my life. Some have it naturally through family. That has never been my story. College provided it for a while and I loved it. And then we scattered to find jobs and build lives. Some of us stay in touch on …
Happy 10th Anniversary To RARASAUR!
Happy Tenth Birthday to Rarasaur ! This is the blog (and blogger) that launched a thousand ships or rather supports a thousand bloggers! I haven’t felt much like writing lately. But I couldn’t let today go by without a shout out and a celebration post for my friend Ra Avis. Today marks the 10 year …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat 3/3/22
Sweet Alaska—Photo by Don Hello my friend! Thanks for stopping by. This is my first connection with you in several months because… Well, life happens… If we were having coffee together I would start out by telling you that I am fine… Really, I’m doing well. But the last few months of 2021 were challenging. …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat 11/20/21
Photo taken by Dinah on the way home from Don’s outpatient surgery! Hello my friend. Thanks for stopping by for another coffee chat. How are you? How are you adapting to the changing seasons? I hope you’re taking good care.If we were having coffee… I would be having an internal debate about whether to be …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat 11/12/21
Photo by Dinah Hello my friend! Good to see you again. I hope you had a good week. I know mine flew by quickly. Come sit. Have some coffee and we can catch up. If we were having coffee… I’d tell you that this is my husband’s birthday weekend. So this is my birthday card …
Cadence
Photo by Dinah I play with words the way a potter plays with clay. I roll them over and around in my mind and then my mouth. I repeat them to see how they feel and to see how they sound. How do those words fit into the world? I look at how they apply …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat 11/5/21
Photo from Facebook Hello my friend! It’s been a while since we’ve had a coffee chat. How are you? I’m hoping you’re staying happy and healthy. Grab a cup of coffee and I’ll fill you in on life in my neck of the woods…. If we were having coffee….I’d tell you that it’s been a …
Friends and Teachers 💜
Photo by Dinah I knew Carol first. She and I had been friends for about six months before she introduced me to Sue and Benji. I met Sue when I was 16. I’m not sure how old she was. But I did know that she had a difficult past. Consequently, she was shy and a …
More on the NPE/MPE Journey
Photo by Dinah I wrote this piece originally for DNAngels blog. You can see more of their blog posts and services here https://www.dnangels.org/blog NPE/MPE = people with misattributed parentage such as… Adoptees, Donor Conceived, people who are the product of affairs, rape, or incest… There are so many uncertainties in any NPE/MPE situation. Let’s look …
Wondering…..
Photo by Dinah I used to wonder… Who would I be without their disapproval? What would I look like? What would I do differently? Now they’re gone… So who am I now? Am I the person I thought I would be back then? Or have I morphed into something completely unexpected? The answer to this …
Happy Birthday to WA&E
Birthdays are important! I like saying Happy Birthday to friends and family….even though I’m almost always late. The sentiment is real even if it isn’t timely! True to form, I’m acknowledging another birthday with sincerity but not with timeliness….. With Angels and Elephants turned one year old in October! Yay! Thanks to Ra Avis (blogger …
Dinah’s Chat About Horses
Photo courtesy of Sandy Sharkey Photography Not Your average coffee chat… Thanks for stopping by. Hold onto your hats, I’ve got a lot to say… I know that all of us are road weary. The pandemic, the political climate, the challenging news that we hear day in and day out… It’s exhausting. I get it. …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat Anniversaries….
