Thursday, February 8, 2024

a chickadee

 I have taken to afternoon walks in the fields along the side of the woodlands.

Today I carried along a small pair of binoculars hoping to closely observe some of the birds I have seen on my previous walks.  But I mostly begin with listening, stopping when I heard the call of a bird. That is when I spotted a chickadee! He was eating the fungi on a tree branch amongst the underbrush and between bites he would stop and chatter. This was the first time I have seen a chickadee here on the property. The sunflower seeds at my house feeder do not attract him, but now I know he is present and that makes me happy.

In Walden wood the chickadee
Runs round the pine and maple tree
Intent on insect slaughter:
O tufted entomologist!
Devour as many as you list,
Then drink in Walden water.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Fragments on Nature and Life

Thursday, November 30, 2023

little bits and a bit of reminiscing

Surroundings:

 Here in the living room I sit gazing at a "not live" Christmas tree that has been set in its stand since last night. It is naked of baubles, balls, ornaments and garland. Not even an angel or star is donning the top of this tree.

Yesterday I collected all Thanksgiving and autumn decor to carry upstairs to be stored in the awaiting bins in the attic.  After several trips up  and down two flights of stairs I thought I should at the least start bringing down some of the Christmas decorations as I was planning to begin decorating in earnest this coming weekend. The tree is always the first thing we bring down and decorate so I thought we could at least set it up with just the lights and I then could imagine it being as an evergreen tree natural -like for the next several days.

But this afternoon I am just not buying that far fetched idea. It frankly looks out of place and pitiful.  The weekend will be here soon enough I daresay.

Reading:

I had to get out the house rather early this morning as I had my annual eye appointment scheduled. I carried along a book to read while in the waiting room. I can remember, and it was not really that many years ago, that you could count on having magazines to read while you waited for any appointment be it doctor, hair, dentist, etc. I actually looked forward to the waiting room experiences because of these magazines. Do you remember this?

But this morning I grabbed my newest read. And it was an air of sybaritism I felt to have the opportunity to read in the early morning hours even if it was in the eye doctors waiting and examining room. I am finding the book, No One Gardens Alone, the biography of Elizabeth Lawrence. a very enjoyable  read. She lived in North Carolina and reading the historical parts of her life in regard to what was happening in the state I find interesting. I discovered this book as well as a book written by Lawrence, Through the Garden Gate, at a library book sale back in September.  I consider both of them excellent finds.

Hemming:

My husband bought a pair of dress slacks that are 2 1/2" too long in the hem. He was actually going to take them back! But he quickly took me up on the suggestion I made to hem them myself. (I thought this was rather odd since I have hemmed his pants many times). Today my memory is sparked from this humble task of the countless times I've hemmed mens' black dress pants in Christmas's past when I was an integral part of the costume execution team for the  production of "The Nutcracker" performed by Charlotte's dance group. It has been three years since she graduated and I realize how much more time I have on my hands now that I am not spending countless evenings and Saturdays sewing and altering costumes. But those were priceless, happy times that I feel very fortunate to have had the experience to be a part and there is truly no equal exchange for them.

 

   A 2011 photo of the basement where we ladies sewed.






Monday, November 27, 2023

comfort food menu

                       "Eating is an agricultural act"

                                                   ~Wendell Berry


The study of Exodus has come to an end, an insightful as always Bible study. We gather to fellowship at my home tomorrow. I love being with these eight women that I have shared Friday mornings with for the past  eleven weeks.
It is going to be cold outside, plenty of  firewood stacked.
Menu:
Homemade tomato soup
Grilled cheese sandwiches with sourdough bread and  raw cheddar cheese
Lettuce/Kale salad with dried cranberries, nuts and pears
served with a citrus vinaigrette
Apple crisp with vanilla ice cream fro dessert.


Saturday, November 25, 2023

thanksgiving weekend

 Adding two days to a weekend, specifically a holiday weekend, may sometimes direct the way in which you find yourselves spending the time. Of course, the people that surround you get a voice and certain circumstances can also play a major part in what you will in fact find yourself doing.

This year my husband and I were alone on these two days. My idea was we take the day after Thanksgiving and just relax, you know like actually take a no-work day.  However, he did not buy that scenario one little bit, he had  plans to accomplish much, many things on his to do list  both outside and across the street at the little cottage we are renovating. He mentioned going to the cottage to clean out the gutters  and since  I did not think it was a wise idea for him to be up on a ladder alone I went along. I sat in the red truck and sewed on my newest and most engaging project while he removed all the leaves and goo from the gutters.

