The Earth has had it's noisy morning shower, and it's gleaming! The fragrance of grass that was mowed yesterday is stronger now, with the addition of the rain upon it. And, it's greener too!
Spring has made it's way to South Carolina...and as we move into each morning, we get deeper into the lovely weather! The warmth increases, then it decreases, which is just fine with me, because all too soon, the air will be heavy with humidity, and opening the door to the day will feel similar to opening an oven door!
This time of year is usually the windy season, as well as the time when we get the most rain during the year. The wind can be fierce, and often there are reports of tornado warnings or watches. The moody temperatures often find themselves in conflict, and thunder storms erupt. Not being a huge fan of thunder and lightening storms, the coming of Summer is a relief for me. We rarely see much rain or storms during those long months of summertime.
There's nothing we can do about the weather...but wait, watch and prepare for it. Springtime in the Carolinas can be tough to prepare for, because you never know what mood will appear. So, we leave our windbreakers in the car and we might have to dress in layers at times. There's an umbrella in the van, also, as well as one in the coat closet, because too often, I've been caught in one place or the other without my bumbershoot!
I guess today will be in inside day, as it's gray and damp outside. There's no more rain, but the ground is wet, and the red clay is muddy. I've got much to do before the weekend and the upstairs is calling my name. The guest rooms await new sheets, the shopping list needs to be updated, and the shopping must be done.
There's no time like the present to get started, I guess, so I'll "talk at you" tomorrow! Wishing you all a great day, whether it's sunny or rainy wherever you are.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tool Box
I have a tool box full of things I need for various tasks...pliers, hammer, screwdrivers, sandpaper, a little sander, etc. There are other tools in my other tool boxes ...paints and brushes, inks and stamps, pens and canvases for craft painting. There are sewing tools and knitting implements and a never-ending supply of kitchen tools. I am well equipped for any job I might do.
How would I accomplish my chores or my hobbies without these tools? Oh, I might find an alternative item with which to hammer a nail into the wall, but a hammer was made for the purpose, and works far more efficiently than the heel of a shoe does.
Daily we rise and begin our day, never knowing what it is that will be a part of the hours ahead of us. Perhaps it will be a peaceful, uneventful time, but what if it isn't? God has given us tools with which to live an abundant life. We need to use them! How easily we climb out of bed and get dressed, going forth into each day, but forgetting to put on our whole armor and failing to pick up our weapons for the fight!
God keeps us, equips us, speaks to us, fights for us, strengthens us, guides us, and so much more. But why is it that we leave Him behind and try to do it all on our own? The Toolbox is filled with His book of instructions and prayer and supplication, thanksgiving and fasting . As with any other part of our lives, we cannot be successful at the chore at hand without the proper use of the tools. We could not make a decent cake without a recipe. God's book is the Recipe for Living. Prayer is the letting go of the problem and the release of all trying. Thanksgiving is the recognition of His help in all things.
With this in mind, I go to don my armor! Have you put yours on today?
How would I accomplish my chores or my hobbies without these tools? Oh, I might find an alternative item with which to hammer a nail into the wall, but a hammer was made for the purpose, and works far more efficiently than the heel of a shoe does.
Daily we rise and begin our day, never knowing what it is that will be a part of the hours ahead of us. Perhaps it will be a peaceful, uneventful time, but what if it isn't? God has given us tools with which to live an abundant life. We need to use them! How easily we climb out of bed and get dressed, going forth into each day, but forgetting to put on our whole armor and failing to pick up our weapons for the fight!
God keeps us, equips us, speaks to us, fights for us, strengthens us, guides us, and so much more. But why is it that we leave Him behind and try to do it all on our own? The Toolbox is filled with His book of instructions and prayer and supplication, thanksgiving and fasting . As with any other part of our lives, we cannot be successful at the chore at hand without the proper use of the tools. We could not make a decent cake without a recipe. God's book is the Recipe for Living. Prayer is the letting go of the problem and the release of all trying. Thanksgiving is the recognition of His help in all things.
With this in mind, I go to don my armor! Have you put yours on today?
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Shunned
Yesterday I watched a movie called "The Shunning", which was based on a book of the same name by Beverly Lewis. It wasn't the first movie about Amish people but it was the first I'd seen of Ms. Lewis stories.
