Acre of Earth

 In Vivian Swift's book, When Wanderers Cease to Roam, she writes in her September chapter that everyone at birth is given an acre of earth. How they fill their acre through life is different for each person. She goes on to share some simple memories that fill her acre, such as making orange marmalade while carrying a kitten in her apron pocket.or looking for books in the card catalog at the library.

Thinking about my acre of life I remember:

Peeking in the circle window at the hospital and meeting my younger sister for the first time.

Walking through the apple orchard barefoot on a hot summer day and feeling to soil squeeze through my toes while finding the perfect apple from the tree to eat.

Opening up the Nehi chest freezer at my uncles farm and reaching in to find a strawberry soda.

Watching tears in my grandpa's eyes as he sits silently watching his grandchildren at play.

Swimming in blue knit swimsuits in school gym outdoors in the rain.

The first time I noticed a boy actually noticing me.

Climbing trees and swinging from the top, which totally scared neighbors.

Visiting a college with my aunt and uncle because they wanted their son to attend, but I was the one that ended up attending.

Flying in a plane the first time and how we dressed up for the adventure.

The moment when each of my two children was born.

Graduating from design school.

Travels to France, standing under the Eiffel Tower.

Sipping tea at Betty's in York, England.

My grandsons birth, his words "I love you" and his kisses.

Finding my voice on the internet through sharing with you.

Walking in nature, each and every time I do it and wondering why I don't do it more often.

 

I challenge you to make your list that fills your acre of earth. What would be the #1 thing you would put on the list?

Happy Weekend, dear Friends!

Word for the Week

 Definition of Sway: verb 

move or cause to move slowly or rhythmically backward and forward or from side to side."he swayed slightly on his feet"

 

 

A video of flowers swaying in my yard,

it worked! Hooray! Now that I figured out how to add videos there could be more in the future.

You might think that is a silly word to choose.

As we enter Autumn/Fall I am noticing the flowers still in my garden sway gently in cool breezes. Images run through my head of a young woman walking down the street with confidence and a bit of a sway to her hips. Sometimes as I have aged I can feel a bit of sway to my head, silly I know and not at all glamorous, but it is what it is. 

 

 But mostly I remember as a young girl walking through a field of tall mustard, my long hair swinging in a light summer breeze, and laughter. Yes, just laughter that the mustard would sway around me and part ways as I walked and I soaked up the summer sun, the fragrance of fresh dirt under my toes, and the yellow all around me. For you see, yellow was my favorite color then as it is now. It just makes me smile to still remember.

 

Thinking again of those girls that were free to sway their hips when they walked down the street. Secretly I was a bit envious of them and their confidence in themselves. For you see, I definitely was a quiet child with a heart waiting to burst forth and sway in the wind. It took me until an age long from that young child to accept that strong woman inside of me, to smile and accept her into my heart. And if I sway a bit, may it be in my hips and in my memories, I can laugh and say "come walk with me and let's sway down the lane."

When spring comes again the daffodils in all their yellowness will sway for me.

Have a great week, dear friends!

Ranch Picnic

 

The realtor that helped us buy our home almost 20 years ago spends her advertising money on past and present clients. Every two years she has an event on her horse ranch. This year it was a bit different.

It was a bit rainy, so it took place mostly in the barn. She asked us to bring a picnic and drinks were provided. There were a few awnings set about too, as not everyone could fit in the barn and keep 6 feet apart. When she saw me with my camera, she asked me to take pictures and send them to her. These are the pictures I sent her way.

She had a whole row of rugosa roses blooming along her fence; so the first and last pictures are her roses.

 Being a cowgirl at heart and having horses; of course there was a pile of horse shoes.

 There was music too! She had Dave Stamey, a story telling cowboy, sing for us. In November 2016 he was inducted into the Western Music Hall of Fame. Now I must say I am not really a cowgirl at heart, but his music and stories did touch my heart.

 This sheep herders wagon was sitting out in the field. I was intrigued.

 It ended up being lovely to enjoy a bit of night music, laughter, and a good picnic too.

I did pack a picnic, our own table and chairs, and we savored the moments on the ranch.

The children and some adults enjoyed a "meet and greet" with the horses.

 Here's the barn in the evening light.

  

Music to soothe the soul.

 Now I know most of you are not living in my part of the world, but if you are or decided to move here I can most enthusiastically recommend a good realtor. At Christmas she has another event on a Christmas tree farm where we each can get a free tree and a cup of hot chocolate. If we refer someone to her, she acknowledges it with a small gift. Even one year when I had surgery, she came by to check on me. Now isn't that the best sort of way to run a business with kindness?

Word for the Week

 My mobile phone has a place to write notes.

Going back and reviewing the notes I read "Intentions of the Heart, Live them, Embrace!"

What are "intentions of the heart"?

Definition:

noun: intention; plural noun: intentions

a thing intended; an aim or plan.

"she was full of good intentions"

 

 

So I wondered today, what are my intentions of the heart?

My heart still dreams of more time with dear ones,

more adventures and travel, more moonlight and stars,

more songs to be sung, more "ah-ha" moments.

 

 

This morning I finished reading Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl. A quote that struck me is this, "When you attain my age you will understand one of life's great secrets: Luxury is best appreciated in small portions. When it becomes routine it loses its allure." This was said to Ruth by someone older than herself while she was on a shoestring visit to Paris.