Last winter I created a quilt, a "nap-sized" one, sewn with my father's pajama fabric I was left with when he came to live in my home before he died. I love bundling my legs in this soft quilt almost every morning  and it is the perfect quilt to wrap up in when you need that afternoon nap. It was pieced on the machine, but on long winter evenings and cold afternoons I looked forward to picking up my needle and thimble to spend hours hand quilting. What contentment. It is a simple design and it certainly has its share of mistakes, a true quilter would be appalled. But I had no intention of creating a masterpiece. My goal from start to finish was to merely use something that had great sentimental value and make it into something useful. Mission accomplished and I love it!


When we moved into our present home my sewing room had to be packed up  and all my stash of fabric, yarns, threads and UFOS (unfinished projects) came rising to the surface. I did rid myself of at least a box worth of things I knew that in my lifetime I would probably not get around to using. In this process I found the fabrics from my mother's sleeping gowns also. This quilt will be different in that I am actually creating it with a particular quilting design, using a 16 inch square block pattern called Fox and Geese. The cotton fabric I cut from her gowns are being pieced with a creamy white cotton fabric that I purchased. I have also decided to hand piece this quilt, hence I was able to sit in the truck and sew. Hand sewing has many attractions, but the best part is the portability.

I was able to do a bit of cleaning up and meal planning as I do have some family members coming Sunday afternoon and a lunch to prepare for my Bible Study ladies on Tuesday. Sadly, my daffodil and tulip bulbs have yet to be planted and the ironing pile is still waiting. 



Thursday, November 23, 2023

blessings and gratitude

 "Thanksgiving does mean the giving of thanks to God, and it is a holiday belonging only to our country, reminding us of the Pilgrims who found a day in the midst of their battle for survival to praise God and ask for His blessings".

Gladys Taber  The Stillmeadow Road

Thanksgiving Day never looks the same from year to year in our family unlike it did in years past.  Those years I could always count on going to the same house with the same people and eating the same foods. The place and who we celebrate with now may be different, some not sitting around the table that were here just last year. 

 Charlotte was not with us today and this mama's heart tried, unsuccessfully I might add, to ignore the empty spot at the table with the heavy feeling of her absence grabbing my attention more times than I want to admit.

The foods also may vary a bit from year to year, yet the the main fare definitely does not disappear from the table's offering. The dressing I prepared  this year was different in that I added sausage and apples along with  the usual onions, celery, and sage. I might revisit this in future Thanksgivings. 

Rose had to work a hospital shift of both Wednesday and Thursday nights, so we opted to eat our meal at 2:30 in the afternoon between her sleeping and going back to work. 

After stuffing ourselves properly we walked the land, our blessings are truly felt.


O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy

endureth forever.   

Psalm 136:1

Monday, October 30, 2023

seeing is beholding...eating is tasting

"What you surround yourself with will bring you peace of mind and peace of spirit."
~Stacy London

As October is rounding out itself much like the luminous full moon in the evening sky, I am back at home putting things back in order after being away for four days.

                                  Do you know what this fruit is called?

It is an asian persimmon.  It has absolutely no resemblance to the wild persimmons that grow in the woods or along the hedge rows in the country. It has a surprisingly mild sweet taste. 

 Though my cutting garden is showing sad signs of dryness and extreme tiredness, I was still able to cut several vases worth of zinnias This is my garden haul this morning.The bright orange flowers in the green basket atop the tomatoes are calendula flowers that I am drying for teas, tinctures, and salves.


Two monarch butterflies were seen today. I know they are traveling through and it amuses me to think they make a stop in my garden as they head to Mexico.


The weather turned rather warm while we were away so my fall green bean crop flourished a bit more enabling me to pick a basket of green beans to fix for dinner.

 I sat in the swing on the front porch with this lovely fall view. Everything is quite dry and we are hoping that rainfall is coming in the next few days.

 


four days and a few notes

 A community park aside a mountain rise and brightly hued  trees showing off their splendid autumn apparel.

Mothers with their children, swings, footballs, and couples walking their tail-wagging dogs on leashes. All are without a doubt enjoying this warm day in late October.

We had stopped at a small community park in New Market, Virginia where we ate our lunch.

I walked around the park trail to allow my weary legs a good move before my husband said it was time to go. I wished I had my camera, but then my photography skills fall short of the special views I observed.

Destination: Buffalo, New York. 

The Blue Ridge Mountains along the Shenandoah Valley dotted with prosperous farms never fail to stir a serene feeling to my spirit. It was the most ideal time to drive through the mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania because of the peak of foliage colors.

We decided to stop in a town in Pennsylvania which in times past meant nothing but now has significant meaning for us. A future family member's home town, more on this in a future post.

