ABC Wednesday
October 4th, 2017

The letter is M for Mother

Dorothy Emily Grace

February 16th, 1902 - October 4th, 1957

A beloved and endearing inspiration

for whom I have an enduring love

Her favourite song

Her cross was the illness and pain
that she bore to the end of her life
with the utmost grace and patience.
She was renowned for her cheerfulness and understanding!
Best Mum ever......

I remember her with deepest love on the 60th anniversary of her death.

More Ms here at ABC Wednesday.....

Embracing Autumn

September 30th, 2017

I waken to a cool, quiet morning.  Dawn is just breaking and as I open the door to the garden, and Bruce rushes by me, I look to the East and see faint wisps of clouds.

The last day of September, - how could this beautiful month possibly have sped by so quickly, - I just see the last of the White Rabbit's tail disappearing over the hills to the West, and here he is again,  advancing from the East with his gift of luck for October to those who acknowledge him....

September days fade into memory, but autumn is still with us....poignant October is really the month when the Similkameen becomes glorious with fall colours

but up in the Chilcotin the days are getting frosty

and the leaves and grasses are incredibly beautiful.

Number Two Son captures these magnificent photos

of the meadow and the country side,

 ablaze with brilliant blue skies and shimmering golden shrubs and grasses.

Besides the beauty they are eternally grateful

that the Meadow was bypassed by the ferocious fires

that left so many bereft.....of homes, and trees, and forests....

 

Two lovely poems by Sarah Teasdale

"Lyric night of the lingering Indian Summer,

Shadowy fields that are scentless but full of singing.

Never a bird, but the passionless chant of insects,

Ceaseless, insistent.

The grasshopper's horn, and far-off, high in the maples,

The wheel of a locust leisurely grinding the silence

Under a moon waning and worn, broken,

Tired with summer."

and also

"The leaves fall patiently

Nothing remembers or grieves,

The river takes to the sea

The yellow drift of leaves.

Tomorrow we will greet sweet October who carries us through 

to the sorrows of November.....

Bittersweet October

The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause 

between the opposing miseries of

Summer and Winter

Carol Bishop Hipps

Out in the garden the Chrysanthemums are still budding,

but the Asters are glorious in the sunshine,

full of bees.

and the Sedums...

William Cowper says "Gardening imparts an organic perspective

on the passage of Time."

True - but today I am looking ahead and threading the loom....

and preparing to welcome the White Rabbit after midnight....

Lang Lang

ABC Wednesday
September 27th, 2017

The letter is L 

for Lang Lang 

playing Liebestraum by Liszt

at a Nobel Prize Concert in 2010

thanks to all who maintain

this meme.....

more Ls here for your enjoyment.

Sunday afternoon
September 24th, 2017

Today a sweet great granddaughter celebrates her second birthday, but I am home nursing an arthritic knee which was not in a party mode and got that way after a water skiing injury, some forty years ago.  Nevertheless, it causes raised eyebrows when I answer inquiries about the source of lameness in my knee with a casual "a water skiing accident".  At 92......seriously!!!!!

Nevertheless I am sorry to miss sweet Olivia's birthday party.....  I know it will be a fun affair

with all sorts of little ones, their Moms and Dads and probably

grandparents. balloons, party snacks and birthday cake.  Ah well...




It behooves me to think that little ones birthdays parties are made

for great grandparents to just pop in with hugs and kisses and presents,

and then to quietly disappear!!!




I was up early this morning (as I am most mornings so Bruce can run out to the garden for his usual morning visit). It gives me time for a leisurely breakfast, and while I enjoyed my second cup of coffee I took down from the bookshelf one of the volumes of my Blog, circa 2008.

Shortly after I began to write I realized this blog was really a journal, and considering future years when memories would likely be important, and at family urging, I started to have it published by Blog2U,

Well, leafing through this particular book, recording this particular year, I realized that life, and my writings about it, have become sparse and scanty in comparison to the rich happiness within the pages written while my dearest one was still alive and sharing...

