Now What!

Not watching the Summer Olympics this year. I've got enough sports going on behind *The Ponderosa to last me a lifetime. I tell ya, never a dull moment. 
For weeks now, I have been hearing what sounded like heavy equipment working in the woods. Sometimes it sounded like a racetrack with plenty of vroom, vroom, vrooooooooom.

I have put up with it and put up with it. Remember, I have tenants who work nights so this was growing increasingly alarming. (groan...I hate unintended puns)
Finally, yesterday, I could take it no longer. I hopped in my car and drove to John's second road where we used to go tipping for evergreens and where we used to gather winterberries. I just followed the sound and soon found what I didn't want to find.


John's road in my rearview. Big equipment ahead.

The lumber has been cut and a track has been made. And here the offender comes!

Getting ever closer! 

And it pulls to a stop. And thus begins one of the more contentious conversations I have had lately. The driver, a man in his late thirties or early forties tells me that he bought 40 acres of land abutting The Ponderosa four or five years ago and that I can't stop him from using his property any way he pleases, including for a race track. He says he spoke to "the old man" who lived on the adjoining property about that time and he was fine with it. I doubt that, I respond. He says that he doesn't want to *iss me off to which I say too late. He calls John an "old man" one more time at which point my patience is long gone. I explain that the gentleman he spoke with was my husband and that he has since passed away. We end the conversation with my saying that I will call the Town Office in the morning to see exactly what is going on. Somehow, I can't believe that I am the only one complaining about the noise. It's like living at Daytona for crying out loud. Not to mention the dust. *Cough* *Sputter.*
Okay, back to living under my rock...
So, are you watching The Olympics? If so, what's been your favorite thing so far?



*The Ponderosa was John's name for his property. It is where he housed his contracting business and where I have some very nice tenants and where I spend most of my days.  Edited to Add: August 9, 2016

I had no idea that the trail or track was this large, massive, as large as the trailer park shown to the right and that contains over a hundred trailers.

For reference:

1. The Ponderosa

2. The Track or Trail or what I call it..."The Spider Web"

3. Where I stood to get the photos.

Still working on getting to the bottom of it...

Movie for a Rainy Day

Lift not the painted veil which those who live Call life... 

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley

The Painted Veil is a 2006 movie starring Ed Norton and Naomi Watts. It is based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham. 
It was a rare rainy day this month when a movie seemed like just the thing. This one is currently on my Netflix stream, though I understand offerings vary depending on location.  

The movie felt gloomy and dark, and I liked it quite well. I like movies where people wake up and become aware of their own sin. I like redemption and forgiveness stories and this was all that. It was a movie where themes can be pondered and reflected upon. Very good when one is in a certain frame of mind. 

Caution: Not much language, but some nudity. 

That's all I have to chatter about today. Have you seen it? What did you think? Have a better recommendation? I am ready to hang out in a freezing movie theater. ☺

Stay cool now...

Hilarious Multi-Tasking Grandson

The week following John’s passing found me attending two baseball games for each grandson. I had promised to attend home games and all four were home games.

In hindsight, I am sure that this was good for me as I tend to isolate in difficult patches so, yes, it was good to get out of the house.

Besides, Jakob was going to prove to be a great blessing at one of his games bringing so much laughter and joy to everyone watching. His team was playing their game on a field right next door to the annual dance competition for Homecoming Days. Jake was playing second base. Do you know where this is going?

When the music started, and it was some catchy music, too, Jake began to dance. Yes! Right there on second base for all the world to see! He was really busting a move as they say.   His parents might have wanted the earth to open and swallow them, but they couldn’t help but laugh along with the rest of us. Hilarious! He was dancing and still stopping the ball and getting runners out on first…multi-tasking at its finest.

<The video has been removed—bummer! 

It was Little Eva - Loco-motion>


The inning finally ended and Jake received the beckoning finger from his dad. I took the photo below as they chatted behind the dugout. I heard Jake state his case —"But, Dad! The music! Everyone would want to dance to that music!" His father's response went something like this: Yes, well, Jake, you're not here to dance; you're here to play ball.

Properly chastened, Jake went on about his business waiting in the line-up for his turn at bat. The game was running about 12 to 0 or something truly disheartening like that. Once at bat, Jakob had a very good eye and refused to swing at the dud pitches so he was walked to first, stole second, survived a squeeze play between second and third, and, when the ball was seriously fumbled, he made a beeline for home scoring the only run of the game for his team.

