I Can See Clearly Now, the Rain is Gone...

The rain clouds have moved on and the sun is shining brightly here in Lynden. And the sunshine on the windowpanes has made it very clear that I have been neglecting my most hated chore...washing windows. In years past I spent a lot of time wiping little fingerprints off the windowpanes. Later, when the chicks had flown the coop, my windows looked nice most of the time. But it was lonely. A few years after than, my grown up chicks started bringing their little chicks to visit...and once again there were sticky little fingerprints all over the panes. Lovely! I left those handprints for weeks on end as a reminder of the little ones who'd been over to visit. Our grandchildren are getting older, and there are fewer and fewer fingerprints when they go home. Ahhh, but there is Koda!

 Koda is a watcher. She looks out the window constantly.

This is what we see when we pull in the driveway every day. We love it that there's someone who loves us enough to wait patiently in the window for our return. But the downside are the noseprints. Slobbery noseprints. I didn't take a picture of them; I know you won't mind! And no, I'm not in the least bit sentimental about noseprints!

So I got out some old rags and mixed up some vinegar and water. No need for fancy window cleaners...vinegar is one of nature's best cleaners!

 with a little elbow grease

 a little perspiration, I can see clearly again!

That's about all I'm up to on this lovely Saturday. Tonight Kelly and I are meeting some new friends to play bingo. I'm very excited. The fact that these folks would invite us to go and play bingo bodes well for our friendship. If they'd have asked us to go out for a swanky dinner, I'd be worried. We're simple folks. We like to do simple things. Given my druthers, I'd rather....

go out for a bowl of chowder..................than go out to a fancy French restaurant

have a home-made birthday cake..................than a store-bought one

go for a ride in the country................... than go to boutique

sit on driftwood by the bay.................. than sit in a fancy schmancy chair

make my own quilt..................... than buy a quilt

get some fun things on sale..................... than buy one hugely expensive item

wash my windows with vinegar................than Windex

order peach-flavored iced-tea.....................than martinis

go to a picnic..................................than a nightclub

Don't get me wrong, I'm not an austere person. I'll happily part with my time and money for things I enjoy. Travel, fabric and yarn, music, books, things for my home...I like all of those things. But I dislike  pretense and snobbery. Some would call me 'low maintenance'. I don't care for that term. It seems demeaning. As though a person who isn't trying to impress others with their material acquisitions somehow has lower standards or thinks less of themself. Not true. My standards are pretty high...I demand real...not show.  That's not easy to do. I don't think Paris Hilton or the Kardashians could ever meet my standards. But the great part is...I don't expect them to; don't even care if they do!

So what about you? What are some of your  I'd rather do __________ than _________?'