Sometimes I am so desperately lonely for him, despite all the kindnesses of children and family.

I am so desperately lonely for him, and yet at the same time, as I read about the days we lived together, I am so very grateful for those times, and the opportunity to remember them, smiling and full of gratitude.  They become alive again, - our conversations, our photo drives in the country side, someone dear to have breakfast with, and I think how lucky we were!!

To add to the poignancy, while arranging my hair as I prepared for church, I caught the faintest glimpse of my mother in the mirror........it is one of those days when the veil between time and eternity thins to gossamer,  that veil between the present and the past.  A day to be treasured....

Ted Kooster Poet Laureate

ABC Wednesday
September 20th, 2017

The letter is K for Ted Kooster

Ted Kooster was born on April 25th, 1939

in Ames, Iowa

He worked for many years as Vice President

of an Insurance Firm,

writing his poetry in the mornings,

in the evenings,

and during his spare moments.

For two terms Poet Laureate in the United States,

a Pulitzer Prize Winner,

now he writes children's books,

is a Professor at the University of Nebraska,

and is Editor of a newspaper column

"American Life in Poetry"

which is carried in 150 newspapers

 throughout the country

as well as being distributed

by email,

and used in classrooms.

(From Wikipedia)

I have his book

"The Wheeling Year -

A Poet's Field Book"

in which he says about September

"One of our old neglected apple trees is so burdened with fruit this year that a limb has cracked, turned brown, and drapes, limp-wristed, bejewelled with apples that ripen, day after day, on those lifeless fingers.  This morning I noticed that hornets have come to set each garnet in golden filigree"

and he goes on to say, about September...

"Labor Day weekend, rainy and cool, and the second hatch of barn swallows are still in their nest under the eaves, three of them, downy and mewing, their beaks like buds just opening, while the rest of the swallows, an extended family of a dozen or more, including the year's first hatch, wheel round and round this axis, crying,  as if to unwind the invisible thread that holds them here, 

with winter coming".

A beautiful expression of a poet's awareness

it is well named

"A Poet's Field Guide"

Open it to any page and there is a vignette of life;

creative, imaginative, heart touching, sometimes poignant

and very beautiful.

For more expressions of the letter K visit

here at ABC Wednesday

with thanks to all who maintain this meme.

Sunday morning Scones

Sunday, September 17th, 2017

Cool and smokey this morning, and with the weather report over

 let me tell you about making scones!

I have this fabulous recipe in our church cookbook "Secrets of a Small Town",

 inserted by a dear friend who is, unfortunately,

long gone from our midst.

She suggests doubling the recipe, and each time I make it, that's what I do!

It was a great hit at after-service refreshments last week at church,

 and I'm always in for things that make an good impression.

Being a 'bake right after breakfast' type of woman, (as I age), 

I got busy right after the second cup of coffee

 and threw together these marvelous biscuits.  

All went well, and I slipped them into the 425 degree oven,

forgetting that the last time the oven performed at that degree of heat

the super-sensitive smoke alarm led me a merry chase 

up and down the hallway, with a towel to quieten it.....

until at last I had to plug in a fan to make a breeze and calm it down.

Sure enough, - as the timer was about to go off at 12 minutes

 the alarm started to wail, 

and only increased its cries 

when I took those lovely scones from the oven!

What do the neighbours think??

Living alone,
and with diminished hearing,
I know it is a comforting 'thing'
to have outside my bedroom door..

but seriously??

Well, it's no wonder it kicked up such a rumpus...

Look at the bottoms!

I shall serve them with butter and jam 

and a sharp knife to cut off the burnt part, and they will be delicious.

One can get away with that kind of thing when one is ancient,
and family will be happy that I still have the
ways and means and the wit to make scones.

Even burnt scones....

Here is the recipe...

Jean's English Scones

2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 eggs (save one white)

1/4 cup currants

1/2 cup of milk

1/2 cup of margarine

1/4 cup of mixed fruit

Mix flour, sugar salt and baking powder.  Cut in margarine.  Add fruit and mix.  