A quick decision to drive up to Niagara Falls on Saturday afternoon.

Monday, September 25, 2023

remembering summer

REMEMBERING SUMMER

Being too warm the old lady said to me
is better than being too cold I think now
in between is the best because you never
give it a thought but it goes by too fast
I remember the winter how cold it got
I could never get warm wherever I was
but I don’t remember the summer heat like that
only the long days the breathing of the trees
the evenings with the hens still talking in the lane
and the light getting longer in the valley
the sound of a bell from down there somewhere
I can sit here now still listening to it.
~W.S. Merwin





I think of this time of year, the end of August until October 1, as late summer. September being the star month when we are on hold so to speak. But there is a definite easing into the autumn season. The shortening of the days is always the most obvious sign that summer is beyond its peak and shouting goodbye. Whether we are ready for it or not, and I always am more than willing to move on with a high note of anticipation of the wonders of what the next season brings.  Yet sublime remembrances linger. 
 Summer 2023 will be especially remembered as the summer of the butterflies. I planted a cutting/ butterfly attracting garden. I was not disappointed. I have so many photos of the variety of the butterflies that visited my garden this summer. I even began a post titled, "Plant and They Will Come". But who really wants to see my large display of butterfly photos? But I do hope to develop the pictures and place them in a nature study notebook this winter. Some days during the very heat of summer I would walk out into the garden and I was surrounded with butterflies flying all around me. I was beholding one of my Creator's  gifts. The monarchs also visited  drinking from my zinnias as well as the milkweed I planted last year.  I even found a monarch chrysalis then was able to see the completed cycle.  

The  black bear was seen one drizzly Sunday afternoon. We knew black bears lived around here and had been spotted, but seeing one ourselves was...well, quite a late summer spectacle!

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

the library


“When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”

―Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

 What do they call this room I ask the man showing us the house we purchased last year. It was a room off the living room through double wooden doors. "A parlour?", he suggests. From that very first day I called  this room the library. And plans began forming in my mind almost immediately to the possibilities of making this such a room, walls lined with built in book shelves, an antique bookcase on that wall filled with books, comfy chairs with reading lamps, and maybe even a footstool.  Of course, I've had libraries of sorts all my life, wherever or whatever held my large assortment of books was considered a make-do library. And certainly this past year a majority of books have been stored in boxes on the third floor awaiting my vision to become a reality. At last I have a lovely room that embraces the afternoon sun on cloudless days, making it a perfectly wonderful place to be christened "The Library".

 “Books are delightful society. If you go into a room and find it full of books— even without taking them from the shelves they seem to speak to you, to bid you welcome.”

  ~William Gladstone


I have a friend whose husband was starting a new business and was very capable and interested in building us book shelves.
Some days I have my lunch at the table that sits in the center of the room.

"In a good bookroom you feel in some mysterious way that you are absorbing the wisdom contained in all the books through your skin, without even opening them.” 
― Mark Twain


 One Sunday afternoon, a berry clafoutis with hazelnut whipped cream  with "delightful society". My husband was there too😊, and he is certainly delightful society.

"A house that has a library in it has a soul." - Plato

Monday, September 18, 2023

living my life this way now

I enjoy solitude. It's probably selfish, but why bother about it. Life is much too important, as Oscar Wilde said, to be taken seriously. I feel so sorry for those mothers who are devastated by loneliness when their children fly the coop and don't want to live at home anymore. They feel lost, but look what exciting things can be done. Life isn't long enough to do all you could accomplish. And what a privilege to be alive. In spite of all the pollutions and horrors, how beautiful this world is. Supposing you only saw the stars once every year. Think what you would think. The wonder of it!”

~unknown


Sunrise

I sit in the green andiron back chair while still in my robe,  

a mug of coffee in hand savoring a new morning.




A morning's quiet time enjoyed on the front porch.



Still in the garden everyday.




Saturday, September 9, 2023

prudent preparation




"It has occurred to me that I am only doing what every housewife did as a matter of course only a generation or two ago. She always preserved food for the coming year as it came into season and bulk-purchased staples such as sugar and vinegar. Our grandmothers did this not because they were paranoid, isolated survivalists, but rather because they had learned from experience that blizzards, crop failures, and epidemics happened. The prudent, prepared household prevailed. Others did not.


As the winter storms howl outside my window and the political, economic, and ecological news goes from bad to worse, I sleep well, knowing I can care for my family during times of plenty and times of want."


~ Just in Case: How to Be Self-Sufficient When the Unexpected Happens

by Kathy Harrison


a chickadee

 I have taken to afternoon walks in the fields along the side of the woodlands. Today I carried along a small pair of binoculars hoping to c...