Melissa McLean Montgomery

Spring has sprung! It was along cold winter here and I for one am sooo glad I do not live back east anymore. Enough with the pleasantries! I'm staying in my current groove mood of - caring/not caring, working/resting, looking down/looking up, collecting/discarding, socializing/being alone, etc. I hope this inspired you, the reader, to be diligent in whatever you decide to do/not do today.

Well its been a busy and eventful year. Beaucoup de change, etc. Christmas is always a time of reflection for me, I prefer to be introspective. My message is this: Christmas, like any other holiday, is a celecbration. How you choose spend it/think about it is up to you. On Christmas eve, I watch 'Scrooge', (the 1951 version) and eat steak, lobster and crab. Wether or not you have a good time depends entirely on you. Merry Christmas, to one and all! God Belss us, every one.

Thanks to all the people who have let me down, lied to me, given me nothing, denied me, underestimated me, betrayed me, ignored me, shunned me, written me off, written me out, cast me off....... If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't be where I am now. Thank you! All my love, Melissa xoxoxo

While laying awake last night my thoughts traveled to all my female friends who now have children. They have one thing in common: they have all married a rich man. The ones who have married a poor man are no longer together or together with their child and unhappy. Feminism states that women are equal to men and women can and should have their own money. But many women I know don't, their number one goal, therefore, was to find a rich man if they wanted a child. It is an attractive thing: money. It makes life easier. I married for love. I often wonder what it would have been like to have a child and raise it. I would have wanted to give it everything I had- private school, violin and riding lessons, a pony, a horse, roller skates, ice skates. I did not want to be scraping together a few dollars to buy second-hand clothes for my child. Shopping second- hand for my self is cool, but there is no way I would want to take my child shopping at a thrift store. So there it is. I am much h...

My mother in law passed away suddenly at the beginning of the year. She was the best. I loved her and she loved me. Perhaps the greatest thing about her was that she loved me - wholly, completely, without judgment, unconditionally. I am forever grateful for having been loved by her. How I loved her- Mirta, Milto, Willies, Binkers, Billie JJ, Willie Wonka, Binkies, Winkies, Wiltires. She was kind and caring, fierce and jolly. Everyone she met loved her instantly. This is not the first time I have experienced the sudden passing of a loved one. When someone passes suddenly, apart from the pain and sadness, a sense of urgency is what I feel the strongest. Life is finite. Do what you must. Today. Now.

Thought of the day: If one writes a blog are they a writer? Or a blogger? If one writes here in this blog is one a proper writer or a diarist? Or a blogger because this is a blog, it's not really writing. Is this an illegitimate form of expressing oneself because it is a blog and everyone and their dog has one? Or is it illegitimate because it ( the writer's services ) has not been paid for? Am I a real writer? Are you a real reader? Would this be a proper reading experience if it was written in a book? Would I feel like a real writer if I had written a book? I think so. If I had it in my hands and my name was printed on it that would indeed feel terrific. Everyone says I should be a writer. " You should write a book, Melissa, " they say. Yeah yeah yeah. Well, that's all well and good except I have no idea for a book. Easier said than done I say. I usually just nod my head in blithe agreement. Yes and I should be a fashion model and a real estate agent and a ch...

The end of a long hot summer. The weather finally broke last night with a little rain. The skies are finally clearing. I can see clearly now.

It's always on . Sex and the City reruns are my friend. After a hard day , I come home to an empty house ( my partner works evenings ) . And there it is on the Cosmo Network. The shows I have seen over and over again. Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte. My old buddies. I'd like to think I am and unique amalgamation of all four. They have been with me since the olden days when I was single. When I met my partner we watched it together. The show is now considered retro: the last episode aired in 2004. But it is still relevant. It was so ahead of its time that it hardly seems dated. In fact, it is dated only by the massive cell phones and payphones the characters use. The fashions are still in style, that's how fashion forward Patricia Field's creations were. And the plots are timeless; the hilarious differences between men and women, marriage, divorce, affairs, impotence, sexual harassment, unemployment, pot, eating, older men, younger men, adoption, funerals, ...

Behold The ceiling above me looks like the sky. The line of air looks like the horizon. My sheet looks like a meadow of flowers.

