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| The Front Door(s) |
It was another sunny day, today. The afternoon high was 71F and I opened a couple of the windows and left the front door ajar. There is an outer metal screen door and an inner wooden door that is varnished on the outside and painted white on the inside. With the metal door firmly closed and locked, I can leave the wooden door open to let in fresh air, without worrying about Dancer going out and flies coming in. Between the metal door and the wooden door, on the door post, there is a mezuzah that the previous owners of the house had affixed in accordance with Jewish religious laws. It contains a Jewish prayer, according to what I've read, and is fixed to the doorpost so that it is tilting towards the room into which the door opens. Since it is a religious item, even if it is not of my own religion, I haven't removed it; I consider it to be a blessing on the house and, hopefully, its occupants, too, whoever they may be.
Today, I walked outside for 20 minutes in the afternoon. It wasn't that long ago when I would experience pain after walking for 8 minutes, so, I was happy that I was able to walk for 20 minutes without any pain, today.
Later in the afternoon, I spoke on the phone with neighbor T, who is still in the assisted living facility. She said the heating unit in her room stopped working and she is waiting for them to repair it. I hope they were able to fix it! It's too cold for her to be without any heat in her room!
I had a very restful day, today, and took it easy. I watched some online videos, watched the evening news, exchanged emails with a long time friend (friends since elementary school days), chatted with friend R, and video chatted with my daughter.
Brunch had been more of the fried rice and some of the Thai pepper beef leftover from my birthday lunch. Dinner was coconut roti and and the last of the chicken curry.
Today, I am grateful for:
- Sunny, relaxed days
- Long time friends
- Long time friends
- Being able to walk without pain
- Working appliances, especially heaters!
- Working appliances, especially heaters!
- Leftovers!
Today's joyful activity was watching a video my friend sent of her daughter's wedding.
Monday's To Do List:
- Do a load of laundry
- Dust the living room and dining area
- Clean the fridge
- Weekly meal plan
- Cook the asparagus
- Take the trash cans to the curb for pick up on Tuesday
- Walk for 20 minutes
- Do some paperwork for 30 minutes
- Dust the living room and dining area
- Clean the fridge
- Weekly meal plan
- Cook the asparagus
- Take the trash cans to the curb for pick up on Tuesday
- Walk for 20 minutes
- Do some paperwork for 30 minutes
- Water the newly planted fern and chrysanthemums
How was your weekend? What are your plans for Monday?
What an attractive front door.
ReplyDeleteThe wood on your door looks beautiful. Mine is just the opposite with the outside painted and the inside showing the wood. Although mine's not as shiny so I guess it's not been varnished. I use Murphy's oil soap on it but it doesn't look as nearly as nice as your's.
I would've kept the mezuzah right where it is too.
I had some fresh spinach I needed to use so I ended up making a spinach, potato and onion frittata. We had a cup of the lentil soup with it.
Thank you, Debra. All credit for the front door go to the previous owners! I kept the same door! It was varnished wood both inside and out when I first bought the house and I was fine with that, but, my mother didn't like the inside of the door being brown so I painted it white with a semi gloss paint (my walls are white, too).
DeleteSounds like you had a delicious dinner, after all. :) I need to add potatoes to my grocery shopping list for this week!
I'm so glad you can walk further now. And I love your front door - how special to have a mezuzah there - blessings be on all who enter your home. Monday plan is "take it easy" after 48hours of wonderful but exhausting family visit!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Angela. I have been trying to build up my walking stamina, little by little. I managed another 20 minutes, today. :)
DeleteThank you, too, for the kind comments about the mezuzah on the front door.
