CHARACTER

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.

Helen KellerAmerican Author, Activist and Lecturer1880 - 1968

After I read this all the storms of life came whistling through my head. WHHOOOOSH!

I was thankful that enough events came my way to build my character. I recently learned of others who have chosen to turn the challenge into character building events and not character breaking events.

This person chose to live close to his son. Chose to hunker down and live within his means. He watched rented videos. Walked a lot of places. Made friends with a clerk at the video store. Made a good choice in his new friend and they have grown closer over the years. They too had storms but hunkered down and did the right thing and have thrived. Others thought them insane but they were convicted of love and endurance.

Push the screen play forward a few years and he has one of the best families that I know. The family is well adjusted. The family faces life full on not ducking if challenges come their way. They too have chosen not to climb into the bucket of their despair but turn the challenge upside down and step up and grow and fly.

I am not saying that there is no cloudy day in their lives or in mine. But even on cloudy days I look to see what color is predominate in the grey sky. Sometimes it is blue grey, pink grey or white grey.

Guess we have learned the lesson of character....

Silence Inspires 2008

When we set aside time each day for deep communion with the infinite, then, as surely as day follows night, the light of inspiration will illuminate our beings." ~Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith

Maybe this is what I am missing this year.

I had a few rough Christmas seasons in the last few years and had plenty of silence because I was wondering how it was that I was at the head of the table. This year I am comfortable with my position and my age.

I have had plenty of laughter and noise - but no silence.

Everyone that knows me well, knows I have to have a fair amount of silence in my life to survive and create my space.

So...

Today, I will create that space. I will silence all the noise in my head and in my environment and find the Season.

Get the action going.

Create the holiday and illuminate the way. I need to get going.

I think all the noise has frozen me in fear. Out of hear noise. Away fear.

Come LIGHT of the Season. Come JOY! Come HOPE! Come LOVE!!

Discordant Disoriented Winter Time Blues

Lately, I have been in a discordant mood.

Sometimes sassy, sometimes quiet, sometimes just want to walk a mile and smile.

But not necessarily sure I was ever going to be in the right place at the right time to ever make a difference to anyone. I was suspecting that I was an amiable face in the crowd.

It seems that I get lost from time to time in my own little world. I question whether I make a difference in the tour of the globe about the sun.

Then out of the blue, I am late for church, I attend a different service, I see both old and new friends.

I hear a story that just about blind sides me and I look up to the heavens and say WOW! You made me late for this moment to occur. You wanted me here and now to wipe those tears away and hug those shoulders. Wow and all this time, I thought, I was aimlessly wandering the desert and I was actually following a star to this moment in time.

Introspective.

Not going to take so much for granted.

Going to thank my lucky stars that occasionally I get off the path and wander into new places and see old and familiar faces.

Going to continue to listen more and talk less because it seems that is how I do my best work.

Going to bend the knee in some deep prayers tonight.

I have a lot of things to discuss with the maker of the stars.

Sufficiency

"We each have the choice in any setting to step back and let go of the mind-set of scarcity. Once we let go of scarcity, we discover the surprising truth of sufficiency. By sufficiency, I don't mean a quantity of anything. Sufficiency isn't two steps up from poverty or one step short of abundance. It isn't a measure of barely enough or more than enough. Sufficiency isn't an amount at all. It is an experience, a context we generate, a declaration, a knowing that there is enough, and that we are enough." ~Lynne Twist

In all this economic downturn news this is an interesting thought. I at times get a panicked feeling in the pit of my stomach. I remember the stories that my Grandparents told of the Great Depression and wonder if America today can actually work together with neighbors to survive. I surely hope that we are the same people who can share what we have and trade and swap to sustain our lives. I heard some pretty scary comments during the election process and fear that there will be more hoarding than sharing.


But then something like this comes along and reminds me that what I have each day is sufficient for my needs. God counts the hairs on my head and watches over the birds of the air. I was given an intellect and if I take the time to really think through what is ahead I can see my way each day. I have friends who are fighting wars on foreign soils. I have friends who have put the love of their lives in Hospice. Each day I find out that the steps before me were blessed before I stepped there and all is sufficient for the day.


Sufficiency is an attitude that is very positive and hopefully contagious to the people around you. I have had an abundance of thoughts lately and now I have a sufficient abundance of words to declare them. A declaration that all will be well in the world that I wander.


Go and be sufficient and spread that attitude around - be generous with your sufficiency!

Have you ever peeked at your Christmas gifts?

Once upon a time I went to a wedding on Christmas eve - the officiant gave a sermon that described how the couple had peeked at the gifts under the tree of marriage before the ceremony... I thought it was a great analogy about discovery during a time of living together. He described how they went about trying things on and deciding about whether they wanted to keep the things they found. It must have worked - they are still married and enjoy a special celebration each Christmas eve.

I, on the other hand, did not peek under the tree before marriage - which made that first morning a very memorable moment. I have although taken a full look under the tree this year. I have been enjoying the gift for a week or so now. Unlike some women, appliances for Christmas are acceptable to me. I love things I can plug in and turn on! They make me happy. Especially the part where you can turn them on.

We have lived here for 7 years on Thanksgiving Day. Our washer and dryer were purchased new when we moved into the house. In that 7 years a church was built for almost 4 years; the foundation was waterproofed and extensive excavating took place; gardens have been located; grandchildren have lived here and the house creates its own peculiar forms of laundry too. So after 7 years of valiant duty and about 8000 loads of laundry, the washer gave up its ghost.

A trip to a scratch and dent sale garnered us a new high efficiency washer and dryer. It is a gem. We agreed that was our Christmas and my birthday present. That is fine. We will still have funny things under the tree. But we looked long and hard at our present and I am trying it out about 3 times a week before the big day... Yep we peeked and checked it out to make sure it fits and we are going to keep it a very long time...

Have a good night. Snuggle up. Keep the germs at bay. Wash your hands and keep you fingers out of your mouth.

