Journaling My Life Away

My Reason to Be...

2012-01-07T22:31:00.000-05:00

Words are my personal, "raison d'être," even in my everyday life. It's funny how our English language, whether in writing or speaking, is so intimidating to most people here in the United States. So many I know tell me, "I can't write!" Knowing how writing has been and is taught these days, I have to admit that I really can't blame them.

There have been so many years I've asked myself the question of why written words mean so much to me and there really isn't an easy answer. I've always been a prolific reader and I think that's where my love of stories and writing began, but i've also had a journal where I wrote stories and sometime simply about life as I saw and see it.

Well, I have been away from my computer and my writing for quite a while, but will hopefully be returning in the next week. I did not know how much I would miss it, but it has also given me a great deal of time to look seriously at who I am and what I want out of it in this faze of my life.

See you soon with something new!

The Simple Life

2011-11-21T23:19:00.001-05:00

I have been truly enjoying our extended fall this year. From the lovely colors that always grace with our Midwestern Autumn to what I consider the actual beauty of the season which of course is the vivid blue skies and the emerging bones of all the trees that are hidden throughout the summer months in my neighborhood.

I am truly amazed that so many people do not see the simple beauty in the many shapes that each tree's limbs and branches take as the leaves disappear every fall. Some of the trees look like gnarled limbs, and branches that seem like old friends, and some seem instead to reach to the sky on tip-toes stretching up.

So many people I know can't seem to look beyond the dark in winter tree bark. I see so many shades and colors of deep reds, browns, and even some purples that can be found in a winter forest. With the snows that invariably paint a very different scene from the autumn colors, the trees take on an almost fairy tale world for me.

I find any tree a friend through all seasons, but especially in the cold months when it is totally bare and really exposes to the world its heart stripped totally of all the youthful spring dresses that hide the well rounded soul that is more truly its inner self - that is the reality of a tree.

Where the Asphalt Meets the Water

2011-11-13T22:24:00.001-05:00

Sunday, I went to the beach at Lake Michigan and watched the waves roll because of the strong winds we had. I spent an hour totally entranced gazing as three para surfers who seemed to fly with the wind, and then land almost like like a gymnast might on any given wave. They went from what seems like a delicate jump in the air and then skate effortlessly over the waves on the North side of the channel. It was so amazing to watch these para-surfers just do it so seamlessly and with such ease.

I sat almost holding my breath for 45 minutes watching these guys (and they're really all ages, (some even looked to be 50 or older.) doing such amazing wave jumping and ridding.

As I sat there I noticed that there were at least 20 cars including mine along the edge where the asphalt met the beach watching in awe as this show or competition unfolded all afternoon.

What was almost as much fun to watch were the two young boys with their grandfather in the car next to mine. They were mesmerized and responded with such awe to what was happening on the water and the waves just across the beach from us.

All I can say is it was totally magical, and I really wish I had brought my camera with me!

(If you aren't sure what I'm talking about check out this link on YouTube!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeYedF56XRQ

Traveling a Different Road

2011-11-02T22:42:00.001-04:00

I just finished listening to a new book by David McCullough. The Greater Journey tells the stories of people, some known and some unknown who came to Paris between 1830 and 1900 to study medicine, to paint, to sculpt, and many simply ended up staying and loving the city and its people beyond anything they'd experienced before in their lives. Many remained deeply American, but were changed in so many ways - sometimes severely, and unequivocally.

Travel outside of a home country can be a life changing experience in itself, but from all accounts these sojourns to Paris the, "City of Light," significantly changed the lives and paths of those who went there.

This spring I was given a chance to travel to Ireland and England. I've always wanted to travel and Ireland has been a travel wish of mine for a long time. It was a place of family for me with a history that is both terrible, and beautiful. Its held many names throughout the history of the emerald isle, but today it is simply called Ireland.

For those who left it because of the Potato Famine from 1845 to 1900 to find a new life, it was always called with great reverence the auld sod. When I arrived there on a rainy April 1st, 2011 it was so like coming home. I wish I could describe it better, but the feel was not like a strange and historical place when I landed. It was like I had returned home after traveling a long long time.

I've traveled quite a few places in my life on the North American continent - many places in Canada as well as states within my own country, and it was always fun to go there, but always great to head home after the holiday was over.

In Ireland it was like I was rediscovering a home I left in the past. The beauty of the places, cities, and harbors I visited were like places I knew well before my visit.

Would I go back right now if I could? In a heartbeat! Would I put down roots and stay there? Yes, even if I left family here, I think I would. It wasn't the people, though they were really lovely, nor was it the music or the rough beauty of the landscape and history that called to me. It was a intangible sense of home that made me feel I belonged there, and knew each street, city and town by heart. For me it felt like the auld sod, my own, "old home."

Social Networking Crap

2011-10-26T23:19:00.000-04:00

Social networking is taking all of what we write and the pictures we show...unless we know the secret way to say no! That is just robbery in the worst form! And that they can get so much info about us and that we GIVE it to them is just wrong!

Is there any way to keep the technical age from becoming the age where there is NO privacy? I wish I knew the answer. I've pulled away from one social networking site and have tried to just eliminate my time there bit by bit. I forgot how addictive it is for me. I want to care about family members and what's happening with our busy lives has made it almost impossible to really keep in contact. That's why the social networking sites work and give us a sense of friends and family type of comfort while taking who we are.

As a writer, I find it more than repulsive that because I want to share something it is confiscated. What in the world has happened to our freedoms?

Words, Words, Words...

2011-09-29T02:26:00.000-04:00

Not many of us write them anymore, even in school.

But I have to say we have no short amount of them to share in person, of through the short hand version used today called texting. But I think somehow many of us have lost the history of our lives without letters to distant family that includes the daily grind, and beauty, or hand writing a journal, diary, or a simple thought journal.

Much of our young country’s history has come from journals and those everyday writings of important and normal people, and some has even come from those old ledgers that told the story of businesses or difficult times in family lives.

That really makes me wonder where will we find those pieces that historically paint who we are for coming generations.

I think part of the answer may come from the blogs that pepper the internet today, especially those that tell of life and all it’s everyday craziness of our 21st century!

Are there other ways that may bring our daily history to future generations? Probably. After all, we’re constantly recreating ourselves and our lives, so why not!!

(P.S. One of my favorite blogs is real, sometimes gritty, but always so well written! Here it is, I hope you can check it out! Expat From Hell // BlogCatalog )

Music to Calm The Savage Beast...I Think

2011-09-21T23:35:00.002-04:00

I'm sitting here, banging away at the computer after a very long hard day. I have on the classical music on my iPod Touch and am working at mellowing my rough edges mood right now. It's funny, I really love jigs and reels and the wildness that often is connected with all music Celtic but after tough, or miserable day it is more than soothing to get lost in Bach, Rodrigo, or maybe even a touch of Strauss.

I've asked many people what music drives them when they need to escape a intense day, and it really varies with different people. But I tend to agree with a friend, you can really tell a person by the music they're drawn to...I wonder if that were always true?

So if you want to comment - what music calms you or even what music drives your everyday life?

Climbing

2011-08-08T23:15:00.001-04:00

If you click on the picture you will get a bigger view of the face
of the Rock of Cashel. You will also see on the left the older boy
that we saw climbing the face.

Watching the Rock was a diversion as we boarded the bus and waited for our driver. I was one of many that spotted the brick that surrounded what looks like a door arch, with no door of course. Between the rocks and brick we all thought it was quite steep to try to climb. What had all of us captivated after a little while was two boys who were climbing the Rock's face that day. (I did capture the older boy here on the left of my picture.) Personally, I was more than a little nervous for these young fellows who scaled the rocks toward the summit like small mountain goats so skillfully and slowly.

I have wondered since then....did their mother (mothers?) know where they were? And that gave me thought of my own boys when they were growing up.

I wonder how many times they did frightening things I didn't know about. Which added to my personal consternation. And then a thought came to me - how many angel hands must support our children all the places they go as they climb toward adulthood?

A World of Music at your Finger-tips

2011-08-04T23:17:00.000-04:00

I have always been a rather odd duck when it comes to what I like whether it be in music, or in electronic gadgets. I'm not quite a geek, though I certainly would love to be considered one, but I have to say I am certainly enamored with the techie gadgets we have today! Especially if they can give me a plethora of music at my fingertips!

For years I have been looking for a way to get good radio reception in my own personal valley on the West coast of Michigan. We get only a few radio stations in clearly, and the reception goes from a solid wall of white noise to an occasional piece of music with a huge amount of static! So that's when I went on a hunt beyond a good radio station and definitely more than listening to my small CD library as well. After looking around for months in local stores and even online I was really totally frustrated!

I didn't want that expensive satellite radio for the car or home, I just wanted to be able to get lovely classical and Celtic music - all the time of course! I don't ask for something simple or easy do I?

My search continued for what seemed to be years, but was only really a few months until I finally discovered something I thought I'd never find. An internet radio. Getting the stations online from all over the world has really turned into quite a bonus, too! I mean who wouldn't want to wake to, say a station from Ireland or England and enjoy their fantastic way of looking at the world? For me there is nothing like waking to good classical music and add to that that British way of speaking and I was hooked.

There are a few glitches that are a definite problem but nothing that someone who loves a challenge to finally get the ability to enjoy great music of any kind as clear as if the it were being piped from the next room.

Since I got my internet radio I've discovered quite a few stations of classical, Celtic as well as other types music theme stations. My favorites today is a station in mid-England which is fabulous to listen to for the music and their really fun commercials. There's also a station in Ireland with some of the best Celtic music I've heard. Add to that the fact that I'm listening to a well known Boston station (WGBH!), as well as one in D.C. and New York City and you are truly getting the feel for what I'm now enjoying with my internet radio! For me, it was not only the best choice, it was the only choice.

Who knew you could get fabulous reception for almost any station you'd ever want to listen too.

Ireland, One Photo at a Time

2011-07-19T23:41:00.002-04:00

Ireland is more than a place on a map, or a country in Western Europe. For those of us who love this little bit of green heaven on earth the pictures of the countryside can create a longing, and much like the Irish music that echos from the pubs and homes and is almost inhaled by all who live in this grand North Atlantic island it can create such a craving to revisit this place again and again.

The picture below was taken on the day we went to the Rock of Cashel. We walked the roads to the Rock, and back to the town below. Cashel is a whole experience in itself but the town and surrounding fields in April was such a beautiful experience for me.

So, here's a little piece of Ireland for you. It's a lovely taste of the place - from me, to you.

Exploring Mysteries

2011-07-07T14:22:00.002-04:00

The summer is made for reading. I'm not much of a beach person since I burn easily so my preferred place to take in a book is my recliner, or my bed. Beside each there is a stack of at least three books. You see, I love to sit and read, sometimes for hours.

This summer is a continuation of my mystery addiction that has continued for about a year. I just finished the last of Charles Todd's WWI Ian Rutledge books. Good stuff! I am wandering right now looking for a new book or book series that will capture my attention. I've done quite a few, but often find myself reading to the middle and then either quitting because it's so bad, or skipping parts to get to the end. Bad, eh?

I have read so many really good ones that it's hard to read that which does not measure up in my opinion. I have to admit I enjoyed the last book by Kathy Reichs. Bones to Ashes was a very good yarn! I'm not usually much for the modern mystery, but this one I couldn't figure out and it told a fabulous pre-story that captured my attention from the beginning. I love the series Bones (based on her books) on TV, and am finding the books, though not the same at all, to be very engaging. From what I've read about the readers and lovers of the show I'm a true rarity since I love both the books and the series.

As you can tell the summer is not for escape reading for me! I simply love a good read at any time!

Fried Chairs...Well Almost!

2011-06-19T15:27:00.001-04:00

In my last post there was within some snarky words about fleas. Well, we have some un-mentionable (I will not name the maker.) office chairs at our dinner table and at my desk that have now been infested. We have wood or laminate floors and I treat our beds naturally, but these little devils are driving me crazy!

So since I use Borax in the laundry with very HOT water to control them in our clothes and my husband suggested today that we should try his dry box for plastic and heat them for three hours above 150 degrees...I'm for anything right now! So by 5 PM we will have very cooked, chairs!!! ;-)

Hey, I'm game for anything right now!

Those Cool Summer Breezes

2011-06-17T15:28:00.001-04:00

Today was a lovely day. Low humidity and soft breezes. That's what June use to be in the upper Midwest when I was a child. Now, these days are rare and we usually experience the high humidities and heat indices that are the sign of my children's June weather experiences.

During the late fifties and early sixties June use to mean temperatures in the seventies and low eighties with low humidities and lovely cool nights. Evenings for heading off to the beach with friends and building bonfires to keep warm! The hot days of summer were restricted to those days at the end of July and August and were actually very few in number. Each year we'd only get maybe one or two ninety degree days, now they are becoming more and more a common an occurrence every summer that passes.

For me, the mystery and joys that filled those early summer days came from the cool days for wandering down by the creek and catching cray fish, or enjoying the thick black muck areas that often held the best surprise of those days, the many lady slippers that were spattered across the much and moss like a painter's brush drippings on that field of browns and greens.

I miss those cooler times as the heat increases with each passing day. But that's summer, I guess.

The Attack of The Killer Fleas!

2011-06-13T21:52:00.000-04:00

Flea infestations can be nasty. Especially since I get bit and react to them all the time! We've been through all the natural ways (Baking soda, salt, Borax, and so many other thing!) over the past few weeks, which sadly did very little for killing the nasty critters in the house, but I do find that I get a little respite if I rub down with baking soda! LOL!

I treat my dogs with stuff from the vat and always have. But I'm outside more in this weather as they are and I'm sure I'm bringing many in myself. Funny thing is this seems to happens about every five years and it take 2 months to totally rid the house, and me, of these dread invaders!

Because of the last infestation five years ago we got rid of the wall to wall carpeting. We now have only small patches of indoor/outdoor stuff which gives the dreaded fleas no real place to hide - according to the experts that is.

All that's left to us are the nasty treatments, and they are getting all too desirable at the moment. I did the bomb the rooms affected last night, and it did make it somewhat better. But I seem to be constantly vacuuming these days to get a bit of a respite. We're now dealing with the hatching (and re-hatching!) out of all the millions of eggs. Hopefully once that is over we'll be free again.