When the game ended, one of the coaches said, “By virtue of the fact that Jakob scored the only run of the game, he may dance on second base any time he wants!” =D

What fun! I miss those baseball games, but summer is well into July and the grands have moved on to other pursuits...

This Is Home

Source
♪I have come too far and I won't go back...♪
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

Lest I Forget

Yes, I am already worried. Worried that I will forget my beloved's voice, the way he sang In the Garden in his deep, rumbly voice and often while driving. The way he chuckled, the way he laughed, the squeaky little laugh done just to amuse me.

So I am jotting down a few things to help me remember. 

John never left the house without kissing me goodbye and sometimes more than once, especially when we would start chatting all over again with his hand on the handle attempting to get out the door. Then I'd get another kiss because he couldn't remember if he had kissed me the first time. I never told him otherwise. As he was leaving, he'd say, "I'll be back." Sometimes I'd say, "Thanks for the warning!" Then we'd both laugh at the lame joke.  
He never arrived home without an "I'm back" and most often another kiss or a hug depending on how dirty he was. Oh that man could get more dirt on him than a mechanic in a pit. Sometimes I'd grumble about it and he would respond, "Now is that a very nice thing to say to a very nice guy like me?" 

When he finished a project he'd say, "There! Good enough for who it's for." I tried to get him to say it Here, but he just wouldn't cooperate that day. ☺ (Look for the video and the little bow John took.)

If I asked him how his meal was, he would usually say, "I don't know yet." There was never a time that he did not thank me for making his meals or changing his sheets or taking care of his clothes.

If I ever asked him to do anything, he was in agreement. Sometimes we had to set a date and an intention, but he was willing to go and do as I requested. Sometimes I had some unusual requests that "stretched his thinking all out of whack."

Evenings were usually spent companionably watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. (I haven't watched since May 20.) He trounced me night after night only requesting my help for literature and grammar questions. ☺ For the final Jeopardy question, we would decide if we were going to "bet the farm." We often won. It is true that two heads are better than one.  After that, he usually wished to watch some show about Alaska; I'll never watch that again either.

~typical grand greeting~ 

When seeing the grandsons, he'd ask, "How's my buddy?!" They always knew that they were his buds, too. This often involved a high-five and sometimes he requested a hug and they willingly gave him one. He sure loved them and I can see the love light in his eyes for them that I often saw for myself. Here's a good example.

He prayed for the boys every day. But then, he prayed for many every single day — his girls, his grands, his greats, his sisters, his friends, my friends, my family, me, and on and on. He really enjoyed praying for people and was happy to have remembered to pray and for what the specific need or concern was.

He had plans to write a book of his favorite tips for contracting/carpentering. He had even sketched out the chapters. He wanted to put in a new driveway, new counter tops in the kitchen, new floors, and probably a few other things; alas, time ran out. My son said the other day that John needed at least another twenty years.

Whenever situations arose that would make me say, "This is something we must pray about," he would say, "Oh dear, it's come to this." That was a joke indicating that it was ridiculous not to think about praying first about anything and everything. 

taken in April 2016, at a Retirement Party for a Dear Friend
You may remember a similar expression worn  Here

Oh there must be more; I can't have forgotten already. Wait! I remember another...one of my favorites. Every now and then I'd catch him looking at me and so I'd smile and he would say, "You're kinda cute (pause for emphasis) for a girl." 
This would have been our 8th anniversary...new beginnings. John began his ultimate new beginnings just six weeks ago. His sister gently chided me recently that there is no marriage in Heaven. Right. I know that. It won't matter there. But here, just for today, Happy Anniversary, Honey. I miss you like crazy.

Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. I miss you like...

~Edna St. Vincent Millay *** And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4

Changes in the Neighborhood

Probably you have noticed that I like my kitchen window just a titch. I like to decorate the sill and look out upon my little view. You may remember a view something like this—bushes that flower in spring and a cute, shabby, little shed. The home you see there is way across the lower street from which mine turns. 

Oh I did love that view! Charming, New Englandy, dear.

This is how it looks today.

The best thing about it is that a local pastor has moved his parents to this new home.  I know that it will look better one day when it is completed and there is more landscaping added. (Note the shabby little shed is still there. Wonder if they'll take it down.) So while I do not like the new view nearly as well as the former one, I do like the reason for the change.

A Family Fourth

It was a different sort of a 4th of July for our family and a very good one. 