 

Now you say "what does that have to do with the word intention?"

 

 

For me I always dreamt I would be surrounded by beauty and travel to beautiful places. It was my intention to do so and there have been times when I indeed did just that. But I have learned that if it had become "routine" it wouldn't have brought the same wonder and joy. It was in those small portions that my intention became reality and I noticed.

I still try to live with intention, but with each age the intention adjusts and the dreams become different. Sometimes that make me sad, but sometimes it brings great JOY. 

I wasn't sure what pictures to share for the word "intention", but one of my intentions was to travel to France. I am sharing pictures from one of those trips. Each picture in my mind was a point of capturing my breathe, making me smile, and definitely and "ah-ha" moment.

Have a totally spectacular week, dear friends!

Last Day to Celebrate Summer

 I could see that summer was soon to come to an end and there were still two things I wanted to do with my grandson. Have tea at my local tearoom, Lovejoy's, and take a walk at Whitaker Ponds to see if we could find wild life. I also need to be surrounded by trees as often as possible and felt like my family could use a bit of "forest bathing" too.

So the last day before school started we were off to tea and a small hike.

We ate on the patio because D isn't yet vaccinated. I hope school age kids can be vaccinated soon.

D wasn't sure he wanted to do tea time, but from the smile you can see he thoroughly enjoyed it.

He has vanilla rooibos in his cup and loved it.

My "live-in gardener" and myself ordered the more traditional tea sandwiches and scones.

I also had a sausage roll. My tea was a favorite there at Lovejoy's, a puerh with flavorings.

D wasn't sure he wanted the kid's tea either because it was called "Wee Tea".

He thought that was quite hilarious. We all had a laugh over the name.

The sandwich was nutella with fresh sliced strawberries. D said it was delicious.

This is the full afternoon tea for two, though I ordered al-carte to get just what I wanted.

Then for our sweet we each chose one yummy chocolate from a local chocolate company, Mission Chocolates.

Then off to Whitaker Pond for a lovely walk together. We did see plenty of ducks and a couple herons. There were signs of beaver, but none spotted. Sometimes we see turtles too, but not on this day.

I was thrilled to check off both things I wanted to do with D, even if it was the last day before school started. The next day he was off to meet his teacher, then this past Tuesday was the first day of school. He was so excited to be going to classes at the school and in-person. His mom, that you see in the first picture, said he didn't want to leave at the end of the day. He loves it so much and for that I am thankful.

Word for the Week

 

Definition of Labor:  work hard; make great effort."they labored from dawn to dusk"

 

My grandpa was prominent in my life.

He was like a father to me, so having lived with him as a young child I remember him trudging home each evening quite dusty and tired from the apple orchard. He would find a beer in the frig, sit for awhile in his rocker, then head to his desk to do paperwork and smoke his pipe. He labored quite peacefully surrounded by his apple trees and bee hives.
 

As a single mom, my mother labored with joy at being mother to myself and my younger sister. She also found small jobs struggling to put food on our table and a roof over our head. Her dream was to be a mom and wife, but reality was that she must also work in an office each day.
 

This morning as I was thinking about what word to share I realized it was Labor Day here in the US.

 Beside thinking of laboring on a job I thought as women that have had babies we worked hard to bring forth that child. It was a great effort with much reward, but at sometimes unsung heroes.

 Beside bringing forth a baby, maybe we labored at a piece of art or a beautiful home cooked meal.

 

My grandpa out in the orchard and packing house always had time to say hello to a grandchild.

When I asked my "live-in gardener" what he thinks of when considering the word labor he said "labor unions". His father was a dedicated labor union man and he constantly honored and talked of the hard working men around him.

 

Of course we are honoring all those that work hard in the work place; but there are so many ways of laboring. What can you think of?

 

No pretty, colorful pictures today. I am thinking of those that have come before us and labored to make our country what it is today. Yes. it has it's problems, but we shall grow on the shoulders of those that have labored.

 

Happy Labor Day!

Have a terrific week! 

A Walk in a Park

  

On a cloudy summer day recently a friend and I walked here. Normally I visit Bishops Close in the spring to see all the crocus and daffodil growing, but this year it wasn't until late summer that I realized I hadn't gone on an adventure right here. A friend was invited to come along and walk with me and my camera.

I adore seeing my favorite places in different seasons; so I wasn't at all disappointed.

 I was searching for flowers and flowers is what I found.

 Even in a hanging basket there was the vibrancy of flowers.

During the pandemic I have become addicted to watching chateau renovation shows on YouTube; so as I walked there I was imagining myself walking on chateau grounds in France. You see, I needed an adventure of travel and this was the best I could do for now.

Bishops Close is actually an Episcopal center and offices. They have graciously opened their grounds for people to walk and enjoy the serenity.

The grounds are up on a bluff overlooking the Willamette River. As you can see it was a cloudy day with even a few sprinkles, but it was a perfect day to walk in the serenity of the gardens and grounds, visit with a dear friend, and sip a small cup of tea while sitting on a bench.

Take the time today or this weekend to find some imaginary travel, some serenity, and a walk with a friend.

Happy weekend, dear friends!