Till The Morning

As I've grown older, mornings have become a favorite part of my day.

Especially this time of year, when I can wander out and poke around in the garden.

Always a slow riser, I am even more so now since I had to give up coffee because of a heart arrhythmia several years ago. 

Turns out I didn't know how anxious coffee made me feel until I stopped drinking it.

Anyway, I've been wanting to share a super-easy granola recipe that I've been making. A batch of it usually lasts me over a week, unless Mr. Fix-It gets into for a late night snack.

I love it for snacking too.

It's hardy enough to put hunger pangs at bay for several hours, plus it isn't too sweet. It seems perfect actually.

Toss together in a bowl:

8 cups of rolled oats
2 cups of nuts ( almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans etc)
1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup pure maple syrup

Add after cooking:
2 cups of dried fruit ( I usually add raisins but dried cherries are great too, or cranberries)

I bake it at 350 in a glass 11" X 17" pyrex pan because it's easy to stir while baking. Bake for 15 minutes, stir it, bake it for 15 more, and stir again. Then I shut the stove off and leave it in there until I remember it's there. Turns nice and golden brown, and yummy.

If you're more of a muffin person these better than sex muffins are, shall I say, very, very, very good.

Lastly, I leave you with a favorite old song.

Happy day,
Louise

Science Says So

Research suggests that as we grow older, particularly after mid-life, we tend to grow happier. I feel happier at mid-life than I ever have, so to hear that more happiness might be in store for us is good news.

This is from a really good article on Inc.com:

"Studies have discovered that as people age, they seek out situations that will lift their moods, for instance, pruning social circles of friends or acquaintances who might bring them down. Still other work finds that older adults learn to let go of loss and disappointment over unachieved goals, and focus their goals on greater well being."

The article lists 10 ways to bring more happiness into our lives.

Here are a handful of ways, beyond the common lifestyle choices of exercising and getting enough sleep (so that we aren't crabby little whiners):

• Nothing matters more than our connections with other people- not even a raise.

• The importance of getting outdoors.

• The importance of helping others.

• The practice of smiling.

• Move closer to work- a short commute is worth more than a big house. A short commute is heaven.

All good reminders.

It always comes down to the simple things in life.

Things have grown way too complicated.

Have a nice week, dear readers of mine.

Thank you to Carolyn for sending this in.

xo

Maybe That's Not Love

Donna Lou Steven's video "Older Ladies" and Lines of Beauty are a match made in heaven.

Just 10 days on Youtube and it already has over 22k hits. It's very catchy and makes me wish I was in it, as not only are the lyrics great, but it looks like it was a lot of fun to make. I've already listened to it five times.

Oh man I love creativity. Keep it coming girl.

Also this week, from The Open Mind, some truths we so easily forget:

• The average human life is relatively short. 

• You will only live the life you create for yourself.

• Some kind of failure always occurs before success.

• You don't have to wait for an apology to forgive.

• It's not other people's job to love you; it's yours. 

The last two I think are especially important. In all my years of observing people, those who hold grudges or can't find a way to love themselves are sailing on a sinking ship. The good news is that these wounds, usually from childhood, can be healed. But as my friend, therapist Cindy Brennan says, in her wonderful new book, Living , Loving & Unlearning,  you have to face the darkness, to see the light.

Because

#thethirdtimeisthecharm

I'm changing the channel in my head to one of gratitude:

First of all, I'm thankful for my health and strong body, and for the health of those around me.

I'm grateful that the plane crash that killed 7 people, a few miles from here this week, did not land in our neighborhood or any other. 

I'm thankful for my perfectly imperfect home.

I'm grateful that the delphiniums, that I've tried to grow twice before, are finally blossoming.

I'm thankful for our eldest daughter who has lead us to a more organic life, with her flourishing vegetable garden and her environmental studies.

She broadens and inspires me, more than she knows.

I'm grateful that this week's car repair was only $425, and that we didn't need a new transmission costing $4000.

I'm thankful for frugal people, who inspire me more than anyone, while making-do with less.

I'm grateful for my love of making things.

Anything.

I'm thankful for the near-summer sun, the longer days, and the birds, who chirp outside our bedroom each morning.

I'm grateful for this Norwegian blog.

Even when I don't have time to read it,

her photos are like little rays of sunshine.

   

Slipping Away

Bubs, our lovable and entertaining calico, of 16 years, made her exit on Thursday. After seven days without food, it became clear that she wasn't letting go with ease and needed to be put down. For me, it was in-part, a real-life primer on holding someone's hand; while they made their way to let go of ours.

