Once a year thrills

What can compare to opening a little box you only see once a year and discovering anew that little forest of tiny Christmas trees you wrapped up early last January? They are the backbone of a tiny snowy village I make with silver tinsel, glittered-up paper houses and fluffy cotton snow. What a rush!!!
To top that feeling, I unearth the awe-inspiring plastic nativity scene unknowingly bought at a July yard sale 5 years ago. It was stuffed at the bottom of a paper sack filled with paper goods I got for a dollar. Unlike any other plastic Nativity scene I've ever seen, it has the vintage glow of ivory and a graceful camel that I kiss on the nose every year when I pull him out.
My favorite Christmas decorations are the old ones, full of memories from Christmases past. A classic example of an inexpensive yet priceless memory maker is a cardboard stable with figures collected over many years by Phil's mother. When their home was sold, I dove for it to take to our home, bringing with it the feeling of peace and joy I had looking at it in their darkened living room, lighted by a little Christmas bulb in the top of the manger. Every figure seems to come from a different set and the lambs (mostly 3 legged) actually seems to know what is happening because I think I see a little smile on their faces.
Years ago I made 2 paper garlands of "nine ladies dancing" and "ten lords a-leaping." When I hang that on our mantle in the living room my blood pressure rises. Honestly, it rivals a mink coat for thrills. When the late afternoon sun hits the merry dancers, and their shadows dance behind them, call 911, or put my head between my knees 'cause it is the stuff faints are made of.

Christmas is a sacred time. It truly holds the reason to rejoice no matter what your circumstances are, the reason to sing "Joy to the World, the Lord has Come" and mean it. I'll close this little blog with a couple of stanzas from a poem by my favorite, Longfellow. He wrote this poem during the Civil war and it was put to music for one of our most stirring Christmas carols. Take note of how timely his words are for us today-- truth is truth no matter when you hear it--ever grateful for that!

...And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep!
The wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Spreading the Thanksgiving spirit

This week I had a couple of little "future moms" to my house to make Thanksgiving aprons and bake their very own Thanksgiving offerings for their families. Let me say that it was wonderful watching them bubble over with excitement with all the stirring, egg cracking, cookie cutting and tasting we did. In spite of the fact that MiMi fell off her chair holding her pan of pumpkin bread batter, and I missed the oven rack and poured one of their pans of cranberry orange bread batter INTO a 375 degree oven, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

We made "worried turkey" thumbprint paintings and designed a tiny apron using rick rack (don't you just LOVE rick rack?) with stamped polka dots and a handprint turkey. They were two very proud and stylish chefs!

Thanksgiving is truly the best day of the year. What other day is created to evoke a grateful heart? It is a time that we need to foster,emphasize and discuss with our children. With Christmas ever lurking to overpower and eliminate Thanksgiving, I believe strongly in intentionally slowing down and savoring every opportunity we have to ponder our blessings and talk about them openly with those God has placed in our lives. Christmas is beautiful, Christmas is a blessed day, but lets unite in the fight to revere Thanksgiving in our hearts and homes and not be overshadowed by the "hurry up and let's get to Christmas" spirit that pervades our culture.

Besides being a symbol of all that is good in our country and in our intentions, what other day lets you eat all you want, actually expects a soul to have a little of each pie and all the dressing and gravy an old Pilgrim like me can hold? -ever grateful for that!

Savor every fleeting moment

" Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn."

"Autumn is the second spring when every leaf is a flower."

"Thy bounty shines in autumn unconfined and spreads a feast over all that live."

"I love the fall. I love it because of the smells and things are dying, things you don't have to take care of anymore, and the grass stops growing."

"The heart of autumn must have broken here, and poured its treasure out upon the leaves."

"A power of china"

In one of Sarah Orne Jewett's novels, Deephaven, two girls discover a dining room cupboard filled with "a power of china." I loved that description. They were referring to the amount of it, but I find china does wield a certain power over me and some other dish divas as well. Come on , admit who you are! In my dining room pie safe and crammed into my pantry, are way too many sets of dishes that refuse to be given away, sold, or even stored out of sight. Is it the memories they evoke? Is it the fear that even though I may not have used some of them in this century, if I got rid of them I would immediately have a desperate need to serve some seldom thought- of dish that only that light blue fluted "thingamajig" would hold? Is it a hording complex? Whatever it is, my children will have to deal with it all after I am gone.

