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Author - Melinda

Melinda with teal cup coffee, IMG_6781

Dating: A Middle-Aged Widow’s Open Letter To The Man Who Thinks He Wants To Date Her

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WHAT MEL DID

There is always a day each year – not always the same one – I officially name spring. It used to be when Bronnie brought me the first daffodils of the season or the sudden appearance of cotton candy blossoms on our trees. But even now, living in the city without Bronnie or my country garden, I can recognise a day that smells sunflower fresh, a day full of possibilities, a day I name spring.⁠
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WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES - This is my first ever (ever) birthday post. It's hard to believe pre-COVID even Denzel Washington wearing only baby oil could not have prised me out from behind my camera lens. So, whilst I'm here in some form, let me say a MASSIVE THANK YOU for your kind words and messages this week. It has meant a lot. And much love and happy birthday to my lovely twin sister today too. Mx ⁠

THIS TIME LAST VALENTINE'S - I was already missing my children as I walked past a wedding store this morning which was showcasing one of their favourite books from childhood - “Guess How Much I Love You.” The kids would be beside themselves when their father then flung out his arms and shouted “This Much!” That became a bit of a thing in our family. Still is.⁠
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And this exact day last year, I was with two of the children. Tess had flown in from New York and, together with Morgan, it was we girls together in London. It would have been impossible to imagine then that flying in from anywhere, or hugging and laughing in close proximity would have been damn near illegal a year on.⁠
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Continuing the trudge to get some essentials this morning, I passed another store which also encapsulated what I want for all of my children; so I will end with the profound words from Primark’s window:⁠
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“Stay Safe. Live.”⁠
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In the meantime, know I love you all “THIS MUCH!”⁠
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Mx⁠

LET IT SNOW - It’s snowing and which reminds me why we banned TV on school mornings when my “kids” were children. Morgan and Hart would move at the pace of jam racing marmalade uphill when it came time to turn the TV off and get ready for school. Bronnie and I, as well as corralling children into showers, breakfast and school uniform, also had to get ready for work and the demands of the day. And God-Damn-It, those children seemed to move even slower when it was a big meeting day at the office.⁠
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Then one school morning it snowed.⁠
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I caught the furtive looks between the children, but thought nothing of it and, to be fair, they were getting ready as asked, but at a more studied rather than a slow pace. It was hard to define. Come to find out the children were waiting for the text to come in cancelling the school day because of the white stuff falling from the sky, which had now settled on the ground to about 3 inches.⁠
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The text came in.⁠
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Morgan and Hart were out of school uniform, into house clothes and tobogganing down our driveway with other kids from the neighbourhood faster than a Government U-turn.⁠
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“So you kids do know how to move in the mornings,” I shouted through the kitchen door, as a snowball hit me thump in the middle of my forehead.⁠
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Happy snowy Sunday, friends. Mx⁠
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KINDNESS PLEASE STAND - There were many great moments in yesterday’s US Presidential inauguration. I for one high-fived the TV when Joe made it down those stairs to start his four-year journey. (Those of us in the “certain age” bracket salute you, Sir.) And what his speech may have lacked in orgasm-inducing rhetoric, it made up for in kindness. A glimmer of hope for a different approach to the many (many) subjects which currently polarise and divide us. My daffodils, which have stayed stubbornly closed for the last few days, came out in full bloom and agreement this morning. 🇺🇸

Autumn⁠
Leaves⁠
Shoes⁠
Had to be done⁠
Don't hate me.⁠
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When someone who didn't even know you were having a challenging week, gives you an unexpected gift, which says "Hey, I see you."⁠
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Thank you, Lucy. Mx

Happiest of birthdays to my youngest, 22 today. Again, if I wasn't related to this guy, he is someone I would always want to hang out with. 🎂 🎉 🥂 💖 🥳⁠
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I've chosen this photo, as it has a special place in my heart. This was one of my first showings of the Cushion Maven. This young man came to "help" dress the cubicle and basically ended up saying "Step aside woman, I've got this." And he did got this.

