Missus Bounty Basket

This morning, I had the privilege to stay amongst the greenery while contemplating the sky. Looking up, I could see clouds of different shapes and formations. A baby, a face etc.  Then suddenly they were all gone and the blue sky was all that was left for a brief time.  I  could stay looking up at that peaceful sky the whole morning but duty calls and various errands are to be done. My to-do list was not full this time. I remember when a friend found out that I love to prepare a to-do list, she seriously told me that people who make To-do list would have Alzheimer's . I look at her in disbelief. I did not say anything. Not saying anything to keep the friendship and at the same time to avoid confrontation eventually caught up with me. I am losing my voice. Being silent for as long as I can remember would mean not disturbing anyone, or not causing any harm. Keeping quiet means calm and not voicing anything. Growing up, I believed that I was shy yet I found out that I was ...

A long time ago,  I learned to type , however, I was not at ease with the number keypads but the letters were just a breeze. Thanks to my perseverance on sleepy Saturday mornings and some typing courses my aunt gifted me. And now here I am again, typing some more and revisiting the ease and pride I feel every time my fingers hit the keypads. There must be a reason why I have learned this, there must be a reason why I like to write in English. Maybe it's not that perfect but my brain will just switch and use Uncle Sam's vocabulary. It is awesome. Now as I turn older, a word/vocabulary sometimes skips and hides and won't come out that easily, I savor the day and time when they flow easily.  I would like to type at least  3 paragraphs and let the words turn into something useful to me or to someone who might read this but what can I say or write? I'd like to inspire someone like me, a 50-something who is trying to remember what she wanted to be when she was 5 years ol...

 Life is unfolding the way it should be, which makes me look forward to what's next. It's not easy to comprehend, a challenge most of the time given my old mindset yet considering the learning and unlearning that are taking place at this moment I am welcoming the shift that's taking place.  I am not writing about my 5 things TODAY.  I am still deciding if I should continue to write at 8 p.m. There are so many things to do in so little time yet I am learning to focus and put my creative energy into important things. Yet, the question of being proactive and productive as an unemployed 50-something mother of 2 creeps in. How can I do both, how can I fully engage my being to create and be creative every day? Maybe because I am worried about being labeled as lazy. Or maybe, I should stop thinking what others might say about me and just be Me.  I have been living with fear, worry, and stress most of my life. Being too kind and too nice so that there's peace around me. Sayi...

The garden. My plot is steadily taking shape hopefully in time for the greenhouse . Not much effort is needed to pull out the weeds yet it's a challenge to level the soil. I wanted to get this miniature level to make sure of that. Solution. I have finally found out my hens' problem and now, will be able to apply the proper solution for them. It will be a long process but that's how it is. Clutter . Father and daughter team clearing the attic. A part of it, nonetheless what's important is they have started. Agenda. My spring notebook is almost full not only with my to-do list but with book titles, quotes as well as recipes. There are times when not everything is accomplished yet seeing my daily written plan works for me and I function better with it. Packed lunch. Cooked chicken curry for Erin's lunch and she's not convinced that it was a curry dish. 😄 Nanay's pretend chicken curry 5 pcs chicken thigh a can of coconut milk 2 spoonfuls of Panang curry past...

  We had a very early morning. Dropped one daughter off at the tram station , left the other while she was getting ready for school, and drove to Plateau de Glières to forage some bolet and chanterelles . It's an hour or so from Lancy . We were not the first ones to arrive and hoped to find a lot of mushrooms .  5 things TODAY. Silence. We were together in silence amidst the forest. Coffee. It was a bit cold while walking in the forest and we thought of having some coffee once we were in the village but due to time constraints went to do the grocery first and headed home in time for lunch. Next time we plan to be coffee-ready even stay longer and have the day only for gathering mushrooms Kindness. We all need that today.  Patience. Foraging mushrooms is synonymous with patience. We walk towards that goal of finding the chanterelle yet if and when there's none, it's alright. Next season again.  Being grateful. Of our time together, of the lone chanterelle and the...

  Thrilled to celebrate my first month of 5 ThingsTODAY posting, I let myself slip away and wasted my time waiting to recenter and get back to the flow. But rather than starting slowly and then betting back, I slipped further away and felt that I needed to take a day off and did not post anything. I felt guilty at first yet did not curse the world because that was my decision and no one was trampled on.  I thought of writing something else than my 5 things just to shake things up. Maybe I should document my plan to sort out my things. Maybe...maybe. Yet here I am again. 5 things TODAY. My truth. The most important thing that matters. The past. Should stay where it is.  Staying in awe (once again). Be it seeing an enormous walnut tree for the first time or that bird that landed on our table.  Côté Jardin . It has been a while since I listened to this garden program in TSR. Canton Vaud . Went to Aubonne , not in Ikea , mind you but to the Arboretum . Took home two pot...

