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Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Welcome Summer!


Welcome Summer,
You are hot!
Some of us like that a lot,
Some prefer dear Autumn's ways, 
With cooler air and shorter days,
But Summer now that you are here,
You'll go too fast is what I fear,
I love your sunny, longer days,
And in the twilight how fireflies play,
I will enjoy the parts I like,
But Humidity can take a hike!

Here we are at the end of June.  Summer is finally here and we have been having some truly wonderful weather with just the right mix of sun and rain to make flowers bloom and vegetable gardens grow. Oddly enough so far we have not had the usual invasion of spiders so I've been really enjoying spending time out side reading and just contemplating the sky and thinking poetic thoughts about the sunset. I think it's one of the things I like most about summer, the time to simply watch baby birds learning to fly, clouds drift lazily across the sky, and the setting sun coloring the sky with shades of gold and rose and purple. I have yet to see the fireflies, but with the sun setting so late in the evening I'm not outside when they are rising up out of the grass.  In another few weeks, when we get to the middle of July, the sun will set earlier and I will be watching those fireflies and remembering all the nights I spent with my brothers running around the yard catching them and putting them in a mayonnaise jar to watch them crawl around and light up in the dark.  All the games of hide and seek, tag, and Frisbee we played run through my mind when I'm sitting out in the evening, my husband and I sharing our memories from when we each were children.  I remember what was probably one of the last times I played Frisbee was either the summer before, or the one after my senior year of high school before I went to college. We lived across the street from an elementary school which had a huge field in front of it where we used to play.  That summer we took to gathering as many of our friends as wanted to join in, my brothers and I, and play keep away with the Frisbee.  The one game that sticks out most in my mind is commonly referred to as our Frisbee-kill-a-thon, which we played with a glow in the dark disc. I think it may have been boys against girls, but on certain details my memory is fuzzy.  It was dark in that field, and I recall lots of laughter, squeals, falling on top of each other wrestling for the Frisbee and just that feeling you get only on certain occasions when it feels like the whole world is perfect.  We had such fun that hot, sticky, summer night!  I'm not sure if that Frisbee survived, but I think I recall that we all signed it before breaking up the game.  My friends and I sat under the street light across from my house talking, and I seem to remember a cop stopping to ask what we were doing at that hour.  It can't have been any later than 11:00 or so, but in our sleepy little town in the 70's I guess that was late.  Life is much tamer now and I'm lucky if I stay awake past 10:00 at night!  But oh those summer nights of my youth are fun to reminisce about!


Sunday, June 11, 2017

Days of Living

We live each day
As it comes
What else can we do?
We make mistakes,
We look around,
Beauty carries us through.

Ummm, a packet of hot cereal does not belong in my teacup!

Weekday mornings are hard! Typically I'm groggy and tired, and my head is filled with thoughts of everything I must do that day. So, is it any wonder that on Wednesday morning, before 6:00 I poured my packet of cream of wheat into my teacup instead of a bowl? As soon as I did it I knew it wasn't right. So I shook my head, called myself a fool, took a picture, (well I had to share this moment of being totally an imperfect human!), then outed the cereal into a bowl and proceeded to pour the boiling water. We all do things like that from time to time. We are all busy with work and life, it's easy to get distracted by our thoughts and end up with things that don't go together in our cups from time to time. 
One of the first Clematis blossoms after a rainy morning.

As I approached my door after work the other day I noticed that the Clematis had bloomed and this flower sat right on top of the deck rail. It looked beautiful with the raindrops still on it and in the dim light of a cloudy, showery day the color seemed vibrant to me. Unexpected sights like this brighten every day. We need to only look around and quiet all the to do lists in our heads. I love those moments of beauty that are sprinkled through the chaos of daily life!
A child's party plate.

We went out to dinner with the church choir and spouses, (I'm the spouse, my husband is the choir member), and the director gave each of us one of these plates. She liked the inspirational message on it, she's the kind of person who does things like that regularly. It was a pleasant evening; a nice break in the busyness of the workweek. 

It is in simply living our lives, laughing at our mistakes, appreciating the beauty around us, and connecting with other people that make our days good.

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Look Up

Look up, dear friend, look up,
Consider what you see,
How amazing it is that it exists,
Whether it's jet, or bird, or tree,
Take a breath, a moment,
Forget what else you seek,
For wonder is all around you,
Take it in when all seems bleak,
A split second of contemplation,
Does not mean you're weak.

Take heart, dear friend,
You're stronger than you know,
Hold on to that mindful moment,
As through your days you go.


The view of sky while sitting on the patio looking up through my wisteria.