Since my first visit to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I've had an interest in the ways of the Amish people. Of course, my knowledge of them is rather limited, but my curiousity is great. In the last few months, I've discovered the lovliest blog, written by a sweet woman who was raised by parents in a community of Amish people. She has since left the Amish community, and as a result has been shunned.
I've learned much about my concepts of Amish life by reading this blog. She has corrected my false thinking about their religious beliefs and lifestyles. I've learned that many of the books written and movies made are not factual. But, apparently, the word 'shunning', meaning 'having nothing to do with' is a reality.
I cannot understand how any parent can ignore their child to the point where they have nothing to do with them, especially when it's a matter of choosing a different lifestyle or religious way of life.
I have had situations with my children, where they've exercised their will over my teaching. They don't live their lives in ways that I approve of, at times, and have not followed the Christian beliefs that I do my best to live daily. Sometimes all that cuts me to the core and hurts deeply, but I know that each of us must find their own way in this world. I might want to choose a different job for my children or I might want to direct the steps they take in life. I might wish for them to have a very real relationship with Christ, and/or to go to church regularly. I might like to see them raise their children differently. I might want to control everything they do because I think my way is right and theirs is not, but that is not mine to do.
My children make their own choices, based on their own beliefs and wants. They do what they think is best giving little thought to what I think. They do, of course, respect me, even if their way might be quite different from mine. I respect them, as well, regardless of the difference in our choices. I am not perfect and I've made mistakes. They, too, must find their way, hopefully learning from their mistakes, and turning them into better life choices.
So, when my door opens and there is one of my children standing there, they are welcome. When they are not here, the phone or computer lines keep us close. I hear things in our visits sometimes that I would rather not hear, and I may offer my words of advice, but I don't often expect that it will necessarily be heeded. These adult children have their own desires, their own beliefs, their own ways of living. Do they need me? Yes they do, but they don't need chastising at this age or my turning against them because we think differently.
Shunning is a part of the Amish belief, and though I do not understand it or make it a part of my own life, I cannot fault those people who do it as part of their own beliefs. However, I hurt for the children, and for the parents, of those who have been cast off. How sad to me that their flesh and blood may no longer mingle as family.
Since my first visit to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I've had an interest in the ways of the Amish people. Of course, my knowledge of them is rather limited, but my curiousity is great. In the last few months, I've discovered the lovliest blog, written by a sweet woman who was raised by parents in a community of Amish people. She has since left the Amish community, and as a result has been shunned.
I've learned much about my concepts of Amish life by reading this blog. She has corrected my false thinking about their religious beliefs and lifestyles. I've learned that many of the books written and movies made are not factual. But, apparently, the word 'shunning', meaning 'having nothing to do with' is a reality.
I cannot understand how any parent can ignore their child to the point where they have nothing to do with them, especially when it's a matter of choosing a different lifestyle or religious way of life.
I have had situations with my children, where they've exercised their will over my teaching. They don't live their lives in ways that I approve of, at times, and have not followed the Christian beliefs that I do my best to live daily. Sometimes all that cuts me to the core and hurts deeply, but I know that each of us must find their own way in this world. I might want to choose a different job for my children or I might want to direct the steps they take in life. I might wish for them to have a very real relationship with Christ, and/or to go to church regularly. I might like to see them raise their children differently. I might want to control everything they do because I think my way is right and theirs is not, but that is not mine to do.
My children make their own choices, based on their own beliefs and wants. They do what they think is best giving little thought to what I think. They do, of course, respect me, even if their way might be quite different from mine. I respect them, as well, regardless of the difference in our choices. I am not perfect and I've made mistakes. They, too, must find their way, hopefully learning from their mistakes, and turning them into better life choices.
So, when my door opens and there is one of my children standing there, they are welcome. When they are not here, the phone or computer lines keep us close. I hear things in our visits sometimes that I would rather not hear, and I may offer my words of advice, but I don't often expect that it will necessarily be heeded. These adult children have their own desires, their own beliefs, their own ways of living. Do they need me? Yes they do, but they don't need chastising at this age or my turning against them because we think differently.
Shunning is a part of the Amish belief, and though I do not understand it or make it a part of my own life, I cannot fault those people who do it as part of their own beliefs. However, I hurt for the children, and for the parents, of those who have been cast off. How sad to me that their flesh and blood may no longer mingle as family.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Going Green....
