I am going to vanquish my winter blues. It is too much self–indulgence. My pets love me (and my wife). And that is enough. My favorite dog, Tilla, ‘adores’ me, in the words of my daughter. I did nothing to deserve all that. And that is an incomplete list of the seven cats and two dogs who each love me in their own way. My pets do not care what I do or am. And my wife does not care about the degree I do not have, or job for that matter.
Tags: cats, depression, dogs, my daughter, pets, the love of my wife, Tilla, vanquish Winter blues, winter blues
Posted in animals, balance, children, life, local, love, marriage, mental health, pets, relationships, seasons, wisdom |
Winter is a week in. Still no extended freezes. An abnormally warm Fall. That means Spring might come sooner unless we get cold in the early Spring. The countdown has begun (to Spring). I’d hibernate but I don’t have that option.
Tags: abnormally warm Fall, countdown to Spring, countdown to spring has begun, Fall, hibernation, seasons, spring, winter
Posted in God, local, seasons, time |
I never forgot one visit by the couple who lived in NYC. I wanted to show them the the Susquehanna River at night. To get to our vantage point we had to pass under a railroad trestle and it was a little bit muddy. She refused to go there because she might get her shoes a little bit dirty. All I could do was shake my head. Thus she missed seeing how beautiful the river looked at night.
Tags: get shoes dirty, NYC, she was afraid of a little mud, Susquehanna River, Susquehanna River at night
Posted in beauty, humor, local, nature |
We had a visit by a doe last summer. We spotted her from our kitchen window. I had never seen one in our backyard. Maybe she was attracted by the fruit of the mulberry tree. Several times we spotted the doe around the tract of woods adjacent to our property so I can only surmise it was living there. It was very unusual to see a deer so close to our house. And we saw the doe several times around that tract of land the last few months.
Tags: deer, deer in the yard, doe, mulberry tree, summer, the tract of woods adjacent to our property
Posted in animals, local, nature |
My “monster” cactus in my den has its first flower. It is completely pink and measures from its tip of the stem to the flower six inches. The flower will last a day or two and then wilt. Such beauty! And now there will be two more flowers. And I will watch their development carefully.
Tags: "monter cactus', my den, pink flower, The "monster" cactus blooms
Posted in beauty, flowers, local |
My “monster” cactus which we hung up in my den has three buds. It does not tolerate the cold too well so we had to bring it inside the house. I have been watching the daily growth of these three buds. The cactus has five inch wide pink flowers and tentacles several feet long. Each day the buds are a little bigger. I was amazed we did not break any tentacles gently transporting it. We have had the plant for at least two years.
Tags: "monster" cactus is budding, cactus, flowers, my den, pink flowers
Posted in beauty, local, nature |
The strawberries in my cereal are a real treat. They were local, deep red and sweet. Their season is really short–only a few weeks and they are done. The ones in the supermarket, which you can buy almost the year around are not. I am going to enjoy the cut up local strawberries fully aware in a few weeks they will not be available. The strawberries in supermarkets are never that red and sweet.
Posted in local |
I love feeling the earth with my fingers. I don’t think you can garden without loving the feel of soil through your fingers. My Mom gardened every year until she moved away. She no longer had a place to hide. I know she missed that garden. I still remember the red roses she had. It was a small garden but she had a variety of flowers and vegetables. I am still trying to plant a fig tree on my property. Fresh figs are almost impossible to get in this area. Even today I can still picture that garden. Both of my sisters garden and one has a house full of houseplants. So many things started in my Mom’s garden for me–an appreciation of flowers and beauty. So many things.
Posted in balance, beauty, life, local |
My wife spotted the plant from the bathroom window. I had to go outside to inspect it more closely. She brought it to my attention. The plant lay below the window and had delicate purple bells almost like another flower we had in another part of the yard except the other one was white and these purple flowers shaped in a bell were longer although about the same width. Another surprise that day. Life is full of little surprises and all you have to do is pay attention. How that flower got there I will never know. Serendipity!
Tags: flowers, life, life is full of little surprises, little surprises, my wife, pay attention, plants, serendipity
Posted in beauty, flowers, God, knowledge&learning, local, nature, time |
Life, sometimes, is composed of small surprises. I found a frozen bagel in the freezer I forgot I had and was glad to defrost it and eat it toasted dabbed with some butter. It was a real treat. A little surprise yesterday. Let us see what the next one will be.
Tags: bagel with butter, life, small surprises
Posted in God, life, local, time |
Only by grace both of us are passionate about listening to music. I share the best music I know and come across with her. And that is a gift being able to do that. In the beginning I opened a whole lot of worlds to her: British music and other kinds. I never forget the emotional impact of any piece of music. And I share that music with her easily. And that is only by grace.
Tags: British music, emotional impact of music, God, music, my wife, only by grace, share music
Posted in God, knowledge&learning, local, love, marriage, music, time |
In the beginning of our marriage every morning I would play this Nicole Nordeman CD. She asked me to play the music today and memories came flooding back. Everything was new between us then. I like to say we are an old married couple but we are not–twelve years I think. Every day is still another discovery. I know she is a gift and only here by serendipity. The music reminded me of that fact.
Tags: everything was new then, God, marriage, married couple, memories, music, my wife, Nicole Nordeman, serendipity, she is a gift
Posted in God, knowledge&learning, local, love, marriage, music, time |