My Mary Hadley pottery--my mother had this farm pattern when I was a child, and I love its color and its simple elegance-not to mention the rush I get from the chicken plates!

My English breakfast set-- the only truly fine china I own, it is to die for (I thought I would be old enough to die before I saved enough money to buy it.)

Phil's mother's "Avon Rose"--I can't use it without picturing it on MiMi's dining room table laden with turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce. I also have her set of vintage Santa plates and matching glasses that bring cravings for cold coconut cake and homemade boiled custard!

My mother's German china--lime green and pink cabbage roses trimmed in gold. She, like me, had to save up to buy it and it is precious to me for it brings back memories of her table and the love she put into her simple, delicious food.

My yard sale English china--I bought it in Scotland at a yard sale across from a castle! It belonged to the lady's mother (deceased) and it is beyond beautiful with exotic birds and a pale blue border. She gave me a jar of homemade Ruebarb jam that day--what a day!

My junk store treasure--amazingly beautiful aqua and brown china that I use most often. I found it in New England and paid $25.00 for it, but it makes me feel like a million every time I set the table with it.

My "Audun Ferme"--a lovely black and white china with different pastoral scenes on it. It warms my heart with its simple scenes of the things I love and fantasize about like having chickens, shephards and cows enjoying themselves on my "small holding" in France.

My 2 sets of white Walmart dishes-- really cheap, really great-goes with everything and though a little warped, have stood the test of time and grandchildren.

My "snowman" not china--I don't know what this stuff is made of, but it is made IN china, and I use it all summer long for soup for Phil and I. I don't know why I use it for soup cause when you microwave it the bowl turns into a smoking furnace, while its contents remain cold as ice. It's pretty ugly now. The snow is turning a light brown (ugh) and there are chips here and there but it is (or was) really cute. This one I may ditch. I wouldn't want my daughters-in-law to comment on how odd I was to keep such pitiful looking stuff. As a matter of fact, I don't even like it anymore after I have seen it for what it really is-old, and getting really ugly.

Women and their dishes-like men and their _______, just can't be separated. Perhaps the tie that binds are the special memories--the holidays, the birthday dinners, celebrating good friends and good food, and all the love that is bound up in using things you love for the people you love. That I am ever grateful for.

"Its not what's on the plate that matters, its what's on the chairs."

"Just because you have four chairs, six matching plates, and three cups is not a reason you can't invite twelve to dinner."

Woodpiles and Fireplaces

Ah, woodpiles and fireplaces!!! There lie the two passions that propel me into actually enjoying bad weather. Someone said, "the darker the weather outside, the brighter the fire." I am a certified "pyromaniac" and plan to revel in that mania for as long as I can haul the wood into the house and onto the hearth. There is no such thing as loneliness beside a winter fire. There is never a want of companionship beside it's warmth. Nothing can fill me with an awareness of my blessings or invite contentment like sitting by our blazing hearth. Looking out from my fireside seems to hold at arm's length any nagging discontent that might rob me of recognizing the everyday, ordinary blessings I see from this" best seat in the house."

Fires and their amazing emotional benefits aren't limited to fireplaces inside your home. A little fire in your yard on a cool afternoon does wonders for your soul. Last week I spent several magic afternoons in Clare's New England backyard around a campfire that served as a magnet to neighborhood children (experimenting with a stick and crescent roll dough), and later a lovely little tea party with an elderly widow invited from next door. They were packed with more entertainment, goodwill and happiness than any elegant catered affair. Oh, and who can forget what it does to a hot dog or a marshmallow!