I've bought a LARGE can of Deep Woods Off and flea stuff for walls and furniture as well. Now, I'm hunkering down and am ready for the long fight, over how many weeks it will take!

We will win!! LOL! ....I HATE fleas!

A City's Rebellion Against the National Media!

2011-06-02T01:35:00.001-04:00

Today, on the way home from Grand Rapids, the big city I live about 30 miles from I heard this crazy NPR story - on of all things the City of Grand Rapids or Gr as many of us call it. If you haven't heard the story about how Newsweek (yeah, the magazine!) quoted another source and said it was dying and it riled the city every so slightly so they decided to let the world know that we had talent, and fun too!

In the video are all kinds of local celebrities as well as man pain folks too! So check out the video Roger Ebert says is, "the greatest music video ever made!" ENJOY!

Lip Dub to "Bye Bye Miss American Pie," by Don McLean

Adele!

2011-05-30T00:40:00.001-04:00

I'm usually not much for popular music these days, but one new singer is making waves in both the pop arena, and some even say she is finding a fit with her music within the jazz realm and I find her voice something fresh in a world of duplicates these days.

Who's the special singer that is hitting all the high notes both in the UK and here in the States? Another one name wonder - Adele.

If you haven't heard her yet you should check her out! I heard her first in a recent NPR interview that was really something else. She's a regular Brit, with an edgy sound that really grabs whether it's with a pounding beat, or a ballad that holds you close. I personally love the grit in her voice that is so gorgeous while being so real too. She's not the rail skinny star, and at the same time goes way beyond what we consider totally beautiful musically.

The NPR interview is a great place to get a taste of her music - check it out! http://www.npr.org/2011/04/18/133687905/adele-tiny-desk-concert

A Gorse is a Gorse, of Course, of Course!

2011-05-26T01:36:00.003-04:00

Gorse weed, Gorse (Ulex europea) is native to Ireland. According to our Guide on the tour, Joe it’s a noxious weed of deadly beauty. It resists attempts to eliminate it. This thorny plant is not only difficult to handle, but, at certain times of the year, generates within its tissues a natural flammable oil. In 1936, this characteristic all but doomed the tiny town of Bandon, County Cork, Ireland. It is not certain how the fire started, but the Gorse burned furiously and within hours the inferno had consumed 484 of the 500 buildings that made up this small town as well. Much of this weed has finally been controlled by the commercial development that has happened here. It has deprived even this hearty weed of a habitat. Note the small picture taken in the county prior to the fire. The same spot today is covered with pavement, homes and a whole neighborhood, which leaves no room for the weed!

This is a picture I took along the road in Ireland and

as you can see the Gorse still has a hold here along

the roads and within the hedgerows in many counties.

The funniest thing comes from how my granddaughter and I came to remember the name of the weed which of course gives us the title of this article. I am a connoisseur of sorts when it comes to the old television show theme songs and remember many of them all too well. The lyric I used came from a very old show called "Mr. Ed" (Who was of course a talking horse!), hence my very strange title.

Soccer Grandmoms

2011-05-22T23:43:00.000-04:00

We've all heard of the soccer moms that are the driving force today amongst the young and upwardly mobile with children these days. Hey, they were the moving force in the last two presidential elections, right? Well I am a soccer grandmom and I love it! There is no need to be crazy I can just cheer and knit when I want, or get up and follow the action on the field too if I want too.

The best part of being a soccer grnadmom is I can go crazy with the wins and no one cares! This job sure has it's perks!

No Thank You For a Great W. Michigan Journalist

2011-04-21T23:21:00.000-04:00

If you ever doubted that there is age discrimination that ALL the politicians turn a blind eye to look no further than journalistic TV news and your local newspapers. Watch the young perky faces that grace your screen as anchors and reporters and if you haven't seen yet watch the older journalists slowly disappear, most unwilling to go.

Granted, some should because they aren't or often have never been journalists and only readers of what the networks throw at them. But the great news people those who doggedly went after the real news are being dropped like a hot potato everywhere. Our culture of youth has lost any kind of respect for those who have gifts as true journalists, and if I'm honest so many other professions as well.

Today our paper painted the headline the front page with pictures of one of those loses. What bothers me the most is the hue and cry that has gone out for loyalty from companies across the country, but that has to go both ways and this is the age of the employer and the worker is a petty difficult - at best.

The worker is on the decent not only in pay and in jobs, but in importance as the cog in the wheel that makes the product for our country and the world. Why? Because we demanded too much. Sad, since most of us simply want make a living and be able to survive in today's economy.

Snow, Snow...

2011-04-18T18:13:00.000-04:00

Winter has returned to my little part of the world...I hate snow in the spring. My daffodils are covered with two inches of wet snow and it is so yucky when I am so ready for that spring weather! It certainly was not the surprise that I expected when I got up this morning.

I really got a wonderful taste of spring with my recent trip to Ireland and London a week ago. It was lovely, trees leafing out all over and so many spring flowers, but to revert back to winter when I returned was not exactly what I was looking for when I returned and it is a bit disconcerting.

The old nursery rhyme rant will do here I think, with a bit of a change of course:

Snow, snow, go away,
Blanket us some winter day -
Next Year!!

Only a Little Rant...

2011-04-17T22:15:00.001-04:00

I've learned many things during this year I turned 60. Many important things. I must admit that I try to learn something new often, which can be a challenge that sometimes frustrates me. I keep struggling with the ever changing world of computers - we upgraded to a Mac recently. I had to change how I do things and it was hard at first, but I am so glad to have this internet machine because I am no longer haunted by breakdowns!

I also learned from a belligerent blogger that no one can convince you to their way of believing simply by arguing their point with you. A person recently tried and got very belligerent when they didn't succeed. We all should be respected for our beliefs and not belittled until we give in to another's way of thinking - one convinced against their will remains the same opinion still.

Don't expect people, even friends to echo your own strongly held convictions. We are not clones. We claim to want personal freedoms but only surround ourselves with comfortable people who don't challenge us.

End of rant. :-)

The Indians in the Closet

2011-02-28T00:11:00.006-05:00

My Grandmother Mattson and her big house on little Twin Lake held many memories for our family. The front porch and the beach were two places that I remember as a place for reading, swimming, and of course imagining. But there was one small space in her big house that held history, and stories beyond the imagination of most children. That was where the buckskins and other Native American regalia were hung and there my cousin Gail, or one of my sisters and I would hide away on those rainy days when we were little.

The closet was more a narrow room with long oak wood boards that were smoothed by the many feet that wandered up and down the long rod that held a multitude of clothes, searching for what to wear. It was a long room with a window at the end so it certainly wasn't dark, and there were so many places to hide with a book if I wanted to escape when my own family was there. (When you have many sisters you needed some time alone!)

But my best memories were made with the soft smooth buckskin dresses and leggings that draped gently over the wire and cardboard hangers that lined the way back in this closet. There were many days three or four of us would sit on the floor dressed in deerskin and leggings whispering and stroking the soft subtle folds of those clothes with their tiny colored beads lining the neck and sleeves of many of these garments. The fringe was always too long and often tickled our arms and legs if we stood and paraded back and forth down the center of the long closet like models on a runway. With heads high we'd walk proudly like we thought those tribeswomen might have and the images we created with the stories we imagined as we sauntered up and down as if on some forest path were alive with created lore and magic for us.

If the light streamed through the small north window, as it often did in the summer we felt our skin get moist under the skin gowns and sometimes the fringe dripping with sweat would make us itch and scratch as we grew hotter. The window never could open, so it often got hot there but it never really bothered us because our imaginations were walking through our warms woods in summer, or riding horses with buckskin clad friends in long ago times.

The winters were the very best time because then we climbed the many old hat boxes to stretch carefully up to the long shelves above where the handmade blankets of red and yellow were kept, and with them we were transplanted into teepees where smoke rose high from the fires that warmed those rooms of buffalo hide, or long houses of wood and bark. We each knew just enough native lore from grandma's stories to create our own that often could last all afternoon on those weekend days at Grandma's house.

As we grew older, we even got to wear those fragile gowns on Halloween evenings as we went door to door to get candy, and money for UNICEF. I can still smell those velvety deer leather clothes that were so soft from the sweat of many years with my Great Grandfather's circus. The smells and feel of those old memories filled what we wore and cemented like the sap of the pines that surrounded my grandmother's home the dreams we created so many years ago. It gave us visions of what it might have felt like walking the Michigan forest paths with the Potawatomi, Ojibay, or Ottawa as we set our feet on paths toward our own adult lives. It truly gave us dreams to live and revel in as we grew.

Where Does Wisdom Grow?

2011-02-04T15:29:00.002-05:00

I have many favorite authors who's books I love to wade knee deep into over and over again. But there is only one with whom I can go back to again and again for wisdom - and for joy. When I first read her words I found I agreed with so many of her thoughts and ideas. Both of her books keep calling me back to those curled pages and I so wish we could return to her concept of what life was like before technology.

"Everybody is a story," she told me from the written page of one of her books.

"People sat around kitchen tables and told their stories...It is the way wisdom gets passed along."

We don't share that kind of wisdom much anymore. Her wisdom is that of a Jewish mind and my favorite line of hers is, "Real stories take time." We really don't have time anymore to work at life in a way that makes for good stories (at least most of us don't...) and we certainly don't make time to listen to those important stories of our lives from those around us anymore.

So, today I am stopping to gather up my stories like a hen gathers up her chicks. The stories I've learned have become important ones for me, and some of the lessons I've learned from those tales are too.

Like good letters good stories aren't perfect, but share the essence of us and our stories with those we know and love.

Stay tuned!

Something Old and Something...

2011-01-17T20:37:00.003-05:00

I've been busy helping put to rest a family estate. Nothing big, just the home of my mother-in-law with about 3 queen sized couch beds, a library full of books, and more sewing and knitting patterns in books and magazine pages than I think I've ever seen in one spot before. My sister-in-law and I have cleaned out three rooms in the last three weeks and sorted through so many memories.

It's funny how much is left after a family member dies, especially one who collected things. Not anything like salt shakers or normal collectible items of course. She was a knitter and in every place possible there were knitting needles, and scraps of patterns for scarves, sweaters, mittens and so much more. We've found every size of knitting needle you could imagine - straight, double ended, and circular in boxes, bags and plastic cases and lots of plastic totes filled with fabric and yarns.

I've done this before when my own mother died, but this was a different undertaking. My sister-in-law had already spent weeks going through and organizing, and donating some of the contents of the condo before I joined in the process, but just the rooms I helped with were almost totally filled to the ceiling, and sometimes on metal shelving units.

My mother-in-law was a person who was very frugal and kept so much for that proverbial, "rainy day" (and those, "just in case I need an item," times.). Going through all the sewing items, knitting paraphernalia, papers, notes, music and music books has helped me see the need to begin to empty my own house. It's interesting how much she had accumulated (I know I don't know how much I've saved, that's for sure!). But I have to admit that unlike many who lived through the Depression (like my Mom-in-law!) I haven't had that huge urge to compulsively save all kinds of things, for which I'm extremely glad for since I've so enjoyed going through all that my Mom-in-law accumulated. I've actually had 2 LARGE garage sales through this past summer!

My kind of Christmas Music

2010-12-17T01:03:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know I'm more than a bit abnormal, but I don't like hearing Christmas music (You know the kind!) playing in my ears for over 60 days this time of year! I was okay with it after Thanksgiving through Christmas but this is ridiculous! Don't get me wrong, I love the season, but I hate what we as a culture have done to it, though.

More than a few years ago I thought I, who love classical music could surely find classical Christmas music that was different in every way. I was totally frustrated from the start. I searched but was frustrated at every turn. That night my husband and I went to a local restaurant for dinner after Christmas shopping. I'd gotten much of what I'd wanted to find for the kids, but we'd also searched for some Christmas music for me and found nothing. I felt defeated and miserable, miserable that is because I was hearing the constant rewind of typical December music.

Well, this little restaurant was a real in-expensive haunt of ours and as we sat there first ordering then eating I was drawn into the music that was certainly not the typical Christmas elevator music that was playing everywhere, in fact it was beautiful! On our way out I asked the manager on duty what it was, but he didn't know since they were all on a tape that contained lots of different pieces of music. I kept calling over the next few days and asking if there was anyone I could ask about the music! Finally he said that he'd ask the general manager about it, but he was not promising me he'd call me only that he's see if he could get the information and I might ask for it the next time I was in the restaurant.

Well, I was more than a bit persistent and finally the general manager did call me back personally. He explained that the music came to him and he wasn't even sure who it was on the tapes, but he did give me a breadcrumb...there was a name on the cardboard that was on the box it had come in two weeks before. Music for chain restaurants in those days were bought in bulk and half the time they weren't even sure what they were getting when they put them in the sound system each night.

The name he gave me was the key to the best music I've ever had for Christmas and I will never forget this musical discovery. The name on the box was Nonesuch, the actual title of a group that had also produced an album called A Nonesuch Christmas from the Baroque, Renaissance, and Middle Ages. I found the music at the record store (Yup, in vinyl) and found it to be even better than I imagined. That of course wasn't the end to my searching since the tape actually had many songs and instrumental pieces from that period by such composers as Bach and one who've I've learned to really appreciate, Michael Praetorius (late 1500s to the 1600s.)

My search turned up at least five other albums after that first discovery that I literally wore out every Christmas for years afterward. It was actually something musically I looked forward to every year as my own personal sounds of Christmas. Since then I've searched to replace those albums, but I haven't been unable to find the record in CD format no matter how much I've searched(Available in vinyl at over $100, though!). It contained the most beautiful music created by harpsichords, lutes, voices, and so many other ancient instruments of the 1500s. I have to say that I really miss those Christmas albums, but I do love the memories of that music and the memories of the music that still plays over and over in my memories during the Christmas Season.

It's funny how something so simple as a piece of music can truly come to define a season, or better yet describe a life during a period musically, but it certainly did for me. And you need to know I'm not giving up - I'm still searching! Out there I will find the music again, but until I do there are the memories of so many of those musical pieces will just have to carry me through.

For All You Michigan Trivia Nuts!

2010-12-11T22:29:00.001-05:00

For those of you (You too, Robert!) who have heard that the state of Michigan has been called the "Mitten State," here's an image, and book that shows how the UP is also a mittened hand (The Upper Peninsula, that why they call those who live there Yoopers!). We learned this as kids in school way back in the 60s, and it's ended up as kind of identity thing here.

