The land around me

We moved from an allotment about ten years ago. At first, I didn't want to move because I loved my house and our little lot. The thing that changed my mind?....lawn mowers. On a nice day, when one would love to be outdoors or have their windows open, there would be a lawn mower roaring and agitating me to no end. After awhile it became a major pit peeve of mine and I agreed to move.

So, off we went to a 4 acre lot out in the middle of farm country. And, it's the same darn thing only the lawn mowers are much bigger and much louder. Here's the one I contended with today. Dust storms like no others, compliments of John Deere.

I went for a walk in the woods behind our house this morning and took some pictures. This one with the trees "x marks the spot", I love.

Kind of spooky.

Here is a path of pine trees. I don't know who planted these pine trees in such neat rows, but I sure do appreciate their beauty.

Finally, one last photo of the top of a hill where the sun was shining through so pretty. Loving this time of year.

Hope you are too, but I

can't wait till the first snowflake!

Fall Outings

Things like roadside stands seem magical to me. I had to stop and take a picture. It's so Americana.

These people grew these items, stuck them out on a little "shop window" in their front yard & put a container for honest folk to drop in their payment amongst the goods.

I wanted to plop down in the yard and hang out, just looking at the colors maybe getting to talk to someone like me who couldn't resist stopping and taking a closer look at what was for sale.

However, my 24 year old daughter didn't really share in my excitement. Instead of making her understand how beautiful everything was to me, I took a quick photo, selected some Indian Corn and we took off down the road toward home.

I wonder if someday, when I'm gone, if she comes across that photo, will she remember that day, and will that memory bring a smile to her face?

I also wonder if I'm nuts, but hey, that's an entire different set of wonders.

Anywho, every night before I go to sleep, I sketch something that happened during my day and write a paragraph about what I did/felt/thought, etc. This is that day's sketch showing how patient my kid is with me and my sporadic antics.

Silence, please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In an effort to soak up some of the fall colors, I'm leaving for the cabin. Mostly because I could use a break from the sounds of traffic, neighbors, airplanes, the pumpkin farm's activities (they shoot pumpkins from a cannon, uh-huh, it's lovely).

I know this stuff jitters my nerves because when I'm away from it, I feel less fragmented, I even stop clenching my teeth (ow!).

Right now, (or was) I'm busy getting ready to go. After a 2 hour drive, you don't want to have turn around and drive miles and miles just to get something you forgot to bring, like milk & eggs.......for sure I have the coffee.

Here's my morning drinking coffee chair. A drinking coffee chair.

Hey, I should invent one and have it patented and then make gobs of money.

Or perhaps not.

What did I do today? There is so much to do I've got off track somewhere, maybe from stress? Don't know, but I was going along pretty well, getting things crossed of my to do list and then I found myself doing crossword puzzles, then playing with a pumpkin image on my photoshop.........that's when I thought, okay what the heck, I'll post to my blog and then, for SURE I'll get back to my to do list.

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! to my sister Connie. She grows more beautiful each year:)

And with that, I'm heading back to my list of to-dos.

I'm my own boss, so I will really get ticked if I don't get moving.

The Cry Room

It's been awhile. I've been gone in more ways than one. Out of town and outside working. Fall brings tons of outdoor work to get ready for winter. Blue skies,yellow leaves and crickets singing...a lovely combo in which to work.

Art? Not so much to report or show, BUT! it's always on my mind and certainly my desire, however, I've been caught up in helping others pursue their goals instead of my own. It's a tad out of balance and requires me to tap into my self-discipline abilities. (SDA). (I just made that up:)

I usually get melancholy during mass, yesterday was no difference. You see, when I discovered God was love, even though it was during the worse time in my life, it is a time I look back on with tenderness and gratitude. A time when I started my journey to become a Catholic. 20 years ago. It was God's way for me, to rope in my overwhelming gratitude, to help it make sense and to give me a beautiful way to follow His direction.

I was raised Baptist, and God bless them all, but it was the Catholic faith, for me, that represented the God I had met that day. And, the Blessed Mother? What a gift!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot even begin to describe how much she loves us all. I've had a touch of Her love in a powerful way that took away any doubt I ever had about life, God, Jesus, Bible, and Heaven. It's all true.

In our church there is a wonderful little room with big glass windows called the "Cry Room". I never had to go there, my daughter was 4 when we started going to mass and managed to keep fairly quiet. But, I love the symbolism.

In my mind, there is a cry room. It's where I send all the distracting noise banging around in my head. You know, the sort of thing that goes on the entire time you are reading and then don't have a clue what it was you just read.

Like maybe what you've read just now?

So, GO TO THE CRY ROOM, YOU ANNOYING NOISE!!! (what if the priest said that during mass?) yeow.

Anyway, one last thing, today is the Feast Day of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus who said, "after my death, I will let fall a shower of roses, I will spend my heaven doing good on earth."

Way back then, during this time of year, I learned about this saint. I had prayed and asked her if it was okay for us to be friends. (I wasn't officially Catholic yet.)

