Saturday, June eighth in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever".

 The minister that married me and my husband forty-six years ago wrote this quote from John Keat's Endymion in my Guest Book. I have loved it ever since and it does rather describe a godly marriage. 

                                                                   

she came home briefly

 MAY 

 I  truly knew how brief her time with us would be and I was concentrating on what I knew would need to be accomplished in just three weeks time. "No Worries", she states with her two decade plus one confidence.

Even today I refer to them as growing pains, but in actuality I must remind myself to just keep quiet, do not "intentionally" ruffle any feathers. This particular evening she went upstairs and I went outside where I could hear the emotion of the violin helping her to process the forthcoming changes.

With my second and fourth children at home we were able to connect like we have not been able too in many years as Alan has been residing overseas and Charlotte has been in and out depending on the time of year as she has been attending college eight hours away  for the past three years. My husband's new car is dubbed by me as the ter__st  because any amount of weight on any of the seats causes the most irritating noise involving dings that become louder and louder until you hook your seat belt. Even the water jug was not immune to not being properly seat belted.

aiming toward a goal...

Dear to whomever reads this blog...

  All one must simply do is go to their personal blogger page click on the stats button and see if anyone has read a particular post. I know a few people might read a post I have written from time to time and some of you kind, encouraging souls will even leave a nice comment. And while I do not write on this blog for any other purpose than to make a scrapbook type of journal, it does create a connected feeling to know someone is reading it and following along as big and not so big journeyings are recorded. Then there is the added bonus of the enjoyment of reading your blogs.

I compose so many blog posts in my brain, always have. I write them while in the kitchen preparing dinner or canning tomatoes, while in the garden picking beans or removing June bugs from the plants, while in the car driving on long trips or just short trips to town, and especially on my walks wherever that is depending on the season. But to stop everything, sit down, get comfortable, open my computer and begin sorting through the photos taken (sometimes that is a problem because I do not always take a camera along to take applicable photos) and making a post just does not happen. I even have quite a few drafts where I was motivated to post, began a post and somewhere in the middle of it I was called away.

 I do thoroughly enjoy blogging, yet I have allowed myself to stop posting and it seems like the longer I stay away the harder it becomes to get started again. My intentions get swallowed up and I feel as if I am covered under a heap of heavy blankets.  Do you ever feel like that? 

 I do have several wonderful posts I hope to publish in the coming days. I am aiming for that goal. Journaling my days full of the simple living ventures of life while capturing those big celebrations and events of life too. Plans are to continue with posts that sometimes will include quotes and recipes also. Read as much as you want and leave a comment if you are so inclined. I thank you with all my heart❤️ for being here.

A view of the back garden taken in June with the extension of the flower garden. I promised my husband this would be the very last time. It is a perfect size now which translates as big enough for me to manage. And it will be able to hold the extra flowering shrubs, perennials, and herbs I am still planning to add this fall and next spring.

                                 This is later July. You can see the Limelight Hydrangeas are blooming!

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

blue skies, forded creeks, cow-laden fields and wild forest plants

So many days come and go with seemingly sealed blurriness or with leaps and bounds of constant needs, animate or inanimate, to be attended.

But then there are the serene ordinary days. Those are by far my most favorite because it is in these ordinary days that I quietly learn and sometimes what I learn has a distinct affect on me. But whatever the nature of the day, one truth remains, 

His mercies are new every day.

Considering my recurrent forest walks of last year,  these days I will usually walk the ridge at Good Drop. The up and down lane of Good Drop Ridge gives a  pleasant and healthy workout, but how I have missed those walks in the woods.

There came a huge change back late last summer that has made the woods very different in some places. When I happen to walk the forest paths now I must reestablish my bearings. Fifty-eight acres have been timbered right next to our property. In times past I would cross over the property lines from time to time in my walks and I became familiar with the various paths. One day around dinner time I heard a knock on the front door. The granddaughter of the man who built this home was standing on the front porch. She was visiting from another state and came to check the timbering on her property. Thankfully, she plans to replant the land in pines. It was a pleasurable visit and she was able to tell me a few things about our property including the fact that it was a King George III land grant back in the 1700's. 

I have been gaining headway in my bearings and returning to more frequent forest walks. On this day I wore a half apron as it provided a handy place to put things I want to either carry along with me, or to be handy to gather things from my woodsy excursion.

These last two photos are on the other side of our property alongside the woods where the cows graze in the fields ( the black blobs are cows). I will cross the creek and continue up the hill to the top of our property.

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.

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.

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. 

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

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.