December Love - My Christmas Card to You

From early October on....I hope for snow. If its in the forecast..I am up several times in the night, peeking out the shades. If in fact its falling..I wrap in a blanket and step out in my slippers, lifting my face toward the swirling icy crystals.

Losing Mom

A thing long expected takes the form of the unexpected when at last it comes.  

(Mark Twain)

I've often pondered this quote in joyful times, things hoped for, prayed for, waited for. But on this afternoon , as I was preparing to write a post on my Obsession of Pumpkins, I realized it also speaks of things that are difficult, dreaded, painfully expected.

October Love

 

                                    October passes much too quickly don't you think?

Although the nights have grown cold, the mornings dark, and the fleece sheets pulled up under my chin tempt me to stay cocooned against the morning chill... just a little longer.

What's to Love About Summer

Being a person who loves to grow things, Summer is of course the frosting on the cake of all my hard labor.

Digging  in the dirt, cheering my little plants on, protecting them from frost, too much rain, too much sun, and rotten bugs and slugs who think my main purpose was to supply them with a salad bar, has once again paid off.  It simply amazes me that beautiful flowers with hundreds of different colors come up out of dirt! And food? How wonderful we can grow our own if circumstances allow!

As many people are finally realizing, homegrown and locally grown are the way to go, our country and our kids would be in a lot better shape if we could get this into everyone's  head!

I have to admit though..the flowers are what thrill me the most, pairing plants with colors that play off each other,colors,textures, to me its  like painting in slow motion.

 (It is always nice to have extra help with the watering.)

Of course there are other favorite things in summer.

Popsicles

  

Little Plastic Pools filled with little Sunbeams 

 

Bare Tootsies

Trips to the beach

Stars from the Sea

Yes, indeed. There is much to love about summer.

However

By the time the Black eyed Susan's are in full bloom come August

I have had enough of the 90 degree heat.

My plants are now lucky if they get a bucket of water thrown on them.

 I no longer have my coffee at six a.m. while dumping salt on the doomed slugs who have not quite made it back under their rocks.

 And my joy of daily dead heading has well..died.

My sweet one hundred tomato plant is proving itself worthy of its name..my husband finds them topping salads, stir fry..everything but his Cheerios's.

The Zucchini...??  Well, it seems to be making its own Miracle Grow and does not care if I show up or not. At this point there is no stopping it!

So this time of year...what I love about summer is...

Sunrise

Sunset

Yup. I can almost smell that first loaf of Pumpkin bread. I am ready for my favorite Season of all.

Autumn!

How about all of you?

Thank you Lord, for allowing me another Season of Summer and listening to all my ramblings while tending it. I like meeting with you there!

Ecclesiastes 3:1

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

Farmers Market

Woke up Saturday, June 15 to a very fine, just about perfect Summer Day. Bluest skies, warm sun, just a touch of a breeze….

    After watering my geraniums, I had the urge to do something summerish… local like and down to earth. Hmmmm.. this would be the perfect day to finally investigate our little town of Eagle's Farmers Market I said to myself! Only six blocks away… I think I shall walk! As I put on my most 70's like attire, my most natural unsparkly down to earth sandals, I was feeling quite peaceful, and healthy and my head swimming with visions of the beautiful fresh produce that I would bring home to wash up for supper, perhaps beets, pulled right from our local ground, with soil still clinging to them;

and hopefully some fresh spinach (one of my favorite things EVER). And surely there would be strawberries still warm from the sun, which would be a lovely finish to our "a la natural" evening meal!

I slung my most favorite bag over my shoulder that spoke loudly of the generation I come from ( and somehow survived) . And as I began my journey through the neighborhood inhaling the heady fragrance of honeysuckle, I was singing..."When you goooo to San Fransisco (Insert Downtown Eagle here )… be sure to wear some flowers in your hair"... if you're goin' to "Downtown Eagle" you're gonna meet some gentle people there..."( I'm seriously wishing right now there was a music note "key" on the computer, because I'm gonna LOVE getting songs stuck in your head on a regular basis, those of you who are old enough anyway)

Now is probably a good time to bring up a very true saying I've known and on more occasion than I care to admit, lived ..."The Road to Hell (insert Farmers Market) is paved with good intentions." and no, this is not found in the Bible, not in these exact words anyway......

