Rosemary Augustine

The year passed quickly – wearing masks, getting tested frequently for Covid and regardless, enjoying life. It was a very busy year with extensive travel to the West three times – San Diego twice and Phoenix once – and the Northeast twice – Lancaster PA and Philadelphia suburbs. Flying, driving and often taking a hike… it was a year that may not be greatly remembered. It was a year that we often thought, “How much more can we take?”

I got lost in my imagination during 2021 writing a new book called The Secret Staircase. Inspired by a stray cat that came around my front door and back patio often around 3:00 A.M. making my cats utterly crazy. Lots of hissing, growling and unnecessary marking tried my patience. When my orange tabby kept sitting by the front door making me think he wanted to escape, my creative juices began to flow. The Secret Staircase was the result of my wild imagination.

As the year progressed, I added more and more to my plate. However, being organized, I’m also able to compartmentalize regardless of how full my plate is. Juggling lots of projects, including books, planning events, day to day paperwork whether paper or online, all while keeping my kitties happy with me constantly home. I try to go out more each day so the cats don’t develop separation anxiety – well… maybe they already have.

The holidays were uneventful. My Christmas tree was up for all of 29 days. What took a full day to set up and decorate, was taken down and put away in less than two hours. I guess I was in a hurry to let 2021 end.

I’m already seeing 2022 taking hold and showing signs of greatness with several people I know. Several of my friends started the new year with a terrific affirmation. Feel free to use it, modify it and/or pass it on. I’m not sure who actually wrote it since it was passed on to me… but here it is and I suggest you put it in your journal, write about your thoughts as you recite this frequently: I am now walking in the most abundant, balanced, healthy, wealthy, and successful period of my life. I naturally attract good fortune, good health, and I am wealthy in more ways than I can imagine. I give myself permission to prosper, and I have the power to build the life that I desire.

Here’s wishing you a Great 2022 and may your attract all that you can imagine and more.

Love and Hugs

Rosemary Augustine

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April 15, 2020 – Five years ago today I set out in my Honda Civic, packed to the gills along with my kitty Ziggy for our new home in  Melbourne Florida.  We spent the night somewhere along I-95 in South Carolina and arrived at our new home on April 16^th at 4:30 pm.  Our furniture arrived at 7:30 the same night.  It was snowing when I left Berwyn, PA on April 15^th only to arrive to 80 degrees once I got to Florida.

A lot has taken place in the last five years.  For one, Ziggy passed on to kitty heaven in July of 2016.  I took a part time job with a local investment advisor shortly after arriving, and we still work together on many of his various projects.  I’ve worked from home for the last 2 years.  I wrote and published several new books since being in Florida and continue to have art play a major role in my life with mixed media and of course hand-crafted journals.  I also traded in that Honda Civic for a Honda Accord and still drive it today.

My new kitties – Oscar and Buttercup – joined me in the fall of 2016 – rescue kitties who had been in numerous foster homes for three years prior to me adopting them.  Now, each age ten, they’ve settled in quite nicely in the Augustine Palace.  They run the place, I just pay the bills and make sure the litter is clean. ^  . . ^

In the last five years in Florida, I’ve endured three hurricanes too.  Matthew and Dorian last minute went out to sea, but Hurricane Irma traumatized us for 36 hours on Sept 10, 2017.  We get pretty violent thunderstorms all summer long, and we’re known as the lightning capital of the world.

My travels in the last five years have taken me to Toronto, Canada and Paris, France, and in the U.S. to many of the northeast states, plus Colorado and Louisiana.  I’ve visited almost every corner of Florida too.

It’s been interesting living in Florida considering I was never a summer person.  Autumn is my favorite season and next is winter then spring.  I always enjoyed cold crisp air, turtlenecks and boots.  Though I wasn’t crazy about shoveling snow, I certainly enjoyed looking at it when it was falling from the sky.  I’ve embraced the year round summer weather in Florida.  I’ve changed my wardrobe from jeans and a blazer to sleeveless dresses, shorts, and sandals. I still wear boots in cooler weather and have been known to wear socks with my sandals – the true sign of a Floridian.  The best part about living in Florida, and Melbourne in particular?  Being a five-minute drive to the beach… so beach walks are frequent in my life.

So, with this anniversary, I look at the next five years, and wonder what fun things will come my way.  Trips to more foreign countries?  Travel to different U.S. destinations?  Write and publish more books?  Create more art?  Probably all of those and then some.  Hopefully, Florida will still be a lovely place to live five years from now barring any additional global warming issues, hurricanes or governmental restrictions in our moving about the U.S or abroad.

Here’s wishing our nation a speedy recovery from our global ordeal with COVID 19.  Stay safe and healthy.  I’ll do the same along with enjoying spring in Florida and our daily 80 degree temps.  I’ll be wishing for cooler temps come July and August, just like my northern friends wishing for warmer temps in January and February.

