Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

I am a homebody.  The grass is not, necessarily, greener somewhere else.  One of my sisters loves to travel.  I don’t have the same wanderlust.  It is true I don’t have the financial means she has.  Nevertheless, I like being home.  I still make discoveries every day in my backyard and in my house.  I am surrounded by my books and music.  I like having them at my fingertips.  I do have seven cats and four dogs that make it more difficult to just leave and go somewhere but I love my animals, particularly my dogs, and always miss them when we go away once or twice a year.  Sometimes I visit my oldest friend in New Orleans.  And I go by myself.  It is just easier that way.  When I return from a trip, home is just that much sweeter.  As Richard Thompson says in a song, ‘Every heart needs a home.’  Even when I am home I only go out briefly.

Tags: 'Every heart needs a home', books, cats, dogs, four dogs, grass is not necessarily greener, homebody, music, my backyard, my sister, New Orleans, oldest friend, pets, Richard Thompson, seven cats, travel, wanderlust
Posted in balance, beauty, life, local, marriage, money, music, nature, pets, relationships, time, wisdom | No Comments »

The grass is not greener elsewhere.  It is so tempting to believe that but it is not.  Sometimes paradise is right in front of you.  This year I discovered a large raspberry patch within an hundred yards on the street I live on the edge of some woods.

This was to be the second year I was going to pick raspberries in a patch I discovered last year on my property.  And then I discovered this patch.  I did not know who the owners were.  The berries were wild.  I picked enough at the new patch for at least two pies.

It amazed me I never noticed that patch before.  It was ten feet in from the road and I happened to notice it when my dog was sniffing around there.  What else am I missing right under my feet?

I was going home from church and took the long way because the land was wilder and I never knew what wildlife I would see from this road.

I was not disappointed this time:  I flushed a dozen wild turkey hens.  I do see wild turkey around here but I had never seen so many at one time.  I was thrilled to say the least.

I never know for sure what discovery I will make next time.  We have thousands of books between us and there is an universe in each of them so I have no need to travel too far to explore the next universes.

And that does not even include universe after universe in my music– thousands of LP’s, cassettes and CD’s.

I never run out of things to explore.  I do not have to go to far but don’t get me wrong I do enjoy traveling once in a while.  I just don’t feel I have to.

Tags: animals, books, cassette, CD, church, discovery, dogs, explore, grass is not greener, LP, music, nature, paradise, pets, raspberry patch, raspberry pie, right under my feet, travel, universe after universe, wild berries, wild turkey hen, wildlife, woods
Posted in animals, balance, beauty, birds, God, knowledge&learning, life, local, music, nature, seasons, time, wisdom | No Comments »

Suddenly it struck me viewing the discounted book “501 Must Sights Of The World”.  I had no interest in exploring any of these places.  I quickly glanced at some of the magnificent sights in glorious color.

I tried to figure out why I had no desire to travel to any of these exotic places some of which I had never heard.  I was balking at even opening the book to glance through it.

Despite my reservations I bought the beautiful book anyway.  I know my wife will like leafing through it.

I could never let myself dream of traveling.  I never had the funds to travel abroad so I just did not let my mind and curiosity roam.

I knew I never would be able to.  I am the same person who told my wife never to use the word “never”.

All that quickly ran through my head as I deliberated buying the book for a Christmas gift.  There were other issues why I did not desire to travel very much but I will explore them in other blogs.

Tags: beauty, blog, book, Christmas gift, exotic places, explore, money, my wife, nature, never say never, travel, travel abroad, world
Posted in art, balance, beauty, knowledge&learning, life, local, marriage, money, nature, time, wisdom | No Comments »

No matter how beautiful or even drab an area we visited it is always the hospitality displayed that determined whether I enjoyed my stay.

It is never the place.  I remember how beautiful the view from my sister’s deck of Cape Cod Bay but I could not get away quick enough.  She drove me nuts with her fastidiousness.  If I spilled one drop of water on her floor or dropped one crumb of food she went berserk.  Her kitchen floor looked like you could eat off it.

That same year we visited a college friend of mine and what a contrast.  There was peace in that household.  There was no one hovering over me.  We felt welcome.  Hospitality is an art.  And you always know whose household you want to return to.

Tags: beautiful view, Cape Cod Bay, college friend, eat off the kitchen floor, fastidious, felt welcome, hospitality is an art, household, hovering over me, peace in the house, sister, travel
Posted in balance, beauty, God, humor, knowledge&learning, life, love, nature, relationships, time, wisdom | No Comments »

It is so easy to take even the simplest things for granted.  I took a shower this morning and I had to remind myself this was something I should be grateful for.  For fifteen years not that long ago the house I lived in did not have a shower just a bath tub.  That was the big thing when we traveled — the motel always had a shower.  I forgot about that and silently thanked God for my shower.  It is so easy to take even the smallest freedoms for granted–like being able to take a shower in your house.

Tags: bathtub, be grateful, freedoms, God, house, motel, simple things, take a shower, take things for granted, thank God, travel
Posted in balance, God, humor, life, marriage, time, wisdom | No Comments »