I finally arrive at my destination. The first site to behold are little kids running through water fountains shooting up from the ground, diapers sagging, (not from the dreaded "could you NOT have pooped beFORE we left the house?")  but just from being drenched in water, the squeals of delight and fun they were having was enjoyed by all of us around them. I think of how my Grandkids would love this. I then began wandering through the people and the booths of handmade jewelry, tie dyed onesies for the apparently 70's wanna-be infants, watercolor paintings and handmade soaps from beeswax. That soap smelled so lovely, I decided to make my Farmers Market visit even MORE authentic, I would include a fragrant bar for my final purchase. Speaking of fragrance… I now smell Kettle Corn which as most of you know, is irresistible… but NO… I shall resist because this little trip is all about being healthy today!! Yes it is! Now just WHERE is all this produce I have come for??? I search and wander about, til I realize… there IS none, that's right, NONE! Apparently it's just a bit too early? *sigh* well then… I head back to buy a bar of soap… Suddenly, a woman is standing right in front of me and with her phone, begins to take pictures of my hair! Turning me sideways, backwards, all the while saying how she knows this is weird, she hopes I don't mind, but its JUST the way she has been wanting it cut, and asks me for my stylist's number… as she finally walks away I pull myself together after the paparazzi attack and would like to be flattered by all this, but realize the woman is at least five years older than me… maybe I need a haircut...

By now I am too warm, thirsty, my Peace Bag is empty, and as a wonderful smell captures my attention. A fragrance far more tantalizing than beeswax soap has me following it like a bloodhound after a raccoon! Before I know it I am in front of a table covered with red and white check cloth, slathering on mustard and relish and a ton of sauerkraut... on top of what my grown kids call "floor scraps in a bun!"

                                                IT.       WAS.      DELICIOUS.

                                                          you know you want one.

I headed over to a bench in the shade next to the bandstand where a one man band was singing
"I shot the sheriff" (not going to write the words because NObody wants to get that song stuck in their head!) I devoured the thing in minutes, marveling all the while at how my attempt to be an earthlovin- veggie eatin -small town Mama, groovin on a Saturday afternoon, had ended in such disgrace.

To redeem myself, I stepped into Albertsons and bought some good ol California Corn.

"Buuuurp" excuse me. The dog just landed. I best be gettin on home.

Sunrise in Summer

As the temperature has reached the 90's here in Eagle Idaho. I have found that our daily walk on the path had to be done much earlier so that my large black friend can not only enjoy his usual romp, but survive it! He has a very thick black coat on and cannot take it off to  chase squirrels, run through the meadows or swim the lake. Meet my good ol pal Chandler.

 
I have always been a morning person. I find my day is so much better if I start the day, before the day starts...does that make any sense to any of you?

Now all you young Mama's with little ones who are now on summer break, I remember how nice it is NOT to get up early in the summer after doing it throughout the school year; shaking all those warm, sleepy " Idontwannagetup"fuzzy headed little  munchkins, flippin the pancakes, turnin out the PBJ's, digging the important paper that needs to be signed and turned in TODAY out of the garbage can    
(oops) zipping the backpacks, and herding your little ducklings down to catch the bus before they miss it and you end up driving them to school in your Flannels! (I also remember, how from first day of summer vacation on, how they wake up at 6 am on their own, to watch cartoons, eat four bowls of Cap'n Crunch and start the dreaded summer mantra of " I'm Bored.." before 9 am! ) Can any of you explain this to me???
Okay, I'm completely off track....anyways,

     I love mornings. However, since we have moved here, I must admit..I have began to sleep in til 7:00..7:30..and even 8:00..which really freaks me out when I pull the pillow off my head and see that number!! That is how much of a morning person I am! My morning gets away from me, and its downhill from there!
    So! I have gotten back on track this week, and I would love to share my rewards with you!