#ladyinwaiting  #hospicecare #sweetsixteen

Even if you aren't an animal lover, I imagine you probably understand how I feel. I've been trying to appease myself with visions of a new kitten, or two, taking her place, but the reality is, I think it's good to wait a bit. They will have some very big shoes to fill.

Coinciding with this, we received our 8th lab report for the natural food product that my business partner and I have been trying to launch the past 2.5 years. It was more bad news. I've kind of seen the writing on the wall, in several ways, the last few months. Just haven't wanted to let go of something that I have loved and believed in so much- or of our branding that I've thought is, for lack of a better word, awesome (thanks to my "mad man" partner).

I'll be back.....just need to go and cry in my soup for a bit.

Thank you for listening to my woes,
Louise

In the End

Unless of course 

we're talking about love and gratitude,

or fresh air,

or self-care. 

The secret to having it all

is knowing 

that we already do.

When the Dots Line Up

I've been yearning to write. Kind of like how I frequently crave making something, or going on a long hard run, or searching for some sort of intimacy with another human being. You know, that feeling that we reach for in our day, as we put one foot in front of the other, hoping to make all the puzzle pieces fit. Honestly, sometimes when I put a piece of chocolate in my mouth it almost feels like a mini-accomplishment of what I am subconsciously trying to achieve. When all the dots line up and we find ourselves in a blissful state. I think it's called "being in the zone." Kind of feels like being in love. I like how, as we grow older, that feeling in love doesn't necessarily have to have anything to do with an actual relationship. Maybe it's just holding a newborn baby or seeing a teeny tiny rabbit in the garden. Maybe it's making something with our hands or simply listening to a song. Yesterday, as all the trees and flowers were brilliantly bursting from their buds, I sat back, and looked at all that laid before me. Enamored and suddenly at peace. Contently, in love.

Mom Was No Poet: A Daughter Remembers Her Mother

"Sarge"

Happy Mother's Day. This week's post is written by my dear old friend Chris Radant, who wrote the original short story for the movie Home For the Holidays.
.........................................................................

We called her “Sarge.”

My brothers and I knew her unflappable love for us, as well as the part that was highly flappable. Her jaw would set, her mouth would pucker and rise up a half inch closer to her nose and her voice….ho boy, that voice. And words only sailors used. Hazel Kay Radant in the house!

Heels would click, children would salute and scurry, apologize and know full well that the love didn't go away.

She used to pull me up onto her lap, show me the “learn to draw ad” in the back of a magazine, put a pencil in my hand and things got really quiet. “Let’s draw pretty girls, honey,” she said each time.

I had a bedroom in the attic where I assumed the pitched ceiling over my bed to have been built expressly for me. I could rest my chin on the windowsill between my chenille-covered twin beds. With a pillow under my knees, I knelt there like I was taking communion and watched the drive-in theater’s movies.
In the summer, I could even hear them.
That’s how I learned about the big world outside our housing plan in Columbus, Ohio.

She’d call me down into reality, to wash the dishes, watch my little brother. I hated her cooking…food from cans and boxes, ‘50s style. “Set the table, punkin’ and get the box of mashed potatoes out for me and the squirt cheese.” We ate what was squirted in front of us… or so Mom thought.

All the quirks made life interesting and taught my brothers and me to be ready for anything. And thanks to Sarge, I can draw now. Today, I’m an artist and writer living on Martha's Vineyard.

Drawing by Chris Radant

Special thanks to the Martha's Vineyard Times.

Choices That Serve Us Better

Choice, not chance, determines our destiny.  ~Aristotle

This week's post is written by gum surgeon Dr. Cheryl Townsend Winter, who was featured on Lines of Beauty a few years ago, when she was in the middle of writing her book. The book is now complete and chock full of very helpful guidance for the journey of aging.:

I like to think of life as a piece of art of which we are the artist. That life is a composition piece; a unique woven tapestry of the choices we make.  Dorothy Sander said: “We are all artists. We just create on our own unique kind of canvas.” I say, we are all artists and we create our own lives. 

One choice we make is attitude: we can see ourselves aging gracefully, and beautifully, with longevity. Not at all surprisingly, having a positive attitude contributes to longevity. Research by Becky Levy proves that having a positive outlook on aging can add seven and a half years to one's life.