I can't write another word about fires without praising its source- the humble woodpile. The sight of one, lovingly stacked, elevates my blood pressure a bit. When I spot one beside a house,the desire to stare, to covet, to picture its influence over their home makes me a danger to other drivers. Phil didn't realize when we said our vows that I wanted to add to the "better or worse" part a vow to include a promise to keep the woodpile full, no matter the hardship, no matter the expense. Fortunately, he loves fires too and only needs to see my ever increasing depression set in when the woodpile is decreasing to do whatever it takes to replenish the honored commodity. I'm ever grateful for that!

"Happiness grows at our own firesides, and it is not to be picked in stranger's gardens."

"The family fireside is the best of schools."

"You are a king, by your own fireside, as much as any monarch on his throne."

Fall turns me into a "sap"

OK, here it is, not the hint of it, not the anticipation of it, but IT! This season truly turns me into a sentimental sap, letting down my guard over my emotions. Fall always tenderizes my heart after summer's heat has somehow hardened it, like it does to the late summer earth. Poignant memories and bittersweet endings swirl around me in the cool air like leaves making their way to the ground. I am an autumn nut case. This season means so many things to me. I fell in love with Phil in the fall, gave my heart and life to Jesus in the fall, have my birthday in the fall, write poetry in the fall, cry at the drop of a hat in the fall, and spend time lying on the ground and staring into space a lot remembering and dreaming.

Listen to some great things other fall nuts have written:

October gave a party, the leaves by the hundreds came-
the chestnuts, oaks and maples-their costumes all aflame.
Miss Weather led the dancing, Professor wind the band.
The guests were all aflutter and danced off hand in hand." -Cooper

"Delicious Autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. George Eliot

"If a man watches more than 3 football games in a row he should be declared legally dead." Erma Bombeck

My secret weapon

I got two new aprons for my birthday, both beauties! Before I begin this little tribute to one of life's secret weapons, let me make it clear that aprons and the wearing of them, have the power to transform me, much like Superwoman's lasso. I realize there are tons of women who do not like aprons-or maybe don't like what they think they stand for. I certainly don't pass judgment on this, each woman must march to her own drumbeat. However, I wouldn't live without them due to their incredible usefulness, and what they represent to me.

When I paint, I wear my apron (the one that has hints of dozens of paintings all over it.) When I cook I wear the one with stains from past pot roasts, cherry pies, or maybe that is marinara sauce, anyway it covers my clothes, serves as a cup towel for spills and a kleenex for fogged up glasses when I open the oven door. Whenever I get serious about shining things up around here, I wear my apron, not because I get that dirty, but because it changes my attitude toward housework, and any other task I tackle here on the home front. I have a garden apron, stained with dirt and pockets big enough for seed packets, garden string and various other necessities. My apron is my uniform of choice. When I tie it around me I feel more ready, more equipped, more willing. Much like a fireman facing a fire without his suit, I feel a bit unequal to the task without my apron.

I read a marvelous article about aprons by Nancy Campbell. She talked about her grandmother and her apron. It carried fresh laundry from the line, wiped children's tears, dusted furniture, carried vegetables from the garden, and countless other important tasks. I cried when I realized how far we have come from what embracing our role at home meant then and what it means now. Of course, appliances have made our work at home much easier, I'm all over that. What makes me sad is what has happened to our hearts over the past 30 years. It seems many dread, or resent what has made homemaking an art for centuries. It is the resentment that tells the tale and stops the blessing of this art from being handed down mother to daughter.

Homemaking is not easy, but thankfully, it is not about a perfect home, rather having a heart that is grateful for the opportunity to create something powerful. Nancy Campbell beautifully said that we should put on our "attitude apron" as well. I believe that serving our families in love, no matter what the world tries to preach, is the most noble, most valuable arena we will ever be in. Little girls may grow up to be doctors, scientists, writers, astronauts or pilots, but if they choose to also be wives and mothers, I hope their hearts are as committed to creating a home as a career.

I gave our only grandaughter an apron for Christmas last year. She was only three but who knows, maybe seeing her grandmother wear one each time she comes over will plant some kind of little seed that will grow into more than a memory, maybe an example. Maybe one day she will roll up her sleeves, tie on her apron and feel equipped to tackle some heroic stuff in her home. After all, wives and mothers are the stuff heroes are made of. One of the biggest impacts you can have on people, in or out of the home, is consistently taking on the task at hand, however small, with love. I'm ever grateful for that.

