"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands........" 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Sunday, December 31, 2017

The eggs in my pocket have been cracked and the needle in my hand is bent.........

what started out as a routine trip into town ,
ended up with my car being ruined........
and for us in the car........
badly bruised and bent...........but  all able to walk away.
We have much to be thankful for. 
No other cars involved........just a sturdy tree on an embankment to challenge my car. 
Only 2 miles from our home........although it was a freezing day,
the roads appeared to be fine.
While my husband drove along, I was busy making out the grocery list............
our daughter.........home for a visit,  was in the back seat............
then..............one small patch of ice
and the car turns into a tilt a whirl ride.
Now the year is at it's end, and we try to get this behind us 
and  face the new year..............with new hope.
My spirit is as badly bruised as my face and ribs............for somewhere
in the spinning and smash......
my joy and enthusiasm was jolted out of me.  
but I will soon search for  fresh eggs to place in my pocket 
and I will place a new needle in my hand.........
and joy will once again return with it's enthusiasm. 
Life's lesson.........
seat belts really do save lives..........
and if it is icy outside.........everything can wait until it melts.
Wishing you a safe and blessed new year!



Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Another year of wild creatures, seasons, planting and planning, has come to an end

and I find myself looking over at what has come to visit the grounds,
 and all I have told you about here and 
pondering on what I would like to do differently this coming year. 
Here is a glimpse back over the creatures and plants this past year 2017
a dear blogging friend created a painting of our sweet Sophie

I found Homer ( who had been dumped on us) 
a great home with a local veterinarian 

Homer's 8 kittens arrived in march, and somehow,
I was able to find homes for the mother and all kittens

our damaged meadow has restored itself and the wildflowers
were beautiful!

the yellow headed blackbirds made their  annual visit
Three small owls stayed in our front yard tree for weeks

the tough horned toad helped get rid of ants

Gertrude got a new dress 

a hot and tired hawk  came to rest his feet in the bird bath

a very dear aunt filled our home with music and happiness

I showed a bit of my vintage kitchen

I gathered the last of my tomatoes on the vine

As I put the Christmas tree away, I am already focusing my 
attention on garden books, garden catalogs, and spaces outside
where I want to try to grow vegetables and flowers this 
next coming year.............
Tell me, what have you accomplished this year in your gardens?
What are your dreams and plans for the new year?
Lord, as the New Year dawns today,
      Help me to put my faults away.
      Let me be big in little things;
      Grant me the joy which friendship brings;
      Keep me from selfishness and spite,
      Let me be wise to what is right.
A Happy New Year! grant that I
      May cause no tear to any eye.
      When this new year in time shall end,
      Let it be said: "I've played the friend,
      Have lived and loved and labored here
      And made of it a happy year."
Edgar Guest (1881–1959), "Prayer for the New Year
Wishing you a very blessed new year!





Friday, December 22, 2017

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself.
Peace on Earth, good will to men,
kind thoughts and words of cheer,
are things we should use often
and not just once a year.
Remember too the Christ-child, grew up to be a man;
to hide him in a cradle, is not our dear Lord’s plan.
So keep the Christmas spirit, share it with others far and near,
from week to week and month to month, throughout the entire year!
~Norman Wesley Brooks (1923–2002), “Let Every Day Be Christmas,” 1976

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Snow fell ,only slightly, the other day

and I loved watching the large lovely flakes
softly float across and down onto the ground.
it never accumulated and it melted away quickly,
and even though the days have gotten much colder,
I  still have a tomato vine, growing  and crawling 
wildly along the green house fence.

Ripe tomatoes along with green ones, still hanging on in 
December. 
I gathered a good bunch for the day's lunch



The lantana, even though it is still green, knows that winter is
coming and now has it's green pods that soon will turn black.
I have no idea  why they produce these.........they do not sprout
from these pods..........or perhaps, I am just not successful at
getting them to sprout that way
Yet, among the remaining green........the end of summer and
the time for everything to go into slumber, is starting to show up.


The oak tree out back has gone from vibrant orange
to a darker red........it's leaves are starting to fall.


The pomegranate tree leaves have all turned yellow and gold

So I finally bid farewell to summer 
and enjoy the glow of the fireplace

as well as  the cheery Christmas tree in the window.

Christmas is almost here.........

and I am ready for a table full of family.
How about you?  Do you have a blanket of snow
in your yard?  Is any plant still hanging on your gardens?
I would love to hear!