But there is more to this story than just attitude. Genetics accounts for 1/3 of the factors that lead to a long life so there is the other 2/3 which is the composition of all of the choices we make each moment of every day: what we eat or drink; what we do or don't do; whether we smoke or not; what time we go to bed and get up, etc. We can decide to live healthier and enjoy feeling good as we move along the longevity pathway. To give you a few ideas of choices that serve us well, here are some examples from my book, The Aging Gracefully Pathway: A Toolkit for the Journey. Some of them may surprise or intrigue you:

Longevity Quick Tips: 

 -Drink water to be healthy, think clearly, and even lose weight. 

    -Play in the dirt a little (gardening is so good for us in so many ways) to help win the aging battle (strengthens immunity).

    -Prevent gum disease: Floss your teeth - adds six years to your life.

    -From RealAge.com: Two 20 minute walks per day can take five years off your biologic age.

    -Shedding pounds can add 3-4 years to your life. 

    -Appreciate the magnificent equipment the body is, listening to what it has to say, and acting as its steward.

  Thank you Doctor.  

  Dr. Cheryl Townsend Winter's book is available at Amazon. 

Salut Salon

German female quartet performs comedic instrumental acrobatics.

Bravo!

Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy Day,
xo

New Souls, Old Souls

Did you ever think about how many lifetimes you've lived?

I noticed from a young age that people, regardless of their age or socio-economics, seem like they have taken fewer or more laps around the track, so to speak.

When I meet an old soul I feel like I want to climb onto their lap and stay awhile.

I don't think I am an old soul or a young soul. My feeling is that I am a medium-old soul.

Not that it matters at all. It's just something that I've noticed but couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. I yearned to know more but I didn't even know what to research- until last year when it finally dawned on me and I put the pieces together.

Or at least I think I have put the pieces together.

Ha!

My apologies if this is all a review for you:

According to the site Loner Wolf  these are signs that you are an old soul:

~ You tend to be a solitary loner.

~You love knowledge, wisdom and truth.

~You're spiritually inclined.

~You understand the transience of life.

~You're thoughtful and introspective.

~You see the bigger picture.

~You aren't materialistic.

~You were a strange, socially maladaptive kid.

~ You just "feel" old.

If you are still with me, and care to know more, you can take an old soul test. They also have tests for infant souls, baby souls, young souls, and mature souls :-)

Holy mackerel.

Maybe dating websites have had it all wrong. Maybe they should be matching people up by the age of their souls.

Maybe this is a terrible idea.

Cycle of Life

Photo by Gerald Gribbon

Every time I see this photo by Gerald Gribbon on my Pinterest account, her beauty stops me in my tracks.

The sparkle in her eyes, her smile, the warmth she alludes. Her colors.

All I know of her is that she is from Phuket, Thailand, but I yearn to know more.

Where is she in the cycle of life?, I wonder.

If we think of the cycle of life like it's the face of a clock- twelve o'clock being our birth-  is she at 10:00 o'clock, with many many more moons still before her perhaps?  Or is she just a few strokes before midnight maybe, with only a birthday or two left before she passes?

My mama fell this past week while standing in the bathroom, trying to take off her sock. She broke the wrist she writes with and is more handicapped then she has ever been. It's been a hard week for both of us, but especially for her of course. I am noticing the instant intimacy that is created with someone when there is adversity. I'm having flash-backs of her by my side when I had my tonsils out in kindergarten, or the flu when I was young. Always a wonderful caretaker she was.

It's been a responsibility to have her close-by the last few years, but also, what a gift.

Such a very rich gift.
Her optimism, strength, and love for the simple things in life, inspires me endlessly.

Beauty Parlor Wisdom

Robbie Kaye, my 92-year old mom, and me, at the Griffin Museum

Three years ago I featured California photojournalist, Robbie Kaye, on Lines of Beauty when she traipsing across America photographing older women in beauty parlors.

Photograph by Robbie Kaye

Dedicated to changing the perception of aging and beauty, Robbie's inspiring book of beauty parlor portraits and essays, titled Beauty and Wisdom, is now complete. Luckily for me, Robbie was in Boston last week for the opening of her photography show at the Griffin Museum. We bi-coastal cyber friends, with similar missions, finally had a chance to meet and it was so much fun.

"True Beauty is what comes to mind when I look at the beautiful photographs in Robbie Kaye's book; "Beauty and Wisdom". Robbie boldly reminds us with gentle wisdom that we have a choice at how we perceive beauty and aging. When we look at ourselves through a clear lens as she does, what we see becomes a work of art."