Add milk, one whole egg and one egg yolk.

Stir until moistened.

Turn out and knead well.  

Roll out about 1/4 inch thick.

Cut into shapes, put on cookie sheet and brush with egg yolk.

Sprinkle with sugar and bake at 425 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes

Watch carefully, - if your oven is sensitive take a peak at 11 minutes.

I doubled the recipe and used cheese instead of fruit. 

so I ended up with nice cheesy scones 

with black bottoms!!!

I plan to spend the rest of the day winding a warp 

to put on the loom...

and hoping all goes well!

Jambalaya

ABC Wednesday
September 13th, 2017

Letter is J for Jambalaya

The Music

The Recipe

In a large Dutch oven heat 1 tbsp of olive oil

add  one onion, finely chopped

along with two chopped bell peppers

cook for about five minutes until tender - almost!

Stir in one pound of boneless chicken breasts, cubed

along with one teaspoon of oregano, some salt

and some pepper.

Cook until the chicken is gold and then stir in

one half a pound of andouille sausage

two cloves of garlic and 

two tablespoons of tomato paste,

Cook until it smells yummy

(probably about a minute)

and then add two cups of chicken stock,

one can of crushed tomatoes

a cup of long grain rice

and 2 teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning.

Cover with a tight lid and cook until the

rice is tender and the liquid almost

absorbed (about twenty minutes)

Add a pound of shrimp (peeled and deveined) 

and cook until the shrimp is pink

(three to five minutes)

Stir in two green onions, thinly sliced,

before serving.

Enjoy!!!

For more interesting Js click here

at ABC Wednesday

many thanks to all who maintain this meme

Indigo

ABC Wednesday
September 6th, 2017

The letter is I, for INDIGO

Indigo

by Barbara Strang

To achieve the

desired blue

the cloth had to

be lifted in

and out of the vats

in the heat

of India, Nigeria,

or Thailand.

Indigo, - you used

to wear that deep-dyed hue,

it suited you.

The name for the

spectral blue-violet.

Indigo

as blue as

deep as your eyes,

the lashes a flight of geese

on the last stripe of blue as the

sky plunges towards night.

More I s here at ABC Wednesday

with thanks to all who maintain this meme!

This and that, and then there's the past

Sunday, September the third, 2017

While I have my lunch this very smokey September Sunday I am listening to David Garret as he plays Beethoven's Concerto for Violin and. Orchestra in D with the National Philharmonic of Russia.

Right soloist, right piece of music, but not what is on the DVD I watched.

and I must warn you it is 27 minutes long

but pure pleasure...

 It is a long time since  I have gone through the cupboard Charles made to house all the music we collected over the years; the records, the cassettes, then the DVD audios and movies, as time passed and the media came to us in different forms.  What I really wanted to listen to was the Adagio in D...it seemed somehow fitting when I came in exhausted but satisfied with my morning bringing order (more or less) to the garden...

Sunday...,and I'm not terribly focused.  All week my energies have been concentrated on the loom, with satisfying results now the shuttle is whizzing back and forth through a nice taut warp.

This morning I had a lovely four minute egg with toasted soldiers  (not something my beloved husband would have approved of....dipping your toast in the dripping yolk! ). A second cup of coffee and I browsed a bit in Anna Quindlen's "Lots of Candles - Plenty of Cake".  I ordered three of her books from the library, to re-read because they give me nothing but pleasure and comforting memories.

The quote with which she starts the first chapter.."Life must be lived forward but understood backward" ( Kierkegaard) resounds with me more and more, the longer I live.  Quindlen says "It's. nothing short of astonishing, all that we learn between the time we are born and the time we die......in the laboratory of our lives". But our understanding comes late in life.....

"There comes a time when we finally know what matters, and more importantly, what doesn't".

And then in the next chapter she goes on to talk about the bane of my life.."STUFF". I remember those first sweet innocent days of our marriage when Charles had his uniform, I had my trousseau (sp) and there was a barrel full of wedding gifts to pick up at the train station.