Thanksgiving 2008

“There is something about the mental act of thanksgiving that seems to carry the human mind far beyond the region of doubt into the clear atmosphere of faith and trust, where all things are possible. Even if at first you are not conscious of having received anything from God, do not worry or cease from your thanksgiving.”~H. Emilie Cady

Quote is taken from: Lessons in Truth


Maybe this is what is missing in the world. The art of giving thanks in all situations.


At this moment in time I see not much to be thankful for in Mumbai, but I am sure that those that survived are thankful and the grieving are thankful for those around who are carrying them through the process. The terrorists are probably even thankful that they made the world news.


In everything give thanks... that is our charge from the writer Paul in the gospels. It may take a moment to realize it, but in every situation there is a way to give thanks, from some perspective.


I have been on this sphere long enough to know that in every situation - happy, sad or desperate, I am able to say thank you for the opportunity to grow and become a more real person.


Today, take a moment and be thankful that life gives you every opportunity to grow and become a better person. You become more knowledgeable, more patient, more accepting, more loving, more tolerant, more hope filled, more beautiful each and every day. And each of these increases are free for the taking - taking the chance and saying thank you when you are finished using your new found skill...


Thanksgiving in all things...

Election Day, why it is important to me...

It all began with a question from my children one winter day. “Why was I writing my Senator?” I told them, “I was upset about the way that they were acting in the Senate and it was my right to complain…You can’t complain if you do not vote.” I left it there and it seemed enough of an answer for the time.


So blink your eyes from the late 1980’s to 2008 and this long and drawn out election season we are having. This year it did not seem enough to complain and vote. This year the donations were not enough of a contribution as they were in the past elections. Talk is cheap with 24/7 news on the internet and cable TV.


No, in 2008, it was time for the rubber to meet the road. It was time to act.


Over the weekend I did a literature drop in several local neighborhoods. I saw some people walking the neighborhood and dropped them a pamphlet also. Sometimes sample ballots help people decide. My daughter and grand daughter did door to door canvassing. They saw the real America. They got the door shut in their faces several times and probably got an earful for good measure. I just got a polite “No thank you.”

I have been encouraging my friends, spouse and children to vote since they became of age. Most times they comply. And with the right to vote exercised – we complain. We complain mostly to each other. Occasionally we will even write a letter to an elected official telling him/her just what we thought and how we voted for or against them.

So please, no matter your candidate. VOTE. Never let your voice go unheard in this great country.

Just do it!

THINGS PEOPLE FORGET

1. "Please" and "Thank You" are the two most important words in the communication process.
2. "Excuse me" and "Pardon me" are next.
3. Keep your promises. Do what you say you are going to do. Make it important to be a person of your word.
4. Rude is an example of your ignorance and lack of respect for the other person.
5. Apologizing is essential to survival. Nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes. Just own them and learn and get on with life.
6. Smoking is dumb, expensive and stinky. It affects everyone.
7. Courteous behavior goes a long way.
8. Appreciate what you have. One day you may find out that you have more than you ever imagined and wasted time complaining that it was not enough.
9. Sing whenever possible. It can get you through the hardest of times.
10. Stop the complaining. You may miss the most important minute of your day because you were grousing about the last ten minutes being not what you wanted them to be.
11. Keep your things picked up and orderly. Live simply. Less is more.
12. Never mind about what others have. They are not you and you are not they. You were made to be the individual that you are. One of a kind. Stay true to yourself. Always.

DID NOT FALL OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH!

DEAR ADORING PUBLIC!

I want to thank all of you for your patience with me over the last month. I have never worked so hard for so long with so few hands in my life.

I appreciate all the support that the DH has given me unconditionally. He has walked the dog twice a day, cooked meals that I have missed, created recipes that we can eat, done laundry and been a peaceful presence in my everyday life.

DH YOU ARE MY BEST FRIEND!

This weekend I am going on retreat to hopefully clear the head.

The animals have not forgiven me for being away 24/7.

They are glued to my lap and side.

My new trick is knitting two socks at the same time - pictures soon.

My garden needs to be dug up and put away for the winter.

I am happy to be back among the living and have no desire ever to do another LARGE event for 1300 high maintenace people again.

I do have one funny aside. A friend uses silver colored plastic pieces all the time. I showed these to the ladies who were "planning the luncheon" and you would have thought I invented air. OY!UNREAL!

OK back to reality. Dyson the floors - cook - do laundry and switch the clothes for the warmer variety!

Love you all for your patience and keep the soldier in your prayers...

He left today for deployment.

PLAYING LOOSE AND FREE

Admit it - we all do it - cheat around the edges of things. As HOUSE says in his TV show "We all lie."

The recipe calls for 2 T and we add heaping T's.

The label says add 60# of air - we go 62#.

The directions say assemble with these tools - we make do with a table knife.

OK - you get the picture.

We (the Mister and I) are on an eating plan. We count calories. He gets 500 per meal and I get 400 per meal. I never leave food on my plate - ever - I lick the last grains of rice off the plate. It is hard to do these meals - we are accustomed to having gravy and sauces on our meats. BUT when you add them now - they count toward the bottom line - that is living loose and free with the calories.

Over the weekend we grilled our sandwiches that had yogurt cheese - turkey - tomato and mustard. We were living high off the hog and all within the numbers with enough left to have a cup of soup!

I would rather be dieting now then recovering from a coronary in a few years. We will stick with it - keep exercising - keep eating right - we want to vacation a lot more times with the grandchildren - we like these vacations a lot...

OK my calories and my sleep are important - you loose weight if you rest enough - and hold on to the weight if you do not - has to do with stress... stess holds weight - relaxation releases weight... night now - check you another day when we can play loose and free with planting stories... gardens to move around this fall... HURRAY - they have been there two years and have grown well - time to move things around the yard!

a few thoughts...

• Labor Day weekend - how did it arrive so soon?

• I am grateful for the vacation to Maine. Surely still colors many days of the week.

• I am glad to be part of the fading Middle Class. Long may she revive.

• Change - a good thing.

• I have plans for a new design of the garden in 2009 and it is not even finished for 2008

• If you harvest a 5 gallon bucket of tomatoes and 3 gallons of herbs - you are going to be busy for a long time. And you should consider yourself the most lucky person in the world.

