When I Need a Change

Every now and then I need a change of routine and a change of scenery. There aren't many places to go or tea rooms that don't cost a lot of money. It's just cheaper to be home.

There are some days that seem to say it's time to go somewhere!

A different tea set sometimes helps...

..as well as a different location somewhere at home...

...or a friend to sit with for a few minutes. 

Painting by Gregory Frank Harris.

All pictures today are from Pinterest.

Now this is a little something I wish to relate to you from my childhood on the Alaskan Homestead.  (It is not in my book.)

We would all get sick sometimes and be confined ever so long to the house. It would get very tedious and in those days some people who lived alone would go stir crazy and walk out with no coat into the snow, trying to go somewhere. 

 Mother gave us all paper, crayons and pencils and encouraged the little ones to draw and color places they would like to be, and the older ones to write stories of activities and other places.  

We could create characters and draw houses and interiors and have an entire drama to distract us. Sometimes we would play-act the people in our stories. This gave us interesting dreams while recovering from common illness.

I was amused last week when one little grand child began pretending to be a king, and created a high-falutin' accent to go with it. One of the older grandchildren, miffed about taking orders from a king so much younger,  told him, "It isn't so great to be a king. They just sit in one chair all day and talk about the same thing."  The little one was undaunted. He changed chairs every few minutes and talked about something different. 

Painting by Vladimer Gusev