First Post In New Blog

 Post Number One in this new blog.

There has been so much going on in my life lately. I have been growing as a person and going through some difficult situations as well. I am definitely not the same person I was when I began my first blog over five years ago. It was time to end that blog and put things in the past. One of the names I was considering for this blog was Starting Over Without Looking Back because that is how I see my life today: In a positive light, and having learned enough to appreciate the hard lessons as well as the surprise blessings.

This year my goal is to explore my creativity and enjoy life more. I have a new camera, Olympus Stylus, so that is my  companion during long walks and some drives. There is country, farming, cattle, fields, barns and silos surrounding this little town. I have much to see and capture on the camera. Some of the time my husband will be with me but as his bike rides are therapeutic and healthy for him, my walks are good for me.

I am going to do some watercolors. Many years ago I worked in oils and then did some watercolors, so I am excited to have a new watercolor set soon and re-familiarize myself with my style and visual technique.

A handicraft I left behind many years ago is crochet. It brought joy into my life long ago. I have some new crochet hooks, some yarn, and a long memory so it will be fun to familiarize myself with the yarn and the hooked needle and my imagination.

Gardening is new for me. This past spring I bought some flower seeds and planted them in flower beds. I had no ideas what I was doing, so I used more seeds than I needed but there were flowers all summer and fall. I found joy in trimming the flowers, removing dead heads, embracing the abundance of color. The lovely flowers enticed many butterflies and bees so I will be planting flower seeds again each spring.

I have been planning a vegetable garden, again something new for me. Spending time online learning the best methods of growing vegetables from seed and when to begin the planting for the different vegetables is an ongoing project now. I have a file on my desktop for gardening, so like most things I tackle new, I am organizing the info that will help yield the most produce. Since I am retired and in good health, I have time and energy for the first time in my life to have a garden.

The one thing I bring with me to this blog is my wheat free existence. That will never change. I live wheat free, gluten free, low carb. This is the very best lifestyle for me. I don't plan to write much about this aspect of my life in my blog, no recipes, no weight loss updates. It is just one of the very best parts of my life now.

I am also growing out my hair, no more short hair. Of course, I will see how much I can deal with longer hair next summer. It has been many years since I had longer hair and since I cut my own hair I am able to trim my hair as it grows out to keep it neat.

Like I said, this is the first post. Welcome to my new blog. I will be reading my favorite blogs and leaving comments,  using my real name. By the way, my name is CiCi.

Graphic found on techiemania.com.