• I am glad I am not part of the Rich and Famous - Seen and Be Seen - world. I like my privacy and solitude much too much.

• Wading pools are fun. Hummingbirds overhead while you swim...PRICELESS!

• I would rather be doing a Cardio Routine and getting healthy than recovering from a heart attack....

• I am not impressed with Governor Palin from Alaska. The entire state has less people than the city of Chicago. Hello? What are you thinking?

• I was very impressed with how everyone behaved at the DNC. Dignity from the top down.

• Life beckons. Church, friends, activity.

Tag you are it!

I have never been invited to meme before so here goes a new adventure for me. Janet at Big Sky Knitting tagged me for this game.


Here is what I am supposed to do:
1. Put the logo on your blog:
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs


1. Eat at Joes: I like this blog because he offers a different way of looking at things while being entertaining. Joe is a guy living in Durham, North Carolina. Eat at Joe's! is Joe's food blog. Joe knows nothing about food, except what he has picked up from cooking, eating, and reading. He's pretty much the same way about writing and blogging: he is neither a professional chef, nor writer, nor blogger. He's just a big old geek.


2. Yarn Spinner. This woman in KY gives perspective into spinning which I have no patience for and her DH is a professor and I love to follow the antics of the pets, husband and adventures in the southern part of KY.


3. The Sailing Knitter. Who would not love to sell it all and live on a boat? I find myself living vicariously through her adventures. Plus she is always knitting socks! She finds great yarns and has great pictures of a part of the world I will never see.


4. A Little Life. Fun to read. Stretches my vocabulary. Interesting subject matter.


5. Possum Creek Herb Farm Blog. She encourages my addiction to herbs. That in itself is enough of a reason to read the blog and research what plant I am missing in my collection. It is my favorite spot to read in February when I have had enough of winter.


6. Out Little Acre. Gardens and comments are priceless. Northeast Ohio is near and dear to my heart. I grew up on the shore of Lake Erie.


7. on the hill. Flowers, Travel, socks, food, geography and variety - What more can a person ask? A blog that allows for a fair amount of travel dreaming while being able to crawl into your own bed at night! She lives on a hillside in the Yorkshire Dales. Across the big pond.


STEP 4: Add links to those blogs on yours DONE!

STEP 5: Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs


Now if anyone wonders why I have a hard time doing things on time these are 7 good reasons...


On another note we have a hungry hummingbird who I call Brownie. Probably looks like this link. I got a franchise diner for the Mean Green Hummer because there was a fair amount of collisions. So now I wait to see if they use the second feeder too!



I could bore you with words about Maine and the vacation that was A-MAINE-ZING but I will not do that... Next time I post I will bore you a little.


The garden is doing well. I have a few chokeberries and a few wonderberries - but the rest of the plants that were suppose to be that variety look an awful lot like tomato plants. The Zuchinni lived its life and is now on the heap in the woods. My second setting of beans are about 6 inches high. The lettuce and spinach will get planted this week for fall enjoyment!


Tonight for dinner we had Turkey, tomato, avacado sandwiches. Garden additions make every meal a great treat.


Back to the socks that Cat Bohrdi calls Spiral Coriolis Sock. This person had a much better success at it than I am having - but I am sure that my second sock will look 100% better than my first because I understand the procedures now... Socks are forgiving - you cover them with shoes and pants ... have a good day - be kind one to another!

Change

Tonight I want to talk about change.

Not the kind you find in your pockets, but rather the kind that over takes you.

I have been in such situations before.

I have fought the change.

Let me tell you how hazardous that is for the body and the soul. It makes you sick and tired.

Let me share with you the wisdom gathered on the journey...

If there is a humongous change before you - let it fill every pore of your body. Let it completely wash over you. Harvest the energy of the change and in doing that take control of the ride. You can be victim of change or victor of change. You can hanker down and say "Stop" or you can ride the wave and gather speed and come out on top.

In these times change itself comes with baggage. Steal it. Make it your own and then you can rule the world that is being laid out before you.

Take no prisoners. Take nothing but your God given skills and float away. By riding the wave of change you can gather energy and not waste any fighting what is happening to your world. In the end you will be in a better place.

When all is said and done - take a moment to look at the difference between the two worlds. If you used all your talents - you will like all you see. If you were angry and got stubborn - the surroundings will make you wither and miserable.

Fly with the change and rejoice in your resilience.

OK. Now I said my piece - go to bed! Yeah that means me too! Right after I wrap the zuchinni bread!

VaCaTiOn In A bOx

Ever since we had a deck and sun and time, we have had a wading pool.

This one was on sale for half of what I have spent on wading pools in the past.

It now claims about a third of the deck surface.

It is glorious.

Filter and everything.

Now that will make the next 5 weeks of the hot summer bearable.

We were feeling like we were captive in our own house. With a pool - we now just feel sunburned.

Oh the garden is doing well also

Beans

Zuchinni

Swiss Chard

Herbs

and soon

Tomatos and Peppers!

Sit quietly and listen to the wonder about you...

Nothing but garden

BEANS

MOLES

BEANS

AND WEEDS

NOTHING BUT GARDENS

BUT WE DID ENJOY THE HOME GROWN GREEN BEANS TONIGHT

AND I FINISHED THE EUROBAG LAST NIGHT

TOO TEDIOUS TO MASS PRODUCE

BACK TO THE SOCKS - EASY MINDLESS SOCKS

AUGUST 12 I GO BACK TO THE CABLE KNIT SWEATER FOR THE STUDENT

Time to tell the brain - time for sleep...

SELF DISCIPLINE

All my life I have struggled with self discipline.

I find it easy to do things for others.

I find it hard to do good things for myself.

You know what kind of things - moderation things - things that require you to have a good strong talk with yourself and do things like - eat right - exercise - sleep enough - keep your language on the proper level - be kind - be consistent - be positive.... you know the fruits of the spirit kinds of things. Things that do not harm yourself. Things that make you a better person.

I have struggled with self discipline ever since I realized what it was at age seven.