This book was written by Award-winning wildlife artist Michael Glenn Monroe and was published by Sleeping Bear Press in 1999. It's really a great book for kids!

The Holidays Begin

2010-11-25T00:23:00.001-05:00

It's almost Thanksgiving, (literally!) and it's the beginning of the buying frenzy for Christmas. I am one who enjoys the less commercial part of this time of year and probably disappoint those who receive gifts from me because I buy books and knit or crochet something special as an added gift. I expect nothing in return, because I honestly need for nothing.

I like the Holidays to simply be a time of reflection, and of course a time to be with family. No fancy dinners here. We're having a picnic type of meal for Thanksgiving this year. We will dine on turkey buns, potato salad, chips, and splurged a bit on the dessert by baking pumpkin pies (with store bought crusts as I did not want to go crazy creating anything).

In past years I spent so much time making the typical Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners only to realize that the spent together was the most important part of the Holidays for us. It wasn't the meals that were the center of the memories for the day but rather the conversations and laughter that permeated the day's festivities. When I realized that fact I pared down the days events and foods to the bare minimum. The important things are still included. The turkey and pies are there, and once in a while someone brings a green bean casserole too.

What is truly meaningful about Thanksgiving and Christmas is being with those we love and sharing a meal. The snow is suppose to start tomorrow here too bringing with it the first signs of the winter. It will start us all wondering aloud as to what the weather will be like and how much snow we'll get during this winter here in Michigan. And of course there will be the ever present Lion's football game on Thanksgiving. (Which of course is usually lost to whatever team they play.)

We share the day and remember those who aren't with us anymore sometimes, and remember how much we miss them. The memories are tossed about and digested almost as much as the food we share. We always learn something new and sometimes a funny story about one of the relatives too. Family is about that. We all like the simple way to celebrate. It is after all about the memories we make during the Holidays that makes them the special events we anticipate all year long. That's always what we remember anyways...not the fancy sweet potato soufflé, or the present that was, "so special," that one year. It is truly the smiles, laughter, and love we share that makes the Holidays special, and it's always been that way.

Saturday, mid-November 2010

2010-11-13T21:49:00.003-05:00

Conversations are good. I certainly missed my written ones when my computer was causing trouble for so long.

I really enjoyed the weather here and staying at home and out of the rain this Saturday! I got some sewing and mending done as well as that ever present laundry. We had lovely 60 degree weather all week and now we are heading into winter. I've been following a storm that's dropping snow all over Minnesota, Wisconsin and other deserving states. I think it is heading our way by the end of the week from what the weather predictors have said. Ah, well...it is November.

Today we had a slow steady rain, and with it came a wind that gently tumbled most of the remaining leaves off many of the trees around here. I still have a a tree that has way too many leaves on it and after cleaning up a pile of the fallen ones yesterday my poor husband felt almost defeated by the growing piles that have taken their place on our lawn and by the back door. The dogs remained indoors since their run has only one dog house and they crowd in it in the rainy weather...not much room for either of them especially now since we piled in the straw-filled burlap sacks just a few days ago in preparation for the winter months.

I have to share how much I'm enjoying playing with my new techie toys these days. I also love the calendar on my Touch since it has an alarm on it to remind me of important events. That's for the terribly forgetful person in our household - ah, that would be me! I hope this new handheld will keep me on track since my Palm was dying and I kept losing power after only 4 hours. (When you do that you lose ALL the info, and that can be a yucky experience!)

Life continues to be good for us here in West Michigan. I enjoyed two of the grandkids all day yesterday. One granddaughter shopped with me during the day which made for a fun time, and my oldest was here for 5 hours from the afternoon and on into the evening. We got to plan for our coming trip in the Spring of 2011. I'll share more about that in future posts, we're certainly excited about! :-)

It Has Begun!

2010-11-03T13:43:00.000-04:00

My old computer is gone, and I have a loaner with none of my stuff on it (of course!) at the moment. Things happened a little late (Since my computer didn't come in when it was suppose to.)and a little faster than expected since my old computer finally went belly up yesterday. (Here's hoping they can rescue all my information from the old beast!)

I won't be back until everything has been transfered and my Mac Mini installed. Hopefully that will be done by the weekend! See you all when it's done!

Essay: Give Them Hope 11.1.10

2010-11-01T16:22:00.001-04:00

Listened to this on the way home it really makes perfect sense to me here in Michigan! We've had a lot of negatives...and really little hope from this campaign would be fabulous.

Essay: Give Them Hope 11.1.10

A New Computer on the Horizon!

2010-10-23T01:14:00.001-04:00

This coming Monday I will probably be ordering a new computer through a friend of my son's who is a Mac technician. Yup, after putting in as much money as it would have cost to get a Mac, I'm actually breaking down and getting one. Since the young man who's helping me is giving me every break he can, I hopefully will have a new Mac Mini by the end of next week.

Keep us in your prayers that all plays out okay. I am really pumped about possibly getting a really decent computer after years of dealing with the ones we've had. Besides...I am a Mac person! I had one as my first computer and I LOVE them! I only settled for a PC because of the cost issue. But when we looked at how much we'd wasted getting the PCs fixed it came out to MORE than what a Mac is worth! (My husband's words!)

I am ready for a change, and a return to the best computer for what I do - writing and creating newsletters. I cannot wait!!!

The Green Grapes of Fall

2010-10-20T01:54:00.001-04:00

I adore ripe green grapes, seedless ones of course. These sweet, crisp wonders are something I wait for all year long. "What?" you may ask, "aren't they out the whole year in the produce section of my local grocery store??" Well the answer of course is yes, but they are only the sweetest and the best in the fall of the year here in Michigan and that is when I totally over dose on these sensational, green, crunchy globes.

I usually need to sip something whilst enjoying these luscious grapes, and have over the years experimented with many liquid concoctions - not all of them elixirs of the gods! I tried Koolaide at about ten years old - it left much to be desired. As I got older I would share those grapes with many forms of liquid refreshment, but none quite hit the spot. I even tried some French bubbly which was grand, but the sparkling drink did tend to overpower the taste of the grapes.

Finally, I tried something that made my poor husband think I was totally crazy! I found that a good, light German beer turned out to be fabulous with my favorite fruit! First, you have to know that I am very European in my tastes and love good ales, stouts and beers warm. Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before - I am totally crazy, and, "What is wrong with your taste buds girl!"

Well, it is a choice, and my combo at the moment. I really think that the crisp flavors of each really compliment each other...that is my opinion, of course!

And as they say, there's no accounting for personal taste. ;-)

8 Hours of Heart Pounding Celtic Heaven

2010-09-26T23:48:00.004-04:00

Three of my favorite Celtic/American group all contained in one festival - now that is what I call heaven! This year's Michigan Irish Music Festival was great and the temperatures were cool enough to enjoy simply strolling between venues, and taking in the food and the market as well.

Like in years past the young and old alike mixed and mingled in all of the concerts and also in the food and market tents which held goodies to savor and so much to buy.

My granddaughter and I kept going back to the market tent where everything from shirts, kilts, jewelry, Shillelaghs, as well as the ever present unusual and strange items which lurked under the merchants signs. Though the huge market tent was filled with almost everything you might imagine from CDs, tin whistles and one of my favorite items this year Irish Wackie Woolies. (All kinds of products sport these colorful (Irish) "sheep with an attitude.")

The main attractions were of course the many concerts that featured some of the best Celtic groups from all over. This year Gaelic Storm was the biggest draw. If you saw Titanic, you saw and heard this talented band who provided the music and was also the band playing the tune "John Ryan's Polka" for the Irish party in third class. Unlike the ship, the group has sailed off into quite a sunny career in the Celtic/American music scene. Most of their first albums were reflective of many of the Celtic groups on the scene these days, but their newest album has much more of a rock and roll feel, and so did the performance we enjoyed in their Saturday evening show. The music certainly did not disappoint with more white hairs in that "mosh pit" up front than I have every seen. The group seems to be reaching all ages, and really enjoys sharing their love of all Celtic music with the audience.

My personal music favorites were three groups that have graced the stages of this Irish Fest before. Blackthorn who uses both tight harmony and grand tales between the songs which made for a very enjoyable 2 hours.

Leahy (pictured here), an eight sibling band from Canada had no trouble holding all captive with their explosive musical ability. I really enjoyed the true Celtic soul in their music. Donnell (husband of Natalie MacMaster who also is a master fiddler.), the oldest of the siblings plays a mean fiddle, but he is not the only talent in this group as each of the family members are really musically gifted as well. From drums, keyboard, piano, fiddle, to guitar they bring their brand to the Celtic music and keep singing through their phenomenal playing. This was a really enjoyable concert that was way too short in my opinion.

Brent Hoad, one super fiddler, is just one of the talented crew that makes up The Elders. This Kansas City based group with lead singer Ian Byrne sang us through so many of their well known and riotous songs as well as one of their signature ballads, Men of Erin which was done with a tight harmony in acapella. This group based in the Celtic tradition blends stories in song with an almost rock based musical excitement that is truly impressive. As I shared my thoughts on the group with a fellow concert goer we both agreed, "this group is totally jigs and reels based Irish music - on steroids!"

Always one of my favorite parts of this festival, the Session Tent was a way station for many of us who between concerts wanted to enjoy the best of musicians there, and some of the up and coming young instrumentalists as well. This is simply one of the best events of the whole festival because it offers young musicians a chance to experience playing with professionals from every walk of the Celtic music world.

As we looked back on the day with the songs, food, shopping, as well as all the pure joy that this kind of festival brings we were glad we came. We were thankful to those shared their music; all those who listened, stomped and clapped in time; and of course to all who served with such gracious abandon. This is what makes a festival like this a real gift every year to the whole community here in West Michigan.

People - Less Frustration

2010-08-26T20:40:00.001-04:00

So many changes are happening - almost daily, and sometimes every moment these days. Many blame it on the computer and it's demand on our time, but I think we all like the anonymous way we can sometimes link with others online. Many of us pay bills online - there are no more face to face with the people at the phone company! We don't even write checks, we do it at the bank site or our creditor's sites. Speaking of phone sites, who still has land lines these days with all the cell phones out there?

We've become disengaged in so many ways...but is it really because of the computer and all the technology? For me the choice to be a techie and people person in much of my life is as balanced as I can make it.

Because of all the disengagement in my own world these days, I really try to be more involved with the people around me and do something that is almost unheard of here - I talk to people in line at the supermarket. We all know that we wait in all sorts of lines these days at places like Walmart. While waiting you have a choice of how you spend that time in line - you can stand and day dream, get hot under the collar, or you can do what I choose to do. I spend that wasted time getting to know those who are held captive with me. It keeps me happy, and can often diffuse a tension-filled line at the check-out.

So what do you do? Are you a friend-maker in line? How do you handle that hurry-up-and-wait time?

A Special Find

2010-08-14T11:33:00.007-04:00

I enjoy used book sales, and our library has one every year in the bowels of the building that seems to be overflowing with tables that only really attempt to contain the mountains of books they have to sell. This year I went from room to room, and table to table enjoying the feel, the smell, and of course the many titles that were there for perusing and buying. To me, a book is alive with the thoughts and friends that people the flat worlds on its pages and I enjoy the discoveries I make at events like this one.

There were three books I picked up while getting to know some of the toms that leaned together on those tables to make a part of my very small collection (I haven't much room, so I have to truly love a book to make it part of my family.). One of the books was a small gem that I know I'll be quoting from for a long time.

Leo Buscaglia was a college professor who was loved by his students, and also by the many viewers who got to share in his lectures that were taped and shown on PBS stations around the country during their pledge drives over the years. Known as Dr. Hug, he spread a message of love...love by stepping out of yourself and really getting involved with people you come in contact with, as well as with life itself.

He touched my own life through those lectures. I use to watch them in the middle of the night during pledge drives from my local PBS station. Often repeated over the years, those lectures were absorbed and loved by many who saw his message as totally opposite of what we're hearing from leaders now so many years later. Today, we are told that this group is evil, or that group is out to get us. Maybe so...but how does that kind of fear help us, or change anything? Reaching out from your heart is the ONLY way to change lives and often times that can cost you everything, but it also can change everything.

Leo caught me unaware in the depths of a nasty part of my life and changed the way I look at the world, and live in it. I can honestly say that it changed the way I look at the people around me every single day. When I began to read this tiny book called Papa, My Father, I was once again drawn in by how the man lived his life, what he said, and how he used examples from his own family to tell a story about what is really important in life. I laughed and giggled in parts, and did more than just feel like crying in others. He often would cut his own life open so you could see everything. It was the way he shared what gifts he had to give to the world.

I finished the book yesterday and the last few lines in one of the last chapters have become my own life's mantra. Words on a page are nothing until you somehow chew on them a while, and digest and find that warm glow of life from them for your own life.

A Code For Life
by Dr. Leo Buscaglia
Dance, sing and laugh a lot.
All things are related.
Don't waste time trying to reason with pain, suffering, life, and death.
An animated person animates the world.
Find a quiet place for yourself.
Don't ever betray yourself.
Birth and death are part of a cycle. Neither begins or ends with you.
Stay close to your God.
It's crucial to love.
Idealism is strength, not a weakness.
People are good if you give them a chance to be.
Discrimination, for any reason, is wrong.
Self-respect is essential for life.
Except in the eyes of God, people are not created equal, so we are
all responsible for those who can't help themselves.
Cruelty is a sign of weakness.
Commitment and caring are the basic ingredients of love.
Love is indestructible and therefore the most powerful human force.
Change is inevitable.
People who think they know it all can be dangerous.

I know my motto is a bit long, but I think it really says it all.

Thanks for the reminder, Leo.

Vicious Attacks Happening Right in Your Own Backyard

2010-08-08T00:45:00.008-04:00

Is anyone else fed up with the vicious attacks that are occurring these days? You know those attacks flying to and fro between the Republican or Democrat running for office in your area? To differentiate themselves they are really getting nasty these days. That's not totally true...but this year there is little respect for each other and besides the normal rantings and ravings there has been a bit of smear campaign going on here - even AFTER the election.

I do so detest all things political. There is little truth in any political ad, and they never tell you how they're going to fill the job requirements for whatever office they are aspiring to attain. I really want to ask each of them to give me their actual qualifications and why they would have the qualities necessary to fill the job.