Saturday, November 18, 2017

The wind is roaring outside and beating on the door and walls of the house

as a cold front pushes itself in for a couple of days........
It is a good day to make a pie and some bread for the day's lunch..........
In the center of my kitchen, I have an old wood  table,
it reminds me of the one my grandmother use to have in her
kitchen...........
 
and it serves as an "island" of sorts to 
make all kinds of dishes
and great for rolling doughs out on. 
What kind of workspace do you like to use?
When I am not baking, I like to use the table for a morning brunch
and I keep a baked dessert or cake on it
for the day's nibblers to enjoy
My stove is another great space........not just for cooking and baking,
but is wonderful to warm and to get bread dough to
rise, especially on cold days as today.
                                   




                         
I have made some dinner rolls for lunch and some "hamburger buns"
for a later dinner.
This time of year, I get anxious about the weather because
I want Thanksgiving day to be a pretty and comfortable day.
I have guests who are driving and flying in......
so I  do not want snowy weather.
I have checked the weather report for the next few days and 
it looks like we will have temps at 66 for the day.
Not too hot.........not too cold
sounds like a perfect and comfortable day!
After a large meal, everyone can take a nice walk
or go outside to catch up with visiting!
How about you?  Are you cooking the Thanksgiving meal this year?
Do you have a large workspace or table to make your treats?
What kind of weather do you like...........and what kind of 
weather are you anticipating for Thanksgiving?
Whether it's just a few folks at your table........or more
Whether it be freezing weather or pleasant,
here's wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!



Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Placed away............for years.............

my fingers taken up with a needle and thimble, 
my hands busy with chickens and gardening,
my guitars have waited in the quite dark..........
untouched.........unheard.
That all changed the other night when this almost 80 year old
set of hands brought one of my guitars back into the light
and woke up it's strings.
There is a line of musical talent that runs along in 
my family tree........not worldly known......
only known to family..........and friends.
Aunts, uncles, and grandparents........playing and singing.
I bought my first guitar at the age of 14 .........
dreamed of being as good as John Denver
and dreamed of going to Nashville.
While in college......I joined a singing group and
bought a guitar, which took me 8 weeks to slowly pay off...........
Didn't go to Nashville......... instead, 
became a "wedding singer"..........
and then turned into a "lullabye singer"
and eventually put my dreams and guitars
far away on the back shelf.
Later my dear aunt gave me my late uncle's guitar
which I played.......but also placed away.
It has been years since I have seen my aunt Fern.
While visiting, this week, she asked if I still had the old guitar.
I dug it out of it's dark place...........a bit ashamed at 
how ragged and worn the case was ........
and handed the dusty instrument over to the 
aged, talented hands.........that has played along
with bluegrass and country pickers.
As a mother would straighten her child's hair and brush lint off of his clothes,
my aunt gently wiped down the guitar and tuned it's strings. 
Wonderful old forgotten songs sprang forth
from those aged fingers that strummed and picked.
The next day.........our home was filled with the 
sound of those well loved hymns from our old piano, 
by that same pair of aged, talented hands.
What a blessing and what a sense of joy she brought to 
our home!
My aunt inspired me not only  to pick up and peck out 
a note or two..........someday perhaps.
She taught me most to not completely forget 
the other things that I love to do, even if life has swayed
me to another path.  
There is joy in everything  that we try to accomplish.
Now, I have found  a new place instead of a dark closet
for these guitars to rest.......
ready for someone to pick them up and 
fill the house with music once again.









Monday, September 11, 2017

I look out the window and realize that there is not a bird.......anywhere

at the feeder where I just placed fresh feed in..........
I glance over to the watering trough and realize why.
This thirsty and tired hawk

was thoroughly enjoying itself............stomping 
around in the water, and splashing

I think hawks are truly a very pretty birds!........
don't  you?  
The other birds and myself, patiently waited 
for it to get finished..............
then it opened it's large wings and flew away.

I headed on outside to work on painting my old broken shovels
They are rusted and do not have handles........but
they can be made into such pretty things!

I love to paint them and place them out in my gardens

or along paths and up against old fences

They brighten any corner they are placed in

and they add whimsy to my gardens.
How about you?
Do you have any large birds hanging around  your feeders?
Do you decorate your gardens with 
shovels.....statues......or rocks?
I would love to hear!