I love buying art supplies, but not brushes. There are simply too many choices: natural, synthetic, squirrel, sable, pointed, round, 4, 3, 6, 10. Don’t even get me started on prices.
I passed by the garden today. I’m looking foward to getting out and clearing away the brush. I’ve got big dreams for the garden this year — for our pantry and for my daughter’s science component.
I love to bake. In my other life (or my next life) I would love to open a bakery and spend all day with flour, eggs, sugar and butter. I am always amazed at how they transform into the most delicious things. It seems like a miracle to me.
A sky filled with snowflakes is a sky filled with teeny, tiny miracles.
Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst.
— John 4:14
Yes, water is nice. I should drink more of it.
I am not an organized person by nature. It’s a constant battle to keep my house and life on track. The spoon drawer is a good example; yesterday, it was over flowing with pens, papers, bottle caps, batteries, and so on. Fifteen minutes later all was in order.
Now, I secretly open the drawer during the day just to gaze on one spot in my house where everything is in the right place. It’s so calming.
When I take the time to organize something, I do a bang-up job. I’m not so good at keeping things organized (or finding them after I’ve organized). Nevertheless, I try to do it with aplomb, and that’s why I keep beads in etched glass vases, glitter in silver salt-and-pepper shakers, eyelets and brads in glass cigar tubes, and Swarovski crystals in a relish dish.
There are days when I just can’t be troubled to do laundry. Within a week, I inevitably regret that decision.
As a child, I was a very picky eater. Often, after turning my nose up at another dinner, my poor frustrated mother would sigh, “I hope when you grow up you have children that never eat what you cook either.”
Fast forward a few years and I’m now troubled by that curse! My palate has matured and seasoned but now I have to cook for a picky husband and four picky children.
So, what’s for dinner? The question troubles me daily (except Thursday which is always pizza day!).
It’s been cold enough for the past two weeks that the water in the planters has frozen solid. The mint doesn’t look like it minded too much…
Bridget and I headed out to Maranacook Lake for today’s call. That big white bubble in the ice is at least eight inches below the surface.
Art time (when I can fit it in) is always the bright spot in my day.
A bright subject calls for a dark ground — with the little tiny bit of snow we’ve had that poses a big challenge.
My oldest son was looking for a way to earn a few extra dollars, so I pointed out some outlets that needed to be replaced and gave him a copy of Time-Life’s Basic Wiring.
He diligently set to the task with a few helpers in tow. Of course the whole incident had to be documented.
I ventured out into the woods with Dennis, Henry, Bridget and Sam. Such a trek is a common adventure for those four nature lovers (well, calling Dennis a nature lover is a stretch, but he does love woods and water). Anyway, we took a circuitous route to the pond and a straightforward route home (about 3 miles in all, according to the pedometer Dennis got at last week’s sales meeting in Vegas — where he walked about 16 miles in four days!) The ice on the pond was quite solid, but the swooshing sounds of the water beneath the ice was disconcerting. In the end, I’m happy to report that the excursion came off without incident (unlike the posting of this response, which was delayed by a breakdown on the server end).
I marvel at the way Henry soaks up nature and enjoys every moment of being in it. I marvel at what a camera lens does to sunlight. I marvel at how cold 25 degrees can feel when you’re near the water and the wind is blowing. I marvel at the beauty all around me. I marvel at the fact that I seldom noticed said beauty, until I picked up a camera.
I didn’t think about taking pictures of my babies nursing until the third one. Since then, I’ve taken a shot of all of them; however, I don’t think I’ve ever actually posted one online. But, I do marvel, at how much calmer and sweeter both of us feel after nursing-cuddle time.
Yesterday at Target I bought my daughter a pair of cute red flats. Luke, who was shopping with us, piped up and insisted that HE wanted some red shoes too. “Okay, Luke, let’s go and see, but I don’t think they have too many little boy shoes in red.”
Lucky for us they did! In fact, the store clerks were busy restocking the shoe shelves and the ONLY shoes out in Luke’s size were a pair of bright red ones. Luke was thrilled beyond belief and I was thankful for the Providence that gave us what we needed right when we needed it.
When I saw today’s Call, I was at a loss. Divine Providence pulled me through, though, after I decided (at the last minute) to take the camera with me when I picked up Luke at the Y.
The weather warmed up last night, resulting in pea-soup fog and water on top of any snow/ice that never got cleared away (creating a very slippery surface). This is a situation I generally wouldn’t bother driving into, but Jack had a dental cleaning at 11:30. After the appointment, I decided it would be a good idea to motor over to a local brook for pictures of it in the fog. With a temperature of about 40 degrees, the main thoroughfares were fine. Since the road near the brook is curvy and busy, though, I didn’t want to just pull over on the side with the kids in the car. Therefore, I ventured (in my Chevy Venture) down a side road that leads to open space. It took a little longer than a few moments to realize I had made a mistake.
About 35 minutes later, a tow truck with a winch (courtesy of AAA and our membership dues) arrived to haul us back to asphalt more amenable to friction. The driver told me that he and his cohorts (there in a second truck to winch his up the hill, if necessary) had already pulled a number of cars up that particular venue. That tidbit of information helped me feel a little less stupid for heading down there in the first place, but not much.
A warm front came through our area too and brought rain and grey, cloudy, overcast skies…the whole day was coated in grey.
The afternoon sun is like a symphony of light over the baby’s crib. It’s empty because he prefers our bed — less glare. : )
When Dennis and I started dating in 1988, he introduced to me to a symphony orchestra’s worth of new musical artists. Now, after being married for 19 years (today), he serenades me on any one of his many guitars.
When I don’t feel like wandering far from home, I can step out my front door, walk down the road less than half a mile, and take pictures of the creek.
The final end of all our wanderings… Not trying to be gloomy — just needing a reminder to focus on the things that are truly important.
My floors are an absolute dirt and fur covered nightmare. I blame the dogs and the kids…
It looks worse when the sun shines on it.
As soon as I post this, I will go vacuum. Really.
I blame Bridget for my stint out in the frigid air near Cobbosseecontee Stream today. On Friday, she asked if her friend Tally could come over the next day. I agreed and figured it made sense to pick up the ham and bacon waiting for us at the butcher shop before picking up Tally, since her house is in the same general vicinity as the shop. On the way to the meat cutters, we passed Cobbosseecontee Stream, where I noticed a beautiful waterfall and three very large birds (eagles?) flying around overhead. Today, I couldn’t stop thinking about the spot, so Dennis and I headed that way with the camera. It was well worth the trip, but boy was it cold! It must have been zero or below with the wind chill factor.