I believe that the pack of them are simply enjoying running us into the ground simply to satisfy a need to dominate their world, and ours. We really need a few real people with real jobs to get into those offices and remind them that those normal, wealthy representatives and senators haven't a clue what life is like down here among we average citizens...that my friends is a very sad fact to face just after any kind of election.

Where Has All the Kindness Gone...

2010-07-25T20:11:00.006-04:00

A play on an old song is such a valid question these days in our terribly hurried society. We no longer are taught to value the fellow travelers on our journey, it almost seems like it's okay to devalue, or worse still to be cruel or rude to someone who slows us in our own personal race.

This rant comes along side of one that I read today from a blogger friend that bemoaned the fact that people are often threatening, or cruel to people with disabilities. It's sad, but our society seems to value more what we see as the whole and perfect as apposed to those who might have a physical attribute that slows their pace, or frustrates the mind and blocks our general rush through life.

How have we so quickly forgotten the gifts given to the world by Professor Stephen W. Hawking, or Helen Keller? Where is our awe for people who have the gifts of a Christoper Reeves, or Christy Brown (The Academy Award winning film My Left Foot profiled his life.)?

In spite of the constant examples daily of those who continue to contribute so much to our lives through science, music, and the world of words I see such a loss of respect for those who might move more slowly either mentally or physically than those considered normal. I often wonder where that term comes from - normal. Because some of the most normal or the kindest souls I know are those who are labeled learning disabled, and some of those who help the hardest in any kind of disaster are those who are often handicapped with emotional burdens.

I wonder when we'll learn that we all are disabled in one way or another - we are simply able to hide that fact from a world that devalues those who aren't considered perfect....

Night

2010-07-10T00:15:00.079-04:00

Tonight I roamed a hot, muggy, darkness.
Filled with moments of
hushed and muggy sounds.

A screech owl's voice echoes softly,
as do the grinding sounds of neighborhood crickets
and the reverberating hum of a lone cicada.
all seem to still the flow of moments
that ease us toward
the real world of sunny daybreak.

3:00 AM.
quiet.
this the world longs for,
Here in my wood clad suburban nest of quiet.

For these few hours
there are seconds...even moments of a silent world
that enfold and can free any mind.

The earlies
with their lyrical, avian voices
in chorus with a coming sun,
(almost newly born)
can hold such promise -
quiet can be found
long before the sun dares shadow
a scorching, droopy eye.

Soft, and silent, this space affords a joy
not found within harsh, or painful confines
of any world news.
No buzzing,
not even flickers of feathered wing
traversing this space on daily flights
to far reaches of down-feather's skyways.

the owl and bat,
silent,
still,
can command all above,
and all that lives along the edges here.
even the hush from a single star
reaches the street with a wand
of silence, spreading such wonder.

Award Fun!

2010-07-03T04:08:00.007-04:00

Patricia Stoltey on her blog (http://patriciastoltey.blogspot.com/) was kind enough to pass on the Versatile Blogger award to me this week. Thanks so much Patricia, I really appreciate the award! I have to admit that this was quite a pleasant surprise for me!

This award comes with rules:

1. Thank those who loved my work (and me) enough to bestow this gift.
2. Share seven things about myself.
3. Bestow this honor on 15 newly discovered or followed bloggers-in no
particular order-who are fantastic in some way.

I try to follow the rules so here goes:

1. I am a mother of three grown sons with four grandchildren (3 granddaughters, one grandson).
2. I was an English teacher for a time, and wrote for a small local newspaper as a columnist for two years.
3. I adore Italian cooking, and love exploring other cuisines as well.
4. I went back to college at 38 and graduated at 42 with a degree in English with all of my three kids in middle school and elementary school.
5. I am an animal lover and am drawn to any creatures that I find out walking their owners! (I have 2 dogs of my own right now - my 10 year old Foxy and her dog, Mac - It's a long story.)
6. I love medieval mysteries! I've read all the books in the Cadfael series, the Owen Archer series, and way too many others.
7. I am exploring the possibility of taking a trip next year to Ireland which is where many of my ancestors came from at least four generations ago. I'm extremely excited about the possibility of going!

Now I need to pass on the coveted award to 15 newly discovered, or followed bloggers who are fantastic in a really special way.

1. Marty Rubin at Aphorism Of The Day
2. ChrisJ at At My Soiree
3. Susan Bearman at Two Kinds of People
4. Elizabeth Munroz at Elizabeth Munroz Official Blog
5. heirloomgardener at heirloom gardener
6. Linda J. Gross at Linda's Photo Journal
7. Iowa Gardening Woman at My Iowa Garden
8. Meam at Shining History :Medieval Islamic Civilization
9. Bax at The Celtic Music Fan
10. Ken at Expat From Hell
11. Plants at Plants and more
12. Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs
13. Robert V. Sobczak at The South Florida Watershed Journal
14. Dorothy Stahlnecker at Grammology.com
15. Doreen McGettigan at They say everyone has a story..this is mine..

Now I have to contact all these wonderful bloggers by Monday and let them know! Please take a few moments and check out Patricia Stoltey's blog, as well as these special bloggers that I've discovered over the past few years. They all have a variety of blogging gifts that I bet you'll find interesting!

Oh, Bother...

2010-06-30T02:57:00.005-04:00

After what seems to be an eternity I have a connection for my keyboard - again. You see I only have had a keyboard with a very black screen and no computer. It's a long story. Simply put I lost my old friend in a lightening strike on Memorial Day.

I bought a new(er) tower for a few days thanks to my son and a local computer store, that is until it's old owner came back to haunt my screen with boxes filled with "didn't save," and "lost files." So the black tower was taken from me and returned from whence it came - for repairs, erasure and other corrective surgeries.

Today it returned strangely different, and yet somehow the same.

I'm relearning some things, and finding my way through the Alice like world that is like my old computer - but isn't as well. I only have a Swiss cheese folder for my files these days. The computer seems to be taking forever to find each rabbit hole that holds what files are there...I've lost so many since the accident.

Maybe a blank slate is better than nothing, but I certainly miss my old blather. Hopefully, I will return to the real me soon, but until then I shall play with the words and pop in and out with my own elegant and colorful Cheshire Cat online.

Cheshire Cat: You may have noticed that I'm not all there myself.

One Thing After Another...

2010-06-29T23:52:00.002-04:00

First, we lost our computer to a lightening strike on May 31st, and now the new(er) computer we bought to replace it has had major problems! I have not been online in so long. I picked it up today after over four days in the shop for repairs.

Definitely an UGH! moment or two over this new computer!

After days of writing on a legal pad I will try to type it all in and am hoping to get something new up here in the next week or two so thanks for everyone's patience!

(Thought you might like a pic from my garden this year!)

Days with the Circus

2010-06-20T20:54:00.002-04:00

This is a picture of my grandmother, Winona Fowler. She's dressed for her day as a part of her father's 3 ringed circus, and yes, that is a whip in her hand. She and her family traveled with a group of buckskin clad American Indians, all types animals, and many performers including aerialists. From alligators to the big cats there really was a true menagerie of creeping crawling wildlife.

Over the years my grandmother told her many stories of her life as, "Baby Nona," which because I was so young were gone quickly along with so much of my childhood memories. Thankfully I have some stories as do each of my cousins and we have begun to share those to put together. Through the retelling of our stories and the pictures of her, her family and the circus that have surfaced since she died we are getting a wonderful picture of her early life.

My own memories of being touched by that long ago circus can be told through those velvety soft buckskin outfits that were in her upstairs closet when we were little. A cousin and I would spend long hours imaging a circus life as we touched first and then wore those native American outfits in that attic closet. We even got to wear them sometimes for Halloween which was a real treat as well as one of the most exciting thing for each of us. When we wore the buckskins we could almost reach out though the time warp and touch a life we could only imagine.

We never realized the gifts she gave us as children at the time. Those little tidbits of a her circus life were like fairy stories compared to our 1960s lives in suburbia.

Today I truly cherish the glimpses of those almost still life images from her very real past. I wish there were enough stories to build a book with, but I have to admit that even though they are scant in number they hold a large part of my imaginary life as a child.

Summer - Fade In, Fade Out

2010-06-11T01:59:00.000-04:00

We've had a few cold, non-humid days and after weeks of heat and rather extreme humidity. You never know from day to day what' coming, unless you religiously follow the weather and even then it can surprise you. It's funny how the weather is starting to mimic that of the places in the South that I've visited.

When I was growing up, the weather here in the summer was cooler, and most definitely less humid! Don't misunderstand me, it had it's hot humid days and weeks sometimes of intense heat but they were few and we could revel in the high 70s and low 80 degree weather for much of the summer according to the Old Farmer's Almanac as well as my own memory.

This spring and these first few days of June have certainly outdone most of those summers I remember in temperatures and humidity. The amazing thing is that we've had both the cold, dry days, interspersed with those extremely hot and humid ones both within the same weeks.

Many love the hot and sticky weather, but I find I operate better on those cooler days and tend to hide out in the air conditioning during the really hot and sticky days. For me, the cooler temps offer a freedom from the sweat and chaffing that drives my days during these kind of summers. That search for cooler temps has fostered my night owl habits, which continues to drive my existence even today.

So I patiently await the cooler temps. I do love the flowers and gardens of summer, but not what makes them prosper. I tend more to hover around the air conditioning during extremely humid days for comfort, and I pray for those first fall days.

I know I'm strange but hey, it takes all types to make a world!

A Celeration of Life, and Music

2010-06-03T17:41:00.023-04:00

My mother-in-law was the last of my husband and my parents alive. She died on May 30th at 90 years old. Today we celebrated her life in the music of her grandchildren. She was a piano teacher for 30 years, and played that and the harpsichord for years. It was a real celebration of her and the legacy of music that has permeated the family for more years than I cam count.

She tried to teach me piano when I was in my late 30s, but it didn't take with me. Though I can sing, the piano was way too confusing! But on rainy afternoons when I visited we use to sit at the piano and while she played I would sing along with almost every song that had words. She knew I loved the old gospel songs, and the Big Band music from the 30s and 40s and her memorized repertoire of songs was huge!

I grew to really appreciate her gift over the years and though only the girls of the family had the gift for music, we all got to experience in the generation of the grandchildren the gifts of music that were passed on. Today there is a concert level pianist, who teaches music as well; a violinist who is really phenomenal; and another granddaughter who teaches piano and has a voice like an angel. Actually all 21 of her grandchildren love music, and many play piano or guitar simply for their own enjoyment, as do two of her daughters as well.

There are 15 great-grandchildren of varying ages who were exposed to her love of music, and two more on the way by the end of the summer. We really all are anticipating her cherished gift of music will continue and sprout from these children's music loving homes in the coming years as well.

Thank You

2010-06-02T14:51:00.000-04:00

Our computer got fried when lightening struck our cable, phone and internet provider's connector to our house. We lost the computer, and were without phone service except for one lone cheap cell phone. And it's funny...because I should be frustrated or very angry over what happened with my computer and all the gadgets that are connected or get "fed" off that hard drive, but I'm not. I am angry about having to put out over $300 to get a new computer and back online as well as back to all that I do with my computer, but I'm certainly not at people that were involved.

Let me explain. The young man at the computer store also went above and beyond to help me find a very good used computer. But this whole mess killed all the capabilities to Hot Sync my Palm and I had to call Tech Support this afternoon. I was on the phone for over 2 hours, and it did cost me $40 to get it fixed because it was out of warranty but the gentleman I spoke with was so patient. The call was of course handled offshore so we had to work at understanding each others English. He actually gave more time and energy than he needed to to help my simple old Palm, and in the end he totally solved the problem. His kindness and willingness to talk me through what I needed to do was really great.

I'm learning that nasty things continue to happen - and our family seems lately to be more prone than some to have almost everything go wrong, when it can...but in all the muck there are gifts like this kind of service that make it if not worthwhile at least very bearable.

I have a thought. What makes all the messes of life worth living through is the people, the new friends who cross our paths to lift us up during those difficult times.

Thank you to David Anderson at Palm Support (No that isn't his real name I'm sure.). He was a gift to me this day. A gift of laughter and expertise beyond anything I have every experienced before.

New Computer...

2010-06-01T23:24:00.000-04:00

Well, I will be a bit behind for a while because the day before yesterday our internet, phone and TV provider's link here at home got struck by lightening and my old computer got totally fried. I had three posts that I was working on but hadn't downloaded yet and they're gone, as are more than half of my pictures because I hadn't yet saved them to my external harddrive yet. My external harddrive survived with much of my stuff thank goodness!

The really good news is I have a new (used) computer that has five times the space that the old one and it's about five years newer than the old one too...but I am having to down load all by bookmarks from the hard copy, and all that is needed for me to operate as well. So I will be spending the next few days re-entering what I have in hard copy and downloading what I can from disk that I have.

I am thankful to be back and will be writing again really soon!

Seasons

2010-05-31T01:04:00.002-04:00

Usually spring makes a quiet entrance here,
Unlike the month of March
Which marches through like a lion...
or a lamb.

April creeps in with the rains
And brings an explosion of colors
That leans toward the sun.

May brings pale green crape paper-like leaves
that unfold at the end of branches as they
Reach for the sun.

I love the newness of the season.

Time Out

2010-04-21T19:14:00.002-04:00

Taking a break...thanks everyone.

Good Night

2010-04-16T03:17:00.008-04:00

Quiet is here, finally. It's 3:20 am and all I hear is the hum of the computer fan. All here are asleep but me, and the dark around the edge of the lone light in my office shining over my computer envelopes me like my quilt with a warmth that is finally calling to me. It's time to be off to the quiet of my bed.

At first when I wrote years ago I was a second shifter, but when I really began to do my columns well over three years ago I began to pull all nighters. It's funny how the uninterrupted silence that comes when all the world is asleep makes for the best writing and editing times. No phone calls, no people at the door, not even those constant questions from the kitchen...there is only the soft, thought provoking silence. I'm truly, finally tired.

Night all.

Poetic License

2010-04-13T01:50:00.002-04:00

Usually spring makes such a quiet entrance here in West Michigan. Unlike the month of March which can come rather like a roaring lion, spring creeps softly on the April rains and suddenly bursts forth with first the snowdrops and then the tulips and daffodils before the trees drop the leaf casings and those small pale green leaves unfold like many crepe paper wonders hand made and dropped to those tiny tips on branches throughout the trees in front of my home.