 A month ago, three days after my birthday, I decided to write  5 things as a blog post. A very short one, less than 5 min. read.  My goal was to create something and answer the whisper of the Universe that I have been ignoring for as long as I can remember. Then I  asked? What am I supposed to write? What if nobody reads it. Then I remembered that my main goal is to create and let my life unfold without asking or waiting for other people's validation. Of course, I still check how many visit my page. But it is not the most important thing that motivates me to write and answer the whisper that's getting louder and louder. The most important thing is that after the busyness of the day, I can put Bach and let the magic begin. It does not make any sense but it's a way of getting to know myself, which  I  have long forgotten and abandoned to be able to follow the path dictated to me.  In writing my 5 things for the day, I am reconnecting to my soul and waki...

  Today: Conversation. Nothing compares to talking to a friend and inspiring each other for future projects. Happiness - it's finding hazelnuts on the sidewalk while biking on my way home. And I just can't leave them there, trampled on or gathered by the machine to be thrown out and forgotten.  Kitchen . To clean up before going to bed, whatever state I'm in.  Shops. Boucherie Dussauge and Thu Hang . Two of the few places I like to go to while doing my errand in Geneva. Mairie . Went there to buy tickets for next week's day tour with Mama. 

  Grey heron - Saw one while brisk walking this morning near La Gavotte . The bird was near the river.  I stopped and admired its graceful posture, and then it flew away. Look ahead - I tend to look down at the ground while walking, something I have learned to do growing up. My grandfather would tell me to look down coz I might missed a coin in front of me. He might be right at that time, I just thought that now as an adult, I can choose to look ahead and see what's going on in front of me.   Landi - Got me some tulip and onion bulbs. Getting ready for fall planting. Low tunnel . Cleaned up a plot, and planted lots of salad greens and mache. Squatting .  Light Watkins an author and a meditation teacher has posted something about squatting . The same position I have been doing for as long as I can remember but then forgotten. Now that my body is healing, I am integrating this into almost everything I do.  Love, Myra

Today, I have embraced the call to be a plantita . Yet for me being outside and tending my garden is more gratifying, houseplants are not really my cup of tea. For me, it's another task.  Don't get me wrong, I am fine having less than 5 pots of plants and orchids, and yet plants started coming my way, and along with them - frustration. And as  I feel more dismayed, house plants show up somehow reminding me of some kind of unfinished business. Therefore, I have decided to answer the call, there's no turning back (not yet).  There are a dozen or so potted plants at home and I would really like to keep that number and not be overwhelmed. This way, my plants can have all the love and attention they need. Along with my three citrus plants and my low tunnel garden plot.  5 things TODAY. Cosmos . These beauties are flourishing and having them makes walking around the garden more special.  Made some bean salad with the garden greens and one Albenga unripe chili pe...

 I was a Little Prince for a night and approached a lot of people during the party .  It felt awkward yet I tread where my fear was. For I had a mission, to acquire as many drawings of sheep as possible. 5 things TODAY Verveine & laughter . Went to see two of my friends and had some drinks with them. Being organized or something like that.  Walking . As I altered my pace and the distance slightly, I could feel that my endurance had increased. A glass of wine with the husband. Geneva . Will be forever in awe of this beautiful city.

  It was a quiet day, everyone's at school and I had the whole house for myself. Being bored was not on the agenda. Yet this would mean eating alone, talking to the hens, gardening , and keeping our home organized .  I am decluttering . Slowly... As I let my life unfold and learn to be more gentle and loving towards myself, projects don't look as daunting as before. Something is shifting inside of me and being aware of that is just gloriously amazing. 5 things TODAY:  Gratitude Trust the process.  Just when I thought that this beautiful zucchini plant called  trombetta  would not grow, it suddenly gave three fruits. And as with life, I am trusting the process.  River . Calms the soul. Being kind to myself. Choosing to be quiet.

  Actually, it was yesterday. This is just to keep a record that yes, I was able to make it to my third week. 5 things TODAY  may not make sense to anybody but me, nonetheless it's okay. Writing my 5 things every day is a way to remind me that in my present situation, there's love, creativity, and energy that I can share with the Universe without asking for validation from anybody. There was a time when it was disheartening to find out that it was not reaching out to even half a dozen people. Then I would remind myself why I have started. And the fact that  4 or so people might be passing by to check on what I did was already something in itself. I am simply putting out what was initially a simple thought and giving it a life.  It was like what Elizabeth Gilbert had said about creativity and grasping it and making it happen. Otherwise, if the person rejects it or didn't take notice of it, that very energy would still be floating by until another person is brave eno...