Breaking bad habits is hard. I suffered from gluttony at one point in my life. I also remember thinking that life would be better if you did not need sleep at all (as I was coming out of the grocery store at 1 am).

I have struggled with moderation over the last 5 years. I have learned that sugar is not my friend. I have had to part ways with many things that I loved no longer can I eat cheese. I have learned that some of my habits were not healthy for me. I have struggled and most days I succeed.

I just realized that I must be getting some control on things - I understand when I need to eat and do it with moderation almost 90% of the time - I am very aware that exercise is important and my body craves it almost as much as Jackson craves his walks.

I still have a ways to go on other areas - there are projects that are unfinished - and I sometimes bite off more than I can chew - but I have been very aware of what it means to be self disciplined lately and feel that I am making some head way on the project - - - afterall.

Better be - I have been working on the project for 50 years.

But I have also learned to forgive myself. Which is another side of self discipline.

Now it is late. Good Night.

Today I have a a thought

These people need prayers:

Bob

Ray's family

Lindsay

Alex

A woman friend going through divorce

You are good at prayers I know you are - and if no words come - just lift the name to the heavens and God will know what to do - just be the elevator.

Keep a good thought - it has been a most unusual day.

See you tomorrow....

Today we have herbs

These herbs mixed with some Olivio were basted on the chicken breasts and it made a great dinner!

I thought I lost my filled Kroger card - but it was in a safe place - I found it there.

I may have sent the brain on vacation a little early - got lost going to church... need to focus a little more this next two weeks. Maybe not!

Today we have Sabbath

My question to you is this: Why when you take time to rest are you so tired? When I stop I can barely function - in that I cannot even stay awake to read or knit. I must be pretty tired to have rested two full days and still be tired enough to go to bed!

I did sneak into the garden after I walked the dog. The tomato bushes, cukes, melons and zuchinni needed to be strung up some what. I needed to lay paper under the green bean bushes. Weeding is eternally needed. I trimmed back the lavendar bushes to small circular shapes and cut some blossoms. I water boarded a mole hole but tomorrow morning I will gather all the hoses together and get the rest of the contingent living near the west wall of the garden... where they think they want to eat my lavender plants and the zuchinni - - what they do not want to have to do is to eplain to my eldest daughter who loves zuchinni that they ate the plants....

In the next few days I will be starting some sections again - second plantings are fun. I haven't done this for a long time (since Wheaton where I canned a lot of stuff) but it will be good - the growing season lasts until October - so I have plenty of time for more beans - beets - lettuce - spinach - swiss chard - carrots and whatever else I have in the seed bag that can function in 90 days!

OK I am exhausted.

Long week - five full work days - I think in summer the work week should be 4 days long every week - give us adults time to rest and play...

Today we have gratitude

Grateful for rest

Grateful for the hard work that keeps my garden safe

Grateful for my life here

Grateful for the animals I see when I walk (after Jackson saw two bunnies he no longer even flinched when he saw the birds)

Grateful for the day lilies

Grateful that I know how to knit and am willing to try new things and not be frozen into panic if the pattern does not come out 100% correct.... I can learn and I can grow.... the pattern that I am following is not like this - but you get the idea - knitted holes to carry things - bag weighs ounces and carries pounds... I have been intrigued with these since I saw them in Germany when we were living there in 1976 - 1979.

Grateful for companionship

Grateful that I know how to entertain myself with all my hobbies (even laundry)

Grateful that my DH is not a high maintenance person

Grateful for thank you notes from friends

Grateful that I can let the inner sloth rule me one day of the week

Grateful that this was a four day weekend

Glad I did not have to travel to hear fireworks - they were all around us

Glad that my God is huge and all inclusive and accepting of me

Glad that tomorrow is another day of rest - although that rest may be more like play!

My suggestion: Find something to be grateful about - do it - watch it - and enjoy it...

Tonight - we see birds...

After the routine (yes we do the routine every night)

We were going to have a short walk between the rain drops

Then I saw a huge red shoulder hawk fly over head and I was done for. I love birds. I love to see them fly and I love the sounds they make. I open the window in the dead of winter to listen to the cardinals in the morning because it is that important to me.

Out street is about a half mile loop, but if you go down the private lane to where the creek is located you get in a full mile and a good cardio because of the steep climb up.

So on we went and checked the creek that was really flowing.

As we started back up the drive I saw this flying away.

UNREAL, I see them periodically when I cross the Little Miami River, but never this close to hear the sound of the wings flapping.

That was a good thing to see on an other wise rainy day.

Knitting socks, and a Eurobag just because I can.

Tomorrow is Saturday! WOO HOO! Love long weekends!

Tonight we got Dog!

OK!

Here is the routine and I do mean routine!

Home from work - belly rub the poochy poochy after all he is a belly rub whore!

Eat dinner - do dishes.

Change clothes and Jackson starts dancing at the very sight of me headed to the bedroom to change clotes.

Sit down to tie shoes and Jackson is so over joyed that he insists on helping.

Get leash!

Get plastic bag!

Get leash on dog!

Walk for 30 or so minutes.

After the walk Jackson likes to lounge in the yard on his long tether.

Fine and good. I staked up some plants and generally enjoyed what I saw. Here is where life gets tricky...

As a rule - Jackson can be let off his leash and usually can be trusted to go the 10 or so feet without being touched or guided. He just goes in the house. Tonight I guess the door was not open enough. He hit the door and said to himself - humph - guess I am not going in there - turned around and darted for the wide open spaces. Dammit!

So I go in the house and DH asks me "Did you let him go?" "D'oh"

I invented this trick and 99 times it works - but not tonight. So I get a leash and Jackson proceeds to take me on a cruise of the neighbors yards. The neighbors have some interesting yards!

He slips into a very thick part of the woods and I opt to walk around to the other side - where I find him on the deck - he looks at me and bolts down the stairs. Dammit!

I tour the yards - nice work guys! and while he is sniffing yard 4 or 5 I lost track - I clench his neck and get the leash on him again.

Home we wander - all the time I am telling him "you should not piss off the momma" and lecturing him on the finer points of not running away from me - it is not prudent at this juncture to piss me off...