I love this season so much. Today I got to play with dirt and seeds as I readied the cold frame to hold those seeds in our cold April days and to keep them warm as they begin to grow. Three trays of herbs, and flowers began today, and as I closed the windowed lid I hoped I would get three trays of living plants for my gardens.

I hope you can get out where ever your feet roam near home and find some signs of this season of new birth and the greening of all that grows.

Who Am I?

2010-04-07T23:10:00.004-04:00

Right now,
I am no author.

Right now,
I am a writer
of actions!
of anger!
of events...

Yet I write
only for
one.

I am
content.

One
is enough.

Hail!

2010-04-06T15:29:00.010-04:00

Today's weather took me back to the week we moved in over 30 years ago...and not in a good way! We had severe weather roar through and got 2 inches of marble sized hail thrown at us by really ugly skies. Add to that over 2 inches of sheeting rain at the same time and we had a real mess here in Western Michigan!

The rain and hail came down so HARD!

This was at the very beginning and we only had a bit...

It was a lot that peppered the our home. My poor dogs went crazy. Mac yelped and headed under the bed and Foxy threw up again and again as the white marbles hammered us.

When it was safe to go out, I got this picture. I guess I should be thankful - at least this time it came down straight instead of being blown into our windows which happened the last time in 1975 when we lost 10 windows to the hail!

Good Medicine for Hard Times

2010-03-30T22:27:00.029-04:00

Surviving in a world where multitasking can drive anyone to distraction in this fast moving society is not always an easy task. Everyone seems to have a way of dealing with it, but for many the strains of a song can make the world seem an easier place to deal with and make any day a little better. In fact music has become the drug of choice for many of us these days.

Music has been proven to sooth the beast in many of people over the centuries, and today it has become a must between the craziness and intense pressures that seem to populate our personal worlds. But, it can also drive our passions, and certain kinds of music are really great for getting physical work done fast!

There are so many kinds of music out there and all of us have favorite types of tunes that make our everyday lives survivable or even make them exciting. For me, as many of you know Celtic music is a main driving force, but it certainly is not the only music I love. When it comes to what I love on the music scene today, I am more than a little bit eclectic. The music that captures my attention ranges from some of those oldies from the 60s (I am after all a baby boomer!); any and all types of Celtic from all over the world; 30s and 40s big band and swing; and of course all kinds of classical music.

So does the music we love really define us in anyway? Well, we know scientifically that music does affect our brains in so many ways and for those who are living with Alzheimer's disease music is often what stays with people longer than words or language.

It amazes me that when the people who have the disease don't have the memories of names or even relationships and seem so lost in their not knowing. But when a well known piece of music from their past is played they seem to come alive and often can sing it through to the end of the song. It also often changes their whole demeanor because it is still some how is a vital part of life that they can respond to though so much of life is gone for them.

Why is music so important to the very places in our lives that makes it such an integral part of our emotions? When 80 to 90% of the people when asked say that if they've had a bad day they turn to music you know it is the emotional strength that we often totally rely on. If we examine the phenomenon of the iPod it is hard not to see the importance of the lyrics and tunes in our lives.

The most interesting research over the past few years has come from those who deal with all kinds of diseases and infirmities. From music therapy to a simple need to escape from the world to the images and sounds that music can create, our connection to music, the tunes, the rhythms, and lyrics have been proven over and over again to be some of the strongest connections in our personal histories. John A Logan, a U.S. senator from our country's past said it best, "Music's the medicine of the mind." It is a medicine we can all use more of these days.

T'is the Season!

2010-03-17T18:15:00.007-04:00

The season of green has come again. No, not springtime! It's that season of the Irish better known as St. Patrick's Day! if I am honest today it is also crocus day since my first crocus is blooming, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

This is what I saw a week ago next to our home - the first greens of the daffodils. There's not much here, but just those tips conveyed such hope!

Today we had such long and waving daffodil leaves! The smallest wind set them to dancing.

And then, I walked the yard and found this tiny fragile flower - but it certainly was not the only one in the garden!

This deep purple wonder
caught my eye a moment later.

I have to admit, it is St. Patrick's Day and the sun is shining, but it also seems that spring has chosen the day to make her appearance in her fancy garb!

Happy Springtime everyone!

The Week of St. Patrick

2010-03-14T00:48:00.009-05:00

It is early on a Sunday morning (V-E-R-Y early!) and this is the beginning of the week of St Patrick's Day. I celebrate this above all holidays because of my Irish heritage, and of course an inclination toward all things green!

A blessing to you, and may your life be lively and free and may next year bring you, and a pint of Guinness in hand, back to this place to raise that glass to the best that's yet to come in life!

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig!

The First Signs of Spring

2010-03-11T14:44:00.005-05:00

Our first rain of spring hit rather suddenly today - and quite heavily at least in the beginning. I was sitting at the computer and it really caught me off guard. We had been told it was coming, but I figured the first rain would be that typically gentle spring time rain. I was certainly not expecting a downpour!

As I sat and listening to the rain and enjoying the sounds of it running off the roof I began to feel that green envy that comes after a winter of white. I had forgotten how lovely it sounds. Winter's precipitation is mostly soft and the only sounds that occur is that which comes from the gales of the season.

Rain holds a special meaning for those of us who love gardening. Rain is the predictor of lovely growth that comes from the ground and trees. My daffodils by the backdoor are up about 3 inches and I'm starting to see those first buds. The crocuses have not begun to surface in the garden yet. That will be a time to celebrate when they first give color to the world again. That is when it really means springtime!

How Long Till Springtime Momma?

2010-03-03T19:35:00.010-05:00

Three days of glorious sunshine have lifted everyone's spirits around here! our temperatures have remained in the forties during the day for the past few days which means people are getting out and enjoying this lovely weather.

I have daffodil leaves up about three inches peeking through the crusty snow by my back door (I've measure them!) and I am ready to play in the dirt once more, which makes it hard not to go to my shed and get out my garden tools.

But I have really have to wait and so I am somewhat content in digging through the multitude of seed and plant catalogs that are magically finding their way into my mailbox these days. I did dig through my frozen and crusty compost heap which was quite a job! So, here I sit drooling over the catalogs look out my kitchen window with a mug of tea watching carefully for those first real signs that proclaim to the world that the seasons are finally changing.

A Personal Request

2010-02-26T23:35:00.003-05:00

I seldom ask for prayers here, but my first cousin Gail who is more big sister to me than cousin, lost her husband today. Please pray for her because she has her only daughter's wedding in Key West this weekend and she has to go through that before coming home to bury her husband. Thanks everyone.

Something's Comin', Something Good!

2010-02-22T15:07:00.010-05:00

The winter is still haunting us here, but I'm feeling a change of seasons pushing against us here in Michigan each day now so I'm not too worried. Hey even the last snow storm was more water than snow! I feel like Spring is really breathing down winter's neck and since Even the ground has the softness that means the time for digging in the earth and creating my flowery beauty is coming.

I actually walked around the garden today and through the snow piles and stalks of last year’s flowers and in my imagination I saw images of the layers of flowers in the garden taking shape. I have huge lists of new flowers and plants that I hope to plant in all the areas of my little triangle garden. I am going to give a real piece of beauty here on our little plot on five lanes of fast.

I’m getting ready to start gardening see that winter season turn to spring time. I’ve had an amaryllis bulb that has pushed itself to the max this year and with intensely green leaves. They haven’t had too many flowers, but they’ve given me a touch of the outdoors in the depths of winter this year. They’ve been wonderful, but I am ready for those daffodils to bloom and everything to turn green around the yard. Is anyone else ready for springtime?

Living and Being Me

2010-02-08T20:59:00.008-05:00

Journaling lately has not been easy for me. Nothing terrible going on here in West Michigan, just very busy with family and finally I am on the way to a bit of healing for myself. I have been driven way too often lately by back and leg pain that comes from a congenital hip problem. I've tried medications and all they seem to do is simply mask the problem, so I'm really stepping outside the box after 6 six years of dealing with the problem and getting a huge amount of healing from three alternative sources.

The first has been a class I'm taking in Qigong and Tai Chi. It has made quite a difference in my flexibility in doing some of the simple everyday things like climbing stairs and getting down on my knees which has been an almost impossible task but hard to avoid if you're a gardener like me. Once a week with following days of practice with a DVD my teacher recommended I am much improved.

But the biggest problem for the past few years has been the pain which has slowly crept in and and made my daily life miserable. The good thing is that it's beginning to fade. Beginning with acupuncture (The non-needle kind) I am really seeing a difference in the amount of pain I'm experiencing, and I'm also working with a chiropractor who has been the second half of my returning to the activities I haven't been able to actually do in years.

It's become a long journey because this problem didn't come about overnight and it will take an equal amount of time to work through and right a lot of wrongs I've done to myself over the years. I have to admit with utilizing something other than pain meds I'm doing better - I love the feel of being even just a bit the old me again.

Buona sera a tutti!

A Week's Beginning

2010-01-26T23:44:00.013-05:00

This week began with one of my dogs needing to have surgery to remove a lump on his spine. It was a bit of a scary day for us while we waited to see how he came through and if it was a simple cyst, or small tumor. The nasty thing has been growing on our little Mac's back along the spine for about two months and our vet has been keeping an eye on our little guy.

We finally decided the bump had to come out and I had our youngest pup in to the vet's office for surgery early this morning and we had to wait until noon to find out that he was okay and that the rather large lump was a huge cyst and not a tumor.

Since we have three dogs in our home at present we have to keep them from getting at the four inch wound that is free of any fur at the moment, so Mac is running around in a small kid's t-shirt which is proving to be a bit much for him to deal with today. He looks so strange in it too!

The Mac also has been confined to the house and cannot be out in our dog's run for 14 whole days and for our Mr. Hyper-active that will probably prove to be the most difficult part of this whole surgery thing when he starts to feel better in a day or two. I must admit he already is just a bit frustrated because only an hour after we brought him home when the other two were outside howling at all things that moves he has been whining at the back door and and barking along with them each time he hears them. He is more than a bit cranky!

Charlie and I have come to the conclusions that we have fuzzy 3 year olds here since that's what they act like most of the time. (My kids may be grown, but we seem to have replaced them with my little fury friends!) It sure is fun to have kids again!

Solitude

2010-01-21T22:22:00.022-05:00

Tonight, I imagine soft, quiet snow swirling

near the stoop of my back door.

falling softly and caught by a wisp of air

that dances 'round my window

where Jack Frost has left his mark

in child-like fingerprints that slide and dance

around the edges of the pane.

In my mind I envision who might dare to brave this frigid place

they might enter through a veil of icy lace that now robes

the edges of this world I see.

Oh, for those quiet, cold moments where the world isn't,
and I am.

Word Recognition Requirement

2010-01-20T12:12:00.003-05:00

Many apologies to my regular readers but I have begun to receive way too many ads (Some in Hebrew!) so I have to do that word recognition thing.

My Muse

2010-01-18T21:46:00.008-05:00

January is a season unto itself and I love the snow and cold swirls and moves with the winds that frequent our spot along the Lakeshore here in West Michigan. This year has proved not to be as cold or as snowy as many previous years which is good for many...but bad for me. My muse usually comes with the falling snow and the storms that continually buffet our part of the world and make it look and feel like another planet here in the depths of winter.

For me the most productive time of the year as a writer has been one that often kept me in seclusion and clothed the world in a deep quiet which was something unheard of on the street where I live. So I am writing and tossing almost everything these days. Nothing seems to make sense or come together very well at present. I will get through it since I am writing even though not much is getting beyond the first drafts but I am continuing the effort.

For those of us who no longer write for a newspaper and aren't in the throws of book, getting one piece of writing out every month or so is a pretty, "good thing," as Martha is wont to say. I hope to have a new article on my main site (Writing and Beyond) by the end of the week at least and that feels pretty darn good!

The End to a Great Holiday

2009-12-27T00:52:00.009-05:00

Tonight was a small celebration for my husband and I. We went to a fabulous Italian restaurant and had a mouthwatering meal to celebrate the passage of the Christmas Holiday for 2009. Christmas this year was a wonderful time for us with family and friends. We often go out for a meal the day after as a closing for holiday, and this evening was no exception.

We both chose seafood for our meal, I in a salad bed of arugula, frisée, and way too many other greens to mention. Dressed with a simple olive oil dressing, fresh mozzarella and seared scallops and shrimp it was beautiful to see and even more to eat! My husband chose a meal of breaded and pan sautéed scallops with a pasta and wonderful marinara sauce on the side.

The food was great, but the dessert was equally good in my opinion. We went home through a rather heavy snowfall to a bottle of red wine and some rich dark chocolate.

That's right a pairing of wine and and chocolate! The two together, for me is a decadent way to end a very special evening, and a very special time of the year. Do we really need to go out to celebrate? Of course not! I love creating that special meal here at home and over the years have done so many times, but the chocolate and wine - now there is a tradition that cannot change!

Happy Holidays...oh, and Buon Appetito!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T00:10:00.006-05:00

Midnight.

It is Christmas morn and I, like many are wishing you the readers a special day today. I will be spending the day with family, as I already have on Christmas Eve. We watched the grandkids tear around, enjoyed a grand meal as well as shared in some great company and conversation.

There was laughter and smiles as the children opened presents and spread hugs around the room to everyone as fast as they spread wrapping paper. There was not one huge gift for anyone, but all the small treasures were gratefully received. Small things these days seems to be much more precious, I think.

Have a great day and I will be back on Monday!

The Art and Necessity of Encouragement

2009-12-16T12:51:00.010-05:00

Being an encourager is hard work.

In our society of, "Me," there is little time given for the guy or gal next to you and how you might impact their lives - and your own. It's an interesting fact that when you ask for help in finding a job you'll often get the link for the open position but absolutely no help on actually making a connection which everyone needs to actually get the job. Good or bad, everyone needs that to actually find that perfect job (Or job change) and finding someone to partner with in the search - or for that matter in many other areas of life has become a real difficulty that no one should have to deal with in that hunt for any kind of career especially in the almost no-hire atmosphere that exists today.

My experience over the years has proved to me the typical contact from friends or acquaintances when it comes to the hunt for a job usually ends up being, "step away and let the person fall on their own sword!" No one really wants to take the chance because of the distinct possibility that they'll end up looking bad or worse yet end up giving themselves that image of the pushy person who opened the door to what might turn into the office problem problem child.