Happy Anniversary to Me!

Love and Hugs

Rosemary Augustine

PS… That’s Ziggy with me in the picture

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April 10, 2020 – Wanted to reach out and say hello and hope you are healthy and staying home right now.

I continue to work part time and have worked from home for the last two years, so working from home already is not much of an adjustment.  My co-workers in Chicago are all working from home.  The major adjustment is that you miss meeting friends for lunch, taking a walk on the beach or just on a whim going shopping.  There are restrictions of what and when you can do things.  All our restaurants and bars are closed, some offer take out.  I stocked up on food so I’m fine.  This morning I took a ride around the block so I could start the car and move it.  I have made a list of things that I get done each day and not all of it is work related.  Certainly, at the end of all this I want to make sure I made use of the time.

During this time I’m writing, crafting, organizing crap that needs to be organized and doing my household chores… I’m reaching out to people I haven’t talked to in a while and others that I talk to all the time.  My days and nights are full so by 11:35 pm I’m ready for some late-night talk show host to make me laugh and release the stress of the day.

Health wise I’m doing fine and so far most everyone I know is doing fine as well.  One of the gals that was at the February Conference I coordinated in New Orleans over President’s weekend took sick about a week after coming home from New Orleans with a severe respiratory illness and was denied Covid 19 testing “because she hadn’t been out of the country” … she was pretty sick for about 3 weeks but has recovered now.  I’ve had a few bouts of weird symptoms over the last couple of weeks – chills, low grade fever, congestion and cough, maybe it was and maybe it wasn’t … but I dose up daily on Echinacea, Vit C and Vit D, and take walks at least 30 minutes a day.  When I remember, I do some yoga stretching and breathing.

You wonder how all this will change how we interact, do business and live our daily lives.  For Easter, I’ve arranged for my family to video conference since we haven’t seen my brother in six  years even though we all talk on the phone all the time.  I just finished a webinar about future live events and whether in future we go virtual with them.  I’ve participated in virtual publishing conferences over the last few years and they were quite successful. I’m wondering whether I’ll be planning a conference for my company again next February.  We’ve already started with weekly webinars to keep the reps engaged and updated on inventory of investment products.  February is so far off, and the boss usually doesn’t think about the February conference until about November.  I on the other hand start in the summer looking around at places.  Right now, I’m thinking we’ll probably have a virtual event, we’ll see.

Life surely will be different – especially with constant change and creating a new normal.  How we adapt, adjust and cope with change will be the deciding factor in how well we come out of this individually, as a nation and the world. The emotional toll on all of us is often to hard to bear.  Staying home and using gloves and masks if you have to go out  really does help… as does the distancing and of course washing your hands.  My my, I’ve never washed my hands so much.  I want to know how you are doing throughout all this… so stay in touch.

Stay safe and healthy.  Happy Easter and Happy Passover… All the best to you and yours.

Love and Hugs,

Rosemary Augustine

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March 25, 2020 – As the world crisis begins to accelerate in the U.S., mixed messages are being sent out.  Personally, I like to listen to the health experts and not the politicians, especially when I’m told we’re back to normal by Easter.  May I suggest you use your common sense and know that if the numbers keep going up in the U.S. both of cases with coronavirus and deaths because of it, I hope you stay home for Easter Services.  My church has moved services online.

If you are like me (and most of my friends and readers are of that vulnerable age), I continue to stay home.  If you are experiencing cabin fever, may I suggest the following:

Daily walks of 20-30 minutes – I’ve only missed 2 days in the last 3 weeks.

Meditation – helps silence the craziness around us.

Mindfulness – being aware of what’s going on, and especially not buying into the fear.

Make a list – of all the things you want to do at home – and check off at least one per day

Get creative – You don’t have to be an artist, making cookies or a pot of soup can be creative

Reach out – call your family, friends, neighbors, elderly, etc.  the calls can be short and mean a lot to the one being called.

Sunshine and fresh air – take yourself outdoors for a dose of sunshine and breathe in some fresh air.  A Stay at home order doesn’t mean you have to stay indoors.  Just no unnecessary errands, and keep your distance from others when outside.

Computer Clean up – time to consolidate files, categorize pictures, do a back up, etc.

Play board games –   

I dug out the Scrabble board and play against myself each night.  I have a phone date to play Scrabble with a friend over the phone later this week.  However, my cat Oscar constantly wants to make sure he gets his turn.  Check out the photo of my orange tabby and the letters remaining on the Scrabble board –  maybe spells feline toad?

So, you get my drift here on just a few things that you can do to pass the time, without being glued to the TV, listening to facts and often fiction.  Take this time to enjoy the space, embrace the chance to stay connected, even if not face to face.  This crisis may take much longer than we think.  However, I do believe we will be stronger in our connections as a result.