Well, he comes in the house and I ask the DH if he thought he would have come if I crinkled a plastic bag the way he comes before his walk... we just laughed...

Jackson is not to be trusted and at that point he looks at me with big brown eyes and says "What?"

That was that - tonight we got dog!

Tonight we got holes!

If you have a hole you fill it.

Think Dentist.

Think tire repair.

Think Shoe repair.

Think Tailor.

Think window.

Think garden.

I have a HUGE Sweet Gum Tree in the front yard. Half the area under the tree is hosta and pacasandra (which I may have spelled wrong) and the other half is hosta and impatience. Well they were wilted tonight and I know they need water daily. So I went to water. What did I find?

Holes.

Holes where the plants had been.

Want to see the other damage?

Definite witness that there are voles that are making the holes.

Plants were helter skelter and I had a hose.

I filled the holes. I comically refer to this process as water boarding. I understand the Geneva Convention I just prefer to take no prisoners. Early in the spring I did this process and the lawn is clear. Guess they moved under the tree. I am resisting getting the peanut treats for them that worked for my neighbor so well. But this is war. I will win.

And now the day lilies... there are others but these are my two favorites!

Sweet garden dreams to you....

We got Greens!

Tonight I harvested about a bushel of mixed greens.

Curly Kale

Bak Choy

Swiss Chard

We will be eating healthy for the next few days. I imagine by the 15th there will be the favorite item "Home Grown Green Bones" (green and wax beans)

After that there will be other delights to have. I can start some fall crops soon enough and enjoy some root vegetables most of the fall and winter.

I read where some are harvesting the chamomile for tea already. My seeds just sprouted... My celery is also just sprouted. I guess I planted a little late in the season - Memorial Day is not that late - but next year I will be able to get the garden in early because the fence will be up and hopefully the soil will be much enriched... April - I am thinking April - before the 15th - that should be soon enough to plant spinach and peas!

Did I ever tell you I love to garden...

Oh and the day lilies look just like the pictures I posted last week. Some actually are fragrant!

Off to rest... more fun tomorrow...

Gardens are better than books - they turn their own pages

Yesterday besides being the 30th anniversary of establishment of twins - was the equinox. I was outside in the daylight until 9:15 and came in because HOUSE was on the TV. I also figured out how to make the rain barrel drain and watered the hydrangea with the water and a few other plants in the front yard - - then I did sprinkle the impatience under the tree with the hose as they, the hostas and the tree needed water

Tonight I watered the garden with a sprinkler. I also carried around a bag of fertilizer and whereever I stopped I scooped some fertilizer in the soil. I can do this kind of thing - fertilize because for some reason I forgot about it totally last year and the plants were so listless.

I also fed the rose bushes and the day lilies... the ones I have been waiting and waiting for...

They are not blooming yet - but they are close. Here are the photos from the website - where I discovered - some are no longer available... so I had best keep these safe from the deer.

wayside king royale

wayside painted lady

welcome mat

vanilla fluff

wineberry candy

Aren't these great names - what fun.

Some of these are suppose to smell really great - but they are so full of deer scat - that the whole scent thing amy be lost this year! Can't put deer fence so close to the street now can we?

I will be focusing on the roses a little more over the next few days - I think they are feeling neglected - more so than even the year that we had the foundation dug - at least that year the heavens watered them and I did manage to feed them on schedule - there was no other plant in the yard!

Keep a good thought for tomorrow - this aging process and all the crazy tests we have to take - make you a little crazy - but we seem to take them in stride - sort of like taking the car in for a test to see the problem with the engine...

WEEKEND IN THE GARDEN - OH BOY!

A REALLY BOUNTIFUL HARVEST OF LAVENDER IN A 6 INCH DIAMETER VASE....

TO THE LEFT YOU CAN SEE LEEKS GROWING VERY VERY SLOWLY AND THAT PESKY CRABGRASS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PLOT

TWO PURPLE PEPPER PLANTS ON THE DECK TABLE. THERE ARE 3 DIFFERENT BASIL PLANTS; 2 SCENTED GERANIUMS AND 6 ORANGE PATIO TOMATO BUSHES

THE SINGLE PLANT THAT LOOKS LIKE A TOMATO IS REALLY A GROUND CHERRY WHICH IS AN EXPERIMENT FOR THIS YEAR. There are about 6 total and several Wonderberry bushes growing too. More experiments....

SALSIFY, WHICH I HAD TO START AGAIN BECAUSE IT LOOKED SO MUCH LIKE GRASS THAT MOST OF THE FIRST BATCH GOT WEEDED OUT. THIS MAKES ME THINK ABOUT STARTING EVERY SEED I BUY IN A CUP SO I KNOW WHAT I AM GROWING.

That is what I have today. Soon there will be pictures of the day lilies that I have been waiting for two years to see. They do not bloom the first year you plant them and this year I have been spraying them with Deer Scat and putting dog hair all around them every time I empty my Dyson.

Any guess on the amount of knitting I have accomplished?

Sweet Dreams...

TIM RUSSERT 1950 - 2008

Life they say is what happens between the dashes.

Tim Russert loved life. He loved the game of politics. His tributes today have been without equal.

There is a large Tim Russert size hole in my life today. The whole MSNBC news family is in shock at your sudden departure and it showed on every face we saw tonight.

I am an admitted MSNBC news-aholic.

He was my 15 seconds of fame. We graduated together from John Carroll University.

Oh Tim, How we will miss ye!

There is a man named Bob Nook who watched Meet the Press as faithfully as any one I knew.

Stop by for a chat, have a cold one, and engage him in a discussion once again. Please.

Thanks for teaching us to love our fathers, past, present and future.

I can only hope we have learned the lessons or readiness, preparation and accountability you tried to teach us. You truly spoke the truth in love, kindness and humility.

May the Lord hasten to gather you to his boutiful table. My you have a comfortable room in the mansion. May eternal rest come upon your soul.

HOW TO LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE - Part 1

Today

Tomorrow

And right now the scent of petunias is the best in all the summer plants.

Always reminds me of being 5 and putting one to my face, inhaling so hard that the petals stuck to my face without holding the flower.