The sod isn't as 'crunchy' as it was when we walk on it, and it's putting on it's new coat of Spring green. The Creeping Phlox is almost finished displaying their bright pink blossoms, and the forsythia has passed. The leaves are on every tree now, and the Wisteria hangs fragrant and heavy from the trunks and branches of everything it reaches. The Hostas have uncurled. The Verbena has begun to creep across the side garden and the roses are unfolding. I noticed yesterday that the Irises have buds and the Asian lilies are happily awaiting their turn to burst forth in color.
I love this time of year! I feel renewed energy, as if I, too, have been hibernating all winter and now am ready to open in the warm sun. I have projects lined up from the top of a note pad to the bottom. How many will be done before the deep heat comes to cease all activity other than the release of perspiration from our pores?
Spring is far too short a time, as is Fall. My lists are far too long. Some of my projects are more dreams to dream than to actually see accomplished. But that's what green does to me. It sends me into a whirl wind of thought and action, but this body isn't as young as my thought patterns are.
I've often wished there was a true 'body shop' where one could take themselves and have a stiff joint or weak muscle replaced by a new and working one. Of course, I'd be sure that it was one that was made of proper materials...'green'...organic....good for the environment parts.
As I look out upon the red soil and umbrella of leafy trees that tickle the cloudless blue skies, I plan my day. After discovering yesterday that two Peace Roses have been munched on by some bug (probably those beautifully colored Japanese Beetles), I will spray them with some soap and water, or pick them off one by one, should I find any.
Just as Spring brings one colorful flower's bloom in its own perfect time, I will practice the 'one step at a time, one day at a time, one project at a time' method until I see the list grow shorter. As I do, I will revel in the green around me, and still wish for that body shop.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The Blessing of Visitors
Our friends came to visit on Wednesday. They left, as planned, on Saturday. In between we said more words than I've heard in ages! We laughed, we shared, we sang, compared gardening notes, we recalled memories,we commiserated, we drank too much coffee, we ate too much and probably slept too little.
What a joy it was to see them again! It had been two years between our last visit and this one. Our men had met for the first time when they came here in 2009, and they became instant friends. The gabbed in the rocking chairs on the front porch, as if they'd known each other for years. (or, as Nan said, "like two old women!")
The house seemed strangely quiet after they'd gone. Mike and I sat for some time sharing the highlights of the four days, much of which the other of us had missed, as sometimes there were two simultaneous conversations taking place...one between the males, one between the females.
It is time now, to begin a new week, pulling things back in order and regularity. We have Easter to plan a menu for, and a guest room to clean and laundry to do....all the routine stuff to return to. And then...it will be Saturday when my oldest daughter and her two teenagers will arrive for the weekend. We will share time, catch up on their lives, speak many words, eat too much and sleep too little...again. We will celebrate the Easter Day with church together and add more family to the table on Sunday. We will give thanks together for the food, for the family gathered and that which is afar. We will offer praise for the Springtime, for the flowers, for every good and perfect gift that the Father has showered upon us.
And...we will feel honored for the blessing of visitors.
What a joy it was to see them again! It had been two years between our last visit and this one. Our men had met for the first time when they came here in 2009, and they became instant friends. The gabbed in the rocking chairs on the front porch, as if they'd known each other for years. (or, as Nan said, "like two old women!")
The house seemed strangely quiet after they'd gone. Mike and I sat for some time sharing the highlights of the four days, much of which the other of us had missed, as sometimes there were two simultaneous conversations taking place...one between the males, one between the females.
It is time now, to begin a new week, pulling things back in order and regularity. We have Easter to plan a menu for, and a guest room to clean and laundry to do....all the routine stuff to return to. And then...it will be Saturday when my oldest daughter and her two teenagers will arrive for the weekend. We will share time, catch up on their lives, speak many words, eat too much and sleep too little...again. We will celebrate the Easter Day with church together and add more family to the table on Sunday. We will give thanks together for the food, for the family gathered and that which is afar. We will offer praise for the Springtime, for the flowers, for every good and perfect gift that the Father has showered upon us.
And...we will feel honored for the blessing of visitors.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Company's Coming
Friends from Connecticut will be at my doorstep tomorrow, and with so much to do, I have no business sitting in front of this computer screen. I've still got the dusting and vacuuming to do and I need to get the bathrooms final cleaning done.
