In a Garden Not My Own

Recreating the missing post in a lesser, easier way.

photo will enlarge

Comments are closed. I've rather enjoyed this imposed holiday.

In the Garden

...and I don't mean my own.

Water Feature

Bleeding Heart

Magnolia Tree

Wild Ferns Along Rock Wall

no clue what this flower is...do you know?

Alkanet from the Borage Family

Tulips and Grape Hyacinths

white Trillium

Ahhh, isn't a post without too many words a wonderful one indeed? (I've been so chatty lately.)

Simple Comforts and Restlessness

Home. I so love it. I believe that everyone everywhere loves home. My thoughts and prayers are with all those whose homes have been wrenched so cruelly from them. Watching the news anymore requires tissues handy.

This is the season when much of the country is struggling with tornado damage, flood damage or drought. It's a country of extremes where even the weather participates.

All the while, I take comfort in simple, simple things...my Mother's Day carnation from John that perfectly matches the coral in my spring wreath, a morning mug of coffee brewed to perfection and served with a kiss, the furbabies, the birds outside my window, the lush new greens, the tree canopy blocking my views, the hum of the furnace (wait a minute...the furnace is on again?), even the screen before me that connects me to the larger world.

As you can clearly tell, I'm just rambling. Thinking. Wondering. Dreaming. Hoping. Praying. Believing.

Would you believe that this season, more than any other, makes me restless? I never know whether to stay or go. I feel conflicted as if I could or should do something else. Do you have seasonal restlessness? ☺

A peaceful day to you...

Baby Grand's Day in the Park

Violet Picking on Mother's Day

Just a few refresher points to fill in the background story for new readers and for those readers who don't remember every detail of every blogger's life. (I am always surprised by those readers who do.)

Point 1: John and I like spending time in the cemetery. We do not find this morbid; we think of it as spending time in a park.

Point 2: The grands are 5 and 4. The baby grand is quite a handful.

Point 3: John and I are not spring chickens. We are not middle-aged. We are old.

Point 4: The grands have new bikes. And helmets.

Point 5: My son had his wisdom teeth removed last Friday.

Point 6: The baby grand is quite a handful.

When the weather turned to something resembling spring a few days ago, I began to dream about taking the boys bike riding in the cemetery. It's larger than their driveway; the roads are paved; there's nearly zero traffic. It sounded like quite the lovely plan.

Their parents were fine with the idea considering one couldn't think straight and the other was busy as could be caring for the one who couldn't think straight.

So it was with great anticipation all the way around that the boys arrived with bikes, helmets, and high hopes. First, we'd go out for supper at our local eatery and take it from there. They were told that if they ate good suppers, it'd be bike riding time. They nearly ate the restaurant down. I had to assure them that, if they were full, it was okay to quit eating. Since their eyes and tummies were bulging, they welcomed the news.

Baby Grand was a bit of a handful at the restaurant because he was more interested in the booth behind us than what was going on in our own. Never fear. This nonni straightened him right around each time dangling bike riding like a carrot ever before him.

We may be idealistic, but John and I are not stupid. We knew that there had to be rules so we began laying them down on the block and a half to the cemetery and again when we arrived. The boys would listen. They would stop when told. They would pull off the road if a car came. They would keep circling around to allow us to catch up. They would not go fast. They would not go fast and put their brakes on just to lay skid marks. They would not ride on any graves.

Too many rules?

For three minutes everything went according to plan. We walked briskly and kept up nicely. Then Baby Grand put on a burst of speed and made it to the corner taking a sharp right. "Stop." "StOP." "STOP," I bawled. Baby grand looked back and saw me bringing up the rear and took off in another burst of speed wearing a little Baby Grand grin.

Thinking quickly (perhaps for the first and only time), I scampered across the corner leaping past gravestones and markers "Oops, sorry, Mr. Reynolds...Excuse me, Hazel" until I nabbed Baby Grand. He was some surprised as he never expected me to come out ahead of him.

Again the explanations, which now included, "This is your last warning. If you don't listen to Nonni, you won't be riding your bike." He seemed to understand; at least, he nodded his head at all the appropriate places.

I turned him around and headed him for the back of the cemetery, the safe side. And off he went in a little cloud of Baby Grand dust.

For a while I kept up nicely. Really I did. John and the Older Grand were happily spending time way on the other side of the cemetery.

It soon became obvious that Baby Grand was not going to STOP. He was chugging his way up a steep incline. It wasn't long before I became aware of another chugging going on to my left. I looked and there was John jogging along. He shot me a what the heck are you doing look, which I responded to with lots of huffing "He is not going to be able to make that hill!" John huffed back, "Oh he's going to make the hill all right. Look at him!" Sure enough, sturdy little legs were still pumping along as the bike climbed ever higher.