For longer than I care to count, my family has been planning a get-together with dear and long-time friends of ours. Get-togethers used to be oh so simple when we were just two young couples and our children. With the passing of time, eight have become 20. Another daughter born, and four of the five children now married with children of their own. So today was a happening. It was just what the grandsons 

needed — lots of kids and lots of fun. Auntie Laurel simply stretched her wings and became an auntie for the day to all the kid crowd. She does love to plan fun things for children and then she plays, too, which they really love. There was water balloon fun, wiffle ball, streamer tag, walks to see the ocean and the ospreys, and a great game of kickball that even the grown-ups participated in. Well, not the oldest generation of grown-ups. Instead, we sat around chatting about our lumbago. ☺

Good thing that my friends and I left it with the kids to arrange. That, obviously, made it more likely to happen. Facebook made it easy. It really was a great day and I am so happy that nearly all made it. Only one had another engagement that could not be missed. I am also sorry that John missed it because how he would have loved it, too.

ツ

Happy Independence Day!

Source

Beautiful images...it touches all the bases!

A wonderful day to all my fellow citizens of the United States and a wonderful day around the world — A peaceful day, a free day, a better day, a day blessed by God.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

First scheduled for May 24, 2016
*** Recently, I showed a lake scene where John and I had enjoyed a fast food lunch. My friend Mrs. T suggested that the lake could be Sebago Lake. Now Sebago is a fairly large lake in my corner, not as large as Rangeley or Moosehead, but large for these parts. What I actually showed was a pond. Mrs. T suggested that I must be laughing at her expense. Oh, no, not at all. I know that looks can be deceiving. 

~the pond~ You may remember my mentioning that my mother found this blog terribly amusing, and not for all the right reasons. She found it amusing because she thought my photographs made my home look far more pleasant than it actually was/is. Guilty as charged. There are precious few times when I  show you things as they are. I prefer to put a bit of a shine on it.

~the azaleas bloomed again after their serious pruning last year~

See? I cut the whole house nearly out of it! ☺ If I could have figured out a way to grow green grass in the brown patches, I would have. By the way, is it not lovely how I make my entire neighbor's lawn look like my own? I suppose that there are eight or ten feet beyond the daffodil that are mine, but that's all.

Here's another. You don't suppose that there's really a stream of gold in the ravine, do you? Oh that there were!
Lastly, I'd like to offer my new profile picture as an example. I am simply loving the picture that Donna took of the two of us. I knew that I couldn't do any better, so I cropped her out of it and used it for my own devious purposes. (Another case of begging forgiveness rather than requesting permission.) 

~former profile picture~
My former profile picture just looked so...so... well, so danged old.  I don't know what Donna did, but she must have run us through every filter known to man three times over. Of my new profile photo, my mother might have said, "Accckkk...who's that?!" On the other hand, John rather likes it. At least, I've stopped being a tea cup or a chipmunk or a six-year-old for a while. Oh, Ellen, do we need to chat? 
What do you think of facelifts, real or otherwise? 

An Empty Plate

First scheduled for May 27, 2016, I skipped over a few  scheduled posts for this one because strawberries may be on everyone's North American weekend menu with the holidays both Canada and the US are celebrating. Long may freedom ring!
***
An empty plate can be a lovely thing...

but that is not what a plate is for! *

Oh my! This was so delicious! John even decided that a strawberry pie could be a nice change from strawberry shortcake. At our house, that's big news. You can find this recipe at Kitty's. 

* All due apologies to Mr. Shedd who once said, "A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for."

Finally! Some Clothes!

Back when I used to play...prior to John's passing. This was first scheduled for May 23, 2016. 
***

~new "spring" outfits~
Tammy's skirt is similar to mine, though her top is made from an old handkerchief. We especially love the little embroidered flowers and the trim on the bottom of her skirt.

Vee found this broken baby ring in an old jewelry box. It  makes a pretty bracelet for Tammy.

I'm wearing a bracelet, too. Around my neck. Vee thinks it is the bracelet that her mama bought while on her senior class trip to the White Mountains way back in 1952. 
Guess that's all you'll see from Tammy and me until we get more outfits. My guess is that Vee is not in the mood for playing just now and we'd better resign ourselves to these dresses for some time.
Have a great day!

A Dollar Short and a Week Late

You know that I always go to the Hodge Podge if I need a jumpstart, kickstart, something. And the thing is, Joyce isn't even having a Hodge Podge this week so I am off the hook for linking and participating. I'm just using last week's for blog fodder. 

1. If you could sit beside and/or jump in any lake in the whole wide world today, which lake would you choose and why?

I would swim in a lake I love in New Brunswick, Canada. I enjoy swimming in lakes over swimming in pools or the ocean. I have even swum in a Great Lake (Erie), which was as close to swimming in the ocean as I like to be...very brrrisk! 

