Day 29: What have I/You discovered, learned or uncovered in 2020?

[Clara116]

Day 29: What have I discovered, learned or uncovered in 2020?

Hi good people it’s @Clara116 here from Pensacola, Florida

   there's nothing like a dog's love

So what have I or You learned, discovered or even uncovered this year? 

The list of discovery seemed to grow weekly: 

A gold mine (if selective) has to be You Tube – I've several gurus/teachers of cooking, baking, fermenting, canning, gardening & homesteading. The constant one for me is anything and everything to do with plants, especially propagation.  Plants are clearly a new love of mine – and growing luffa sponges and making soap with luffa inside. Belonging to a couple plant groups on FB has helped me to make some extra cash selling plants, seeds, soap and luffa sponges. Also its opened windows to meet other plant lovers, plant geeks & plant addicts aka plant hoarders.

Propagating plants is thrilling...

There’s a saying: You can never have enough plants! Oh my...I kind of believe it too. As my collection has grown a lot in the past months.

Many of those hobbies, skills or lessons learned deal with food....which is wonderful & delicious EXCEPT when combined with couch time, binge watching on Netflix which equal = tight, tight & tighter jeans. 

Another saying: You can never have enough ice cream. Or Chocolate Bark Candy

rocky mountain chocolate bark

I also discovered people, even family will surprise, disappoint, shock you beyond belief sometimes. Just when you think you know or understand a person, what they will do, what they will say, even what they believe in, BAM, they will prove that wrong. 

Another saying: You can never really know another person.  

Another saying: Don't believe what you think.

 I have received so many blessings and that has had the most impact as I truly uncovered where my real support system lies. What is it or who makes me feel whole, useful and cared about. And tolerates me, and all my stuff, my nonsense (sometimes), when do I feel loved, really supported, and feed emotionally? Being able to count on others is a big deal - or just being listened too is critical in my world and probably yours too?   

What or who can I count on - anytime? My 3 boys....David, Eddie and Bentley

Eddie and Bentley are little dogs!

My saying: Don't want to imagine life without any of these 3! 

The saving grace in 2020: Zoom & my buddies from the Community Center and our get togethers has been a treasure, our cook along, sharing our stories, lives, laughs, worlds, pics and anything else without much hesitation, without judging, just support. What joy all my buddies have brought during this year, friends from the UK, Korea, USA- NY, Kansas, Maine, Ohio, Spain, Brazil, Germany and more. Sometimes it became apparent that these buddies could support me better than family living really close by. We seemed to share more and freely and each session on Zoom would be a super lift for me and added a boost to the days ahead until the next gathering. 

I am forever grateful to all those people in my world, especially those reading this blurb that might be my buddies or someone I have connected with on the CC community center or will in the near days ahead.  You all mean more than you can imagine and its such an honor to call you my buddies, friends, and fellow hosts. 

Final saying: You don't know what you've got till its gone......so let's keep in touch and keep on

What have you discovered or learned in 2020? I'd love to read about YOU! 

Be well, be safe as we all step forward into 2021 with PEACE

HAPPY NEW YEAR.....and good bye 2020

 Happy New Year!

[Katie]

Amazing, I'm coming to your house for dinner in Summer 2021 then @Clara116! 🍽  🍅

[Clara116]

@Katie wonderful.... alrighty that would be terrific....hope you like seafood and tomatoes!. Keep me posted......it's fabulous here in the summer. Come on Katie😎

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Clara116 

........and she lived happily ever 😁 😘 😀

[Ann72]

@Clara116  What a wonderful post.  I didn't know how many and varied your interests were, although I did know how inspiring you are.  One great thing from this year was getting to know you in the meet-ups.  Looking forward to seeing a lot more of you in 2021!  ❤️

[Clara116]

@Ann72 thanks dear one! I too so enjoyed our time on zoom getting to know you better. I'm looking forward to seeing you and the gang soon. Happy new year 🎉 

[Laura2484]

Like those sun rays @Clara116  you spread ‘ Goodness ‘

Let 2021 shine for you and your boys 🌞

[Helen427]

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19351115.2.161.3 

Edmonds Sure To Rise  Jelly Crystals & Baking Powder Artworks - Do you think it looks similar to @Clara116  sunrise scene?