The good news is that John reached Baby Grand just as he and the bike crested the hill. Baby Grand did not crash down the large embankment 70 feet away. I arrived seconds later as did Older Grand.

"That's it, Buster. You're not riding your bike anymore today." A nonni knows her limits after all.

John walked the bike back. I walked Baby Grand back. Older Grand rode his bike back somberly.

Later Older Grand told me that riding in the cemetery wasn't that much fun because he was terribly worried about his little brother. Me, too. Me, too.

Baby Grand and his dad

Postscript:

Baby Grand is a dear little boy. He is also autistic. He began going to a special school last summer and goes year around with no more than a few days off. He'll be going all summer this year, too. We are delighted that he is responding well to all that he has been taught, that his vocabulary grows by leaps and bounds, that he responds appropriately to hugs and kisses. He is not the one making the mistakes. I am. I hope that some wonderful spring day in the future, we can try bike riding again. I'll be taking along extra helpers. I have learned my lesson.

No Duds Here...

First of all, before I forget, thank you so much for your comments on Recipes and Dishes. You gals are smart and there are plenty of great ideas for storing recipes and dishes. I like the idea of storing dishes in an old unused freezer. Why not? Very convenient. And I like the idea of having a laptop in the kitchen for pulling up recipes saved on the computer. Guess I'd better start saving my pennies.

***

Second of all, before I forget, thank you to all those who sent an encouraging email yesterday. You knew it had all the potential for being one of those bittersweet days. It was so special to know that I was being thought of and prayed for. At one point, I found myself smiling as I thought that my own mother never knew a Mother's Day without her mother being a part of it. Whenever I am tempted to think of all the things my grandmother and mother are missing, I remember that Heaven is filled to overflowing with comforts and loved ones; I am immediately consoled. Nan and Mother are well and more alive than they ever were on this earth and enjoying Heaven and being with the Lord.

***

Your prayers were answered, too. I received a call early in the morning, before eight, and a confirmation call at nine saying that "the gang" would be arriving in half an hour. They did. They stayed much of the day. We had great fun and all reflection time was done together. This was sweetly comforting.

As you know, I often provide the mosaic dud on Monday. This Monday, I am not thinking of these mosaics as "duds." (After all, a gal should not call her children and grandchildren "duds." They are just meant more for my regular readers who might be interested in such things.)

My grands have visited twice since Friday. They fell in love with R*ee D*rummond's Charlie the Ranch Dog. Their dad, my son, had all his wisdom teeth removed last Friday so the grands came this way to provide him with some respite and a very attentive nurse. Charlie was the hit of the day both Friday and yesterday. My son is a pretty laid back guy, with meds, he's even more laid back than usual as you can see from this video and his editorializing in an Irish accent??? (It certainly isn't a Maine one.)

Yup, makes me laugh every time.

Brenda shared in earlier comments that PW did an entire post on the making of Charlie. I found it  *here.* There is good information for anyone who has ever thought of writing a children's book.

Okay, I'm easy. This one makes me laugh, too. You can see how the baby grand gets into this story.

Reading C*harlie the Ranch Dog

Auntie listening in

Auntie's Phone

The grands are quite smitten with their auntie and her long hair. Here's another video that makes me laugh.

Return tomorrow to read more about our adventure in the graveyard. Ai yi yi...

Have a happy afternoon!

Edited to Add: Oops! Forgot to post date. Oh well, these things happen.

Dreamy Azaleas~Mosaic Monday

Azaleas in bloom are plenty dreamy and especially so after the winter and spring we've had. I still couldn't resist adding extra touch of dreamy with this hazy edges treatment.

Hope that your Mother's Day was wonderful. Mine was. Some of it was even spent outside in a spirited game of Keep-Away, which is a story for another day as "dreamy" and "keep-away" are not two birds of a feather.

Linking to Mary at Little Red House. I understand that Mr. Linky won't be up until ten this evening. Still I'm being whisked off so will visit most tomorrow. I am looking forward to it!

Happy Mother's Day

source

The sweetest sounds to mortals given

Are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven.

~William Goldsmith Brown

 

Happy Mother's Day!

 

 

Comments are closed

Recipes and Dishes

This is my recipe file. Does it look anything like yours? As I find recipes I want to try, I print them off and set them on top of the printer where they stack up for a few days or weeks, whatever, until I file them properly.

Let's see what's in the file...I have four this week.

