Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Friday, February 26, 2010

Oh Brownie


"Hi Brownie. How are you?"
"Good Farmlady. What are you doing up so early?"
" Well, I'm leaving this morning to spend a few days with a friend who needs me."

"Oh,..., well then..., see ya."

(Bart came over and whispered in Brownies ear.) "Brownie! Be nice."
"Bart, she's always leaving. What's to say."
" Just be nice."
"OK!...,have a nice trip Farmlady. Send a postcard..."

Yes, I'm leaving again for a few days. My friend "C", who had the knee replacement, needs some help because her daughter had to fly back home today. Brownie doesn't understand these things.
I will be gone until Wednesday or Thursday, but I will try to post from "C"s house. I will have her do a "guest" blog while I'm there. Have a good weekend!!!

Happy Birthday Karen! If you are still reading my blog I want to wish you a wonderful day. I hope this birthday finds you in good health and happy. I think about you a lot and wish you well.
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Thursday, February 25, 2010

Blue and White Memories


As far back as I can remember this is the set of dishes that was on our table in my parents home. When Mom passed away last August I was going to give the whole set to the Goodwill Store or a consignment store in Walnut Creek. Something said "NO"..., so I boxed the set up and brought it home with me.
Well, sometimes you need to listen to your instincts and wait before you give something away that has so many memories. When I got the box home, I decided to use the set as my everyday dishes and I lovingly washed them and filled my cupboard with this wonderful set of memories. I cannot tell you what a good feeling it is to use these dishes and take care of them.

I think, of all the pieces in this set, the little pitcher is the sweetest. I can remember Mom serving milk for our cereal in it and, even more wonderful, a small bouquet of flowers on a tray when we were sick. I can see this pitcher on our dining table on Sunday morning with warm syrup in it for our pancakes.. We never had the store bottles on the table or "tubs" of margarine. Always butter and always the pitcher. How could such a small piece of china have so many good memories tucked inside? I'm so glad I didn't leave the set at the thrift store. The money I would have made at the consignment store would never compare to having the set here in my home.

A few weeks back a good friend came to visit. She had a very belated birthday present for me. ( My birthday was in Dec. and we had not been able to get together until now.) It was this beautiful vintage cookie tin with the same pattern as Mom's set of dishes. What a wonderful gift. It must have originally held cookies because the lid edge has what looks like tape marks all the way around the tin as if it had been sealed at one time. The design is by Liz Floding 1984. It's so perfect. I will use it often. What a sweet gift Janet. Thank you.
Please remember to check all the vintage loving blogs at Colorado Lady's site. She is the host for Vintage Thingies Thursday and if you love Antiques and Vintage things you will be in 7th heaven here.
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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Monday, February 22, 2010

Coffee in the Garden


Bonjour! Hope you're having a good day. I thought to take these pictures after my morning cup was almost empty. It was then, when my brain was sharpened by the caffeine, that I went out onto the porch and decided to let this charming cup, that my daughter
in-law gave me years ago, be the center of attention.

We are having a beautiful Spring. One day we have rain, the next day the sun comes out. It's as if nature is in perfect sync with itself right now.
I took a walk, in the rain, yesterday. I was getting that house bound feeling that tells me to get outside no matter what the weather. I'm a person who needs a lot of space. When I feel confined I start to shut down. I get fidgety and cranky.
Someone once told me that I didn't focus very well. I disagreed with them. I do focus..., only everything comes at me at the same time and it has taken years to distinguish one thing from another. I still find a bird singing outside the window at the same level of mindfulness as someone talking to me in the house. It all feeds in at the same intensity and I'm use to dividing my attention into parts and then having to choose what to listen to and what to ignore.
...so I went for a walk in the rain. For someone who hears the grass moving, this can be an experience of overwhelming passion. The sound of the rain, the color of Manzanita trees darkened by the wetness, the green grass covering the hills and glistening with water, and the wind moving the oak trees slowing as if they were dancing..., and then a bee, a bumblebee I think, flying overhead, following me. How odd, how wonderful, from the top of the hill all the way down to the house..., buzzing.., flying above me, as if he had some purpose with me. A fellow creature looking for answers?..., or a flower?.., or, I'm pretty sure, my red raincoat.

Today the sun shines and everything in the garden is all glitter and sparkle. I sit and watch Carl running around like the crazy little puppy that he is. I hear the chickens discussing the weather. A red-tailed hawk flies over head.
I keep my shadow from intruding into the photos as I obsessively take pictures of a coffee cup and I drink the rest of the ,now, lukewarm coffee with a tiny bug floating in it, being careful not to sip the bug into my mouth. The rest is thrown to the dirt below the stepping stones and I return to the house to write this post in the silence of my guest room without the distraction of this intensely beautiful day.


"Coffee. Garden. Coffee.
Does a good morning need anything else?" ~Betsy CaƱas Garmon~
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Sunday, February 21, 2010

Gratitude


...for finding the first wildflower of the season.

..,for long walks with the pupster and the beautiful place that I live.

...for the daffodils blooming in the garden..., for the phone call from my youngest son telling us that he has finally gotten a job after being laid off for over a year..., for my friend "C"s slow but sure recovery from her knee replacement surgery..., for the ability to see, to reason and write about my world..., for the sound of my grandsons laughing when they play together..., for a husband who loves me in spite of my obsessions and inability to clean up the garage clutter..., for the phone call from my oldest son, just to talk and see how we are..., for my sister and her kindness and love..., for my friends..., for life..., and for the owl, I heard last night, calling from the oak tree below the vegetable garden..., I am so thankful.
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