A Milestone In My Life

Tomorrow I will be not only celebrating Father's Day with JD, but I will be celebrating an important milestone of my own too. Tomorrow will mark the day, one year ago when I found the strength to lay the cigarettes down and walk away. I still find myself thinking about a cigarette from time to time when I feel stressed. It really is just a matter of seconds though and the thought is gone. I haven't regretted it one time since I quit. I was really quite hooked on smoking. I had my routine as to when I smoked...... First thing in the morning I had to have those cigarettes with my coffee. I needed the smokes to read the mail. Meal time included a cigarette before I started cooking, as well as a few trips outside for a smoke while the food was cooking. After the meals the food just didn't digest right unless I smoked a cigarette. When I wanted a snack I would often substitute that urge with a cigarette. Then of course who can go to bed at night without first having a cigarette to help unwind. There were any number of other things that would require a cigarette as well. I tried to stop smoking several times before without success. I wish I could tell you that I did it on sheer will power alone, but I didn't. My family doctor wrote a prescription for me for Chantix with several refills. I am proud to say that I quit without any refills. I give JD a lot of credit for enabling me to quit. He was once a smoker and quit without the any aids, just plain old fashioned will power. He freely praised me for my efforts and told me time and time again that he is always willing and ready with any support that I need. He cheered me on as I went.

I wanted to share some more pictures of the beauty that surrounds us on the mountain ridge. This is just a sampling of the wild honeysuckle that we have growing all around the property. It is heavenly to smell that sweet aroma of the honeysuckle in the evening and as we drift off to sleep at night.

Year before last I decided to start planting perennials, so eventually I can just do my plant clean up in the fall and sit back and enjoy the flowers in the spring with the least effort. I planted these Coreopsis in an old metal wash tub. Talk about a hardy and easy to care for plant..... this would be the one. Not only is it all that, but it's dainty little flowers are a sight to behold.

JD found this little fellow wandering around in the yard just outside of bedroom door this morning. While JD was telling me I needed to take a look at it, I was grabbing the camera. I had figured out a few years ago that living where we do, we will see quite a parade of different animals over time. This little guy was quite a nice surprise though.

He either had a moment of being camera shy or she needed to powder her nose. I always thought that turtles lived close to water. Someone please correct me if I am wrong on that. We have run off here on the mountain of rain and snow , but no streams, creeks or lakes up this high. There is no permanent standing water up here.

We figure this little guy did some traveling to get here. Either that or a water spout picked him up and he fell out of a cloud with some of this rain we have been having. If that is the case then it not only rains cats and dogs, but a few turtles too.

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I have decided to change the name of my blog to "Moodscapes". The change won't take place until next week some time though. This is just a heads up so you won't think you have somehow ended up on the wrong blog when you come to visit.

Have a wonderful weekend!