Love and Hugs,

Rosemary

P.S.  Feel free to reach out to me or any others.  And, let me know if you want to do a Zoom call.  I can schedule one, email you the link and we can video chat if you like.

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June 12, 2019: In researching a piece for a speech for this year’s Father’s Day at Church, I came across the following that I wrote in 2012…

This morning while doing my morning pages, quite unexpectedly I started having a dialogue.  It wasn’t planned.  I was listening to Angela Falco’s music CD (www.angelafalco.com) and remembered what she wrote about her Dad when she was playing one of her songs.  His response was “You wrote that?  Wow, it’s beautiful.”  I began to sob thinking of my Dad – gone since 1984. Wishing I could see my Dad or be with him, I wrote, “I don’t miss him that much to be with him in death – but I’d like to have a conversation with him about life, love and business.”  My next words appeared on the page quite unexpectedly:

“Dad, I’m baking a cake this morning, Chocolate Devils Food.  You always liked German Chocolate cake, but I loved Devils Food – all that dark richness, I could eat just the batter.  When did you start liking German Chocolate Cake? (since I always baked Devils Food cake as a kid)”  And so the conversation continued… “Remember that lunch counter we use to go to in Atlantic City on the boardwalk?  I had my first piece of German Chocolate Cake there and loved it and you would bake one for me from time to time.  It was delicious.”  And so I        continued to write a few more pages with questions and dialogue with Dad, writing as fast as I could with his responses.

Dialogue journaling is nothing new.  I often suggest this kind of journaling to friends and clients to use dialogue journaling as a medium for zooming in on specific issues – especially when it comes to pain, hurt, grief, loss, anger, resentment, jealousy… and some more happier dialogues such as a job interview, discussion with a boss, spouse, love one, friend or family member.  Even a dialogue with a diagnosed illness or your inner child are common and healthy.  Therapists have used it for years.  Some dialogue journaling will also include sketches of scenes to address the anger, hurt and loss, heal the hurt and pain, and help you eventually move on with emotional and personal growth and a new perspective around the situation.

I’m not a therapist, nor is my background in psychology (my college days were spent learning business).  But I do recommend dialogue journaling and allowing yourself the time to feel the pain and hurt, and wash it away with tears of sorrow and eventually joy.  If you are in therapy, work with your therapist on this as well.

My Dad was a huge influence in my life as an entrepreneur.  His passion for music was undeniable and his creativity and artistic expression was certainly passed down to me.  Two of my books have dedications to his teaching me perseverance, independence and self-discipline.  Even though he’s been gone for 35 years, I know I can have a conversation with him any time using dialogue journaling.

If you would like to participate in my new project “Letters to Dad”, visit my link https://rosemaryaugustine.com/books/letters2dad.  You don’t have to be a writer to participate and you don’t have to dialogue with your Dad… check out the guidelines and see if it’s something you would like to consider… Meanwhile, Happy Father’s Day to ALL the Dad’s out there.

Love and Hugs

Rosemary Augustine

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November 7, 2018: As I drank my coffee this morning in the bright Florida sunshine, I thought about my friend Allie Newton.  I knew she had a birthday coming up soon and I was trying to remember what age she would be this year.  She was always a lot of fun, as shown here balancing a spoon on her nose.

Allie and I first met, in July 1996, when I moved into an apartment building on Iliff Avenue in Denver.  She was my neighbor and we became fast friends.  We often had afternoon cocktails of veggie juice that she made in her juicer.  She was a Reiki Master and sage soul. She was also an accomplished artist.  She loved my kitties Byron and Maxx and was their caregiver when I traveled in the 1990s.   In 2000 she returned to her hometown of Melbourne, Florida and settled into retired life.  I visited her often in Melbourne and fell in love with the town – hence why I moved to Melbourne in 2015.

She had been in poor health for some time.  When I decided to move to Melbourne, she was my base while I looked at property to buy.  Although I drove her by my new condo complex in January 2015, sadly she was not able to do the stairs to actually see the beauty of the place inside.

Allie took ill in May of 2015, and once hospitalized she never returned to her home at Tropical Haven Mobile Home Park near the Melbourne Airport.  I visited her often once she was relocated to the Opis Nursing Home in West Melbourne.  Knowing her so well, I knew she didn’t want me to see her decline.  She even said that on one of my visits.  As time went on, she no longer remembered me.

So as I drank my coffee this morning, I decided to do a Google search to see if she came up in an obituary search… and sure enough she did.  Allie passed away on October 23, 2018.  The family never notified me.

