Siggy’s Blurbs

The latest about Tilla, my favorite dog.  My wife last night let the dogs back in.  She had some scraps from dinner in her left hand, which she had extended.  Three dogs came in and Tilla without missing a beat jumped up and grabbed a bite as he came in.  My wife laughed.  He does not miss anything.  Last night he slept on my bed as usual but was along the left side of me not far from my reach.  I petted him several times during the night.  He was in that position for hours.  There is nothing like togetherness.

Tags: bed, dinner scraps, dogs, my wife, nothing like togetherness, pets, petted, Tilla
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Somehow I need to talk less.  I need to give my wife more empty spaces.  I forget this all too often.  I do not have to repeat myself unless it is evident she did not hear me or understand me.  All this is very hard for me.  I know I have to work on it.

Less is always more.  It is too easy to fill up the blank spaces with words.  I have to give my “other” a chance to reflect on my words.  All this takes time.  Communication is not immediate.  This age of cell phones and other technology gives this illusion that communication is instant.  It is the hardest thing in the whole world.  It is work.

When I believe I am being perfectly clear in my communication with my wife, I find out I wasn’t.

Tags: cell phones, communication, communication is work, empty spaces, less is more, my wife, my words, repeat myself, talk less, technology
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I am watching the berries.  Within a short walking distance of our house is patches of blackberries and red raspberries.  I surveyed the progress of the berries today.  The red raspberries are still a few weeks off, then a little later there are the blackberries.  I will keep checking them periodically.  There are frozen crusts in the freezer waiting for the berries to be picked.  My wife makes great berry pie and they get consumed by both of us right away.  Occasionally we even give one away.  I will keep checking the berry patches.  I don’t want to miss my wife’s pies.  They are just too good.

Tags: berries, berry patch, berry pie, blackberries, my wife, pick berries, pie crusts, red raspberries
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Now I am doing the wash.  She spotted a gigantic spider near the washing machine and alerted me.  It was on the side wall and I tried to trap it and cover it with a large ash tray so I could safely release outside but it evaded my capture.

It had a large head and feet that must have been two inches long.  I don’t like spiders myself but I was running out of underwear and pants so someone had to do the wash.  Every time I went in the vicinity I would look for it.

No luck.  I am sure it liked the dust that collected around there.  And I certainly was not going to try to flush it out.  It was up to me to do the wash.  My wife was not going anywhere near there.

Tags: doing the wash, dust, my wife, spider, washing machine
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The spring has arrived.  Everything has become green.  Most of the deciduous trees the leaves have come out although there are some late bloomers.  Some trees are only budding.  Spring is almost at the halfway mark.  And there are occasional days where it has skipped the season and went straight into summer but then it becomes cooler again and we know it is still spring.  I inspect my garden every day to see the next bloom of the year.  And then share the discovery with my Other.  Spring is the season of discoveries.  And I always like sharing the latest.  The hummingbird arrived on Easter only last week.  This time my wife spotted the bird first.  I love watching them sip nectar from our feeder.  And fend off other hummingbirds who invade their territory.

Tags: bird feeder, bird-watching, birds, bloom, budding, deciduous trees, Easter, everything green, garden, God, hummingbird, leaves, my wife, nectar, season of discoveries, seasons, spring, summer
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We went straight into summer from spring.  It hit 81 degrees today.  The warmer weather finally hit here.  I did not want to leave my car’s windows open.  It looked as if we might get a thunderstorm.  My wife worked outside in the garden and I brought out two folding chairs.  We are ready for this warm weather.  It took a long time to get here.

Tags: garden, my wife, seasons, spring, summer, thunderstorm, warm weather
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My wife saw the first hummingbird of the season come to our feeder.  She tried to get my attention but I did not see the bird.  Now I have my eyes stationed on the feeder which is only two feet from our front living room window.  I expect to see another any minute.  To think the hummingbird flew thousands of miles to get here and also remembered the location of this feeder.

Tags: bird feeder, bird-watching, birds, flew thousands of miles, hummingbird, living room window, my wife
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Another rite of spring:  I put up fresh nectar I prepared for the hummingbirds.  In past springs the first usually appears in the end of April so let us see exactly when the first one comes to the feeder.  I did not want to put up nectar too soon.  It would just mold.  This year I decided my birthday would be a good time to do it.  Now my wife and I will wait for the first one to come to our feeder.

Tags: April, bird feeding, bird-watching, birds, birthday, hummingbirds, my wife, nectar, rite of Spring, spring
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Today I will greet with a spirit of gratitude.  It is so easy to be ungrateful.  To look at your life and see many things that are lacking.  I will change the focus of it and thank the Almighty for all his gifts.  He has given me so much.  And I have to thank Him for so much:  Every breath I possess is His.  All the material wealth I possess is, also, His.  It is only mine temporarily.  It is only on loan.  As well as the people He puts in my life.  All on loan.  As well as my wife and direct relatives–my two sisters and cousins.  All on loan.  I have to thank God for all of it.  As well as my friends.  I will thank God for all of it and continue to greet this day with a spirit of gratitude.  It is all His.

Tags: Almighty, cousin, friends, God, life, my wife, on loan, relatives, sister, spirit of gratitude, thank God, ungrateful, wealth
Posted in God, balance, beauty, health, life, love, marriage, mental health, money, relationships, time, wisdom | No Comments »

It was a small discovery:  a miniature daffodil had bloomed.  It might have been one I had bought in the store and she planted it after it had bloomed.

I wanted to show my wife it.  I checked on it today and found out the flower was lying on the ground separated from its stem.  I never got to show it to my wife.  I felt bad.  I was really careful I would not step on it.  It was a little to the side.

Most flowers are so fragile–here today, gone tomorrow.  Maybe, it will have another bloom.  I just felt a sense of loss I never was able to show my wife it.  Now the bloom was on the ground.  I just felt bad.

Tags: "here today gone tomorrow", bloom, felt bad, flowers, garden, miniature daffodil, my wife, plants
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I have adjusted my expectations (of Spring).  My wife said it was really ‘December weather’ and I agreed.  Early morning it was nineteen degrees and currently it is thirty-three.  I will think cold and wait until it decides to become spring.  I have lowered my expectations.  It is really winter.  As far as I am concerned.

Tags: cold temperatures, December, March, my expectations, my wife, seasons, spring, winter
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Yesterday Lynelle excitedly pointed out a ring necked pheasant across the street.  I had never seen one from my house.  We watched it cross the street and disappear into our woods.  A little over a mile away there is a state game land where they stock ring neck pheasants for the hunters.  I considered the sighting “serendipity”.  It was a bird I never expected to see in this immediate area.  It made my day.

Tags: bird-watching, birds, made my day, my wife, ring necked pheasant, serendipity, woods
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