The guest room is finished, with a new quilt on the bed. The other one is great for winter, but since our temperatures have been as high as 90 deg already, I thought it might look better to have a lighter look. The new coverlet is soft peach and green patchwork. Thank you, Bed,Bath and Beyond! There's a soft smelling pot pourri in the room too. It smells like Springtime. The 'art' on the walls are actually photos of some blossoms in my garden which I had enlarged and framed.
Our windows sparkle, thanks to my husband and a bottle of some concoction called 'Invisible Glass.' I can't tell you how I appreciate all he's done with and for me in this endeavor to get the house in 'perfect' shape. He went beyond the call of duty. I asked if he could climb up to wipe down the top part of the cabinets, where I can't reach. Not only did he do that, he wiped down all of the cabinets from the very top to the floor. He's the best!
We will go to the grocery store to pick up whatever we're missing for our guest's three days feeding. We've got to go to the bank and run a few other errands. I hope there will be time to stop in at my favorite hair dresser for a haircut. I look like 'the wreck of the Hesparis' as my Mom used to say.
Things are not getting done this way, as I sit, are they? I'll say farewell until next time, which might be after our friends' departure on Saturday. Be good, dear readers, while I'm busy chattering and laughing, entertaining and feeding, enjoying our time with our beloved friends!
The guest room is finished, with a new quilt on the bed. The other one is great for winter, but since our temperatures have been as high as 90 deg already, I thought it might look better to have a lighter look. The new coverlet is soft peach and green patchwork. Thank you, Bed,Bath and Beyond! There's a soft smelling pot pourri in the room too. It smells like Springtime. The 'art' on the walls are actually photos of some blossoms in my garden which I had enlarged and framed.
Our windows sparkle, thanks to my husband and a bottle of some concoction called 'Invisible Glass.' I can't tell you how I appreciate all he's done with and for me in this endeavor to get the house in 'perfect' shape. He went beyond the call of duty. I asked if he could climb up to wipe down the top part of the cabinets, where I can't reach. Not only did he do that, he wiped down all of the cabinets from the very top to the floor. He's the best!
We will go to the grocery store to pick up whatever we're missing for our guest's three days feeding. We've got to go to the bank and run a few other errands. I hope there will be time to stop in at my favorite hair dresser for a haircut. I look like 'the wreck of the Hesparis' as my Mom used to say.
Things are not getting done this way, as I sit, are they? I'll say farewell until next time, which might be after our friends' departure on Saturday. Be good, dear readers, while I'm busy chattering and laughing, entertaining and feeding, enjoying our time with our beloved friends!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Thoughts on Violets
My Mother has always enjoyed these fragrant flowers. She tells the story that she used to stop and pick them for my Grandmother on her walks home from the two story old schoolhouse on Atlantic Avenue. I wonder if that had anything to do with Gramma's love of purple. Did the 'purple love' come first, or did it come because her daughter brought the Springtime bouquets?
I remember days when I'd walk the mile or so home from my school building in the Spring. Especially after the rain, the violets seemed to be so abundant and bright in the field next door to Louise Davis' house on Cooper Lane. Sometimes I'd pick some to take home to my mother, never knowing that she'd done that same thing when she was a youngster.
Aunt Nita must have liked the little flowers too, as when she bought her china, she chose a pattern with green leaves and violets on the white background. Her daughter now owns that set of dishes. I hope she remembers her mother when she uses them, and not the struggle my other aunt had with my widower uncle's second wife who determined that they should be hers. That was not a pretty story, so I will leave that story alone.
When my daughter made her first home, I bought her a set of every day Corel dishes and she chose the pattern. It was ...again...violets and leaves against a white backdrop. They don't come close to the elegance of Aunt Nita's china, but still, they set a pretty table.
The other day, while looking to see what might have come into bloom in my gardens, I discovered a few volunteer violets growing near the holly bushes at my front porch. It thrilled me to see them there! I didn't know that the climate in SC was right for them to grow. Actually, I don't think I have seen any here before, and I'm not sure I gave it much thought until these little gifts popped up this year. I'm glad they have planted themselves there, and I hope that they will spread!
At our old home in NY state, the violets were 'everywhere' along the edge of the woods and in our back yard. I suppose they are technically 'a weed', but what matter is that? They are precious surprises that give joy to me in their growing, and I adhere to the saying that 'a weed is just a flower in the wrong place.' As for violets, I think there is no wrong place! Let them grow where they will!
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