Beauty in the eye of the beholder

Thoreau said, "Nature does not cast pearls before swine. There is just as much beauty visible in the landscape as we are prepared to appreciate,-not a grain more."
I love this quote (even though in that first part he tweeked the Bible a bit) because I find it is absolutely true. The more you love it, study it, marvel over it, the more you see and the more wonder it produces in your life. I guess you could call me wonder-struck, for I can't get enough!

Clare (my nature-loving daughter) shared with me yesterday that in England someone is campaigning to bring back "nature tables" to the schools. Remember ( if you are old enough to have this memory) the big, low table in your elementary school room filled with wasps nests, rocks,butterflies, scary looking dried walking sticks and praying mantis? Remember how your teacher would take you there every day and talk about each item, inviting you to ask questions and bring whatever you found to share with the class? What she was doing was trying to cultivate your imagination and a perception and regard for what is true, through observation.

We teach children facts all the time, but do we teach them the value of observation? To see a thing is not just looking at it. Nature study also cultivates a love of the beautiful and a comradeship with life out doors while educating us about our amazing world. Our world needs children who have an appreciation and understanding of nature as much as children who understand technology. If we, as parents and grandparents don't foster and hand down this important knowledge to our children and grandchildren, our world will be filled with self-centered young adults with thin souls. Nature is a great teacher of our small place in the vast universe. However to me, the most important aspect of nature study is its undeniable power to proclaim its creator. "Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand." The more you appreciate nature's offerings, the bigger role gratitude plays in your heart, and that, my friend, is a mighty good thing!

We have a nature table in our library here at home. It is filled with found objects that bring God and His love for us inside our house. Acorns, butterflies, pressed leaves, intricate shells, moss, bird feathers, eggs, nests and other wondrous designs He's come up with for our pleasure, are all over it. Here, too, are nature guide books about birds, insects, trees and plants. I'm always on the look out for fresh finds because our grandchildren have free reign to pick up, carry around, rub and poke the treasures. A bird nest can stand just so much investigation, especially by a certain 3 year old we've nicknamed "jackhammer." But as Longfellow said, "there are no birds in last year's nest" so we'll just go and have the joy of finding another one--ever grateful for that.

If I don't do it now

As one approaches 62, all manner of thoughts begin to swirl around in one's greying head. There are the normal "getting older" thoughts like, "who IS that in the mirror?", or the uncomfortable feeling you get at the grocery when the 10 year old checkout boy looks at you as if you weren't there. It's hard to explain how crummy it feels to be invisible, you will just have to get older to understand that one.

There are, too, the wonderful, "I am so glad I did that" thoughts, the "I'll pass on that, thank you" thoughts, the "slowing down is kinda fun" thoughts, the "let's stay home tonight" thoughts, and lots of others that make getting older just fine. Then, there are the "if I don't do this now, I'll never have the chance" thoughts. Those can be extremely motivating. The idea that I will never have a pony tail again if I don't start one now has inspired me to persevere through all the shaggy hair days ahead in the hope I'll soon enjoy that ever-stylish, maintenance- free pony tail I wore in my forties. With the help of headbands, barrettes, bobby pins and clips I resolve to see this dream become a reality. If, when I reach my goal, I discover it's not all that it was cracked up to be, I'll whack it off, but I will never have to say, "if only."

I have much bigger dreams for my future, of course. Maybe the dream of growing old with a ponytail will serve to remind me along the way that "the longest journey begins with the first step." There are much greater decisions to make as a person reaches the last third of life- decisions that can affect the quality of his life and everyone in it, for that matter.
I want to reach the end still resolving, still trying, still hoping and still smiling.

"Even the woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head and keeps pecking away until he finishes the job he starts." Coleman Cox

He is going to hate this!