I thought it was a great sport.

The hummingbirds like them too!

Part Two - soon.

I am now off to make correct what I absent-mindedly did last week!

Gardens are me!

Spring

Finally

Here

Too much fun playing in the mud and planting seeds that will take their own sweet time to sprout and grow into a lovely garden.

No deer problems as you will see why. Seven feet of safety and a gate for easy access.

The garden looks different even a few days later. Green beans are about 2 inches high already.

I can almost taste the "Home Grown Green Bones" as we like to call them.

A few more plants and some flowers and we will be ready to watch and see. I am trying several new things this year. Ground Cherries, Krul Celery, Salisfy and Leeks.

Be patient - there is no microwave gardening here - just good old fashion patience...

Next we will be making some string Tee Pees for the vines. I will have a helper next week and we will make all kinds of fun supports for the cucumbers, melons and squash to hang from! Rube Goldberg watch out - here we come - string and sticks - it will be like knitting...

Here is the view from the deck!

Life is not a Microwave

Some things take time.

Gardens take time to grow from seed to plant. Water, sunlight and care are needed to encourage the plants to grow.

Children take 9 months to mature from seed to child. You do not push a button and get the baby all developed in a few minutes of waiting.

Traffic lights take a few minutes to change colors. Yes, you will survive with waiting patiently. No, you cannot turn left on red if noone is coming when the light is red. No, you cannot ride up the turn lane for miles to avoid waiting in the long morning traffic.

It takes a few minutes to turn left on a Saturday Afternoon.

Healing takes time. Physical healing, spiritual healing, psychological healing all take time. Things have to level out. Bonds need to be invented again and made strong through exercise and patient waiting and rest. Healing, tenderly nurtured in the beginning will stand the test of time.

Love takes time to develop into a relationship. You do not go to Match.com and find the perfect person the first time - meet and marry in minutes. Love takes time. I do believe in love at first sight - but the relationship that stands the test of time and survives all the crazy curve balls that life throws - takes time and tender caring.

Cash registers take time.

Face it folks, life takes time. You have to wait for things. Just because you can go from ice cubes to boiling water in 3 minutes does not mean that every event under the sun can be performed at such a speed.

As a society we have become to expect everything will happen at microwave speeds.

Not so much.

I suggest that the planet take a universal sigh and cleanse that thought from their brains and learn to be just a little patient with the person ahead of them in traffic, grocery store, gas station, parking lot, drug store, golf course, and even on the street when walking the dog.

It all takes time and in the beginning and in the end - that is all we have - time.

Slowly stepping off the soap box and going to sleep - it is time for that!

SO, LAST NIGHT I WAS AT CHURCH....

SO...

We have been attending a series on GRACE at church on Wednesday nights. The variety of ways that grace comes to you and can make you whole. I use my grace to do healing prayers during services at church. I found this gift one day when I was a little lost for reasons to attend church. Not had a problem attending since. You go to church - you get filled and renewed - and then you get sent out to use your serving of grace (which is immeasureable, really).

At any rate...

We were given and exercise to do for about 20 minutes. Read a Scripture passage and listen to what it says to you and pray with it... So I start, read the directions for the exercise through. Read the verse. Started to follow along... reading - then reading again - then the third instructed reading - I found these words:

Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him,

"What do you want me to do for you?"

"Lord, I want to see," he replied. Luke 18:40-41

I cannot tell you how many times I have asked that question to people that we pray over. It was there sitting in the silence that I discovered a very sacred thing.


The healing happens when the person tells God what it is that He/She would have Him/Her do.


That one request from the broken to the divine heals the person, makes them whole.


They sit there as a child, asking the Father/Mother in response to the question:

"Dear Child of mine, what would you have me do for you today?"

And then we pray and if we stay out of the way, God hears the prayer, and the faith of a little child will help to heal them.

I have never seen physical healing on the spot. I have seen people turn over burdens and let God carry them because they are too hard to deal with alone. I have felt the heat and the warmth of the Spirit fill the room. There is an energy there that surpasses all other life experiences.

SO

When you pray

Hear the words: What would you have me do for you?

Then tell the Lord the truth, be honest and sincere, and wait. The healing grace will arrive to make you whole...

One secret - the answers to your healing prayers are never what you expect.

They are 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

times better.

THE SIGN SAID: CALL YOUR MOTHER

So I did:

Mom, I love you
Mom. I miss you
Mom, I sure could use a hug today

Mom, I love you
Mom, I miss you
Mom, We all could use your love down here today

Mom, I love you
Mom, I miss you
Mom, the world is in such a mess today
We sure could use some love down here
Please deliver some soon

Mom, I love you
Mom. I miss you
Mom, I sure could use a hug today
Mom, I tried as hard as I could to have a great life
Mom, I think you would be proud too
Mom, I am happy with my family and many remind me of you

Mom, I love you
Mom. I miss you
Mom, I sure could use a hug today

So this is the song I sang as I rode down the road. The lyrics continued as I beseeched her to help us fix the world we live in because I feel we have made such a big big mess... I asked her to visit some of the hurting places and heal their wounds from her chair in the heavens...

I did call on my Mom. It made me feel better just to sing her this crazy made up song and say the word again like I was calling her once more.

I HOPE YOU CALLED YOUR MOM ~ I SURELY WOULD HAVE IF I COULD HAVE

WHAT TAKES UP YOUR TIME?

Since my last post which I think was about 12 days ago - it could have been a lifetime. Lot of life has passed over the road. I took apart the garden to one big flat square of soil. Many things moved to new homes and deer fence is going up soon.



My husband had some "procedures' done to assure his health. Come back in 5 years - so all of us over 50 know what he had done. He also heard my favorite Bingo call "B-9"



We have seen another great concert by Tom Rush who gave us the "Remember Song" and a great night of music. Tonight we heard Steve Chapin and John Wallace who played all the great songs of the Chapin band. Yes, even Taxi! They even sang one of our old favorites: Two Sleepy People ...



Then there is the basement project!