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HOG19360924.2.10.5

@Clara116 @Laura2484 @Ann72 @Katie @Jessica-and-Henry0 @Cathie19 @Lizzie 

[Michelle1164]

@Clara116  Been wanting to comment on your post for a few days but have been busy with family Christmas get togethers. Which I treasured much more than usual this year because it has been a crazy year. Should we get together? Should we not get together? Should we travel? Should we not travel? These were the questions we waffled back and forth on for most of 2020. 

Like you, I like plants and gardening. I have been an administrator for a Facebook garden group in my area for about 6 years now. I started the group quite by accident when I was selling some large bamboo like reeds on FB marketplace. In my Marketplace post I shared pictures of how I used the reeds in my vegetable garden to grow things vertically. When people picked up their reeds they would ask me gardening questions. I guess they thought I had been gardening for years and was some type of expert. This couldn't have been farther from the truth. I was learning by trial and error right along with them.  I wanted to know the answer to the questions they were asking so I looked up the info and got back with them what I found. After this happening over and over I looked to see if there was a garden FB group in our area I could refer people to and found nothing so I contacted past customers and asked them if I started a group would they be interested. The answer from almost everyone was yes. I even had one who volunteered to help administer the group. I have enjoyed it immensely and have learned so much from other local gardeners. In the early years when it was a smaller more intimate group I even organized a couple plant swap events. The group has grown since I started it and in 2020 alone it doubled in size with a little over 2800 members. I've learned there are lots of people in my area who fine solace and keep their sanity through gardening just like I do. I personally get more satisfaction from vegetable gardening. My husband on the other hand is the yard and flower gardener at our house. So we make a great team. I dabble in canning and preserving what I grow. I find it very satisfying to know that I grew some of the  food included in the meals we eat. 

Another part of your post that hit home is about discovering people, even family will surprise, disappoint, and shock you beyond belief sometimes. 

-I witnessed family and friends excluding each other in their lives because of differing political and healthcare views or comments. Their views have always been different but 2020 really polarized them. They never learned the old saying " let's agree to disagree."

-I learned just how debilitating and life changing alcoholism can be for those in denial or have no desire to change. Please keep by sister-in-law and brother-in-law in your prayers. Their health has been deteriorating over the years do to their years and years of alcohol and even tobacco abuse. However, 2020 brought a whole new level of healthcare and even financial concerns for them. It is very hard for me to fathom just how much alcohol they have consumed to cause such irreversible physical and mental damage. Through is though I have learned just how strong my husband is.

-I've learned when you really need to see your kids, Zoom and FaceTime are better than nothing at all. Being a long distance mom is harder than I realized. When my boys need me, I can't just tell them to come over for a good home cooked meal, some conversation and of course hugs and kisses so I can make it all better. 

-I've learned that life must go on. During the pandemic we had 5 great nieces/nephews born and 2 more (that we know of) to follow in 2021.

[Clara116]

@Michelle1164 Hi, thanks for your very thoughtful in depth answer to the topic question/day 29 post. I've read it a few times to gather all that you are talking about as our worlds do run rather parallel. Esp. the part of being eager to learn, and staying on top with reading, learning and sharing - today I find so many do not want to do any work/study/reading up - and just want YOU to do the work and tell them all. Some find this clever- I find it lazy if I'm honest. Which puts you quickly in a position of knowing (hahaha) or being an expert. 🙂 I have to ask you - There's a word in English and German - boring/langweilig that I can not for the life of me really understand - there's so much to see, experience, discover and learn and know how can someone be bored? Its the one word that I can say I don't get it! How about you? I thought maybe you can relate? 

Praying for your sister in law and brother in law as this is a topic that runs long and deep in our family  too- seems addictions weather its alcohol or drugs has some genetic components that predispose other family like 50% odds/ or more esp. when its birthparents (both of mine were alcoholics/and mom became an addict late in life which only came to an end in the past couple years. Hard and exhausting and very painful/life changing would be descriptive. So I'm really glad you are proud of your husband as it does indeed take strength and determination. He sounds like a real keeper 🙂 and grows flowers!!