Every so often there comes a time when you just have to do what you have to do. I have to write about my number one passion even though he (the subject of this passion) will not like it for he NEVER wants attention drawn to himself. (He doesn't even want me to have a funeral service for him if that gives you a better picture.) The beautiful part is that I know he will forgive me for this little blog-for he has forgiven me for far more. I love that about him.

This #1 is Phil, my husband of 40, yes, 40 years. When I first met him, August 14, 1968, I knew, I just knew that he would be the reason I would no longer want to live for myself. And, as it turned out, he felt the same- I love that about him. I won't bore you with everything I love about the man, for I have to honor his feelings. So, in light of that, I will be more brief than I really want to.

We call him "a rock." He has never failed to be 100% there for me and our children when we have needed him, I love that about him. I can be cheesy, emotional, dorky, unattractive, pouty or dramatic and he still likes me. In his eyes, I never have "a bad hair day." I do love that about him. He loves the Lord, loves his children and grandchildren, loves to be at "the camp" more than anywhere on earth, always cheers for the underdog, always tells the truth, and his love is a tender power that makes me better than I am. You have to love that about him. These quotes are just for him--that big guy I'm ever grateful for.

"In thy face I see the map of honor, truth and loyalty." Shakespeare

"To put yourself in second place is the whole significance of life." Roberts

"Familiar acts are beautiful through love." Shelley

"Can't help lovin' that man 'o mine." Rogers & Hammerstein

"God's glory is on tour in the skies..."

My favorite version of Psalm 19 is in The Message. It says, "God's glory is on tour in the skies, God- craft on exhibit across the horizon. Madame Day holds classes every morning, Professor Night lectures each evening...." George Washington Carver said, "I love to think of Nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour if we will only tune in." He has designed the world we live in to proclaim Himself in all He has made. This proclamation serves to remind me and comfort me that He is everywhere, and has even me and mine smack in the middle of His radar screen. His majesty, His power, His beauty, His faithfulness and His love are paraded in the skies, the water and the earth, even in a lowly pack of Zinnia seeds, or the wren's nest hidden in our window box.

When I find myself in need of a little encouragement from God that He is firmly and sovereignly holding this world together when it seems like it is falling apart, a great part of the encouragement I receive is from"considering the worlds His hands have made." I am ever grateful for that.

"Earth's crammed with Heaven, and every bush afire with God." Elizabeth Barrett Browning

"Nature is the living, visible garment of God." Van Goethe

"Beauty is God's handwriting." Charles Kingsley

When a child is born, so are grandmothers

MiMi, Tom, Sam, Peter, Phillip, and Joseph

What an incredibly hard thing it is to get six grandchildren, two who live hundreds of miles away, to be in one picture! I think this is the only one I have. So whether it is a good picture of them or not, I treasure it, as I do them. No one could have prepared me for what is means to be a grandmother, and if they tried I don't remember it having much impact on me.

Well, now I get it. I see that grandmothers and grandchildren are God's gift to each other. Just when I was feeling a little over the hill, here come sincere little people who truly like me no matter what, don't care about the "crinkles", think I'm worthy to be Lucy when we go to Narnia, Gandolf when we are in the Shire, Little John in Sherwood Forest, or Flounder when we go under the sea.

Grandchildren keep our hearts young. I cherish the opportunity God has given me to put whatever good things I can into them. I love the quote that says "Nobody can do for little children what a grandmother can--sprinkle a little star dust over their lives." But truly, it is Sam, Joseph, Tom, Phillip, MiMi and Peter who have sprinkled star dust into my life, and I pray it will never wear off.

"I wish I had the energy my grandchildren have, if only for self defense."

"Blessed be the ties that bind generations."

"Few things are more delightful that grandchildren fighting over your lap."

This is one of those days we've been waiting for!

"When you tickle the earth with a hoe she laughs with a harvest."

This morning I felt like laughing myself when we harvested our little pumpkin patch and our purple martin birdhouse gourds. What a joy to stand and relish the brilliant colors that the gourds, the zinnias and the pumpkins have delivered to our little corner of the world! We had hoped for at least 4 pumpkins so Tom, Phillip, MiMi and Peter could pick one out, but we even have enough for a pie or two.