2. What's your favorite 'fruity' drink? 

Lemonade

3. I read a list here of thirteen things to do right now to simplify your life. They were-

clean as you go, re-evaluate your relationships (cut toxic ties), unsubscribe (too many blogs and websites), de-clutter, write down your daily goals, reply to emails right away, forget multitasking, create a morning routine, re-evaluate your commitments (which hobbies and responsibilities are most important to you), say no, clean up your computer, and plan your day ahead

Which of the tasks listed do you currently find most helpful in keeping life simple? Which item on the list should you adopt in order to simplify your life this month?

I like all of those ideas and follow many of them most of the time. There's going to be an entire summer of cleaning up and sorting ahead from barns to basements. I'd like to give up multi-tasking, but it just seems to be something I must do and probably because I have the attention span of a gnat.

4. What did you do the summer after you graduated from high school? 

Since I would be off to college in the fall, I worked that summer cashiering at a grocery store. I also dated a lot that summer as I'd be saying goodbye to my boyfriend at the end of summer. He remained behind for a year and then joined the Army so there were many goodbyes through our dating years. Yes, I eventually married him and, though the marriage failed, I have two wonderful children and two wonderful grands so I'd not change my circumstances.

5. Are you a fan of podcasts? If so what's a favorite? 

Have listened to some I have liked, but can't remember them and don't listen regularly.

6. Do you think today's fathers have it harder, easier, or just different than fathers in the past?

Different and harder. Nothing is getting easier in this crazy society of ours.

7. Tell us one way you're like your father? Or not at all like your father if that's easier?

I have often been told that I am quite like my father in temperament. We seem to share a little issue called "directness." This is also known as not having a filter. Oh dear. My pastor once told me that I was very like my father in the nicest possible way. Ahem. =/

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

So many random thoughts swirling the brain. Let me keep it to one! 

I have been working on memory boards for John's service and so have been wading through this remarkable life of his with all the family, friends,  and experiences of a lifetime. Would you like to see some photos?

John on the cliffs of Grand Manan

John and sisters at their grandparents' 51st wedding anniversary party back in the day

Do all 12 year old boys look alike?

 One of 8 memory boards... This is looking a bit sparse to me so must add a few more photos, if I can find some.

my cluttered work corner

Thank you for the ongoing prayers. I truly need them and feel  sustained by them. Now I have a question for you: is it going to make you feel uncomfortable if I continue to chat about John? Needless to say, he is very much on my mind, but I don't want to cause you to worry about my mental health or when I'll get on with this life that is, after all, for the living.

Missing John

How blessed I was! 

John 1944–2016

The good thing was that I knew that every. single. day. I loved him; he loved me; 'twas all that mattered. I know that I will miss him until the day I join him.

~love light in his eyes~or maybe a leave me alone~trying to get ready for church~

So we, my family and I, are finding our way through the grief of losing John. I have sometimes heard Christians huff that their loved ones are not "lost." While we know that John is safely home with The Lord, he is definitely lost to us here on earth. 
Sam and Jakob, my grandsons, have struggled a fair bit. John is their first loss; they have not even suffered the loss of a pet to prepare them for this thing — death. We met with John's pastor and the pastor's wife on the Sunday afternoon just after John passed and talked things through. When the pastor was readying to leave, he said that he would pray when Jakob interrupted asking if he could himself pray. The pastor said, "Sure, Jakob, would you like to pray first?"
Jakob's prayer:

Thank you, God,  for John in our lives. We know that he is still with us in our hearts and that one day soon we will see him again. Well, in that day. 

Not a dry eye in the room...
Dear Ones, I want to thank you for the love and support, prayers, cards, calls, and emails, and for reading here at A Haven for Vee. A special thank you to Abby at Little Birdie Blessings for holding down the fort when I had to remind myself to even breathe. I do not know what the future holds for blogging because, as Sam says, "Everything was better with John." I do have some stories to tell, though, so perhaps I will find my way back one day.

This was John on a hot day in May holding a bookmark the Texas Quads made. He was so pleased to have it and called it a real "day brightener." He sure loved my little corner of Blogdom and all the dear folks in it. This was the last photo I took of him. 
Closing with a reminder from Lorrie who had been doing some reading in my archives. Precious reminder!

As we strode along the path through the cemetery just enjoying the close of day and being together, John leaned down a bit and whispered, "Every grave will open one day." That's a thought worth getting excited about! Then we passed a grave well over a hundred years old where the inscription read Meet Me There. I can't think of a much better message to those of us following after.

August 3, 2008