~M.J. Rolek

I couldn't have said it better.

Thank you Robbie for your dedication to sharing the masterpiece that resides with all of us, as we grow older.

~ Louise

Time Sits On Its Hands

Love this video

Time Flies

We're led to believe

But it's us that fly

Time sits on its hands

As we rush by.

~Roger McGough

Go do what's been knocking at your door.

Tapping on your shoulder

Calling your name

Touching your heart

Love

later

life.

xo,

Louise

Twenty Strangers

I'm procrastinating doing taxes to share the above video.

Just over 57 million hits and it's only been on Youtube for 6 days.

I like that they included at least one older person in it.

I've wondered what it would be like to kiss a stranger and then just walk away.

Kind of like having, maybe, a delicious piece of chocolate,

or possibly even better.

Perhaps this is where our minds go, even if we've been snug and mostly sound with someone for many years.

Or less.



Yesterday my 65-year-old brother sent me an email with the subject,

"Wisdom Resides in a Natural Face."

I opened it and there wasn't anything enclosed.

So I emailed him back and said " Where's the link?"

To which he responded,

"No link. Just a thought. Does plastic surgery take wisdom out of your face?"

I think it does.

Restoring or erasing our faces, deletes their history.

Wisdom comes over time, one of the beauties of aging.



Watching people morph into old age is very interesting.

Worst Enemy

Sometimes we are our own worst enemies and have to keep tabs on thoughts like these that can get in the way of a more fulfilling life:

~Thinking that we have already missed our chance.

~ Obsessing over examining personal failures.

~Changing who we are to satisfy others.

~Using failed relationships as an excuse.

~Dwelling on things we can't change.

Good huh? I didn't write them...in my cyber travels I discovered this neat site called Marc and Angel Hack Life. They have lots of practical tips for productive living, such as 6 things happy people never do- which now that I reread them is an even better list than the one above. :-)

Very Little

I often think 

that besides the basic necessities of life,

I need very little. 

That if I have my running shoes,

and my knitting, and a book,

and someone to love

wherever I go

that life is pretty wonderful. 

Artwork by Gayana at Etsy.

Wabi-Sabi

Iglesia de San Francisco, Antiqua, Gratemala

Mr. Fix-It and I were down in Nashville this week. The land of yesteryear, where recycling is a new concept, folks are still smoking in bars, and where life is lead with conservative thought. 

We had some really good BBQ however and were fortunate to feel the warm spring sun upon our faces. Not to mention the friendly people, good music, and wide open spaces. 

I missed the wabi-sabi of New England however. 

Wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection. "Wabi" is the kind of beauty that is caused by imperfection, such as found in a handmade vase. "Sabi" is the kind of beauty that can come only with age, such as the beauty of older people. 

Wabi-sabi is flea markets and antiques, not big-box stores and man-made building materials. Wabi-sabi celebrates the cracks and crevices that time leaves behind.

Through wabi-sabi, we learn to embrace the lines on our face, furniture that has seen better days, the vase of no longer perky flowers, and the march of time they represent.

What if we could be content with our lives, exactly as they are today?

That is the wabi-sabi question I leave us with.

Special thanks to both Liz and Sandi for educating me on wabi-sabi.

For further reading on the wabi-sabi of our perfectly imperfect bodies click here.

Have a wonderfully wabi-sabi week :-)

Lovely Little Things

Thank goodness for Valentine's Day. What better way to occupy ourselves amidst this long, bloody cold winter!

I've been trying to keep the mojo going making cards and crafting, whilst watching the Olympics. If you aren't a card maker, or are short on time, Paperless Post has some sweet ones to email your valentines for short money ( and even some free ones). I especially have a passion for the texture of letterpress and am going to change this one into a Valentine.

Canadian designer, Mags Kandis, has written a great book called Gifted, that is chock full of 30+ great ideas to knit, crochet, and felt all year long.

And Valentine's wouldn't be Valentine's if we didn't have a little romance would it? Thank you to Caroline for sending this clip along. I love it. It's from the New York Time's Modern Love column and it's titled Falling In Love At 71.

Two minutes of optimistic sweetness.

Tra-la!

Happy Valentine's to you my dear readers. As I begin a new year, I want to let you know how much I appreciate you, and how much I continue to love having Lines of Beauty.