1. Cheddar, Gruyère and Chive Bread~Savoring Time in the Kitchen

2. Grilled Chicken Salad with Feta, Fresh Corn, and Blueberries~Pioneer Woman

3. Chocolate Biscuit Cake for Prince William~Mennonite Girls Can Cook

4. Sopapillas~Sweet Nothings

One has made it to my refrigerator  so far — Sopapillas! (BJ's recipe)

As I was exclaiming to BJ last night, I haven't had those in years...not since my Oklahoma days. It was a lovely trip back in time. I'm sure that I can do better with more practice. For one thing, you can tell that I didn't fret much over shapes. ;>

*******

Just tossing in a little progress report on dishes and finding homes for them. One thing always leads to another and if I make room here, then something must go there. Lots of somethings have been packed and are now labeled "Yard Sale or Goodwill." It depends on my energy levels.

Now this is temporary because very soon I'm going to be painting the kitchen wall. I've had quite enough with the "wood look" and this way it'll get us prepared for painting the rest. I'm coming in for a landing on a linen color, I think...about the shade of the putty John used in the cracks before I went, "Accccckkkkk!" (That was before I married him when he was just the carpenter. I might not feel so free to say that these days. ☺)

I used Nan's cracked dishes in my plate and platter arrangement. I have yet to find the entire two sets and am not sure that I wish to go looking after a week of boxes all over the place.

Now do tell me, how do you store your recipes? And where, pray tell, do you put extra dishes?

My Winner Announced

"The Hand" draws again

And Suzanne of At Home with the Farmer's Wife wins!

This is Suzanne's sweet comment on my Fake Out post:

Dear Vee,

It's all about how we frame things....... photos, thoughts, our lives. If the whole picture is not exactly dramatic or noteworthy then we should look closer at the details.

Tell your family that we love to follow the goings-on in Maine, no matter how ordinary it may seem!!

I am a blogger. I have a blog. I don't share without permission and I'm so happy that you've reached 1,000 posts.

What makes this a great giveaway. The mystery! I love a good mystery and this allows me to make up my own story about what you're up to.

Oh, I am so glad that Suzanne loves a mystery because I'm still not clear about where I'm going or what I'm "up to." I do know this: I shall not be sewing as Suzanne is an excellent seamstress. Though, even now, a few thoughts are coming.

Be watching, Suzanne. An adventure is coming your way.

It's Here! They're Here!

Opening my box right in the middle of pink Depression glassware

It's here! Oh, I've been waiting for weeks days!

They're here!

When ordering from Amazon, one must get the super saver discount don'tcha know.  Ree's book about Charlie is very cute and beautifully illustrated. I know that the boys will enjoy that one.

This boy is going to enjoy this one. He has been enjoying the benefits of MGCC for several years now and often asks if a new and delicious recipe is from MGCC. He's often correct.

Love that back cover! You'll have to check it out for yourselves as my photo is a titch blurry. (I see a familiar looking vintage auto...)

On a serious note, I wish to commend this group of women who have been, and continue to be, so generous with their time and energies. Did you know that all the proceeds from this wonderful book are going to charities to feed hungry children? What a commitment of love! May God bless your efforts many times over, Ladies.

Nan's Dishes

Shield your eyes! This is the dud mosaic for yesterday. What was I thinking?

Click to enlarge at your own peril

In my own defense I'd like to say that I was very tired last night. I've spent the last several days cleaning the yard. Then yesterday afternoon, John and I cleaned the garage because we were moving a bunch of stuff in.

It was a great morning to load up the goods from the storage facility above and take them to the new storage facility below.

Ever since, I've been unpacking Nan's china. (My mother's is still at her home.) The table and counters are loaded with it. I'm washing, dividing, and repacking it. Sis gets half.

Nan's china is named Derbytone from Myott and Sons, England. The pattern has been discontinued. My mother told me that, when she was trying to replace some chipped pieces, she learned that the factory had been bombed during WWII and the pattern was lost. Therefore, there are precious few replacements. The china was a gift to my grandmother from my grandfather. (I've told you what a sweet gift giver he was.) Sometime prior to WWII, he was shopping in Boston when he came upon this set of china. He liked it so well that he purchased two sets, one for my grandmother and a set for his mother-in-law as well.

I remember eating from these dishes only on very special occasions—Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.

Scattered throughout the Derbytone are pieces of Bavarian china. This little plate is darling and so modern looking to me. The top is porcelain and the bottom is rougher like stoneware. It's called Royal Silesia (Possibly Prussian).

There'll be more to share as I delve into the depths of those boxes. It's a bittersweet day. How are you spending yours?

Hope of a Garden~Mosaic Monday

Taking pictures of the few green things up through the soil. Spring's been a long time coming, which makes it all the sweeter. Even the rabbit is happy!

Linking to Mary at Little Red House. If you've ever thought you'd like to join in the fun, please do; we'd love to have you!