Anniversaries……Welcome back my friend! It’s been a while since we’ve connected. And hello to any new friends that stop by.So let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room… At least the elephant for me… I clearly blew it with the July blogging challenge. I did pretty well for about a week. And then we …
9 Favorite Things ….#10minchallenge Day 7
Photo by Don (c) Prompt: 9 Favorite Things….. Nine of my favorite things in no particular order: 1-Grace—Grace, to me, is synonymous with kindness, gentleness, forgiveness…I’m always grateful when grace is visited upon me…whether through serendipity or through the openheartedness of a friend or stranger, grace helps me to believe in tomorrow. 2-Serendipity and synchronicity …
The truth is….#10minchallenge Day 6
Prompt: The truth is…. The truth is….that we’re all just finding our way. I used to believe that there was a kind of clarity that people reached at a certain point. And I was sure that I would find it too. For a while I think I confused consistency with clarity. But they’re not the …
Mom…#10minchallenge Day 4
Photo be Dinah (c) Prompt- What remains of my mom in me…. I was thinking about my mom today even before I received the daily challenge prompt. I don’t think I’ve ever written about her. I guess it’s time…. My mom died when I was 31. But I had lost her to alcoholism long before…probably …
Right Now…#10minchallenge Day 3
Prompt-Right now…. Right now…. I’m a mixture, a muddle of wonder tinted by cynicism, gratitude sprinkled with irritation, gregariousness mottled by introversion so that it has the look of Swiss cheese….making it hard to tell if I’m more hole or substance. Right now….I bless the long summer days while simultaneously resenting the 86 degree heat. …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat & #10minchallenge Day 2
Prompt: What was fun in childhood? Hello my friend! So glad you could stop by for coffee. It’s always so nice to connect. Once again, grab a glass or a cup of some thing you love and let’s chat… If we were having coffee…. I would start by telling you that I have entered into …
Continue reading Dinah’s Coffee Chat & #10minchallenge Day 2
#10minchallenge Day 1
Photo by Don Prompt: One man’s trash…. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m very much into metaphysics and all things “woo-woo.” It’s what feeds my soul. When I was just discovering the various avenues leading to metaphysics, my friend showed me a new quartz crystal that she’d bought at a stand in the mall. …
Dinah’s Weekend CoffeeShare 6/26/21
Photo by Don (c) Hello my friend! Believe it or not, I’m actually showing up for our coffee share 2 weeks in a row! Shocking for me too! How are you this week? Did you do anything fun? I’d love to hear about it! If we were having coffee….I’d tell you that this week flew by …
Dinah’s Weekend Coffee Chat 6/18/21
Photo by Dinah (c) Hello my friend….It’s been a while since we’ve gotten together for coffee. How are you? I hope life is treating you well!Grab a cup of something you love and let’s chat…If we were having coffee… I would of course, tell you that I’m thrilled to see you. It’s good to connect …
The big “IT”
Photo by Dinah (c) It sits there, like the face of someone I should know but can’t quite place. It sits there like a name or a word…on the tip of my tongue but just out of reach. It sits there like something I should know or like something I’ve forgotten and shouldn’t have. It …
An Update 💜
Photo by Dinah (c) The latest...When I started my blog, I thought that I SHOULD try to keep it upbeat and inspirational. And, to some degree, I still do. But, here’s the thing...life happens. And as it happens, it’s tough and complicated and exhausting and messy. So I haven’t been writing much because I've been …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat… 5/9/21
Good morning and happy Sunday… And Happy Mother’s Day. Today’s coffee visit doesn’t contain a lot of words. This one is all about pictures of the things I’m looking forward to this summer. I hope you’ll join me in looking forward to beautiful weather and wonderful days ahead… Our daisy bushes Don caught this visit! …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat 4/30/21 SPRING!
This is what our crab apple tree will look like in a few weeks 💜 If we were having coffee....... If we were having coffee....I’d be so happy to see you! It’s a sunny Spring day and, to me anyway, everything is better in Spring! Welcome! Grab your favorite cup of whatever makes you happy …
Dinah’s Weekend Coffee Chat 4/23/21
Photo by Don (c) If we were having coffee..... Oh so lovely to see you, my friend! I’ve been MIA for several weeks. Life was challenging and I was a bit depleted....still am, but I’m improving. And you? How are you? If we were having coffee...I’d tell you that we had to move my brain …
Wisdom Wednesday 4/21/21 Hope
Photo by Dinah (c) “The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.” – Barbara Kingsolver Today, I’m thinking about hope. It’s been …
Wisdom Wednesday 4/14/21 Activism!
Photo and information by Sandy Sharkey Today’s Wisdom Wednesday is about activism. I believe that we must take care of each other. And we must be a voice for the voiceless. I happened upon a Facebook post that has disturbed me all day. I called the number listed and it’s all true! Wild horses are …
Wisdom Wednesday 4/7/21–Rumi
Photo by Dinah heading south on the freeway. The sky was stunning! “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,there is a field. I’ll meet you there.When the soul lies down in that grass,the world is too full to talk about.Ideas, language, even the phrase “each other”doesn’t make any sense.The breeze at dawn has secrets to …
Wisdom Wednesday 3/31/21 Friendship!