I'm turning 50 on Tuesday. I thought by now I would have something pithy and profound to say but I don't. So I will revert to my love of lists and close with 50 things I have learned this 50 years I have lived on this planet. 1. It is vital to laugh every day. 2. Years from now all things that happened to you will be funny. Truly. 3. Drink 2 litres of water daily. 4. Always take time to rest. 5 Do what you love. 6. If you have to do what you hate, find a way to make it fun. 7. Find a few great friends. 8. Hang on to them. 9. Signal and shoulder check when turning. 10. Have pets. 11. Have a garden. 12. Do not go camping. 13. Do not do double shots of tequila and then smoke pot. 14. Do not eat expired cheese. 15. Do not run for the bus. 16. If it feels wrong, it probably is. 17. Apologise quickly when necessary. 18. Eat fresh food as much as you can. 19. Eat junk food once a month. 20. Don't be afraid to treat yourself. 21. Don`t be stingy; buy others g...

I lost my hat. I loaned it to my sister. She says she was wearing it when we picked her up. But it is not in the car. I remember distinctly seeing her red hair in the distance as my sweetie drove down the street to meet her. " There she is ! " I said to my sweetie. I remember her getting in the car. She was carrying my purple jacket that I left at the cafe. And a brown bag. She says she was wearing the hat. I don't think she was. I think she left it somewhere and has forgotten. But she was so definitive in her belief that she had it that I did not argue. Even though I still cannot find it. And I want desperately to argue: No you did not. I do not have it. It is not in my car. It is not in my sweetie's car. It is not in the house. It is not at the barn. IT IS GONE. Part of me does not care. I have lots of hats. As I approach 50, things become less and less important. Winning arguments and being right has become less important. On the other hand, I did lov...

Spring! Bringing new everything. Some old friends have popped up like reliable bulbs. New friends arrive like little seedlings. I love the friends I have. I also like making new ones. And of course some have to be shredded with my old winter coats that no longer fit.

Here we/I are again. 365 more chances to get it right. Insert sigh here. The Christmas decorations are away and I find myself picking/sorting through leftover lamb and opening the last of the gifts of dark chocolate. I save it til last I prefer milk chocolate. Lamb dinner aside I have a confession to make: I have been " Raw to 4 " for a year and love it! I recommend it for those struggling with health or budget issues. Have I mentioned that Sense and Sensibility is on TCM and I'm craving tea and shortbread?

Reading rock n' rollers tales of their debauchery and self discovery has made me realize I have much in common with them. Their names? Duff McKagan ( Guns n' Roses) and John Taylor ( Duran Duran ). Their books- It's so easy: and other lies, The Pleasure Groove. Who would have thought?

Am I pretty? beautiful? Can I take a good selfie? What is my best light? My best angle? Do I have too many wrinkles? freckles? Is my nose too big? Forehead too high? I have been told I have a perfect mouth. Twice. Am I smart? Am I talented? Am I funny? Am I nice? Does it matter? In the end, This is what I have.

Holy April! The birdies are singing and I am once again able to get out of bed before 8 am. Major accomplishment. I have the longer days to thank. Now the winter of my discontent is over, I have to put the geraniums back outside and clean the horrible window frame in the back ground.....it never ends, but goes round and round.

I am obsessed with storage. Anyone who knows me will attest to this fact. I like to put things away, label them, sort, donate and throw out. Its my cardio. Its my therapy. I like systems for things. I hate looking for things. When I was a child, I used to organize my room every night. I could not go to sleep unless all my dolls were in their nighties and my books were neatly stacked. Not much has changed. Except now my dolls are in my storage locker, packed neatly away.

Well, the place has been rearranged and the new furniture is coming soon. Does the inside reflect the outside or vice versa ? I used to have a friend that was convinced that if she changed her hair, her whole life would change. My life has changed drastically in the past year without new furniture.....who knows what the next few months will bring?

I was chatting to a fellow artist today and we lamented the fact we as artists find it challenging to constantly update our websites/Facebook/Twitter...etc. Other artists we know are updating their online selves every minute of the day. The business person in me acknowledges that I live in the age of the internet and that much of my value as an artist is determined by how plentiful and current my online information is. I have yet to go on Instagram. I'm on Twitter but seldom tweet. But the artist in me only wants to update when the moment feels right......what a conundrum!

June Days Review: 1. Retrieved summer clothes- they are still not ironed 2. Washed horse's winter blankets 3. Fern has replanted by the river 4. 5. Postponed appointment with dentist ( see # 4 )