This little harvest makes all the mosquito bites worth it. Next year when the purple martins come and make homes in our birdhouses, the mosquitoes will be the their entree, and we will have the satisfying experience of sitting in the evening and watching the martins swoop over our garden, dining on our sworn enemies.

"A thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest." William Blake

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant." Robert Lewis Stevenson

Six grandchildren later

Eleven years ago, when our first grandchild was born, I decided to paint his portrait when he turned three. Little did I know that I would paint five more little three year olds in hopes of freezing on canvas a tiny slice of their fleeting childhoods.

Sam, filling his bucket with sand, Joseph climbing rocks on the beach, Tom waging dinosaur battles, Phillip sailing the pirate seas, Peter setting up animal kingdoms, and MiMi snuggling with her "blankies"--these moments are captured and hanging on the walls of their homes.

I am grateful for the gift God has given me to paint. A sweet reward is that I had to study the tilt of their head, the special curve of their nose, the nape of their neck and the line of their little arms and legs, and because of that I will carry in my mind as well as my heart the way our precious grandchildren looked at three years old.

If anybody in our family decides to have another baby, let's hurry up, I'm not getting any younger!


Someone said, "A grandmother is a mother with a second chance." Ever grateful for that!

Sunday afternoon at home

I wrote a story once about our home, trying to express my feelings about the joy it gives me to be here, and the power of influence a home can have on anyone who walks in its doors. I sent this little story to a home magazine and got back a letter that said (in essence) that it was the "corniest" piece that they had ever received. From that I simply surmised that they had never been happy at home and didn't have a clue what I was talking about.

Goethe said "He is happiest, king or peasant, who finds happiness in his home." Today has been one of those "finding happiness" days for me. Phil and I watered and did a "10 minute tidy" in the garden. Butterflies swarmed the flowers as I lined up our first pumpkins on the picnic table, admiring them like grandchildren in a school pageant.

Someone said that fall is the best sniffing season, and today I sniffed to my heart's content that special smell that only fall can waft. After a shower and a great lunch of left-overs, we grabbed our books and snuggled down to read and "rest." We call it rest, but really it is drifting into a very deep and welcomed nap that can last for hours. We've pretty much got this rest thing down to a science. I awoke to the long-awaited sound of little splashes of rain in the old birdbath outside the window on my side of the bed. RAIN! we have prayed for it, and I nearly slept through it!

Home is where these very small everyday occurrences take on a much larger significance. These are the moments you need to squeeze all the joy from. I read today that home must not be just comfortable, but comforting. I take that statement to heart and challenge anyone who may happen upon this little "ode to home" to thrill at the possibilities of this truth.

I see that loving my home puts me in very good company:

"I had rather be on my farm at home than be the emperor of the world." George Washington

"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort." Jane Austen

"Love begins by taking care of the closest ones--the ones at home." Mother Teresa

old clothes, a tried and true friend

Thoreau said, "What I am must make you forget what I wear." When I first read that, I knew in a flash that we would have been good friends, sharing the same opinions on fashion, or the lack thereof. My first inclinations were confirmed when I found this quote, "Distrust any enterprise that requires new clothes." What a soul mate! Couple that with a shared love of nature and we could have tramped unselfconsciously around Waldon Pond together- both with our out- of- date hairdos and wearing whatever we wanted, regardless of its age or condition.

Do clothes "make the man?" I truly don't think so. I must admit that if I were a size 10 or smaller, and could wear anything without taking into consideration all the criteria each garment must pass in order for me to feel presentable in it, you might think that I have adopted this passion for old and comfy stuff because the new and stylish stuff doesn't do a thing for me. I beg to differ. My too big blue and white pinstriped shirt, splattered in paint (I am an artist), washed to an incredible soft state, and perfectly suited to match any pair of old pants, does something for me. When I put it on, I feel empowered to deal with the task at hand, however messy, however genteel.
Whether I'm digging in dirt, or napping in my bed, that shirt fits the bill. I now wear it to the grocery, not caring, as in years past, what others may think. I feel productive in it, at least I look like I have accomplished a whale of a lot of stuff while I had it on.