It seems as though many of my friends are currently going through a time of trouble. Some I know what they are, the death of a loved one, an illness, or a general feeling of unrest, and some ask for prayers for unspecified concerns. Indeed, if you pay attention to current events there are plenty of serious problems to worry everyone. When feeling as if things are bleak I find that if I can just go outside and look up, take a breath and contemplate the sky, I feel a bit restored. There is something about looking up that lifts the spirit and helps light an ember of hope. Like looking at the ocean and feeling awed, contemplating the sky can have the same effect. If that vastness can exist in the same world that we do, and it is filled with life and mysteries we cannot see, then there is hope that we will come out the other side of our difficulties; and when we do, we will be stronger and wiser. I take some comfort in that.

Sunday, May 28, 2017

May Days

A mother's job is tough, it's true,
She has many things she must do,
She does it all with such aplomb,
With generally an air of calm,
There must be times she feels defeated,
But carries on, knowing she's needed,
That can do spirit keeps her going,
Her love is endless, and overflowing,
That's why we have this day in May,
To make her feel special; that's Mother's Day.

Miss Hillary brought home a flower for my Mother's Day gift that she made at program.

Anna took me to a Paint & Sip event for Mother's Day. I think I did a good job painting the picture!  We had so much fun together that evening!

May is a month filled with special days, as if just being the month when we can let our feet free for a day or two here and there when we have an early "summer" day, and blooming flowers appear in the landscape and at garden centers isn't enough. We have Mother's Day and Memorial Day, and I have my grandparents' anniversary in the beginning of the month, (although they have both passed away decades ago I still remember their wedding date), my father-in-law's birthday, (he is also passed away), my mother's and Aunt Ethel's birthdays, (my mother is passed away but as far as I know Aunt Ethel is still with us), and my father's "angelversary" (he is also passed).  So this is a month that lends itself to staring at the sky at sunset remembering  those special people who are no longer with me in Earthly form, as well as thinking about those who are very much part of my life every day.

We tend to celebrate Mother's Day quietly, without lots of fanfare. This year Bruce and Hillary and I went to pick out some hanging flower baskets and azaleas for the front of the house.  The latter are to replace a couple of boxwoods that didn't survive the ice melter I used on the deck (well, in my defense, it's not easy pushing the wheelchair up or down the ramp when it's icy or snowy, and safety before bushes is my motto!).  Then at dinner time we ordered dinner from our favorite Italian restaurant as it is a bit difficult in crowded restaurants with Hillary's wheelchair and I don't enjoy crowded places any way. It was a nice day, and the following Friday Anna and I went to a "Paint & Sip" fundraiser for the fire department a couple of towns over.  If you've never heard of this or been to one, you buy a ticket in advance, take your beverage of choice and maybe a few snacks--although they do generally supply water to drink, coffee, and some lights snacks--and sit at a table with others you may or may not know. Everyone is provided an easel, canvas, paint brushes, and paint, and an instructor explains and demonstrates everything step by step.  It's a fun way to spend an evening, comparing pictures and laughing, making small talk and you end up with original art work to take home with you.  Even if you have no artistic skill at all you will succeed. If you see a notice for one, you should go!

These two pics are the flowers in hanging baskets we bought Mother's Day.

Memorial Day is a whole weekend event, it seems, around the country.  Towns have parades and special events to mark the day, but what is most popular about the day is the "unofficial start of summer".  Grilling is the big thing, and if you believe the local tv news, nobody stays home this weekend! The flaw there is that if nobody is staying home who is marching in and attending the parades and solemn remembrance ceremonies?  We're not going anywhere and it seems like most of my neighbors aren't either, judging by the sounds of  lawn mowers, weed whackers, and blowers I hear as well as the meat I smelled cooking last night on outdoor grills.  Bruce is marching in two parades in area towns this weekend with his bagpipes & drums band.  Hopefully the weather holds out and they won't get wet.  As for us, we'll just be here like the rest of the neighborhood doing yard work and grilling our dinner, enjoying the freedom to do as we like, thanks to the sacrifices of servicemen and women who fought for our country and lost their lives that we may enjoy ours.




Sunday, May 21, 2017

Storm Gathers

Clouds come in as the evening falls
Momma bird scolds her young
Treetops sway in the gathering breeze
Knowing soon a storm will come
Rain will fall across the land
Flowers will drink their fill
Creatures will hide in bush and grass
Keeping safe from a soaking chill
I will in my snug home stay
Out of the wet and cold
Dreaming if the vibrant grass to come
And bright flowers petals to unfold.

The view from my favorite deck seat.