There is always a risk in recommending or encouraging someone to apply for a job, but there can also be benefits. How do we teach people that the idea that no one survives as that, "rugged individual." We all need help at sometime in our lives.

We're not taught in school or college how to do that encouragement, or how to be an encourager - but some how we're suppose to just know how to be that kind of person. Most people simply do not know how much this kind of action can change people's lives. This could possibly be the best gift people could give to others in these difficult economic times.

Sing...Sing My Song!

2009-12-10T23:12:00.014-05:00

I have been a folk music lover since the 1960s, and my favorite folk singer as well as song writer has got to be Pete Seeger. His passion for the common man and for sharing his music as a communal gift to the world is totally phenomenal. If you ever go to a Pete Seeger concert singing along is expected! I cannot think of many other artists who encourage an audience to sing along as loudly and as enthusiastically as this gentle man does, and has for many years.

I have been looking for that perfect album (I know, CD) for years that held the songs that he sang and has become a part of music history (In my humble opinion, of course!) . Those were the songs that touched me over and over again through the years and have yet to find their way into one perfect album - you know, that one definitive album you want to put on and sing along with at the top of my voice.

In my opinion music is to be sung, and in groups we can all get brave and really raise our voices, it can be almost downright liberating! The best example I have of this kind of experience happens when a large group of non-singers stands at any sporting event and sing our national anthem - together! During the singing sometimes you can catch the enthusiasm, energy and animation that many only save for singing alone in the shower. People like Pete often simply know how the gift needed to ignite that spark of music in people - he certainly does that for me!

Since many of his old albums have been reissued on compact disk recently I have begin my search for that one perfect compilation with all those song memories wrapped up on that one circular piece of silver. I have yet to find it! The one that has come the closest turned out to be a badly recorded disk and even though it held all those songs it failed to light that passion for personal I have so longed to reignite.

So now I have finally entered the 21st century through my own personal growth in the technology area. I actually now hold the key to the perfect album! I can download the songs I always wanted much like I always wanted to do way back in the sixties and seventies!! I can do this because I have an MP3 player and of course a computer!

My wonderful Shuffle will soon hold all the songs I love and I will be able to hear and more importantly - sing along whenever I choose to click that little play button.

Isn't the age of the MP3 player grand?!

Snow, Beautiful!

2009-12-03T23:24:00.017-05:00

The first snowfall of the season hit West Michigan this third day of December and though it may not seem like much I have to remember that just days ago we were in the 50s.

From the yucca above, and our apple tree everything was covered from this icy embrace from winter. I love the trees when they look so beautiful!

My empty chair and the table coated like a cake in the frosting of our first snow - beautiful.

Snow covers everything in a beauty that's totally different from the every day.

Winter White is Here!

2009-12-03T19:42:00.008-05:00

Winter began for us in Michigan this evening. Our first wet snowfall has blanketed the area with about an inch of snow and it is a bit slick!

Last Thanksgiving we were in the middle of some of the worst snow and cold we've had in years, but this year has been extremely warm and rainy. (Funny how years can be so different.) We actually had fifty degree days this month which has been a quite distinctive weather pattern for us here in the Mitten state. November and December are usually cold and snowy.

So what does this mean? Is it a harbinger for a warmer winter - or is it a warning of a hard winter? Lots of questions are being asked from those of us who like to be a bit prepared for the onslaught of this season. According to the local weather pundits we are suppose to get more snow than last year - but of course last year was way over the amount of snow we normally get in a season so we still could end up with a lot more snow than usual!

For those of you who don't follow my articles, winter is definitely my favorite time of the year and I love snow! Weather has been an interest of mine most of my life so I'm going to keep track of the snow related events this year as I have in years past. I will make work in the next few days of getting some pictures up of our snowfall here in the next few days to so you can enjoy our gorgeous white stuff too!

Celebrate!

2009-11-25T01:39:00.008-05:00

The season of giving thanks has begun, and I have had the first chance to be the one who gets to say thank you for something very special - being remembered. Yes, simply for being remembered.

For me, the best gifts have always been just being surrounded by my family and celebrating all we have and that includes our personal and of course those national Holidays as well.

Today I received the gift of good wishes with love, and I am celebrating! There are two days until our Thanksgiving Day here in the States and I am beginning the Holidays out right - giving many thanks along with a few wishes for the same blessings to all who frequent my little part of the world here!

I wish everyone a blessed and meaningful day to give thanks for what we have, and for the friends and family we know both near and far.

A Little Movie Called UP

2009-11-21T23:52:00.007-05:00

If you haven't yet seen and giggled your way through the movie, "Up," yet please do so - soon!! With all that haunts us these days to laugh and hope again with one person, even an imaginary one is good! The humor and life's tension within the story was just right, and the computer generated graphics were phenomenal! But honestly, the movies have perfected all of the items mentioned here so why should you take time and go see this small movie? The one tiny thing that Pixar has done better over the past few films than almost any studio today is the reality of our daily experiences with a special finesse given to what I'm going to call feeling, or love. They seem to grow the compassionate characters of Carl Fredricksen, the 78 year beginning a new life adventure, Russell an 8 year old wilderness explorer with no experience in life but a real passion for doing what's right in the face of all kinds of adversity, and especially through the wonderful little golden retriever named Dug.

From the far fetched, to the the very real this story line doesn't lose the strong feelings of love, hope, and friendship but includes them whether it be through the figure of Mr. Fredricksen (who would be a wonderfully exciting person for a small boy to get to know), or through Dug who trusts himself and others to the love of this little old man even though he has NO reason what so ever to have any confidence that his devotion will be returned. This relational uncertainty is not only the stuff of legends, but it's where the magic of real life begins here in this precious little movie.

I won't spoil it by sharing any more of this gift from the Pixar's magicians, but I hope you'll take the time to experience and live for even a few moments this grand little film.

A Simple Cup of Tea

2009-11-15T12:29:00.009-05:00

I'm still out of it with my dread disease (see last entry), and with the sun shining in I needed a pick me up since I now also have a very sick husband.

While he is resting I got out a very special tea pot, cup and saucer and made a two-cup pot of Earl Grey tea. I sat at my table and the sun is painting the surface with streaks of white this November Sunday morning, and as it changes to the afternoon I'm adding some quiet time alone with my dogs around me.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better, but right now I'm enjoying the quiet that comes from a nothing to do Sunday and remembering how I use to crave this kind of day when the kids were small and underfoot. There is no further complaining from this tea drinking Irish lass (Ha ha!). Instead, I am enjoying the rays, my cup of tea and the company of a quiet, peaceful morn.

Slan agus benannact
(In Irish, "God bless you till we write again!")

Held Prisoner

2009-11-14T16:21:00.006-05:00

Confined, held captive - that is how it feels when you cannot do anything because of illness. I don't have H1N1, no I simply have a case of pneumonia, but since I have asthma they want me in with little or no contact with the outside world.

I have my son on a dangerous mission - shopping. He understands what is needed and cell phone in hand, he has promised to call if he gets lost or needs directions as to the aisle or the exact item to get.

My husband is doing yard work on an absolutely gorgeous day and I am stuck doing laundry and sitting, reading or doing some of my cross stitch Christmas presents, which need to get done - but I want to be out and about on my own!

So I'm complaining, and trying to be productive - sort of, and praying for a healing (NOW!)

A Report of Fall

2009-11-05T20:25:00.006-05:00

Michigan is on the upside of a warming trend again this week. We've been in the cold and damp for a while, but it's suppose to hit 60 degrees this weekend - woo hoo! It will give me the chance to do some tiding up on my garden which looks very rough right now. The frosts we've had has left so many of the plants dead and brown, or dying.

My sweet autumn clematis will remain until spring as a hiding place and momentary safe haven for the birds from the hawks that haunt our grouping of houses. We have quite a number from this avian family that swoop and dive 'round our feeders throughout the year.

The goldfinches are still visiting the remnants of my sun flowers and cone flowers despite the brown stalks and flower heads. Those finches seem to ride the stems in the wind and they bob and weave through the air on those slender stalks. I've had many varieties of birds at the feeders around the yard, many more than we've had in previous autumns. I've had three kinds of woodpeckers, and a bevy of sparrows!

I had a sad moment yesterday when I lifted the lid to my squirrel feeder and found a dead red squirrel all curled up inside on the hulls of the sunflower seeds. Death is not an unusual thing this time of year, but I am never prepared for it. I still have two tiny reds dipping in and out of the trees so I'm still enjoying those tiny comedians of the squirrel family.

Our flying squirrels visited off and on most of the summer but are now back in force to beef up before the cold hits. I turn off all the lights in the kitchen to be able to catch these little flyers. They're great to watch gliding to the seed or suet during the evenings.

We also have rabbits back under our shed in the back yard, which means I will have to put mothballs under there to shoo them away. There are plenty of other places of hiding places for them to escape to in the neighborhood thank goodness. My dogs go crazy chasing their smells all around the shed and dig like crazy to get at those darn cotton tail critters.

You know, there are many other wild critters that frequent our part of the world here, but as I clean and sweep the yard in preparation for the onslaught of the snows of winter these are the little wild things that I've watched passing through lately - and all are enjoyed, photoed or simply observed as they sail the skies or wander the grasses near our home.

It's finally fall, and I'm getting into the season by enjoying all the things wild here in my world.

A Poetic Dream

2009-10-31T00:32:00.008-04:00

I went to be a part of poetry reading session offered at the college I graduated from this week and fell in love with it all over again. We heard the words from many poets - Frost, Dickinson, e.e. cummings and even some newer poets as well all were read by an excellent poet in his own right who also happens to teach English and poetry at a local high school.

The tenor of the morning was soft, and quietly academic. That's something I was a bit disappointed in since this was an event I would love to have seen offered to the whole area so we could encourage people to embrace poetry as a way to express or be a release valve that could carry us well beyond our own often mundane lives.

The readings and then the discussions that followed brought out again, for me, various poets who have touched me over many years. I wrote their names near the poems to draw the words closer and wrap myself in their beauty, an emotional fire that carried me over many difficulties and through many years. Those poems that day - those words gave me thought and invigorated my life walk in ways I never thought this type of writing could again.

From the older more stylized ones that are so much a part of what most of us use to see as poetry, to the free forms words that dominate today's written poetic form there is really a true sense of love for many of us who live this language.

If you get the idea that I LOVE poetry more than just a little you are right!

The Writing Game

2009-10-29T00:15:00.005-04:00

I write. I write because I have to not because it's a real choice for me. The real interesting thing about writing is you cannot do it all the time and when I can't write, like when I'm behind the wheel of my car or when I'm curled up in bed, my mind is still working creating stories or different ways of saying a simple every day sentence. Sometimes I find that I play with the words and generate quite a few different ways of saying something.

Stories, even the true ones, are from my personal perspective on the life around me and the things I see and write about are seen from my angle. If you think about it, that's why those eye witnesses to crimes are so unreliable. The view is never objective. So when a writer gives their point of view you should always look at it as one way of viewing the incident or event.

I've deviated a bit here but that's why the public is often so entranced by books and stories because it's like getting into someone else's head and out of our own. That is also why most good writers are also prolific readers. So if Hemingway said something one way, how can I say the same thing - but make it more accessible, or more intense, or more anything that make my piece more original.

That's the challenge I set for myself each and every time I sit before a blank page. Writing is a test - one that I have to do differently each and every day to make it work.

The Betweens Time

2009-10-24T01:45:00.011-04:00

It's been raining here for what seems to be forever. Three inches in the past 24 hours, and this autumn seems to have become centered on the assault of that cooler weather along with the persistent deluges of recent days. The colors that were just beginning to peak on our wind driven leaves but now much has been washed off most of the area trees and all that is left dangling the tree branches are a few of those the plain and sometimes pale leaves of yellows and browns.

Of course the later days of October seem to often drive the colors from our West Michigan fall days, but I had been hoping for a longer and more protracted season since I love the fall so much. But it just wasn't to be.

So as we are entering that season prior to winter that seems to be a buffer zone of grays and browns where the cold winds and unlimited rain prevail. I have to say I am hoping for the beginnings of that season of no color and landscapes that haunt us with a white covering and shapes that better reflect the moon's surface rather than our own homeland, earth.

Soon. Very soon. After all, it is almost November.

The Imperfection of Beginning Tai Chi

2009-10-21T00:59:00.008-04:00

It's Wednesday. We've had lovely, warm weather for October, but we're back to the normal cold and rainy month as of tomorrow. October is full of such strange weather most years and this one is no exception.

I love the fall, but I've been inside a lot lately. A nasty common cold has haunted my days for almost half of this beautiful month.

I just started classes in Tai Chi - beginner's classes that is. (I am very uncoordinated!) The class is fabulous and we have all kinds of people in my group and I feel right at home in my Irish t-shirt and sweat pants. We're working on the basics and all look strange going in all directions (certainly different directions than our instructor!) and I'm finding out that I certainly have a lot to learn!

There are huge windows all around the room we're in with some of them peering out on the trees around the building, and some that seem to peeking in on other people's work outs in attached rooms that are filled with bicycles going absolutely no where and individual steps that populate a room filled with scantly clad women of all ages.

Our class is thankfully a very basic one in Tai Chi and is filled with many kinds of people of both genders and thus for me in my "round," condition it is quite a non-threatening place. (When you're not exactly slender it is always nice to know you're not the only one who isn't perfect in every way!)

It is a good workout, though and I love the time at the end of class where we lie on our mats and breathe deeply and are suppose to envision those lovely fall trees outside - I'm simply letting all my poor muscles ping as they unwind after an hours worth of work! I will be back on Monday next though, because I like the class - it is really fun!

The Colors of Fall, and The White Noise of Winter

2009-10-11T20:44:00.017-04:00

Fall is here - and today has not gotten above 48 degrees. The cold has descended and though it has been a bit colder than usual in the last few days I still think that this is a gorgeous fall day! The colors of the various trees around the neighborhood are filled with reds, maroons, and yellows right now. I am waiting for the flaming oranges since they herald the ending of the season.

I love the fall because this time of the year is when I find so much that I enjoy doing outdoors and feel so alive during the changes that the season often brings! From leaves, to the new beginnings that come from schools starting a new year it is a time for a new start as much as the spring time is in my opinion, and it sure can be a grand time for walks in those color-filled leaves too!

