I’m sitting in my recliner today with Tosh on my lap on what is my first real day “off” since semi-retiring a couple of weeks ago. That’s OK, though, because the things I filled my days with were enjoyable and things I needed to do. But today is the first day at home to catch up on some things around here. I’m in my recliner because it is storming outside, and thunder always makes Tosh very anxious. In fact, she usually runs to her papa, David, at the first crack of thunder. But since he’s gone, I’m the next best thing in a storm.

We are traveling today to see family in Iowa. It’s a beautiful day, even though a bit chilly. We’re using my favorite car diffuser, the Belle Aroma® FlashScent USB Aromatherapy Diffuser, with my favorite essential oil, lavender. Tosh is calmly riding on David’s lap close to the diffuser. Did you know that dogs don’t have any problems with lavender? In fact, it can have a calming effect if they are having an “episode.”

My husband and I celebrated our 44th anniversary last month! It got me thinking about the time prior to our meeting. I had determined in my 21 years of living that I didn’t want to marry a farmer or a janitor. Now, don’t get me wrong: I have nothing against farmers or janitors. I just knew that wasn’t the life for me.

How did you and your family fare during the pandemic? I’ll be the first to admit it changed me and my family. In fact, my husband stood up in front of a large group of people recently and stated, “it changed me! I have a dog now! A tiny INSIDE dog!” Yes, that was quite a change for us. Let me explain how it came about, as she was not a pandemic dog in the strictest sense of the word.

A few months ago, my husband and I made what we feel sure will be our last move. We downsized our home by about 250 sq ft and by about 5 closets! We will be semi-retired and have figured out that while we do like possessions, we just don’t need as much “stuff.” So, we began the sorting, saving, and pitching process. I can only speak for myself, but I have found over the years that I am not a very sentimental person who forms a strong attachment to “things.”

Were you given an allowance as a child? My earliest memory of an allowance was $.35 every two weeks, and I had to put $.20 of that in the donation box, so that left me a whopping $.15 that I could spend on candy, etc., for two weeks. I was recently reminiscing with a younger friend who has four children, ages 12 to 20. He told me he didn’t think his kids even knew money came that small! Hahaha!!!

Being a child in wintry Iowa, I learned at an early age the enjoyment of scent. I only lived there for 6 years to begin with but that was long enough to experience cold and snow deep enough to play in. Each time we would get a snowstorm my mom would bundle my older brother and I up to go outside to play. You know the drill.