Just a Little Pondering!

Lately, I’ve found myself pondering so many different things.  It’s one of the perils, or maybe they’re gifts, of growing older.  I thought I’d share some of them with you, my friends.  They’re not anything life-changing for anyone except maybe me.  And, if you want to just skip to the outfit/Lewk section, that’s fine, too.

A little more…

This week marks the 22nd anniversary of my mom’s death.  So, she’s been on my mind a lot.  I find it mindboggling she’s been gone for more than two decades when I can relive almost every minute of the night she died.  I always seem to get a little morose around the dates of her death and Dad’s.  They died thirty years apart.  Mom remarried once, but that marriage lasted mere months.  She never even dated after that.  She was in her late 40s or early 50s then.  And, if I do say so myself, she was a beautiful woman.  But, she’d tried and failed…something Helen Rose wasn’t used to doing.  Even though we fought like cats and dogs, I loved her fiercely.  I kinda think the feeling was reciprocated.

Still more…

So, death has been on my mind a lot lately, too.  I keep reminding Nigel we need to get some plans in place and paid for…something my mom had done. It was the greatest gift she could have given us.  He doesn’t want anything big or even a funeral at all.  He honestly doesn’t even want a funeral notice put in our hometown paper.  I am ambivalent about being cremated or buried.  I won’t know, either way, right?  It’s just so weird to know I’ve got more days behind me than in front of me.  I honestly have to remind myself on an almost daily basis that I’m 68 years old…ye gads…that’s almost 70!  But, have no fear…the knees do a good job of reminding me!

The afterlife…

And, with death comes thoughts of the afterlife.  I don’t know what y’all feel about religion.  I’m a Lutheran, was raised a Methodist, but then returned to my Lutheran roots.  The biggest thing I know about being a Lutheran is that we are saved by the grace of Jesus Christ and will enter Heaven that way.  I mean, there are other things, but that’s pretty much the gist of it.  But, if we are created in God’s image, and He loves us all, wouldn’t He want all of His creations in Heaven with Him?  And, that’s about all the religious talk you’ll get from me.

The world…

I don’t know about you, but I’m more than a little worried about the state of the world right now.  We’ve had the three hottest years on record in the last three years.  Summers seem to last longer and are much hotter.  Do you buy an electric vehicle which uses minerals or something that leave a huge carbon footprint?  Or, do you buy a gas combustion engine car that uses fossil fuels?  And, they leave a pretty big carbon footprint, too? 

Shopping…

I’ve also been thinking about how much I shop.  I know my spending has increased with the beginning of the blog though, believe me, I shopped a lot before.  I started the blog as a fashion blog.  I’m finding I like writing posts that are more about something with the photos of what I’m wearing and a small description than just being about the clothing.  You may have noticed that, right?  But, back to the shopping.  I was talking to a fellow docent about this (she’s a psychologist so she was probably analyzing me at the same time…hahaha).  She loves the chase of the bargain at stores like Marshalls and TJ Maxx.  I do not.  I like waiting for sales on the things I want, but I don’t enjoy going through racks and racks of clothing.  That hits me right in the old ADHD!  Anyway, I told her, since we can’t travel, I spend money on clothing.  She told me we all have a way of coping, and shopping, as long as I could afford it, was OK.  The thing is, is it OK?  I know there are mountains of donated clothing being shipped to third world countries which are then thrown into the ocean.  It hurts my heart to think I’m a part of that.  I reason it away by saying someone has to buy the clothing.  And, except for Old Navy, I tend not to shop at fast fashion stores anyway. 

AI…

Then, there’s AI.  I have to tell Nigel sometimes that the video he’s watching on the television is AI.  Nigel is a pretty intelligent man, but he doesn’t realize he’s being duped by someone or something.  We get robocalls all the time trying to sell us this, that, and the kitchen sink.  We’re (OK, I’m) pretty good at deflecting those callers, but I can see how some older people lose their life savings to these people.  They have gotten really cute with their opening statements, too.  There’s a young woman who starts to talk, then has to mess with something, and then comes back to explain she was just taking care of fill in the blank.  I know right then and there, it’s a robo call.  Sometimes, I play right along with the person if I get a live person.  I tell them I’m a recent widder and could use a loan.  Do they think they could loan me a few hundred dollars?  There’s always a bit of a pause, and one of two things happens.  Either they tell me they can’t, or they hang up.  I know these people are just trying to make a living, but it’s always for the same thing. 

Robocalls…

Just the other week, someone called and went right into their pitch.  I kept asking if they were a real person, and, eventually, the dude stopped and said he was.  He said he represented a PAC for law and order.  When I tried to pin him down on where the money was spent, he kept insisting they weren’t political.  They just wanted this country to follow the Constitution.  Now, I should have stopped him right then and there because PAC stands for Political Action Committee.  So, the group he was supposedly representing was definitely political, if, in fact, he was actually representing a PAC.  I told him I would donate if he’d send me their information.  He said he’d send me on to the finance department so they could take down my information.  I had to go through the whole process again of saying I wasn’t sending any money (not that I was going to in the first place) until I’d received materials telling me more about the PAC.  Guess what?  I haven’t gotten them yet.

Blogging…

Another thing I’ve been pondering is the future of the blog.  I had an opportunity to write guest posts for another pretty big blog a couple of years ago.  Then, that person pretty much ghosted me for the next year or so.  Finally, I reached out to her and asked her for help in growing the blog.  We set up a google meeting.  She told me blogs were pretty much dead and that nobody reads them.  I love reading blogs, and I told her that.  She said Substack is where it’s at.  So, I’ve been pondering moving to Substack.  Somehow or other, I already have an account there.  I have no idea how that happened.  But, if I move to Substack and quit with WordPress, eventually, all of my posts will disappear because they aren’t going to keep them up indefinitely.  And, those posts are my babies, you know?