In the Morning

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. ~Psalm 5:3

Even with a small garden, I find new things every morning. This was my new find of the day. It's blooming among my frilly daffodils, though it has this much different shape.

I spent some time looking up this morning...at the clear blue sky and the budding trees.

I see a hornet's nest getting started...

Just there...do you see the unusual daffodil with her sisters? Listen to the birdsong. The chickadees are singing their spring song, "Phoebe, Phoebe." May is off to such a lovely start.

Have a wonderful Sunday. Many blessings to you...

As always, Sunday comments are closed.

April Blogging Poll

Just posting my poll information for my own satisfaction.

#1 How often in the last month have you experienced difficulty with Blogger?

Of 47 Votes

• 16 have never had trouble
• 7 have weekly troubles
• 7 have daily troubles
• 17 have had a few troubles in the past month

#2 Specifically, have you lost pictures?

Of 38 Votes

• 29 no
• 9 yes

#3 Are you able to move paragraphs, edit posts, place photos where you want them?

Of 38 Votes

• 22 yes
• 16 no

#4 How long have you had to wait for your blog to post on blogrolls and in readers?

Of 34 Votes

• I have never had to wait. 17
• A few minutes. 11
• Hours 4
• My blog never updates as it should. 2 (I know one of these gals and it is terribly frustrating for her and for all of us who follow her blog.)

#5 How long have you been blogging?

Of 38 Votes

• A few months 3
• A year 8
• Over a year 1
• Years 26

Thank you to everyone who took my little poll. Although it does not meet statistical requirements for accuracy, it says a lot to me.

Comments are closed.

The World Will Always Welcome Lovers

(Having now watched the wedding and the balcony scenes, I am able to add my own review and photos. ☺ Edited bits are posted in red.)

Why I'm writing today is anyone's guess as I'm sure that every eye around the globe is on some tv screen watching the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

I've been known to expound on this topic a bit...was it in your blog???...about all the hype and hoopla. I went the hype and hoopla route for Prince Charles and Diana and had/have no intention of going that way again. Prince Charles really was a cad for whatever reasons and, while I have more hope (way more hope) for the current royal couple, I simply wasn't going to get involved this time around.

"I can not believe what Vee said about me!" ~Prince Charles

Late yesterday morning, I found a couple of somethings that changed my mind a bit. Another royal couple was hanging out in my sewing room. What? You don't believe me? Just follow along and I'll show you.

Right up to the top of the stairs we go.

And into the sewing room...don't trip on the vacuum cleaner or that wrinkle in the carpet!

See that bag on my chair? Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Entry for January 30, 1939

Nan's diary saying that my grandfather "Jack came in around 1 a.m." Yadda, yadda, yadda and then she went to see the movie You Can't Take it With You. "Swell too" she adds. Now I want to see that movie. I'm a sucker for a good review.

And who is this?

The Queen Mother!

And her beloved King George VI!

What a radiant smile she had!

THEY WALKED among their people — and to the day of departure, everywhere joy was manifest.

Goodbye!

There are some striking similarities and interesting parallels between Prince William and Kate's courtship story and his great-grandparents' story. You can Google it and find out more. (Wikipedia offers this {under Marriage} and this.) I think that The Queen Mum would give Kate her heartfelt blessings and approval.

The last thing in the bag? A music book...first song up... As Time Goes By. Seems appropriate somehow...

As Time Goes By
by Herman Hupfeld


You must remember this
A kiss is still a kiss
A sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by

And when two lovers woo
They still say, "I love you"
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by

Moonlight and love songs never out of date
Hearts full of passion, jealousy, and hate
Woman needs man and man must have his mate
That no one can deny

It’s still the same old story

A fight for love and glory

A case of do or die

The world will always welcome lovers

As time goes by

Of all the outfits worn, after the bridal couple's, I most loved the Queen in yellow. Did you watch? What did you think?

*** The magazine covers are from the Canadian tour taken by King George VI and his Queen Elizabeth (Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon) in 1939. They were married April 26, 1923. Yes, Queen Elizabeth and her mother shared the same name. Queen Elizabeth became known as the "Queen Mum" after her daughter became Queen. This is not to eliminate confusion so much as to make a distinction between her status as the King's wife and her status as the King's widow. (Queen Mary was King George VI's mother married to King George V.) 

I think my grandmother's 1939 diary was in with the magazines because of the year. Sadly, Nan did not write about the royal trip to Canada, even though, as a loyal Canadian, she kept the magazines. This should be a lesson to us all when journaling. Do talk about the events of the day! (Just clearing up a couple of misconceptions because I wasn't clear in my explanation yesterday.)

It's interesting to note that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit Canada from *June 30 to July 8.* (Note the date on these magazine covers.) What a great time for Canada to have the royal couple over Independence Day!