As Chandler and I step onto the Path this June morning, I am delighted to realize, that even though it is to be 94degrees today, I need to slip on my favorite flannel shirt I bought from Shopko (for $10 I might add) about 19 years ago! Chandler? He is cloaked in his ever present Shiny Black coat, remember? :) He takes off with great vigor enjoying the coolness as well. The earth sends up a fragrance that is heavenly, as if kissed by the moon in the night, leaving only dew drops and smelling of "New"! A brand new morning.

  But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases: His mercies never come to and end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:21-23

Oh Goody! I'm loved, I'm forgiven, I get to start another day!

The squirrels on this path, are seemingly fearless. As you can see by this guy, undisturbed while having his breakfast, He peers down at Chandler who would give anything to be a cat right now and tear up into that tree…Mr. Squirrel somehow knows ..he is in this moment, superior, so looks down upon us without concern  and continues to enjoy his version of Cap"n Crunch.

I thought I had come to know every wind of this stream, but in the quiet of this particular morning, I hear a waterfall I did not realize was there ,so we head down to the stream and found this! Chandler happily spins in the pool at the bottom like a crocodile snapping at the water as he spins..he does the same thing in his kiddie pool at home..he's a weird dog.... The waterfall is like a happy morning song...                                              

All along the path, the wild roses have bloomed, and though I have passed them many times in the past few weeks, I have not noticed the fragrance that perfumes the air!
  
We have by now reached the turn around point, I can hear Chandler tearing along the creek further on so I turn and wait for him to surface back on the path with his ears up wondering why I'm not keeping up with him, the sun is steadily rising now, and to my amazement...so does a hot air balloon!
   I'm thinking "this is just too great!!!  ( I was also thinking of The Wizard of Oz, and wondering if they were heading to Kansas...I know weird..this is how my brain works…)

             
As I turn to head back to the car, I realize this has been a pretty special start to the day! I look up... and I kid you NOT....a deer!! is standing in the path about 100 feet in front of me..ears up..we stare at each other for a few seconds, then it trotted off along the path, turning to look at me every now and then...Seriously..I cannot believe all this...fortunately Chandler is busy elsewhere, coming up behind me, doing his thing..I do not want him to see the deer...suddenly I can tell he has picked up the scent..he is whining and running all over with his nose to the ground....ha! Sorry buddy...Bambi is long gone!

I still smile thinking about this morning last week...wish every day could start like that right?  But of course they don't...but early...? Early mornings in summer are the BEST!
Now...go pour yourself a bowl of Cap'n Crunch and have a great day! (What's IN that stuff ANYway????)

                     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Nest

NEST

It's pretty safe to say, everyone who knows me knows I have a thing for nests!! I collect them (only the evacuated of course.) They are in my house, my planters and often times riding around in my car next to my starbucks cup. I. LOVE. NESTS.! I bend young trees back to see them, pile things on top of each other at the trunk to see them, and more than once in a while climb the tree much to my own peril. A few scratches, less than lady like tumbles, and awkward explanations to passers-by what in the world I'm doing, and I have lived to tell about it.  My friend, Suzanne says I am a predator. But I am a gentle predator armed with only my trusty iphone, which is how I got these amazing pictures of a robins nest on my beloved path!

   I saw the nest, (lots of parental Robin activity, which soon included dive bombing yours truly) I pulled a couple pieces of wood next to tree but still could not see in so just reached my iphone up over the nest and got the first shot of the amazingly blue eggs! I was SO tickled!! Is there anything more beautiful than this?! Not even the sky can equal this hue! When I got home and looked more closely, I realized the eggs had tiny holes in them (look closely) and were about to hatch!!

 The next day...there were two! Definitely not as beautiful as their shells! I checked on them every day and was totally amazed at how quickly they grew! Filled out with feathers, filled the nest to overflowing, and constantly had their mouths open!!

  No wonder I love Nests! It's a close comparison to becoming a couple, making your first home, expecting and raising all those little babies. I loved ALL those years! And they seem to have gone by in a flash!! You young Mamas… I know you are rolling your eyes, I used to be SO annoyed at that comment, usually heard in line at the grocery store, one child screaming and crying to get out of the cart, while the other opened a conveniently child height pack of skittles which scattered around our feet… but we Older Mamas-now Grammas know........

