Birthday Hat!

   So my conversation with myself went something like this...... Do I need another hat?  Absolutely not!    Would I enjoy having yet another hat? Of course!    Where am I going to put another hat? Well, I'm going to get rid of quite a few as I downsize. So that will make plenty of room!    Won't that sort of thought process defeat the whole purpose of the downsizing?!  Not really! The hats that stay are going to be the ones that are useful for every day.... or are just so pretty I can't bear to part with them.     At this point the logical section of my mind heaves a heavy sigh... or was it a groan? It knows when its going to lose.

    To make a long story short, it was onward to Etsy and Ebay.  Where I looked for both beauty and functionality. This hat was going to be my 60th birthday present to myself so it had to meet all the criteria. A nice brim to shade my face (skin cancer is NOT fun!), made of straw or the like so that it "breathes" (I live in Florida. Hats can be like little saunas from hell), be in a lighter color so it reflects the sunlight instead of absorbing it, be a large enough size to fit my pumpkin head ("Thanks Dad. I inherited that from you!") and the bonus points would be if it had flowers!!!
   Happily I found just the kind of hat I was looking for. Yay! The tag says Grevi  Firenze, Made in Italy. The inside circumference is 23 inches. I got so excited when I saw that measurement! That means it will actually FIT. No squeezing, tugging or pulling to get the band down on my head!
   The color of the straw is a faded blue.... just a perfect vintage look. And the flowers! Their shades are still rich yet subtle. Did I mention that blue is my favorite color?  How could I not treat myself to this hat?
    She arrived this afternoon and I've been blissfully wearing her around the house. Happy early birthday to me! chuckle



Selfies are NOT my forte! haha  
Hmmm, shows off the color of my eyes quite well. 



This hat was so worth the "argument"!
Perhaps it deserves to head over to the Style Crones Hat Attack
https://stylecrone.com/hat-attack-64-cha-chas-house-of-ill-repute/

Getting on with life.....

   Well, this evening seems like as good a time as ever to start getting on with my creative life again! Its been well over a year since my mother passed away and my part-time employer pulled some shenanigans and made my life a hell of a lot more difficult than it already was. I've spent a lot of time dancing with depression and then giving myself the most outrageous pep talks! It worked... sometimes. Not often enough though. 
   But.... there was a shift last night. Probably brought on by the death of one of my outdoor cats. Everett was his name and he was one of the most loving little guys I've met. I found him collapsed in the grass barely breathing, but he managed to meow piteously a time or two. When I wrapped him up in a soft towel and told him it was ok, that I was there with him, he opened his eyes a little bit to try and see me. Then softly closed them and meowed three more times..... he lasted a few more hours... then slipped away quietly into the night. His Spirit free from earthly confinement. He is the third cat I've lost to death in the last fifteen days. The losses have wrung me out and draped me over a limb to dry in the breezes. And they have breathed fire back into some little ember that I had buried deep inside my heart.   Its time I swung off that limb and started walking in the starlight again! Watch some sunrises and listen to the birdsong with joy in my heart.... not pain and longing for what was.      
   So. I'll see what happens from here! No big plans made, no forecasts of what I think I'll do or want to do. I'm going to let it flow like the wind through the tree leaves.  

I see it! Peeking through the rain clouds!