Yes, picking to not be with family is a difficult position and I'm sure filled with painfully sad moments as was my choice - as family were reckless and non believers in a real virus, masking, and any news of import. To them it was all fake - which made our worlds widen for almost the entire year. Your bond with your children has to be part of some of the super glue in your world - how lovely for sure. 

Your gardens look great and thriving from the pictures you share - looks like you have a huge property - how wonderful. Yes, growing veggies and harvesting is so satisfying - and when going grocery shopping is very different this is an awesome better option.  

How excited are you about the amount of growth in your family - WOW....children do bring JOY - esp. for other family members - I witness this in my siblings esp. It has changed their world. Hope you will get to spend time with them, enjoy them, love on them and do what seem to be easy with children to do ..Teach them! You are already an expert, so that's gonna be easy! 

Maybe 2021 folks will not have to battle with differing and agreeing - those right fighters are really a struggle to be related to!

Wonderful getting to exchange with you Michelle- keep me posted about your world if you like - I wasn't blessed with my own children but can thrill in others love and enjoyment of theirs.

Peace and many blessings to you and yours, Clara

[Clara116]

@Michelle1164  - Hey, I just looked up Geo-caching - that's really interesting and I'd love to hear about what/where and your experiences with it.....sounds like treasure hunting, and when the ppl were doing the poke-man thing and going crazy in the streets, wasn't that caching sorta? Do tell Michelle. 

[Michelle1164]

@Clara116 Interesting perspective regarding people. So the question I must ask myself when doing things for others is: Are my acts of service helping or hindering? As a person who's Love Language is acts of service, this is a tough one. My bucket gets filled by helping and serving others, but am I doing something for them they are to lazy to do for themselves?

Yes, I can relate to never getting bored. I may get in a rut for a while but it never seems to last long because as you stated, there is so much to see, experience, discover, learn and share. I chuckled when I took a peak at your listing because I saw many similarities to my own listing. Not only do our worlds run parallel to one another, but so does our approach on things. (It also makes me want to visit Pensacola.)

You speak the truth when saying addiction is hereditary. My husband's mother was also an alcoholic. Let's just say dealing with his brother is drudging up things he dealt with his senior year in high school with his mom. Good news is she had about 12-15 years of being sober before passing way a few years ago.

Yes, we do have a nice sized and beautiful plot of land, approximately 2 1/2 acres. If you look through the pictures in our listing you will see a few showing by husband's labor of love, the back yard. I do have a confession though. The pictures of the garden I shared are from several years back, but they are good ones showing how I use the bamboo like rods to grow things on. 

I do get to see many of my nieces/nephews and their kiddos often. One of my nephews and his wife only live a few miles from us so we have even had the privilege of getting to babysit a few times for them. Must say I'm loving it. Do you get to love on, teach and spend time with your nieces/nephews or other children in your family?

My dad is the one that introduced us to Geochching. He is obsessed. I'm pretty sure he has found caches in all 50 states  and even a few on other counties. I would say it's more like a scavenger hunt. You need a GPS and an account on geocaching.com to get started. We have found some neat off the beaten paths during road trips because of geocaching. People have planted geocaches all over the world. Some people have gotten very creative with their caches too. Yes, Pokemon Go is kinda sorta like geocaching, but virtual, I believe. Never did it though. You will be surprised how many are right in your area. It's a fun way to get some exercise and enjoy the outdoors. You should give it a try. 

Would love to keep in touch about or 2 worlds. Meeting and exchanging with others is what makes doing Airbnb so fun to me. 

[Trudie7]

@Clara116 Your encaging post exposed so much of what I felt I have learned, discovered & confirmed about my beliefs & values this year. Thank you for sharing your thoughts as a  beautiful composition. ‘Friends are the family you choose’!

[Clara116]

@Trudie7 thank you so much for your kind words. It warms my heart to know others are sensing, living and understanding personally and can relate alongside with you. I wish you and your family all the best....much love, hope and peace. 

Clara

[Miloud0]

Salute @Clara116, 

Many thanks for this so interesting topic and nice photos 

Thanks, 

Miloud

[Clara116]

@Miloud0  thanks so much for your kind words. Best to you, Clara