Now I view with despair this great collection of "things" we have accumulated over sixty-seven years of marriage and family and events and treasuring.  I have pretty well limited myself to books, and a little bit of new cotton thread to weave with, since my love departed.

I ponder on ways to get rid of all this STUFF, much of which has so kindly been given to us by our six children, and their offspring, and their offsprings' offsprings.... Do you suppose I could label it all, to be returned on my departure...but how would I remember what came from who, and imagine the uproar if the legacy went to the wrong person.

Well, I will be like Scarlett and worry about that tomorrow  if and when.....

The Beethoven is over now...I think I will make a cup of tea and take it into the loom room and contemplate the beginning of my fourth towel. I have an hour before Radio City comes on Knowledge Network .... Enough time for three or four bobbins to advance the work.....

Maybe by bedtime the smoke from these ferocious wildfires that are all around us will have wafted away with a change of breeze and fresh air will blow through the open window.

And maybe I should be very grateful that it is smoke, and not flames!!!!

A Gentle Reminder

as We Welcome September

Now hath the summer reached her golden close....(Lampman)

and perhaps the White Rabbit will arrange

for a welcome smattering

of sweet rain.....

Hallelujah

ABC Wednesday

August 30th, 2017

The letter is H for Hallelujah

A beautiful version, I think..

Leonard Cohen took the world by storm with this haunting piece of music..

It has even reached the thousands of Retired Ukulele Groups that add music 

to their entertainment repertoire........

Enjoy!

It's great to play....

For more Hs click here for ABC Wednesday

with thanks to all who

maintain this meme.

.

Time and the Sunflower

  

Ah sunflower, weary of time,

Who countest the steps of the Sun,

Seeking after that sweet golden clime

Where the travelers journey is done..

an exerpt from William Blake

Hurry into the coolness of Autumn

and its sweet, subtle, September shades......

Goldenrod

ABC Wednesday
August 23rd, 2017

The letter is G for Goldenrod

from the paintings of Sandra Baggette

As always,

when we approach the last days of August

and the garden appears to be a little tattered

and ragged,

before the asters and the sedum start to

celebrate September,

I have really had enough of the heat

of summer,

the stress of wildfires,

and the dry and lifeless cold

the air conditioner brings.

I am ready for the GOLDENROD,

the Rabbit Brush..

open doors and windows

tunneling in that wonderful

fresh fall air!!!

In the days when I used to dye wool for weaving

I would go out into the country

to gather the Rabbit Brush

and the Goldenrod.

I might still do that, but it is more likely

that I will just enjoy memories,

and Mary Oliver's sweet poem...

Old Goldenrod at Field's Edge

Ice upon old

goldenrod

stops me at the edge

of the field, how

gleaming,

this morning,

the still stalks

stand,

slender, exhausted,

the gray boss - 

all that is left of their

golden hair -

holding

a crown of snow, and the rest-

stem and leaves - 

just waiting

in their glass suits

to fall -

or,  if enduring,

to see

the great melt, and the fields

tinged green -

and the lambs,

coming again from the

cozy barn,

with their crazy prancing...

how the cold

makes us dream!

The seasons pass, and the spring will come

but before then SEPTEMBER,

that I truly love..

along with the Goldenrod.

for more Gs click here to visit

ABC Wednesday

with thanks to all who maintain

this meme.

Fata Morgana

ABC Wednesday
August 16th, 2017

The letter is F for FATA MORGANA

Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of Universities Space Research Association

A Fata Morgana is a complex form of

superior mirage that is seen in a narrow band right

above the horizon.

This particular Fata Morgana is a mirage observed

from Brittany, France, and it is affecting the rather featureless

Island of  Ile d'Houat, located about eleven miles from 

the shoreline.

This photo was taken by Guillaume Doyen who says

"notice that parts of the island seem to be floating or looming.

Mirages such as this occur when there's a steep temperature

gradient.:  when a layer of colder air (immediately above the seawater)

is trapped below a layer of warmer air - a temperature inversion. the temperature at the time the picture was snapped was 98F"

Guilllaume Doyen goes on to say

"under these conditions light rays from a distant object

(the island) are curved toward the eye by layers of air

having different densities, caused by the abrupt temperature gradient.