Substack…

Here’s the thing with my blog.  I intentionally don’t monetize it.  Nigel and I are financially set (through no fault of mine).  Nigel is very frugal when it comes to himself.  He doesn’t realize the cologne I buy him as gifts (the only thing he’ll accept as a gift) is pretty spendy.  But, back to the blog.  The blog costs me money.  I pay Bluehost to host the blog along with some special add ons that do who knows what.  I pay for my email supplier. I also pay for the link parties I host.  That’s a pretty fair chunk of change.  I’m only telling you this because, financially, it would make sense to move to Substack. 

A little more…

The good thing about moving to Substack is I’d have to learn how to create posts there and how to get them to you, my friends.  Now, for those of you who are new, the biggest reason I started Marsha in the Middle was to learn something new.  And, I have definitely learned a lot.  While it’s been frustrating at times, I’ve learned to google things, ask friends for help, and just tinker around a bit.  I don’t tinker too much because I’ve also heard of bloggers who do that and lose everything! 

Instagram…

Oh, my gosh, and then there’s Instagram.  I really don’t like Instagram.  I know that’s where the money is.  Yes, I know I just said I don’t monetize my blog, but Instagram is kinda where the people find you who want you to “influence” others to buy their stuff.  I couldn’t even buy a pair of boots with the amount of money I’ve made on the blog.  So, it’s not like I’m a big success on Instagram.  What I do like about Instagram is connecting with other people around the world…people who don’t have blogs and are only on Instagram (or Facebook).  The other part of this is I get emails or messages from “companies” that seem legitimate.  But, remember that old chestnut: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?  I have gotten emails from “companies” saying they’ll pay me thousands each month and send me anywhere from 10-20 pieces of clothing a month.  All I have to do is respond to the email.  And, it’s hard to see which ones are legitimate.  Thank you to the bloggers to whom I’ve reached out and who have advised me how to tell if they are legit or not. 

Update on Nigel…

Back to Nigel.  The kids bought him a walking stick for Christmas.  It’s really cool, but he’d been trying to use it like a cane.  I was watching something and noticed the character using a walking stick.  I noticed this person didn’t do that.  He was holding onto it at a different point.  I showed Nigel, and he started walking with it like that.  There was a big improvement in the way he walked.  One of his biggest problems is he sits too much.  His legs hurt when he walks.  But, if he doesn’t walk, then he won’t regain that strength.  It’s a vicious cycle that I can’t get him to see.  He has been working on his core.  He’s been like a Weeble and is still that way in the middle of the night.  But, now, he’s sitting up on his own much better.  Gosh, that sounds like I’m talking about a newborn, doesn’t it?  It’s a huge thing, though.   

The outfit…

If this dress looks familiar, it should. I wrote a post about meeting future me and wore the red version of this dress. When it went on sale for less than half price, I bought blue version. When I bought the first one, I was torn between the red one and the blue one. Now, I don’t have to worry about it. This is the Yura dress which appears to be back to full price. It’s available in very limited sizes. I added an aqua color slip just because I love the extra something they bring to an outfit.

The Lewk!

I absolutely love these Miz Mooz Leighton boots! They are so very comfortable. I wear them to the museum and walk the galleries for two to three hours at a time. I honestly think I’m going to get them in another color as well as getting backups for the black ones. I bought this Kendra Scott jewelry a couple of years ago. Last year, I bought the Keziah hoops because I thought I had something that would go with the other things. I have man hands so I rarely can find bangles that fit. When I find a cuff bracelet I like, I snap it up. This is the…ready for it…Keziah Vintage Cuff! I really like multi strand necklaces like this one, the Keziah Multi Strand Necklace! Even though the jewelry definitely gives off Western vibes, I thought it went beautifully with my outfit!

Wrap it up, Marsha!

And, that brings me to the end of this pondering.  I know it was a lot.  Believe me when I say I’ve pondered even more than this.  I hope you enjoyed this peek into the ponderings of my brain.  Oh, and I’m going to actually put this on Substack (as soon as I figure out how to do that).  So, if you’re on Substack, drop by and say, “Hey!” Let me know what you think about the blog versus a Substack.  So, can we talk? Do you have feelings, one way or the other, about AI?  Am I the only one who gets bothersome robo (or not) calls?  What do you think about shopping and the world? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as quickly as I can.

Thank you!

Thank you so very much for reading today’s post. I hope you enjoyed it. I also very much appreciate those of you who comment, email and/or subscribe. It’s what keeps me going! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.

Affiliate links, discount codes, and such:

Just a reminder that Marsha in the Middle may use an affiliate link. Those links are usually italicized. If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link I provide, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.  My April Cornell code, MARSHA15, now works, but it’s good for only one use. You can get $15 off $100. I’d wait and use it during a really good sale! Use Marsha12 for 12% off any order of $65 or more at Buykud. I have also become a Halftee Partner. Use the code, MARSHA2098, for 20% off any purchase. I am also an affiliate with Clara Sunwoo. You can use my code, MARSHA10, for 10% off your entire order. Use MARSHA15 at Katia Designs for 15% off your order. In case you didn’t know, bloggers must disclose the use of affiliate links. That’s why I include this in each post.

Where you can find me:

Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style,  Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, Suzy Turner,and Deb’s World. I also link up with I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, Style Splash and Elegantly Dressed and Stylish as well as the Senior Salon Pit Stop (Esme’s Salon) and Slices of Life. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend every Thursday with Melynda, Lisa, and Sue. I also host 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!

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