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Next week I expect to feel like a six year old. One whose front tooth has fallen out but the permanent tooth has not yet grown in.

I have a cavity so large they can’t fill it so they are going to pull that tooth and start the process of replacing it with an implant.

It’s my own fault. I got on a natural products kick so stopped using toothpaste with fluoride. Oops!

So, I will be toothless for several months.

I’m so glad I wear a mask whenever I am in public now.

Who knew it was possible to be grateful for a pandemic?

TTYL,

Linda

Minimalism is not about what you own.

It is about WHY you own it.

Once you identify the why behind a possession or activity you can decide whether or not you want to keep it.

Because Great-Aunt Gertrude gave it to you is rarely a good reason to keep something you don’t like.

Because you didn’t want to disappoint someone you really don’t care about is rarely a good reason to participate in that activity.

Work on your “why” and the rest becomes easy.

TTYL,

Linda

I recently read a blog about a guy who decided the way he wanted to live life is to be a blessing to other people. I like that idea so I started thinking about ways I may have been a blessing to others.

That, of course, brings me to minimalism. Giving others the chance to acquire what I am no longer using is one way to bless others.

My first big one was donating to a charity shop my wedding dress many years ago. We were married in December so my dress was white velvet. I was a tiny thing back then so it was a size seven and I had to have several inches taken off the bottom. I was told I should pack it up to save for a daughter if I ever had one. I had one. At age two she was already thee feet tall so it was unlikely she would ever be able to wear my dress. Eventually, she got married in August in a state park so she would not have wanted to wear a long sleeve, velvet dress, anyway.

The manager of the charity shop was surprised I wanted to donate it. She said it was too good to display among all the other things people choose to donate. So she took it home and took pictures of it to post in the shop. A young woman saw the pictures and asked about the dress. When she tried it on, it fit her well. Since she was shopping in a second had store, I doubt she could have afforded such nice dress otherwise. I’ve always been happy to know she enjoyed having such a dress for her own wedding.

We often don’t know the stories of the people who are glad to receive our donations but I am sure there are many of them

Be a blessing; clean out the things you are not using so others may have the joy of owning them.

TTYL,

Linda

I have an upper front tooth that needs to be pulled and replaced. My request for an appointment is not being answered in a timely manner. In the meantime, biting is painful so I am on a soft foods diet. I will need to be on this diet while the tooth is being replaced as well. So I am spending a lot of time figuring out how to have a variety of meals that don’t require biting anything. I can chew, I just can’t bite. And I have to be careful how I chew to keep from irritating the bad tooth so anything solid has to be cut into tiny pieces.

The meals have to have enough calories to qualify as a meal not just a snack. For instance I can have a smoothie but it’s hard to get enough calories into a smoothie.

And the meals have to have enough protein to keep me going until the next meal. Soft protein. Right.

Cottage cheese, yogurt, and eggs are pretty much it for soft protein. And I don’t like yogurt unless it is buried deep into a smoothie. But I can have shredded meat/fish if they are buried in enough other soft food. And I can have things like canned fruit and ice cream as side dishes.

But those main dishes, man, figuring out those is a real challenge.

So, here’s my ideas so far:

Dill dip with salmon stirred into it and served open face on soft white bread. I’ve already learned that two slices of bread are too hard to bite so no sandwiches with tops.

Mashed potatoes with shredded chicken and ranch dressing stirred in.

Mashed potatoes with flaked tuna, butter, and sour cream stirred together.

Mashed potatoes with flaked salmon and sesame dressing.

Cottage cheese with diced peaches along with a slice of buttered soft white bread.

Tiny squares of cheddar cheese smothered in onion dip.

Chicken noodle soup with extra chicken and crushed crackers.

Tuna macaroni salad with no celery.

Fried eggs with soft bread on the side or served open face. Not toasted!

Deviled eggs but, boy, does it take a lot of those.

Chicken nuggets cut into tiny peaces and dipped in applesauce.

What other ideas do you have for me?

TTYL,

Linda

A great book starts with a sentence that immediately draws you into the story.

The sentence I thought up this morning was:

“So,” I wondered, “did I kill her or not?”

I immediately wanted to know who was the speaker? Who was the victim? Why did he think he might have killed her? Why didn’t he know if he killed her?

I don’t know about you but if I picked up a book that started with that sentence, I would immediately go on reading the rest of it. Probably not stopping until all my questions were answered.

TTYL,

Linda