I know Allie is in a better place now as her closing years were pretty rough.  Your love, your laughter and your friendship will always be remembered Allie.  Rest in peace my sweet friend…

Melbourne – On 10/23/18 at age 96, Allene Newton, affectionately called Allie, was called home to be with the Lord. Allene was raised by her mother, Francis Schell who ran the Flatiron Hotel in downtown Melbourne. She graduated from Melbourne High School and moved to Detroit where she met and married Max Newton who preceded her in death. She eventually returned to Melbourne with her finally earthly address being Opis Indian River Center. She is survived by her loving sons Christian (Helen) and Charles (Debra) Newton. Additionally she has six grandchildren, Harmony and Hillary Newton, Jason Pitts, Shelley Schmidt, Emily Peterson, Matthew Newton and eight great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 2 pm on October 30th at the Lamplighter Village Clubhouse, 500 Lantern Blvd., Melbourne.  Published in FLORIDA TODAY from Oct. 26 to Oct. 28, 2018

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November 3, 2018: It’s not often that I sit at my local library and work with a view of the Indian River Lagoon – shown above.  Although I’m not thoroughly in love with Florida, this time of year reminds me of why I moved here.  Fall and Winter are the nicest times of the year. With cool breezes, enough to wear a sweater.  Rarely do I wear a coat, and only do so including gloves in January when it gets really chilly here… in the low 40s.  Last year we broke our record of over 1500 days of above 32 degrees… two nights in a row it dipped to 30.  All I can say is brrrrrrrrrr.  Spring is not too bad either.  And, summer is no different than when I lived in the NJ/PA area – just longer.  You really don’t mind the summer, because, it’s summer.  You get to enjoy the pool and you welcome the air condition no matter where you are.  When you are out and about in the hot summer, you dress appropriately. I’ve become a fan of sun dresses and sandals.

This time of year, however, you really don’t know how to dress.  Mornings are cool in the 60s and by 10 AM it can be 75 degrees … remember for those of us that live in a constant average temperature of 85 degrees, anything cooler than 70 is cold.  So when I comment online in January that it’s 45 degrees, you understand why I’m cold.  Unfortunately, I keep my fur coat in constant cold storage in Orlando.  I did stop in one day earlier this year just to try it on and it felt sooooo good… but, it needs to remain in cold storage with our crazy Florida weather and humidity.

Enough about the weather.  Let me update you on my fur babies – Oscar and Buttercup.  After their annual check up with the vet this summer, Buttercup had to have a fang removed.  Chipped and an abscess forming, she underwent dental surgery and came out loving me even more.  I had noticed that she stopped eating dry kibble, so I knew she had to have the tooth pulled.  Her tooth has been chipped since I adopted her, and it didn’t seem to bother her until just recently.  Oscar continues to steal Buttercup’s food, but I notice they huddle together when I have workmen come in for remodeling projects (quite an unusual scene between them, since they usually harass one another).  With the cooler weather, they are loving the patio and loving having all the doors and windows open 24/7.

I find it odd that my kitty had a chipped tooth and abscess forming, since I also have the same thing with one of my molars.  Has anyone ever done a study on pets and their humans sharing similar health issues?  I think that would be worth investigating, since I do believe there is a correlation.  Something worth checking into?  So here are a few links for reading about this… When Our Pets Absorb Our Illnesses and Excerpt from Dr. Orloff’s book about can pets absorb our illnesses.  Gives you something to chew on especially if you are NOT a believer of spiritual connection – whether human, animals or the earth.

As for social media… I’ve gone off Facebook completely and sadly including my Ziggy page.  Just can’t buy into all the craziness on Facebook anymore.  I miss seeing some of you on there, but, you can always email me or call for an update.  However, I do post kitty pixs on Twitter at ZiggysSecrets regularly … so please follow us there.  I’m hoping to also upload some of my art to another Twitter page that I’m going to rename (I’ll let you know when I do).  Yes, I know Instagram is excellent for all the photos… but I’m boycotting Facebook, since Instagram is owned by Facebook.  Besides, when I log into my Instagram account, it re-activates my Facebook account.  So, I’ll pass.

Meanwhile, I’m going to sit here and enjoy the view as I continue to do some other work.

Oh, a few hours have passed, I left the library and went next door to my favorite Melbourne restaurant Squid Lips and had lunch on the Tiki Deck… So you’ll see the picture below.

Hoping this email finds you getting ready for the holiday rush.  Enjoy the quiet time right not.  In a few more weeks, we’ll be whirling about juggling turkeys, decorations and gratitude.  I’m most thankful for a good life and an enjoyable 2018, and of course, your love, support and  friendship.

Love and Hugs,

Rosemary, Oscar and Buttercup

P.S.  Here’s another link from Dr. Orloff’s Blog site… 8 Ways To Prevent Overwhelm since we’re heading into “that season” and these are a few good tips for the holidays, and well really, any day. Enjoy!

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