There was a day spent (could have been 1.5 hour activity, but you know how long home repairs really take) in the basement fixing the sagging upstairs floor. The pictures say everything. This project did not turn out exactly like we had researched, The floor did not budge, but obviously the double 2x4 did bend. And the pipe that we used beat the sawsall. It was not a great day for tools.

So we have this project on the further research list and it will get done eventually.

The washer got new dogs. The dog got another bath. The lawn got cut and the gardens are definitely taking great shape. The DH has been very busy. We have finished out turns as helpers at Sunday School and we are taking a Wednesday night class on Grace, Prayer and the Risen Lord! We are helping relocate hobby supplies from a life time collection of crafting.

There have been many once in a lifetime moments and I have loved them all.

Somewhere running around my head is a story about Mint Faith. Not ready for prime time.

There has been plenty of time spent watching the pundits. I am ready for the mud slinging to be finished now.

I have had some good very good conversations about what the heck is going on with my life. I think I have been in such a continuum of change that my life was spent riding the waves and surfing along. No big deal I have won the surfing contest for my age bracket. What you say? There was no contest? Sit down - it is my game and I made the rules and I won.



It is the beginning anticipating season of gardens. The seeds are under the grow light and it is getting more exciting every day.

Little knitting, some months are like that, yeah they are!

Do yourself a favor.

Live your life with all the colors in your crayon box.

Staying inside the lines is optional.

At the end of the day - give yourself an A+.

Hang the picture on the wall and tell yourself - good job - well done - bring on another day - I will be ready in 8 hours!

Digging in day - a WOO HOO day!

Today it was suppose to rain - but who ever believes the weather people. Noone predicted this either!

While driving to the cat sitting location - I needed sunglasses and thought to myself - this is some odd kind of rain!

So I started the day with a cardio workout because I decided that the medication (that the doctor and I do not agree upon) was making me way to lazy and I did not take it last night - guess what - I could actually do almost 30 minutes of cardio - quick shower - swallowed my cereal and medicine and off to get the nails done - Who Do VooDoo - is a great shade for me.

Now this presents a problem - you sure do not want to do yard work with a fresh manicure - so we went to the bookstore - where I needed the sunglasses for the travel once again.

Peanut Butter and Jelly - all time favorite lunch - and I cleaned the hot tub and refilled it. All of a sudden I heard the Rototiller - - - woo hoo! And I checked the mail - woo hoo! Seeds all kinds of seeds!

So sport fans - it is gardening season for sure... now to be patient enough for the soil to warm and the earth to be properly worked and relocated and mixed with amendments - I promise to try and be patient as I can be. But it does not count if you grow things under the lights in the basement now does it?

I am suppose to be doing laundry and folding clothes - sigh - maybe just one load and then to knit - I am almost to the sleeve island border - - - woo hoo again!

It surely is a woo hoo day!

March socks of Araucania hand dyed yarn

I started with on skein of Araucania hand dyed yarn - I would tell you the color but the dog chewed the label - I used Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters Book One pattern Veil of Leaves which produced these lovely textured socks:

I learned Cobblestone Cuff; Star toe and have almost mastered Judy’s Magic Cast-on.

The picture does not do the lace pattern justice but if you thought, I was going to ask anyone to model them – you are crazy – I loose socks that way!

My April socks may be short ones as time in the garden will be more important than anything.

Time to get the beauty rest Queen City Chess Tournament comes soon enough.

Just a little progress

There are strange acronyms in the knitting world!

• TINKING is kniting backwards (repairing mistakes)


• UFO's which are unfinished objects


• WIP's which are works in progress

Now there is a fine line between UFO's and WIP's. I prefer to call items in that status ON HIATUS...

So there is this FLAK2 that I have been talking about bringing out of Hiatus. I did and the third start is the charm for sure.

I made a few changes to the pattern and I stayed with the changes so not they are part of the pattern and you may never even notice them. I remember how the cables flow - the timing of the twists and I remember how much like a river knitting cables really is - to me at least.

I love it - water is my favorite thing to be around - to play in - to swim in - to drink - just love water... and so my FLAK 2 is taking shape.

Here is the front section half way to completion before I begin the sleeve gussets...

Now I that I am about to start on skein three of the sweater I find myself counting the hours until I have an hour to work on the sweater... It really is compulsive at times...

The weekend is over... I am tired... I did some mandatory housework - laundry - vacuumed the front room - cleaned the bathtub - fed the birds and that was pretty much it... guess I had best get some other things done as there will be company coming for Easter!

SIGH less sweater time!

Houston, we have a problem!

It has been a week!

I went to the doctor for the inevitable weight and BP check. Good on the weight and bad on the BP - so there is a medicine roulette we will play for a while... no big deal just a season of life I am sure.

About two weeks ago as I was knitting I smelled what I could only describe as something burning. We did not discover anything smoldering so we let it go. The next day I went to do my daily ablutions and the light and vent fan did not work. I shrugged and proceeded with the day. I mentioned to the mister who said "OK, I will look at it."

Well the days went by and I would ask, "Did you look?"

Well the days went by and eventually I had asked enough that he did look and start to investigate. Yesterday the process resulted in a little dry wall eruption and today the picture says the rest. It is a 30 gallon trash can filled to the brim with the most obvious of reasons that the shower vent and light did not work. Electical spagetti! We find this quite often in this 1950's bungalow, whose occupants have done cowboy wiring, open splices and the such.

So now there is no ceiling in my bathroom at all. The vent hole opens to the outside and it is very chilly in there. So the mister and I will be sharing a bathroom for a while... We will see how this works as we have not shared a bathroom since the kids left the abode about 8 year ago and we have always had seperate grooming areas... which we still do, so stayed tune sports fans it may be the most interesting adventure we have had in a while.

Tonight I will post pictures of progress on FLAK 2!

Go hug and electircan!