I'm thrilled to have found that many others hold the same opinion as I. I have included some really wonderful quotes to substantiate my claims. Old clothes, a simple pleasure that I am ever grateful for.

A few great quotes

"Most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture; let us be more ashamed of shabby ides and shoddy philosophies. It would be a sad situation if the wrapper were better than the meat wrapped inside." Albert Einstein

"People seldom notice old clothes when you wear a smile." Mildon

"If honor be your clothing, the suit will last a lifetime, but if clothing is your honor, it will soon be threadbare." Arnot

and remember: "Never wear anything that panics the cat." O'Rourk

Breaking out the old soup pot

soup quotes for soup lovers

Do you have a kinder, more adaptable friend in the food world than soup?...You don't see steak hanging around when you're poor and sick, do you?"

"A first rate soup is more creative than a second rate painting."

"Worries go down better with soup."

Fall is in the air, even though it is 90 degrees outside. The leaves are crunchy, the air is dry, the light has changed and the mornings are a promise of things to come--cool and motivating.

Walking into the grocery store yesterday with 15 dollars in my pocket, I had a definite culinary shift in my thinking....I grabbed the little basket (designed for the little spender) and headed for the produce aisle. One potato, one turnip, one onion, 2 carrots, and four or five things later, I zipped out of the store with vegetable soup on my mind, and a balance of one dollar and thirty six cents.

When we have that first "pot of something" at our house in the fall, there is no turning back to cold, lightweight fare that leaves you longing for something more....
"Soup is the song of the hearth..and home", said Louis De somebody. A hot bowl of it by the fireside (even I think it is a little too soon for a fire) a little music or an old movie and you have the makings of a mighty fine evening. It doesn't hurt to have a fellow soup-phile to share it with.
Ummmm. lets see...potato cheese, split pea with ham, 15 bean, corn chowder, chicken noodle, beef stew, gumbo, clam chowder, cream of tomato, chicken tortilla, broccoli cheese, cream of chicken..........


Beethoven said, "Only the pure in heart can make a good soup."
(I've checked my heart, and I think he needs to stick to his music)

quote of the day

"The grace of God frees us from having to pretend that we are better than we are"... Larry Crab

Oh, how grateful can one be for that truth? Having spent the bulk of my life trying to be better than I am, I am blown away with the idea of such a love that offers such freedom. He is righteous, He is beautiful, He is in control, He is faithful.....I just have to believe in Him...Sister Mary Corita said, "To believe in God is to have a Him to be in."
I am so grateful today that I have that Him to be in. She also said "to believe in God is to die and not be embarrassed." Wow, that'll make a girl smile.

ever grateful

our new flag

wonderful sunrise quotes

" There will never be a night or problem that could defeat sunrise or hope." Bern Williams

"Watching the clock is not the same as watching the sunrise." Sophia Pierce

"The Lord has turned all our sunsets into sunrises." Clement of Alexandria

"What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into your daily life?" E.M. Forster

"The sunrise never failed us yet." Celia Thaxter

early riser's reward

The greatest joys come from the most simple of pleasures....check out this sunrise(free for the pauper and millionaire alike). Our screened porch is a source of great joy to Phil (my beloved husband) and me. From well-worn chairs we jump to grab our bird book to identify a newcomer to our feeders. The latest thrill has been watching the sun catch the waving American flag Phil hung on the big maple down at our garden.

I thank God everyday that He made me the type who gets alarmingly high on the smallest of things...you know, like swarming butterflies hovering over our zinnias, a tomato sandwich for breakfast, a goldfinch munching a sunflower head, the tiny beginning of a pumpkin, watching the leaves way up at the top of the trees wiggle in the breeze when the rest of the tree is still, the thrill of hearing my grandchildren call me "Mimom", watching for a purple martin to swoop down for mosquitoes (hate mosquitoes) and the thrill of that first cup of coffee sitting down at the garden on my much loved picnic table. I could go on and on, and, never fear, I will. I am a very blessed woman, and I never want a day to go by that I don't say it out loud.