Later that day, when my daughter got off the school bus, she ran and grabbed a late blooming dandelion. With a big, loving smile she held up the dandelion to me and said, "this is for YOU mom!"

I still tear up when I think of that, because in my heart I KNEW it was St. Theresa saying "yes, we are friends".

So far, life seems utterly magical.

Love and flowers to you all.

The sky and a mind's basement

Wow, the skies these past few days have been SO pretty. I keep looking at the sky and remarking out loud to myself, "this is awesome". Then I also say to myself, "what? first time on this planet?"

Good grief!!!! I talk to myself too much. When grocery shopping I sneak Elle in the store via her dog carrier that looks like a big purse. I'll say things like, "whaddya think Elle? should we try this?"

or "Whaddya think, should we get this?"

To another shopper, I guess I look nuts, as no one is there, just me, asking questions out loud. No wonder I get weird looks. And that is when I stop talking to my purse and try, my best, to act "normal".

Maybe when I get older I won't care what people think and really, really be myself, everywhere. I don't think my enthusiasm or sense of humor is appropriate in public, not REALLY. So, being the English woman I am, I refrain.

That's where art comes in, and poetry, stuff that you can dig down into your mind's basement and bring up all sorts of cool stuff into the light. I feel like there is some mysterious block in my ability to connect to my creative self. Maybe it's from trying to be normal. Probably. Wouldn't you know, society has screwed up my self expression aptitudes!!! lololo!!!

One of these days, I'm going to LET GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so look out. :)

My job, my 4 hour, one day a week, job is at a local gallery. It's a great place, the owner is very talented person, an artist, a fellow nut. We have a small gallery with a warehouse full of stuff, stuffed into it. There is not room for a raisin, I swear.

The thing I admire the most about our gallery is that (we do framing, restorations, etc.) even if we are working on a piece of art that is worth $5, it gets the same treatment and respect as something worth a zillion. Each piece is sacred. I'm glad I have some of my art there. This pic shows 3 of my pieces, in the white frames, ya know, the ones on Etsy no on wants (boo hoo).

Just for grins, here's a pic of my price tags, which are almost as much work as the picture it refers to.

Okay, that's all for today. It's time to go back out and continue washing windows on this bright beautiful fall day.

Fall? I guess!!!!

Not much to say today

I had not realized how stressful the issue of our pond and fish being destroyed affected me. I'm still not my old self, haven't laughed much and lost my appetite. Nor has the situation been

settled. Good news is my neighbor has said he will help me. So there is some hope we can get this matter resolved, healed and move on.

I've been at our cabin in Marietta for a week or so and was able to finally relax and mellow out. I don't need much, just quiet, watercolor materials, lots of paper and my dog nearby.

Here's a pic of my "art" area I scoped out for myself at the cabin, and the view from my window.

I'm at a loss for words today, but it's been so long since I posted, and Karen was so sweet to inquire if all was alright, it prompted me to at least make an effort. Thanks Karen:)

Farewell sweet fish friends

Co-existing with nature and neighbors. Interesting concept. Something, obviously, I need to learn. When you think about it, we have no choice but to trust each other, and when there is failure, to forgive and even help.

This was my pond a couple weeks ago.

My neighbor west of our home, had filled in a field drain when he had his pond dug, even tho my husband and neighbor to the east, asked him to please be careful not to.But he did it anyway. He's moved, too.

What does this mean? It means that after the big rain we had last week, ours and a few other neighbors yards flooded with water that normally would have flowed thru the field drain and then into a drainage ditch way, way down the road.

Instead water has sat for days in the hot sun, cooking the grass it is drowning, making a mosquito haven and causing quite an unpleasant odor. It killed my neighbor's garden and eventually the rotting vegitation water found it's way into our pond and killed all our fish. Now, the pond is black and our fish are lying dead on the edges.

(Elle & I used to visit the pond 4-5 times a day)

I am heartbroken. They were like pets to us, especially the Koi. We had twelve and they were all unbelievably beautiful and tame.

We had to watch them slowly die from suffocation.

(I'm glad I took pics of them while they were alive & well).

I've talked to several "government officials" who told us:

1. there is nothing they can do to help

2. it's a civil matter and I need a lawyer, but to keep in mind drainage cases take about seven years to resolve.

So, here's the plan; trust that everyone involved will chip in and help resolve this matter, peacefully. No hard feelings. Just neighbors co-existing with each other.

I am fighting another battle and that's the one inside my head that wants to get mad and say to hell with it. I'll never, ever do one more stupid improvement to my property and as soon as I can I am out of this one horse town, I'm gone. I want to tell off the people in their elected positions that are supposed to help us (tax payers) and ask them what IS it that they CAN do? Besides sit behind their desk eating snicker bars and surfing the net?

One last thought before I totally bum myself out:

Inside every problem there is a gift.

I will try to search for this gift instead of looking at the devastation.

I'll let you know if I find it.

I wonder if I'll ever sit and watch the sunset here again or not? I guess it was supposed to be, or it would not.....be.

Lord, help me not to fight reality but to count my many blessings.