  My strength. What could it be? This is a direct question to my being. I will sleep on it and will have the answer by tomorrow. Treatment. Every two weeks I am self-administering my treatment for RA and today is that day.  In the beginning, I thought that diet change would alleviate the body pain but that was not the case. I do hope that eventually, I will be able to live without it. Lokum . The husband brought a box from Sofia . I do like them and in a way remind me of the sweets I used to eat back home . Bird and sunflower. There's this joy in looking at nature's wonder and the simplicity of life. Drying clothes under the sun. The simple gesture of hanging them and then folding the crispy clothes gave me a sense of peace and lightness. 

 A new book. I went to Renfile in Espace Tourbillon and lo and behold, I found the one  recommended by the late  Dr.Wayne Dyer written by Anita Moorjani . Chewy cookies . Baked some with lots of nuts and I added a banana. These are gluten-free . Self-care. Walked to Onex and had coffee with Mama. Now that I can walk without pain in my ankle due to inflammation , I am celebrating my newfound strength by walking for at least half an hour.  Knitting . I am doing a scarf and am using the rest of the yarn from the fingerless glove  I did for my daughter a long time ago.  Letting life unfold. 

  Melon . My 2nd fruit is ready and harvested it today. Morning walk . A quiet one because there was not a soul on the main street saved from a few cars once in a while. It was a glorious morning. A day with Erin. We spent the day together in Les Grottes  for a yard sale . I like this kind of event. As the proverb goes: One man's trash is another man's treasure.  Though I did not find anything on my list, Erin found lots of pre-loved clothing, Manga books, posters, and a ring. We had lunch then around 14h, we went home. Tired but happy about our time together. Lye water . Finally, I found one in Mabuhay Asian store . I would like to make some kutsinta . Photo project. The idea of taking more garden pictures entered my mind. 

Yoga. This is the one that I did this morning. A 10-minute practice. And it started TODAY. Adobo .  The dish that I want to be better at.  Coffee with Mama. We met in a bakery/café in Onex. She was in a high spirit . Emmaus . In search of a green top and I managed to stay for an hour, goodness. Pity that their books were in disarray. I really thought of sorting them out but was in a hurry to do the rest of my errand. Coconut brush . For toilets. I want one just to eliminate the use of plastic and because I cannot find the right one for our toilet bowl. Word of advice: take a picture of the brush before throwing it out.

  Things to do. I am more organized when writing my to-do list on a spring notebook , instead of using a phone app. It felt good to be able to cross things out every time it's accomplished. I used to recycle old envelopes and A4 papers for my to-do list but it would be lost with my other papers to sort out, it was then that I opted for notebooks.  Dahlia . Tiny flowers are growing, hopefully, slugs won't see them and have a party. It's one of my favorite flowers to grow because of my aunt. She used to grow dahlias of different colors in front of her house. The day before the town fiesta, we'd be going to her place by foot and once we saw the tall dahlias, it was a sign of relief that finally we arrived. Hazelnuts. The tree which is called noisetier in french is mightily growing by the path near the Satigny train station. This time I am ready with an old Zalando sachet, and half-filled it with hazelnuts. Ah! the joy of foraging. Fruit trees.  Really happy that a lot of...

  Sweet potato brownies . Third day and tasted better than yesterday. Baked without buckwheat this time.  Library . It's in the top 5 of my fave places here in Geneva and where I meet Albom , Coben , Mankell , Murakami , Nesbo even Gilbert and Patchett .  Mobility . I am learning and getting the hang of it. Making some progress. Thank you.  Italian. Been wanting to learn italian for a long, long time. It started years ago when we camped  in Tarquinia for a week. Then other things happened and learning another language took a back seat. Nonetheless, it's never too late to learn anything. That's why,  I read 5-10 pages of an italian book .  I do not understand everything nonetheless familiarizing myself with vocabularies and phrases will help me a great deal, I know.  Silence. I usually turn the radio on while cooking or cleaning up in the kitchen. Nonetheless, I have been without any radio or music for some days now. I'd like the calm and se...

Castres Compostage de Chatillon .  This afternoon we went to get some soil. 110 kg and we paid chf3.30. Seriously, one of the places I like. The smell of the earth brings joy to my whole being and I get so giddy and hopeful for my garden.  Dentist . An inevitable visit today. Mine is in Plans-les-Ouates , not so far from our neighborhood . Garden. On my way to my dentist, I saw a garden with so many blossoming flowers. Evidently, I stopped and admired everything.  Champex-Lac . Time to open the calendar for the winter season . It is going to be our first winter renting the chalet.  Smile . She was with her mother and then she saw me walking towards her and with the toy she lovingly held in her hand, she stopped and smiled at me. She must be 3 years old. I smiled back and went my way. It's a beautiful morning.