So it seems that the island is more or less smeared upwards into a cliff."

This Fata Morgana mirage lasted for a little more than an hour.

Before science began to look into mirages, and their cause,

mirages were firmly in the realm of mysticism, and the fata morgana

takes its name from Morgan le Fay, that wicked half sister of King Arthur,

enchantress and treacherous fairy.

You may well ask how bending light creates a mirage,

 and here is where your brain enters the picture.

I learned this online, and I quote verbatim....

"When light hits your eyes, your brain assumes it arrived there in a straight path between you and the object reflecting the light.  So if light is bent on its way toward you your brain will think the object is where it would be if the light's path was straight.  This is why when you are looking down on a surface of water, objects under the surface will appear to be in a different spot than they actually are.....the human brain doesn't automatically account for refraction"

The writer of this article goes on to say 

"the brains of some birds like ospreys do correct for the effect

so that when they dive headlong into the water after a fish,

they are right on target"

but I digress.....

Christina Rossetti wrote a poem entitled FATA MORGANA

and it goes like this....

A blue-eyed phantom far before

is laughing, leaping toward the sun:

Like lead I chase it evermore,

I pant and run.

It breaks the sunlight bound on bound:

Goes singing as it leaps along

To sheep-bells with a dreamy sound

A dreamy song.

I laugh, it is so brisk and gay;

It is so far before, I weep:

I hope I shall lie down some day,

Lie down and sleep.

Perhaps she was referring to the constantly changing conditions 

of the atmosphere which causes the Fata Morgana

to change within just a few seconds of time,

alternating between stretched and compressed zones,

either erect or upside down.

If you are interested in reading more of the history of the Fata Morgana
I would suggest you Google 
"Fantastically wrong: the bizarre mirages that once 
scared the bejesus out of sailors"

and perhaps some day you might be in the right place at the right time
and see for yourself the fantastic
Fata Morgana

For more interesting Fs visit here
at ABC Wednesday
with thanks to all who maintain and visit....

Sunday Evening

Sunday, August 13th, 2017

No rain, but a lovely smokeless day!  The first in two weeks when we have not been besieged by great drifts of smoke from the wildfires in the interior of B.C., - the central portion where a few of my dear children are waiting, ready and prepared in case they not only have smokey days but also flames coming along to their fifty acres of meadow on the mountaintop.

Whenever I have been inclined to complain about smoke, or when I hear someone else complaining, I always say "but no flames!!"

Rain would be nice...the garden looks perky in the morning, but by this time of night the pots are crying for their evening watering.

Last night after my evening stroll with Bruce I gathered up all the outdoor pillows and tucked them into the sun porch, in preparation for the rain the weatherman promised.  It DID rain, in Penticton, in Kelowna, and up the valley, but here in the semi-desert Similkameen, not a drop!

It rained in the Chilcotin, where the fires are prevalent, but it rained mud and ash, all over the windows, said he who had to wash them....

Well, anyway, the garden is golden in these hot, dry August days.

and in the evening I luxuriate beside the Nicotiana that grows in a pot next to the swinging garden couch, enveloped in its beautiful scent.

The evening are shortening, and it is time for Bruce and I to take a walk up the lane.

I will linger awhile and commune with the white blossoms

before I come in for the night.

The Elephant and his epistemology

ABC Wednesday
August 9th, 2017

The letter is E for Elephant and Epistemology

The Blindmen and the Elephant

It was six men of Indostan, to learning much inclined

who went to see the elephant (Though all of them were blind)

that each by observation, might satisfy his mind.

The first approached the elephant, and, happening to fall,

against his broad and sturdy side, at once began to bawl;

'God bless me! but the elephant is nothing but a wall!'

The second feeling of the tusk, cried; 'Ho! What have we here,

so very round and smooth and sharp?  To me tis mighty clear,

this wonder of an elephant, is very like a spear!'