The long and winding road this morning took me on a dirt path, which could be mistaken for a picturesque scene on vacation. Gratifying then that this scenic beauty is available to us in the "Fine City" of Norwich, Norfolk, England. Happy Saturday, friends. M

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THE CUSHION MAVEN

The advice I had been given on how to grow orchids was wrong. They thrive best being left to dry out because you've forgotten they existed as you tended to your busy life. You should also let them fall to the floor once or twice a week as you knock them over to water the plants behind them. And they do especially well with a few cuss words thrown in. I bought two more on the strength of this strategy and they are also thriving, thank you very much. 🌻 😬⁠

WHY THIS WORKS? - the zigzag pattern echoed in the throw and the cushion. Yellow echoed in the middle accent cushion, with interest added in her sister colours of orange and red. Shades of green are weaved throughout - in the large sage green cushion at the back, the vibrant green in the accent cushion, and the green of the plants. Small, unifying touches always help to bring cohesion to apparent madness! Mx

“Clothes mean nothing until someone lives in them.” —Marc Jacobs⁠
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It’s thrilling for makers when people use our products in a way we don’t expect. I’m not terribly certain our newly launched oversized scrunchie will make it to ankles around the world, but hey what do I know, I thought wrapping a school tie around my waist was the last word in rebel style. However you choose to use our oversized scrunchie, share it with us won’t you using our newly minted hashtag #scrunchiemaven. Mx⁠
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A day to put your hair up whilst letting it down on this gloriously sunny day - at least in Norfolk. Here, the 'Flora' oversized scrunchie modeled by my daughter, @morganfargo. Have a super weekend won't you? Mx⁠
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SENSE AND SENSIBILITY - I got up extra early this morning to completely clear the bathroom because work was being done on it. (Because of this work, I knew I also had to vacate the apartment for at least four hours.) On top of which, I cleaned the apartment from top to bottom so it didn’t look as though I lived on a fabric building site, showered, put on clothes that were not PJs, and put on some make-up. I hadn’t been out in the wild for a while and didn’t want to scare the natives. Then my builder canceled. The choice was to:⁠
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(1) do something completely responsible with this time I hadn’t expected; or⁠
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(2) go out to meet a beautiful day, buy flowers, and then waft around the apartment playing with my camera.⁠
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Responsibility is over-rated. ⁠
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HAPPY FRIDAY, friends. Mx⁠
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The oversized scrunchie for those of us who like, and are, a little bit extra! Brought to you by The Cushion Maven. New designs uploaded onto the website regularly - from your Thoroughly Modern Milly to this nod to Ye Ol' English Garden. Pass the Pimms, Jeeves. Mx⁠
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#scrunchiemaven

HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN? With the re-opening of non-essential shops today, there has been an air of excitement and making ready in my home town this week. Shops have been sweeping, mending, taking inventory and wielding paint brushes and vacuum cleaners like Marvel superheroes. It has been enough to make me glimpse life as it was and believe it can be again in some form. Like the time of this photo when I went strawberry picking with my youngest son. Yes, strawberry picking in white silk, pure white linen and a straw boater. Well, no-one said normal had to be sensible, did they? Here’s to brighter days. 🌞 Mx⁠
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Whilst making this collection, we had the gamut of weather from record-breaking temperatures for April to snow flurries by the end of the same week. Fabrics like these remind us Spring and Summer must eventually prevail - yes, even in the UK! Mx 🌞 🌷⁠

On more challenging days, I go to gratitude to drown out all the things I believe to be wrong. One of the things I truly am grateful for is my health and fitness. Running a small business is not for wimps, whether or not you also work full-time. I find gratitude can do some of the heavy lifting on those days when I want to whimper with how much still has to be done before I get to close my eyes for the day. This photo of me literally putting my back into it, reminded me to be grateful for my current health. Happy Monday. Mx

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Melinda

Melinda is a passionate entrepreneur and creative. She will marry Denzel Washington after the sudden disappearance of any of his wives.

Copyright © 2021 | Melinda Fargo

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Of late

Dating: A Middle-Aged Widow’s Open Letter To The Man Who Thinks He Wants To Date Her
In Plain Sight
When You’re No Longer The Hippest Person In The Room
If We Are What We Routinely Do, Some Of Us Are In Trouble
First Things First: Why Don’t You Love Me?
Why Am I Telling You This Story, Again?
The One Where Valentine’s Day Was A Matter of Life and Death
We Make Plans And The Universe Says “Bog Off”
When I Grow Up
On diabetes and finding love in a homeless place
Who To Call At 4.00 am?
It All Started When I Didn’t Take My Camera On Holiday