Fall is the end of the growing season here, and the beginning of what will become for many the bleakest of seasons here in the Midwest - winter. But for me it's the best time because it is the beginning of a time of slowing down and enjoying my own thoughts amid the storms and swirling snow that peppers the winter months. The quiet at the center of a stormy day can be rejuvenating, and even invigorating.

With the world around us so mired in the noise and tensions that surround our days we seldom take the time to get beyond what drives us. That ever present noise in our world - the din from our phones that we allow to fill every moment with calls, and our MP3 players and that music can truly drive us crazy. From rap and rock and roll, to everything in between there are very few moments for thinking and quiet times in our world these days.

But winter can make it often impossible to hear anything above the wind driven blizzards that rules our everyday lives here along the West Michigan shoreline. So, I find taking a deep breath or even cuddling up to the quiet with nothing but the sounds of the natural world can be the best escape from my crazy world.

So, I have a suggestion - Instead of rebelling against old man winter and going from one icy accident to another, why for once not fight the changes that winter brings, but like the animals live with it. We might even learn to revel in those changes and use them to enjoy life and not simply exist in the techno-craziness that has become our world.

A First Taste of a Wonderful Dish!

2009-09-25T17:00:00.014-04:00

The Irish know how to celebrate!! How do I know? Well, besides the fact that I am of that ethnic persuasion, I got to see and hear it up close and personal at one of the premiere fests in this country. The Michigan Irish Music Festival (In Muskegon, Michigan) was an experience of the best kind and we spent the whole day digging deep into everything Celtic! It was a totally fabulous day and I'm so glad I got to be there with some of the very best international Irish music acts - and they were all in one place! This was the tenth anniversary of the fastest growing Irish Music Festival in the country and the music, shopping, food, and of course the Guinness was great.

My granddaughter, Becca and I were the first to arrive and we just had to walk through the market and peruse the many booths and merchandise that was available. There were clothing stalls, small corners with lots of Celtic and Irish jewelry, and even a booth with kilts, dragon daggers, and swords which was what really captivated Becca! After checking the booths out thoroughly we decided to wait to buy anything and headed over to the big tent where Bob and Bernie's Pub was found for a lunch and something to drink. Believe it or not the music in the Pub was really pretty great! It mostly consisted of Michigan and area artists and they were pretty fabulous! From the Conklin Ceili Band to Kennedy's Kitchen they were high energy and offered really toe tapping, hand clapping music the whole afternoon.

My brother showed up after lunch and we headed to two of the tents near the lake that I was really looking forward to exploring. One was the kids tent where they offered a few musicians who are considered music makers for the kids. I have to admit that I love this wonderful group of artists because of their creativity who sang many of the typically well known Irish songs. From the Unicorn to other little ditties the tent was alive with singing, laughter and children and adults all joined in to the many hand motions and laughter that accompanied all the songs. This festival is really geared for the whole family in many ways and the young people are accepted as part of the scene as well as the next generation of musicians and music lovers.

We wandered on after the songs faded from one large tent to another smaller one that had a sign out front simply stating it as the "Session Tent." Here fiddlers, guitarists, flutists, bodhrán (dh would be said like a w), and mandolin players of all ages worked with some of the Celtic music's best who were there singing and playing from almost every group who were playing the three stages of this festival. Standing behind a circle of seated musicians was a rush since you could see that next generation sharpening their skills with some of the pros and the music was even better up close and personal. The views of Muskegon Lake in the background filled with a plethora of sailboats of all sizes made for a a lovely place scene alongside the continuous music that filled the tents and seemed to permeate the whole area. Here the many children and young adults vied for the chance to play with, and learn many musical nuances from the likes of some the local musical artists or maybe from one of the well known Irish performers who came to this festival from Cape Breton to almost every part of Ireland.

By the time they were winding down in the Session's tent, we were getting hungry so we wandered back to the pub tent for dinner where some of those great Michigan Irish bands serenaded our dinners of Irish stew, and bangers, chips and Guinness (of course!). From Blackthorn, Kennedy's Kitchen, and the Conklin Celi band - to Switchback there was wonderful music to enjoy dinner by for everyone.

The two main stages were constantly filled with music all day from the typically Celtic that spilled out from the edges of each tent and onto the grounds. It drew us from one huge tent to the another all through the late afternoon and on into the early evening. With three stages of music that played with very few breaks the whole day long there was always a place to duck into, or we could sit at the various picnic tables surrounding the edges of these music tents as well for a sun filled hour or two as well.

The three bigs tents that could easily seat over 200 were named for two of the counties in Ireland. The County Cork Stage, County Kerry Stage, (and of course the pub stage!) were continuously alive with music during each day of this three day event! Beyond these and along the banks of the lake were other smaller tents focusing on cultural history, genealogical information, and one that actually exposed visitors to the various stages of an 1800s Irish styled death, funeral, and wake.

The day was fading, but the best of the music was really still ahead of us. We wandered into one of the big tents to listen to a rather strangely named band which was a real discovery for me (Much like many of the local bands I listened too!). Captain Mackey's Goatskin shared with the crowd many old Irish folk tunes and had us singing at the top of our lungs along with many of them. The Makem & Spain Brothers sang us through many more pieces as well.

Many of the best of all the 18 bands were scheduled for the evening so we moved toward the two main tents. From Old Blind Dogs, to Slide IE (One of my personal favorite!), and Solas I was in Celtic heaven! If you've ever been to a festival like this you know the cheering, foot stomping and clapping can be thunderous and a great fun part of responding to the fabulous music and energy filled performers.

The last three acts I wanted to take in were also the last of the day and the performances were not to be missed! The County Cork Stage began the evening with the band Slide IE (a younger group from the Southwestern Irish town of Bandon) I loved this group who integrated old Celtic folk favorites with a smattering of really well written modern songs. The Irish Times calls SLIDE (Ireland) "traditional musicians with attitude," and with every song they proved their musical prowess by bringing the crowd to their feet in response.

There was a short break and then the group Solas took the stage. This group of five are definitely known for their musical versatility - great song writing too! Many of members often changed instruments throughout many of the songs to change the tone of feel of the piece. These are truly multi-talented musicians!

The final act of the evening for us was one I was really waiting to hear and experience! Natalie MacMaster is known world-wide for superb fiddling and always for a great show as well. She was joined at the festival by her husband Donnell Leahy a magnificent fiddler in his own right (And a member of the great Leahy family of Ontario Canada too!). Add to the fiddling two fabulous pianists, one from Natalie's band Mac Morin, and the other Donnell's sister Erin and you have a real powerhouse of a group onstage!

Throughout the music sets these four had such energy and displayed such exceptional musical skill with a whole lot of Celtic heart that most of their numbers brought the crowd to its feet cheering and clapping. Donnell threw in an exceptional piece of classical music that was truly breathtaking and had the audience cheering.

MacMaster and Leahy seemed throughout to be challenging each other during many of the numbers going back and forth like dueling fiddles again and again. Their fiddle face-offs echoed and really accentuated the Celtic, in the jigs, reels and ballads from Cape Breton, Ontario that were a part of this two hour concert.

This was certainly a memorable day, and I'm sure I'll relive this superb festival for many years to come!

2009-09-24T22:29:00.003-04:00

Here's some pictures of the Michigan Irish Festival in Muskegon.

- The picture to the left is

Captain Mackey's Goatskin.

A young fiddler at the lake's

edge.

Kennedy's Kitchen in the Pub tent.

Out in the common

area.

Shopping, Shopping everywhere!

The Session Tent group.

A final look at one of the best festivals in Michigan!!

Music, Music...MUSIC!!!

2009-09-18T23:17:00.011-04:00

My excitement is building, and tonight is going to be hard to get through despite the fact that I am totally exhausted from all the walking I did today. I have my Coleman director's chair ready to sling over my shoulder - I have my camera and extra battery ready for taking tons of pictures, and I have my tickets put in the old purse so I don't forget them.

Tomorrow cannot come fast enough! A fun filled 10 hours of Celtic music, Celi dancing, shopping, good pub grub, Guinness, and music, music, MUSIC!

Understand it may take a few hours after I get back to digest, and begin to share this glorious gift, but share it I will! (It probably won't be until Sunday sometimes since we won't be back here until well after Midnight.)

Take care, and I hope you have a great Saturday!

Slán agus beannacht! (Bye and blessings on you!)

It's coming - An Irish Festival to Remember!

2009-09-15T13:36:00.006-04:00

As the weekend approaches, I am getting more excited about Saturday and the Michigan Irish Festival in Muskegon. The thought of wandering around the various stages and listening to the likes of Old Blind Dogs, Switchback, Solas to Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy is a really exciting thought!

I think I have my crew to go to the festival, I've asked my brother and he can bring a friend while I have asked a granddaughter who shares my love of Celtic music. From the stages to the Cultural Village with topics that relate to Irish Culture and genealogy to the Dance Stage that highlights step dancing and offers Ceili Dance instruction there will be plenty to enjoy and when we get the urge to shop there is the Irish Market. For me the day would not be finished without a wee bit of Irish food with some Guinness (or other brews) at the pub, Bob and Bernie's Pub that is!

This is certainly going to be a gift (from my special anonymous friend!) that I will savor for a very long time!

A Really Special Surprise

2009-09-11T12:44:00.007-04:00

In case you haven't seen it yet in my writings, I LOVE Celtic music! There are quite a few Celtic music festivals throughout the summer and fall here and I've always said that I was going to go to them...but just could not justify the cost of the tickets. The best of these local fests in my opinion (because of the great groups that frequent it's stages) is in Muskegon and I have longed for years to join those who go get to enjoy the music in mid-September.

Well, today I began the day by walking with a friend, and then took off and did some errands. When I came home I stopped to get the mail, and went out back and loved our dogs in their run a bit before I went to the back door and opened it. Out flew a brochure for this great festival. I was a bit surprised since we live a full 30 miles South of Muskegon and I did not think we were really in the immediate area to get these flyer's. As I bent down and to pick-up the flyer I realized there was something inside and flopped open the first page of the brochure and there lay four tickets for the whole three days and nights of this above mentioned festival!

I quickly stood up and looked around - who might have done this? I found no name or hint of who might have done this but I have to say I am totally excited! I'm going to grab a few grandkids and my youngest son and we are going to share the days and I am sure have a great time listening to the best music in the world next weekend!!!

Music to Tap a Toe or Even a Foot To...

2009-09-07T17:08:00.016-04:00

Labor Day, and I have been laborin'! Cleaned the house, vacuumed and so much more and the whole time I was enjoying my favorite kind of music - Celtic. There is really nothing better to work too!

Today my play list included the Elders (Out of Kansas City! Yup, they are an Irish/American group); Gaelic Storm (of Titanic fame); Natalie MacMaster; Aselin Debison (she only put out one CD as an pre-teen) from Nova Scotia, to Celtic Thunder who are an all male group that isn't really totally Irish but has some grand Phil Coulter songs in their repertoire like the rugby anthem "Ireland's Call," and, "Heartland." The other group that keeps me going is the High Kings and though they are produced by Celtic Woman's producers they are totally into old Celtic songs and they rock in my opinion!

I love to pick those up beat pieces that keep the toe tapping to put on the iPod. From the Canadian song "It's Getting Dark Again," which is simply a silly little ditty that keeps me hoppin' to "American Wake," (which has some really great lyrics) I get the jobs done in record time with my music driving me.

I admit I am a bit picky with my music, and a bit of a snob when it comes to Celtic music but it is easy to download individual songs I like for my iPod and not have to put the whole album on with some groups. Trust me though, these groups are all worth a listen if you're a fan, or a fanatic of this genre of music like I am.

Please understand, I am no music critic, only a consumer who really loves the Celtic genre of music. So what am I doing this evening? Listening to some of the ballads from those very same CDs!

The Season's Gone, Almost!

2009-08-30T22:48:00.010-04:00

Fall is creeping in with its cold fingers and I have to say that it has almost felt like it's been pushing those fingers in all summer long! We've had some really cold days this summer. In fact, if I am honest we had only a very few warm days the whole summer long. We have also had lots and lots of rain...so much so that everything has this really green look yet into fall - when we usually have brown and dried up grass and weeds by this time of this season.

I'm kind of liking the green that my sister tells me is much like Ireland's countryside, though the cold fall days that we've had scattered through this warm time of the year has been unusual. What is next as we traipse into the colorful season of fall? Who knows, but I'm looking forward to them all!

Summer's Ending

2009-08-18T14:49:00.006-04:00

Summer is winding down into a quiet but warm ending. We did not have much of the hot, steamy weather that the last few years have offered but it still had that summer wonder only a little greener one since we had lots of rain!

This school year will begin like it did when I was a kid, after Labor Day. Because of the new law that sent the school year back to that September start time the summer is longer and those first few days of school are not quite so warm and hard to take.

My garden has taken a trip toward the end of the season as well through less flowers and some brownin, fading leaves. I am beginning the clean-up that is necessary for putting this small plot of land to bed for the the coming winter season. The changes of seasons have always fascianted me and this year is no different. Each change brings the new in with a chance for a fresh start. I'm really loooking forward to that.

A Online Family Soap Opera

2009-08-16T21:06:00.006-04:00

I've had an interesting, and quite emotional couple of weeks that were filled with many controversial moments, as well as some small, very thoughtful quiet ones as well. It's funny how controversy within a family can cause so much pain and such strife, but that's what happened and I'm still hanging on to the what seemed solid to not be blown away by the anger and emotions that surfaced and whirled around us all. The most interesting thing about this whole event was that it began, and ended online, and for those of us who are from the baby boom generation it seems almost wrong because that personal eye-to-eye wasn't present where we might see reactions and guage our next move through that.

I use to think that to face down someone and know just what to say was impossible for me. Face to face confrontations have always been hard because of a lack of any kind of confidence on my part. But this was confrontation that was only in the written word and yet the emotions where so high, mainly because of inner feelings that seemed to come out from between the lines like something painful that oozed out of an infected wound. What is hurtful is it didn't lance the wound and bring about healing.

I personally am ready for a new week, where cooler heads might prevail.

The Cool, Cool Days of Summer

2009-08-11T00:33:00.009-04:00

Summer is a strange batch of cool fall-like days this year. It has been constantly cool, with quite a bit of rain and of course very little beach weather these days. July was actually the coldest on record here in the mitten state!