WHAT TO DO WHILE BEING SNOW BOUND

1. Shovel snow
2. Take a shower because you are wet and hot and cold
3. Clean your Dyson Filter and Canister
4. Get dog out from under your bed where he has chewed up two giant rolls of toilet paper
5. Shovel snow
6. Take a shower because you are wet and hot and cold
7. Cook a roast
8. Knit on FLAK2 sweater
9. Shovel snow
10. Take a shower because you are wet and hot and cold
11. Knit
12. Do Laundry
13. Watch How-to TV and realize they are working in shirt sleeves and you have two sweatshirts on
14. Watch all the Red-Winged Black birds at the feeders you just filled up because you know that they need the food.
15. Laundry
16. Dry sweaters because the heat is going to be on anyway
17. Send pictures of snow to children
18. Text message with your kids
19. Be reminded at 10:15pm that it is Spring forward weekend and now it is 11:15pm just that fast
    
20. I sure did enjoy my day of captivity!

DO OVERS

There is a lot of talk about DO OVERS in Florida and Michigan.

I can understand but it worries me because the only time I ever want to DO OVER anything is when it is F*U*B*A*R. Now the thought that our election system is in that state really worries me.

Now why would I ponder DO OVERS? Because yesterday when I pulled out the FLAK 2 sweater I was working on I saw that I had completely run amuck on following the correct repititons of the patterns involved in the sweater. Now had this been an area under the arm, on the bottom edge, I may have fudged... but no it was front and center. So at 9pm I decided that this sweater deserved a DO OVER and I unraveled the yarn, the DH neatly balled it up for me, and alas here I am on my third attempt to Get'er done!

Rumor has it that the third time is the charm. Let us hope so!

OK then! The weather people have decided that 10 inches of snow would be a good idea. I bought two packages of chicken, Oreos, milk and some Ivory soap for dishes. Figured with that combo we could live for days...

Some emergency preparedness - I can hear my friend in Montana just shaking her head! I may need to borrow her rescue dog if we really get all those inches and it stays cold (giggle giggle giggle).

Off to the day. Have a good one - take a moment to thank the Lord for all your many blessings!

Almost gone - February

I am finishing the things on my January list

• maps
• socks
• working on sweater
• diet and exercise
• being of good cheer

So I am glad I had things to accomplish and for the most part I am happy with myself.

Now if I could get my socks for February to post on the SAM5 blog I would be even happier.

I checked the rice link and played the game for 800 grains of rice... fun stuff if you have not played...

Sleep beckons - Thursday and Friday and it is the weekend again - and a concert to see again this weekend - seems my #2 granddaughter is in a honors concert with some local choirs - I love concerts - how fun this will be to watch - reviews after the week ends....

February - Saturday - Get 'er Done!

SATURDAY
I am tired of February.

Off to trim toe nails on Itty Bitty Cat who is quite the feline!

I am teaching Sunday School and we are making prayer beads Episocopal style and I love the whole hour I spend doing this. Prayer is my stronghold and always has been. I pray a lot during the day and church has never been my singular spot for prayer. I pray always in traffic. I pray when getting on and off the Interstate. I pray in the garden the best as I compost a lot of stuff into the soil.

Currently the soil is buried under too much ice.

Oh and there is an adventure tonight - we are off to see Larry the Cable Guy! Get 'er done!

Confession is good for the knitting!

I had put Lori's sweater in Hiatus for a year. I needed a year to clear my head.

Now I know I proofed the pattern when I laid it out - I know my pattern could not have purposely skipped a whole column - but I did - so even last night when I was exhausted and after reattaching the shoulder saddles to the front for the third time - I just stopped and looked and counted and looked again - - - in all my sorrow from all the things that went on about me - - - - I simply did not add in the filler stitches on the left side of the pattern - so I was unable to get the start I needed...

So tonight on a clean sheet of paper I have laid out the neck front again and this time - with a few added stitches in the ditch between the cables - I will have even numbers on both sides and life will go cabling along - - Oh Lord of Twisted Stitches I Pray!

TomorrowI will be teaching Sunday School - the lesson is Prayer and we will be making Prayer Beads - so I will practice my prayers while I stitch - you do realize that both knitting and cross stitching are my deepest form of prayers - all my stories are placed there and woven neat - unlike the reality that we traverse each day.

Healing prayers to my daughter and my sister - they both have big ouchies!

Dear Lord - father and mother to us all - be with my daughter and my sister as they heal - give them your patience - give them the energy to mend and knit the bones and tissues back together in wholeness and health. Oh we do indeed pray.

Rest up - Monday cometh!

So, I was walking the dog

The weather was actually balmy outside. There were pockets of fog that you walked through and the fog made the night not so dark, almost grey like.

I was thinking about how a year ago it was 10 below zero in Cleveland and we were staying in a hotel having just buried my Dad. I was thinking how BK died today and is in heaven now, at peace with no more pain or struggle. I was also thinking how much my daughter will miss her and I was glad that it was not 10 below zero tonight.

My next thought was how Dad would walk Charlie every night.

Then, something very strange happened. Jackson stopped and started acting like someone was there petting him, tail wagging, head up, happy to see someone. I did not see anyone in the area or on the street. It was calm and waves of fog were about me. I felt Dad’s presence and then I heard these words in my mind:

“BK is with us now. She is fun to be with. She loves music and art. She is perfect. Thanks for sending your very best to us. We will be gone for a while now travelling. We will be OK. We have museums to see, great Symphonies to hear and trails to hike. We may even teach her to like Jazz."

I heard Dad chuckle and the conversation was over.

That quick Jackson went back to walking like no one was near.

The weather started to chill, the fog lifted, and the wind started to blow.

We were home and the peace inside from those moments will be palpable for a while I am sure… I think life will be grand now. I think everything is going to be OK...

SUNDAY - FEBRUARY - NEW THINGS TO LEARN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SISTER

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

My sister is on Vay-Kay and I think it is the best gift she decided to give herself.

My neice posted a great poem for meditation on her blog spot A LITTLE LIFE

I am going on another long walk with the dog and Mister today

We are trying a different service for church today - a U2charist.

My feelings on that will be reviewed after we try it out.

I can guarantee it will either keep us young or make us feel old.

I am hoping for the first.

The cause I support - just not sure about the venue - I need a certain amount of silence in my prayer - but maybe I can learn a whole new way to pray!

I am open and willing that is for certain.

OK, then, off to conquer the great day....