I hope you were able to take it easy today and rest after the visit by the family! :)
When I saw the photo of your lovely front door, even before reading, my first thought, is that a mezuzah? Then I thought or is that another one of Bless's big bugs?!! Glad to hear that you walking without pain is increasing - that surely is a good sign.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is mezuzah. :)
DeleteThank you, Mary-Lou; I'm very pleased that I can walk for 20 minutes without pain, again. I'm hoping to gradually increase that to 25 minutes by the end of the month and 30 minutes by the end of the year. :)
So glad you were able to do that walking. I enjoy walking, but my feet won’t allow it as much as in the past. It is good and uplifting to be outside and moving. Linda
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda. It does feel good to be outside (especially when the sun is shining). I'm sorry your feet won't allow you to walk as much as you used to; but, hope you are able to enjoy it as much as you can now. :)
DeleteI love having a screen on my front door as well; the past few weeks were perfect weather for it. We don't usually get such a gradual autumn, so I am thankful for that. I definitely would have left the blessing from the previous owners as well.
ReplyDeleteGlad you, too, are able to enjoy having a screen door on your front door, Susanne. Enjoy the pleasant weather for as long as you can, before winter and the colder weather comes!
DeleteYour front door is very nice. I like natural wood doors. Mine is fake, though, metal that's finished to look like wood. I have three mezuzahs in different doorways, gifts from the Jewish side of my family. I love the idea of blessing one's home. The aches from my fall linger a little but are almost gone now. You are doing much better with the walks now. That's wonderful! Glad you are gaining strength.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Celie; sounds like your door is very strong.
DeleteThat's wonderful that your family have gifted you with multiple mezuzahs. I've read that some people mount mezuzahs on all the doors in the main living areas, but, there is only this one on the front door in my house. I bless the house each night by walking around chanting a prayer and sprinkling blessed water. :)
I'm glad you are recovering from your fall. I hope the aches and pains ease quickly. I'm happy that I can walk for a little longer, now. 30 minutes at a stretch without pain is my goal!
Hi Bless, That's a pretty shot of your front door. I spent a lot of time moving the straw mulch from my front yard to the backyard orchard. The trees produce much better when they are mulched.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Stephenie. Sounds like you were busy! Mulching the fruit trees is a good thing to do. :)
DeleteYou did right to keep the mezuzah. I'm sure it blesses the house and you too. How interesting to have one. I hope poor T gets her heating fixed soon. I expect like some of us she feels the cold easily, too. I'm so happy that you were able to walk for 20 minutes without pain.
ReplyDeleteI made some cream of broccoli soup for lunch adding the cooking water from yesterday's broccoli and carrots for extra goodness.
I've got a folding stool (intended for outdoor events) and I am now using it to sit to do chores as it is easier to move around than a chair. The other useful thing I have is a plastic bed tray that I almost donated as it was never used. I find it handy if I put my feet up and want to use the laptop as it keeps it off my legs.
Thank you, Bushlady; I felt it would be wrong to remove the mezuzah, but, I did ask a Jewish friend if it would be OK if a non-Jewish person kept a mezuzah that was already there and she assured me it would be fine.
DeleteOh, I, too, hope that T's heater was fixed! She said her hands were like ice. I know that she feels the cold as much as I do!
Thank you, Bushlady; I walked again for 20 minutes, today, too. I did start feeling tired towards the very end, but, I still managed to walk without pain.
You made a nice, healthy soup for your lunch! I'm glad you are using the folding stool to sit on when doing chores. I have a stool which I use to sit on when stirring jams, etc., so I don't have to stand for hours. I'm glad that you have the bed tray, too! I have one (bought it for my mother, I think) and used it when I had my sciatica pains. Sometimes, these things come in handy!
I'm glad you were able to get out and have a walk. I find it very therapeutic, both physically and mentally I find.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon. I'm still walking up and down the driveway and on the sidewalk in front of my house - not going anywhere in particular to walk, but, just being outside in the sunshine and getting in some movement is helpful. :)
DeleteThat pic is so lovely and sunny. Poor T, it must be hard when she is stuck there and cold. I hope that it gets sorted soon.
ReplyDeleteIt's so good that you get to do more things! I'm hoping that you get so much more joy in your life.
I love the idea of the mezuzah being there. I just looked it up in Wikipedia, and it seems such a wonderful thing. It is a blessing on the house, and that is never bad.
Thank you, Lyssa. I hope T's heater has been fixed! I'm trying to build up stamina, but, it's not a straight line up! The mezuzah is a blessing on the house and all who enter. We need all the blessings we can get! :)
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