XO,
Louise

Greater Than

Nobody tells you
it's okay to call yourself beautiful
it's okay to smile at mirrors
and it's perfectly fine
to say your own eyes are pretty

it is wonderful to love your own waist
and your legs
regardless of their size
and you are not conceited
if you use your fingers to list
everything you're good at
rather than point
at all your own flaws

you can acknowledge you're smart
and that you'll go places
and you will be someone
greater than your mistakes

you can't always expect
other people to believe in yourself
for you

~Anonymous


There is big news this week for those of us guiding how our culture sees older women. American Apparel, the clothing company that targets ages 20-35, has chosen a 62-year old to be their lingerie model. Oh ya baby. How great is that? Have a peak here and say Halleluiah!

Also, on the tail of last week's video, I found another one that I like even better by the same creator called Let's Make Our Day Harder:

Darling Magazine recently released its third video in the That’s What She Said series with Soul Pancake. It’s a feature on the beauty of aging.
Read more at http://www.ryot.org/video-get-excited-aging-soul-pancake-darling-magazine/554685#p6LIA5x1Gl6jbuMD.99

Darling Magazine recently released its third video in the That’s What She Said series with Soul Pancake. It’s a feature on the beauty of aging.
Read more at http://www.ryot.org/video-get-excited-aging-soul-pancake-darling-magazine/554685#p6LIA5x1Gl6jbuMD.9

Darling Magazine recently released its third video in the That’s What She Said series with Soul Pancake. It’s a feature on the beauty of aging.
Read more at http://www.ryot.org/video-get-excited-aging-soul-pancake-darling-magazine/554685#p6LIA5x1Gl6jbuMD.99

23.5 Hours

My daughter sent me the above visual message a few weeks ago. It is very well conceptualized as well as carries a great message about the single most important thing that we can do for our health. It's rare to find a youtube video that has almost 2000 comments but after watching you'll understand why.

Hope you are all surviving this long, cold winter.

February 1st is around the corner and I am so happy for that!

MaCHəˈrāSHən

  

Maturation: The process of becoming mature: the process of developing in the body or mind : the process of developing to a desired level.

I took my mom to the dentist last week. I asked the dentist if the problem at hand was a typical one of aging. "Yes, of maturation", she said, as she smiled over her glasses.

Wow, I thought. This word pleased me. What a neat way to describe physical aging, beyond say, puberty. Maturation. 

Maturation, like a fine wine.

It's happening, just as its suppose to, all around us, inside and out.

And how much more do most of us like ourselves as we mature than when we were 20? And even 30, 40 and 50.

I must remember to ask my mom if she likes herself more at age 92 than 50.

I'm intrigued with how much we change as we go through maturation. As we continue to balance, re-balance, and ripen.

I'm intrigued with how as our physical youth slips away, our inner emotional and spiritual self grows rich and wise, and forever.


Photo by Franci Strumpher.

More on my love of hands here.

The Currency of Pleasure

I saw this on the Omega Institute website a few weeks ago and thought that it was very good.

Stress is what happens when more of our energy is going out than coming in.

We have to stop and fill our well back up.

Some of my best ways of achieving this are getting enough sleep, having time alone, taking time to exercise, and being creative. It really doesn't take much more than saying no to others and yes to ourselves.

A friend of mine once told me that her favorite way to figure out if she really wants to do something that someone is inviting her to do is to ask them if she can get back to them on it. This way she doesn't say yes under pressure.

We just have to remember to do it.

I've been fighting off flu-like symptoms the last few days and my sister turned me on to oscillococcin, which is a homeopathic remedy. I found it at our local drug store near the cough drops and I really think it is working should any of you be in need :-)

Is This Love

It's hard to believe it's already January 11th. The thing with the holidays is that it's always a relief to have them over, even though they are kind of fun. It kind of feels like it use to feel when finals were over in college. But then I get tripped up with all the stuff that didn't get done in December.

I will be quick this week. I just read Seth Godin's post on TL;DR, which is an acronym for "Too long; didn't read"- about how we are constantly bombarded by way too much lengthy information. Ain't it the truth.

So I leave you with the above video ( thank you Chrissy), which is wonderfully fluid and a joy to watch.

Also I leave you with this magnet that my business partner gave me and I see every time I open the fridge. It reminds me over and over again to remain positive as we launch our product- as well as a good reminder for anything that we are striving to accomplish in life.

Anxiety really is a waste of time.

Feliz Ano Novo

Here's to a new year of love,

companionship,

spontaneity,

and finding joy

in the everyday,

simple things in life.

xo,
Louise