Taken from Elizabeth Gilbert’s Facebook page Elizabeth Gilbert posted this on her Facebook page some time ago. She said that she saw it on a friend’s wall and she believes that it is a Druid friendship greeting. In case the above is difficult to read, here’s what it says: I honor you are gods.I drink …
Wisdom Wednesday-The Invitation
Photo by Don I’ve been dealing with the declining health of a family member for the last 4 months. But things have ramped up and demanded much more of my attention over the last 3 weeks. So I don’t currently have the required brain power to write something worthy of your time. So instead, I …
Wisdom Wednesday 3/10/21
Photo by Dinah (c) Shame Hello Dear Friends! Welcome back to Wisdom Wednesday. Obviously I have some work to do around this since I completely forgot to post last week Wednesday… Everything has its learning curve I guess! I was recently interviewed for a podcast. The podcast is called Sex, Lies and the Truth. Each …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat 3/5/21
All photos in this post taken by Dinah (c) If we were having coffee..... I’d be happy to see you again! I always enjoy your company! I’m feeling quiet. Nothing’s wrong; I’m just feeling like too many words are unnecessary today. So, instead of words, I’ll share some beauty and some things I love with …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat 2/26/21
Photo by Dinah (c) If we were having coffee.... Welcome back, my friend! I can’t believe we’re already back to our weekend coffee chat! This week just flew by for me! How about you? Did your week go quickly too? Please help yourself to a cup of coffee and tell me about your week. I …
Wisdom Wednesday 2/24/21
“Mirroring & Mindfulness”-Photo by Dinah (c) Welcome back to Wisdom Wednesday!Last week we briefly discussed mindfulness. Mindfulness is about learning to pay attention. It’s about paying attention to what goes on around us and to how we choose to respond … Remembering that we have the ability to choose a thoughtful response rather than a …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat 2/20/21
Photo by Don (c) If we were having coffee....Welcome my friend! How are you? I’m so glad you stopped by to say hello. Grab a cup of something you love and get comfy… in preparation for our transition to the keto way of life, my husband made a batch of chocolate chip cookies… One last …
Wisdom Wednesday 2/17/21
Mindfulness 💜 Introducing Wisdom Wednesday! My thought is that this will be an opportunity to explore different thoughts/beliefs/insights from various Wisdom Traditions that can add to our individual peace of mind and heart. Let’s face it, the world isn't getting any easier to navigate any time soon. So, since we can’t control the outside chaos, …
Dinah’s…If We Were Having Coffee 2/12/21….
Photo by Dinah(c) Hello my friend! Thanks so much for stopping by for a cup of coffee and a chat. I’ve missed you. How have you been? I hope you’re surviving winter and that you’re still finding things to feel happy about! If we were having coffee, I would be delighted to see you. And …
If we were having coffee…1/30/21
Photo by Dinah (c) If we were having coffee.....Hello my friend! Always wonderful to see you! Please grab a cup of coffee and make yourself comfy. Seems to be a good day to catch up… So how are you? I hope you’re finding some things to keep you warm and cozy, both inside and out. …
If we were having coffee…1/16/21
Angel Cloud taken by Dinah (c) If we were having coffee.... Good morning my friend! So happy that you dropped by. Your time is precious and I know that you’re busy. So …I wrote something on Thursday that I feel is important. Please click on it here. Feel free to comment/dialogue here or on that …
Privilege
Photo by Dinah (C) I haven’t written in a while because life has been challenging. All of my time has been spent trying to find a new place for my brain injured brother to live. This, in itself, is challenging. But Covid has made it unbelievably moreso. I have had to move him without being …
News Year’s Day is Every Day!
Photo by Dinah (c) For last year's words belong to last year's language, and next year's words await another voice.~ T S EliotQuote compliments of:www.earthschoolharmony.comHAPPY NEW YEAR!Well my friend… Take a bow! You/we survived 2020. That was no small accomplishment. Congratulations!It occurs to me that this is the day each year that we do what …
Shifting Perspectives…If we were having coffee 12/18/20
Photo by Dinah (c) If we were having coffee..... Welcome my friend! Thank goodness for these weekend coffee shares. Lately, they have been the only time that I have focused on connecting with you. I’m hoping to improve that! If we were having coffee, I would, as usual, be so happy to spend some time …
Continue reading Shifting Perspectives…If we were having coffee 12/18/20
If we were having coffee- 12/4/20
Meme copied from Facebook If we were having coffee..... If we were having coffee I’d want you to go first because I’m tired. Not the tired that gets fixed by going to bed early. That tired is no big deal. I’m the kind of tired that makes me question my fitness for polite company. I …
Musings- NaNoPoBlano Challenge Day 22/30
Productive or not, my thoughts often wander to all kinds of “what ifs”. It’s what my brain does. Sometimes it’s useful, it’s a form of contingency planning. And when you’re dealing with disability, contingency plans are important in case things go off the rails. But today isn’t about survival planning. It’s more about life in …
If we were having coffee 10/30/20…..
Oh so happy to see you! I’m so looking forward to these coffee Saturdays leading to new friendships and to the rekindling of communication with some longtime friends. If we were having coffee I’d tell you that I’ve now tried walking with my crutches a few times. I fell Thursday morning because I’m still trying …
Watershed Moments….
What started at age 18 was confirmed at age 55 thanks to 23&Me.....When something known in the gut is finally confirmed to the mind, time stands still and the scene becomes burned into cellular memory.I was 18 and my life had been difficult and not of my own making. My father won custody of me …
With Angels and Elephants 