So what does August bode with this kind of weather in July? Can we find our way back to those hot summer days (with those occasional humid days as well!)? Most would say yes, of course we can! But for those of us who are physically affected by those hot, muggy days and nights there has been a literal sigh of relief that has risen quickly to the top of the heap with these wonderfully cool days. Cooler days mean no one is on edge, but it also means less days spent at the beach near the cold waters of Lake Michigan. Who really wants to sit in the cold, damp sand wrapped in a towel and watching the water edge closer as the waves reach out? (I sure don't!)

So, is it going to be a rush to the beach with the warmth, or will it be a season that instead focuses on what we don't have - heat - as opposed to what we do have, cool comfortable temperatures that dictate what we actually can and cannot do these days. Personally the cool day is really my kind of weather and that means some of us are enjoying this strange visitation of cool, crisp summer air.

But I hope that those who remain on the beach or dock wrapped tightly in the only warmth that available, their beach towels are enjoying the only comfort in this strange and unusual summer. Hang on! I am sure we have many warm, steamy days yet ahead this summer!

Parts of a Garden Life

2009-08-09T19:34:00.021-04:00

I've had some requests for some pictures from my garden this year, so here they are!

This is one of my three clematis' that proved to be quite a bloomer this spring. (Ville de Lyon)

This is one of my many coreopsis in the garden.

This is one of my favorites!

(Crocosmia Lucifer)

These are my Candy Tufts.

One of the many Foxglove that I really enjoy!

This is one of my all time favorites in the spring garden. It is one of my peonies. I got a plant from a friend so I'm not sure of the name.

This is only one of Asiatic Lilies.

My Dahlias are so gorgeous this year.

A few years ago I developed a wild flower garden in a

spot in our yard that would not even grow grass. It looks great from our patio.

My garden is different and always growing and evolving each year.

These are only a few vistas that I see almost every morning over my

morning cup of tea.

Exploring My Own Front Porch Experience

2009-08-03T23:59:00.004-04:00

Our Sunday excursion was really lovely, in every sense of the word. It began with our car winding it's way up a Northern bound road to the little town of Grand Haven. That was a bad choice of towns to visit since the Coast Guard Festival begins this week and the crowds were unbelievable! So, instead of stopping we motored on through another little burg until we found the end of a lovely lake and a place to get coffee. From there it was on to a small park with some benches where we could watch an eagle that had caught my eye.

One of the standards of my front porch experiences as a child was to watch all the birds that populated our yard and the skies above it, so birds have come to mean a real escape for me from the every day craziness. Those feathered creatures that aren't tied like us to this earth soar and dive in my imagination and spring most often from the memories from my childhood. As we followed the eagle with ours I am so eager to see the paths it follows and the circles it can makes in patterns in the sky above us.

As we sit I scan the lake below for possible prey and from where we are sitting there really isn't movement that I can see. As the great bird circles higher and then lower the pattern takes in that closer view for a small rodent or bird that might be lunch today. For many, the raptors of our skies are to be ignored or even hated, after all they eat those little birds that frequent our home feeders. For me these majestic birds are as interesting as the many species that frequent my own backyard feeders.

Don't get me wrong, I love to watch all the little feathered critters that frequent my yard and am usually part of the bird count every year. But I'm also am excited when a Copper's, or Sharp shinned hawks make a pass through my yard. I can often find them resting on a branch of tree watching my feeder area very carefully.

For me all the birds are an integral part of the well rounded backyard experience. Over the years some of the wild creatures have crept back into suburban life and on the whole that's a good thing. We actually have fox and wild turkeys that frequent our yard at times as well raccoon and possum. There have even been sighting of a coyote or two in some of the area cornfields. For many this is a source of concern, but for me it is something I've always experienced because I grew up quite a distance from any city.

To me the best part of my front porch experience often is what nature has to offer. Watching all of those creatures that frequent our yard these days are a real gift and I'm glad I can see and enjoy them many times during many of our summer evenings.

A Little Piece of My Heart

2009-07-28T12:56:00.009-04:00

I wandered into my garden today. There were many weeds that have overtaken even some of the biggest and tallest of my flowering plants, so I spent the first part of the day weeding. There's something about the garden that can grab and hold your attention which in these days of economic crashes, and businesses collapsing is a true necessity.

Everyone should have an outlet or what I call a mad pile to work through their world's troubles. My own personal mad pile is my garden where I work out my world's frustrations during the summer months. It helps create a path back to the world and can make my life a more comfortable place to live in during tough times.

I'm looking forward to sharing some pictures of my little heaven here in my part of the Midwest in the next few months when we really need it!!!

Mediocracy, Not Multi-Tasking

2009-07-27T12:35:00.016-04:00

Have you noticed that there are times when you write when it makes sense only to you, and when you go back to a post you really wonder what all those words actually mean and who actually put together on that page? (After all it wasn't you...was it?) As one who writes daily there are certainly times when I write and love what I put to paper, and then I go back go back to read it even after many editings only to discover that the first paragraph or sometimes the last is totally senseless!!

Does it mean that you can't write, or that you're a bit batty maybe? No, it probably means you had a great idea that happened when you were tired, or when your mind was trying to write one thought while contemplating another.

Is that normal? Yes, unfortunately it is. When we try to multi-task too often we end up adding that, "one more thing," to our daily plate and end up with a total mess. The productivity we so wish for often ends up with very little that is good copy (As with we who write know).

I am of a mind to suggest that those of us who believe we are multi-tasking are actually simply adding too much to our lives and as a result aren't doing very well at anything. We can juggle - the brain can do that, but by focusing on the many - we lose the depth that we need to do any task well, and in the end have nothing by mediocracy, and that is scary.

Front Porch Discoveries

2009-07-12T13:26:00.002-04:00

This afternoon we put our traveling chairs in the trunk and headed off to our weekly rendezvous with that front porch experience. After wandering around a small local village that really is a great place we decided that for a quiet view of the world it just was too busy to open our chairs and enjoy watching the world today. Luckily this lovely village has a sister just down the road. We drove off over a bridge and found among the Victorian buildings in Douglas this small coffee shop. Right beside this wonderful discovery was a small side patio in the shade of some of the more stately buildings so we sat down with our drinks. This village sits so close to the busy summer hub of Saugatuck and still holds a summer surprise - a wonderfully peaceful place to relax.

From between two buildings we could see the street and any passers-by and still enjoy a quiet cup as well as a soft breeze and a sky that was puffy with clouds. That sky was the focus of much of this afternoon as we styled back in our chairs. We sat there sipping our drinks and watching some small birds that periodically dipped down to the cement flagstones that made up the patio and then up to the trees. Thier wanderings through our porch were cause for much conversation today.

The view of the quiet street from our vantage point was one of a tiny river side communitythat looked like it had stepped right out of the past except for the constant buzz of passing cars of course. This sultry warm spot shared a gorgeous view where neighbors and tourists strolled quietly together. Our undiscovered Brigadoon seemed not to have been discovered, but many artists and galleries call the town home. It amazes me that people could miss a gem of a city center with such history and charm. But I suppose with so many places along the lakeshore it's easy to overlook some of these smaller venues.

Now for many the beach or shopping is the summer thing to do but for me a place to sit and watch the quiet beauty of small town life is just the right place to be on a Sunday afternoon.

There's a Little Night Owl in All of Us

2009-07-08T15:16:00.009-04:00

The night owl in me has been winning way too many nights lately. Once I get writing it seems to take over and I simply have to continue writing...and then re-read and edit, I mean how can you simply leave it there until maybe tomorrow since I know I might lose some great ideas! So most nights I write, and then rehash and rewrite whatever I am pounding out at the moment. By the time I'm done it almost always is around 2:00 a.m. and I need to finish my day! I'm usually off to the kitchen to finally create a lunch for the hubby and do a cursory final clean-up in the kitchen before I head off for the final tasks and and before I head off to the old softy in my life - the pillow on my lovely bed.

The alarm always rings way too soon and sometimes it is more a fuzzy alarm - you know, the kind that is like it's somehwere in another world. My dogs are known to stand by the bed to bother me when it does go off, or at times even jump on the bed to get my attention to remind me that it's time for that once around the yard trip which means they're done for the night.

For those of us who have spouse's who rise early and well before the rest of the working world with that 5:00 a.m. noise in our ears with a reminder that, "you know you should have been to bed so much earlier!" Through all the noise and commotion it takes but a few moments for sleep to finally claim me for those few hours of rest after the quiet in the house is resored once more.

I often get asked, "why are writers middle of the night marauders when getting articles or books done?" when so many can make it a day job and don't seem to be interrupted by those million and one phone calls for doctor's appointments, or other important disruptions that happen during a given day. There is a reason you know...many of us who write have to do so in small homes or apartments and must make do with our kitchen table scribblings, or living room computer visits to get the ideas in our heads and down on the page. Those small interruptions are miserable parts of a life of writing when there is no lovely isolated office somewhere else away from the center of busy family life.

The quiet of the night when most in a house are sleeping can be a very seductive siren's song that can magically give time for the brain to actually formulate thoughts without the constant disruptions that occur daily. For me, the writing nights do mean there is very little sleep while the muse has me - and little done the next day because of exhaustion.

But I wouldn't change my life for a desk job...maybe for a few more hours in the day, though.

Front Porch Reflections

2009-06-28T12:20:00.002-04:00

What made a front porch special? You know, that place where many shared with each other and reached out to those on the street with stories and recipes that brought in the world around them. In my grandmother's time it was special because you spent summer evenings cooling off after hot days kibitzing with the neighbors as they walked past, or if you lived close enough, from porch to porch. You shared the day, and family events and sometimes it was simply a time for quiet reflections of the day or even the week as the moon rose high in a summertime sky.

It was a time that families sat together, something that is often not possible in this age of overworked parents and over involved kids. I'm trying to recature that feeling of letting go and enjoying the natural world around us, along with friends and family rocking over floors that held tight the imprints of many rocker foot prints that were gentley worked into the long pinewood floors of those old neighborhood porches.

So how can we put into words what such a small part of a home could create for many families and often for whole neighborhoods that comfort zone where trust was a way of life, and family often meant all who lived nearby on the street.

So what made that experience and the memories that were made of that time an anchor in many a childhood, and it gave many a framework for what became a tight knit family grouping in that period in history.

Summertime and the Living is Hot!

2009-06-23T23:12:00.008-04:00

Though there is much I love about summer the humidity that accompanies the summer heat has never been one of those things. I was out with my grandkids this morning and we could take it, but right around noon it became so opressive the weather drove us indoors to the cool comfort of our small air conditioned home.

This kind of heat use to be reserved for late July and early August and usually only lasted a few when I was young but now almost always begins in early June and can run through until school begins or even later. As a child the idea of the hot and humid summers in the deep South was something that made me thankful I didn't have to worry about since I lived in the Northern part of the Midwest.

Today, the Southern summers seem to be very much here, and now. I suppose I could always move but this is home, and though the summers sometimes are debilitating for this humidity hating soul the rest of the year gives me much to still celebrate here along the lakeshore of our great Lake Michigan.

The one great thing about summer is the beach not far from our home and my favorite thing to do is sitting and watching the sand, gulls, and rolling waves that are so peaceful. Right through the late fall this retreat of sorts becomes a form of muse on par to my lovely snow covered days for this cool loving gal. I could sit for hours and feel and almost touch the scents of this part of my world.

So right now, in this heat filled evening I am enjoying thoughts of the cool of the sand when I dig toes down to the damp cool and settle in for a quiet solitary moment or two that makes the whole summer and all that is wrapped up in all that describes the season special.

Front Porch Musing

2009-06-19T18:46:00.001-04:00

Today our front porch traveled to a local park with trails and walkways that meandered along the edge of our Lake Mac. All along the way there were swamp willows and maples amongst the many wild flowers that dotted the area as well. I came across a gorgeous yellow wild iris in and amongst the seedlings and young plants where we finally placed our chairs to enjoy our floating front porch this Sunday.

We parked the chairs on one of the many walkways that had little porch like bump outs with benches. The benches weren't comfy enough for our front porch so our soft folding chairs filled the bill and gave us shade because we could move as the sun began to set.

It's a great place, and we both relax and began our scanning the lake and enjoying the breezes that came our way. I wanted to keep my hands busy so I brought my sketch book and began to sketch the water's edge and just enjoy the quiet that this spot had in a very busy park. It's surprising that you can find quiet places like this in even the busiest local parks. As we sat

watching the jet skis dance back and forth and a few sail boats meandering in the quiet water in our section of lake.

As I sat sketching, and my husband dozed people wandered past, some with kids who shot far beyond their parent's grasp , or young couples who are completely off in their own world. It made for an interesting people watching evening that's for sure! I think that old fashioned front porch life has often been lost in our technical age where we settle in front of the television or computer on these beautiful summer nights.

One thing that is great about these forays of ours into the local recreational areas is the conversations that come from the different settings we find ourselves in on Sunday nights. This isn't simply looking at the world from the safety of your porch, but getting out there and becoming a part of what's happening in our world.

Our personal front porch has been moving to encompass much of our county's parks and has turned into great mini get-aways where we have no phones and lots of nature. It is the best time for thinking which with all that has gone on in recent months is really a good thing.

Not Becoming My Mother

2009-06-17T23:49:00.007-04:00

I'm reading a very good little book. Sometimes those little ones hold such gold between the words and lines, and in this case it is so true! Not Becoming My Mother is book about a frustrated woman who was a wife and mother who spent much of her life unemployed because during that time in our country a woman could not work because, "women worked only if her husband could not afford to take care of her and his family."

I cannot imagine living in a time when women could not have a career and be a vital part in the business world, and though I cannot find a place to work right now myself, I know that the world is more open in this day and age than ever in our history to women in the work place.

But this small story is really a love story from a daughter to her mother because she was allowed to see the misery and angst that came from a frustrated woman who had little purpose in a life that was constantly searching for purpose. The story is definitely a message of love from a mother to her daughter - but it is also one from the daughter to her mother and every other woman of that era where depression for women ruled the course of every day.

I'm so glad I read it! Because of the real words of love and honesty found in the story, and between the lines I can highly recommend this little book to women and men everywhere. It gives a really true picture that is sometimes gritty and difficult to see, but also filled with such familial love which is beyond anything I've found in any book in recent years.