The third approached the animal, and, happening to take

the squirming trunk within his hands, 'I see' quoth he,

'the elephant is very like a snake!'

The fourth reached out his eager hand, and felt about the knee;

'What most this wondrous beast is like, is mighty plain, ' quoth he.

'Tis clear enough the elephant is very like a tree.'

The fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said; "E'en the blindest man

can tell what this resembles most;  Deny the fact who can,

This marvel of an elephant, is very like a fan!'

The sixth no sooner had begun, about the beast to grope,

than, seizing on the swinging tail, that fell within his scope,

'I see' quoth he, 'the elephant is very like a rope!'

And so these men of Indostan, disputed loud and long,

each in his own opinion, exceeding stiff and strong,

Though each was partly in the right, and all were in the wrong!

So, oft in theologic wars, the disputants, I ween,

tread on in utter ignorance, of what each other mean,

and prate about the elephant, not one of them has seen!

John Godfrey Saxe

This tale is ancient, originating in the sub-continent of India

and has an epistemic context in that it regards

the way we absorb human knowledge

- and its limitations....!!!!

"all these partial truths could be integrated within

a bigger picture so long as you have eyes to transcend

your own limited perspective."

A good thing to keep in mind when you are
judging other's opinions!!

Lots more Es here at ABC Wednesday

with thanks to all who maintain this exhilarating meme.

What to do on a smokey Saturday afternoon....

August 5th, 2017

As the sun rose this morning it greeted the Similkameen

with the promise of a smoldering, smokey Saturday

but somewhere the wind changed directions

and although the scent of the air is still reminiscent

of wildfires, in the distance,

it was still pleasant to be outside for a while,

watering the pots and moving the garden sprinklers around.

The house is all closed up, and the A/C hums away...

so nice and cool I am glad of a sweater.

Along about August in days gone by the peaches would be

getting ripe in the orchard, - fuzzy and warm!

The children would be wary of Mother when she came in from picking peaches...

they tell me now!!

And I must admit to being a cranky peach picker until 

a shower made me feel civilized again.....

But how we all loved peaches, - dessert was easy those August days

peaches and cream, peach crumble, ice cream and peaches,

peaches and chocolate cake....

After we moved to town, bereft of fresh peaches right off the tree,

I used to go to fruit stands and beg for their over-ripes,

(which they didn't sell to tourists)

hurry home, slice them up, and Charles and I would be in peach-heaven!

Because it is really not wise to be out gardening while we are bathed in smoke

I have been keeping busy in the house.

Well, not busy cleaning and re-arranging cupboards,

or dusting, or baking.....

just busy in the loom room and reading a bit.

I had hoped to start off August with a bare-naked loom, and I did

finish the garden scarf I was working on

but when it was all done and I threw the last pick

I discovered I had probably a yard and a half left on my warp,

quizzical as to what I was going to do with it!!!

I also have four bobbins of 20/2 white silk

and two bobbins of green silk, left over from other projects,

and I am hoping that they will stretch to make a rather shorter scarf

with a rather longer fringe on it!!!

As to the reading.....whilst roaming through blogland

I came upon a recommendation to read

Phil Rickman's series about Merrily Watkins, a Vicar

(Priest in charge) of a parish in  Bedfordshire (or Hertfordshire,

depending upon when the boundaries were changed). 

 In any case, from the home of some of my ancestors, which tempted me to

read at least the first book "The Wine of Angels"

I am at page 71 and think I am going to enjoy it! 

I have also been fiddling with the ukulele, if that is possible....

The other day I came upon the ukulele chords for "Bring me Sunshine",

which I love.... and they are easy enough for me to play.

I strum away, and sing to myself, missing

Charles who always helped me stay in tune when he sang beside me....

If I wasn't a church-goer and still believed

what I learned in Sunday School I could imagine him

looking down from heaven (gold streets, clouds, harps, etc.)

but there, the years have confused me and I don't know where his spirit is.