The nursery you spent a whole year planning and preparing, the crib that looks big only after you bring that tiny one home from the hospital. You spend hours just staring at them while they sleep… and if they sleep more than an hour at a time (in the beginning) you wake them up to see if they are alright…. time passes…

Soon you have another and a little family emerges and grows (and are certainly cuter than these bug-eyed, grandpa eye-browed red skinned fellas!)
They fill your heart, your home, your every hour and somebody is ALWAYS hungry!!!!

They watch you and they grow and grow and get personalities and whiskers and meltdowns and attitudes...

"She touched me!" "He's on MY side!" "She LOOKED at me!" ".."Are we THERE yet? It's HOT in here!"

And the next thing you know… they have all flown the nest, out on their own, and all you have left is a heart full of loving memories and a couple feathers.  That white stuff around the edge of nest?...well.."it" happens

 Be nice to your husbands ladies..he is the only one who stays! :)

Dry Creek Path

So..about this path (the literal path)...…

   It is two blocks from my neighborhood and I found it by chance shortly after we moved here to Eagle Idaho.It is hidden by trees at the end of a soccer field, like a treasure, like going through the wardrobe in the book of Narnia, is what it felt like  (and still does) to me when I first followed it.

   It was in October of last year, when I first wandered it with my faithful Black Lab, Chandler. I knew no one here at the time so it was just the two of us. But what I would soon learn, it was traveled by a regular group and their canine companions daily as well.  A rare and wonderful place you can actually let your dogs run free to explore the woods, fields, lake and creek that runs along side. All dogs on this path literally are grinning from ear to ear with their tongues hanging out in the middle!

   As we would greet the same people almost everyday, first for some reason we would learn the dogs names, Chauncy, Forrest, Lucy...then we started remembering the owners names by pairing them with their dogs.

    Some of us haven't combed our hair yet,or brushed our teeth, we most the time have on the same coats, boots sweats we wear everyday..beauty of it is..? No one cares!

   Dogs on the path love the excitement of other dogs, chasing squirrels and an occasional fox..but we two legged creatures? We walk this same trail day after day for other reasons. The physical walk of 2 miles is reason enough of course. But we also are breathing in Nature,Beauty Peace, and Faith in the God that  placed it all around us. We see the changing of the Seasons, The Circle of Life if I might borrow a line from The Lion King. The Leaves that turned more amazing colors than are describable, that shone in the Autumn sun in all their glory, then fell one by one to paint the path and carpet the way into Winter, which came with sparkling white branches and the sound of frozen snow under our boots.

    It was such a joy to see Spring unfurl as we walked along, The green that emerged and spread on a daily basis..The birds who inhabit all this beauty go wild with joy! Blackbirds, robins, sparrows, singing their different and beautiful songs, chasing each other through the air, carrying sticks and grasses to build their nests! Two owls that sit up above a large branch Hanging overhead sing their haunting song in the late evening,telling us all to go home and let them have their way with the night.

    There are box turtles who sun themselves in the sand on the edge of the lake, Bullfrogs emerge in the reeds of the marsh, and the two elusive" Stars," a small Red Fox, (whom Ive still yet to see) and a Large Golden Fox who graced me with his beauty two weeks ago (FINALLY!) Everybody had seen him but me. As I wandered past the field of Marsh grass, there he was! He was lying in the deep grass with just his head showing, watching my every move..I froze except to slide my ever present iphone out of my pocket to try for a picture, but as if to say "You cant catch me!" He rose and silently flew gracefully through the soft grass, his beautiful fluffy ringed tail flying behind him, he was gone so fast, I just had time to blink and wonder..Did I just see that??? It made my day! I have also heard there has been a Cougar spotted here ....I'm O.K. with just keeping that one an un-seen legend!

    I truly feel,  that this has been such a blessing in my life right here, right now. A Place to reflect, to talk to The Father, to Listen to Him, To thank Him, for this gift of Life, filled with Love, Joy, sorrow, heartache... to lift up those I love to His Care, and to keep walking on and on the path laid out before me that ultimately will continue around the bend over the bridge and to an Eternal home so beautiful even a visual person like me cant imagine!