I feel him close and the memory of his lovely clear tenor is very dear, - 

and I imagine what fun we would have had if I had discovered

the ukulele earlier....

This one will make you dance....

Dolomites

ABC Wednesday
August 2nd, 2017

The letter is D for The Dolomites

The Dolomites

A mountain range in Northern Italy 

forming part of the Southern Limestone Alps.

The Dolomites are also known as

The Pale Mountains, 

They take their name from the 

carbonate rock, dolomite

The Dolomites are renowned for skiing in the winter,

mountain climbing, hiking and cycling

in the summer.

As you can image

The Dolomite mountain area abounds

in tourists

and here is a bird's eye view of

the lovely mountains

More Ds here http://abcwednesday.comat ABC Wednesday
with thanks to all who maintain this meme

Sunny Sunday Morning - This and That

July 30th, 2017

Saying goodbye to this hot, hot dry month of wildfires
 resulting in a dire game of musical accommodations
for those poor people in towns affected by the flames that have been devastating
the central part of our Province.

So many families leaving homes threatened by fire;
 so many other little towns nudging over to make room for these evacuees
 and welcoming them with hospitality and compassion.

Will August be any better?  

The weather makes no promises for rain in the next three weeks

but the last two weeks of August have invariably been damp and cloudy, 

and one can only hope.....

Our own dear ones still under Evacuation Orders, 

but like so many in the Chilcotin who have stayed home to protect their property,

 were elated to finally get into town (after three weeks) 

to re-stock groceries and farm supplies 

and that little refreshment after a long, hot, smokey day!!!

Here at home I have plans for August.
Well, I have plans for every month, - not always ones that reach fruition,
 but nevertheless ones that make the month meaningful.

I hope to greet the new month with an empty loom,
 having great and illustrious visions of finishing
my Summer Garden Scarf today.

Sometimes my hopes, no matter how great or illustrious, forget

to take into account the amount

of energy available to me in one afternoon!!!!

Tomorrow is the last day of July, so that gives me

twenty-four hours grace.......

Here in mid-summer, as the days grow shorter (than they were)

I take Bruce out for his evening jaunt a little earlier

and at the end of the lane the sweet sliver of the new moon

grows a little each night.

If it is dark enough a gleaming scythe, holding

the old moon in its arms.

mister google

That choice of words is quite ominous and I didn't mean it to be

It is really very beautiful, despite having rather

dark connotations!!

During these summery days when the car finds a home

at the front drive-in, rather than in the garage,

it has been easy to hop in and go visiting or to shop

but lurking in the back of my mind  l am conscious of the fact

that the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles is going to run his finger

down the list of drivers in their nineties

and when he discovers my name he will immediately jot it down

on the list of the ancient who will receive orders to visit

their Doctor before the next birthday rolls around

so that he can examine your wits, your eyesight, and any other physical factor

which might give the Doctor pause to recommend that

you continue to drive.....

I ponder this, and wonder if I should make the effort to keep my license.

I don't worry too much about my wits and general health,

but I know they place a great emphasis on eyesight

and IF I plan to continue to have that precious piece of paper I must

make an appointment with the Optometrist, Dr. Zak,.

Probably in August!!

Which brings me to my next "this and that" for the month...

Charles mobile electric cart sits in the garage, fully charged,

just waiting for me to feel less vulnerable when I take it down the lane,

trying to get familiar with the beast.

Last Sunday I went for supper with a dear son and DIL

and during the course of the meal the subject of the cart came up,

and my reluctance to use it.

Son said - "It's just that she doesn't want to be seen on it..."

And I have to acknowledge that he is right.

Dratted ego again!

Don't want to appear ancient

and one of the crowd who swish down the road, 

flags flying on their mechanical cart...

So that is on my August list, (as it has been on every monthly list

for the last three or four years)

But this time I am DETERMINED.

On my list for today is the creation of a number of small quiches

(company coming for lunch during the week)

and I think it is time for kitchen duties.

Tomorrow I will pay obeisance to the White Rabbit,

but today I must say farewell to July

and put the air conditioner on...

Right now!!!!