Skies are blue

 

peaceful morning

It's difficult to discern where the sky ends and the sea begins.

Sky watch Friday

calm seas

 

I'm thankful to drive past this beautiful beach on my commute to and from work. 

It's normally pretty busy on my way home but early in the morning it's quiet and peaceful.

Some mornings I pull over and walk across the grass to sit for a few minutes.

Thankful Thursday

I love every minute of the day

1. On July 29th 1957 The Tonite Show premiered with Jack Parr as it's host. This marked the beginning of the modern day talk show. Do you watch any daytime or late night talk shows today? Do you have any thoughts on the hubbub surrounding the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, or are you more in the camp of 'who is Stephen Colbert? 

I don't watch Television very often and I never watch it that late at night. I have seen clips of him in various places on the internet. I think it's a little frightening if he was cancelled for political reasons. I mean do we really want to live in a place where people cannot speak out for or against their political beliefs? 

2. What's the best part of your day?

Oh wow! I love the morning because everything is quiet and holds so much promise. I can plan out what I want to get done and I have so much hope for everything. I also love the evening because the day is winding down, I've already done or not done all the things. This reminds me of an old song by The Who, called Red, Blue and Grey.

3. What's something your generation does that you actually dislike? 

I was born in 1963 and am technically a baby boomer but I identify more with Gen Xers. I don't like that we complain about getting older. We buy all kinds of potions and even have surgeries to try to look younger. It's a race we will never win. The funny thing is that we are healthier than our parents when they were our ages and sadly, we are healthier than the generations in front of us as well. They are suffering from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity in record numbers and we just didn't have that. 

4. When you cook do you clean as you go, or clean it all up once you're finished cooking? What's the last thing you cooked/baked in your own kitchen? 

Oh I clean as I go almost always! What a mess it is when one doesn't do it that way. The last thing I cooked in my kitchen was chicken fricasee over the weekend. Monday night I went out with friends and last night I picked up pizza on my way home from work because it was too hot to cook. Tonight I will make pasta salad.

5. Sum up your July in ten words or less. 

Fun - relaxing - music - hot - changes - lazy - challenging - learning - encouraging - happy

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My daughter's mother-in-law has an above ground pool in her back yard and lives just around the corner from my daughter. This is my youngest granddaughter living her best life!! 

Wednesday hodgepodge

Tuesdays with Tucker

 

When he holds his front legs together like this it looks like a heart in his fur.

Such a love, our Tucker. 

aka: Tucker Huckleberry Finn, Tuck Finn, Mr. T, Tucker, Tucka, Tucky, Tuck-tuck, and occasionally when he's being kind of a nudge...*ucker.

When I was a girl we had cats in my family but they were outdoor cats. They didn't have long lives. 

Tucker just turned 9 years old in July and that is the longest I've ever had a cat.

I think he's pretty cool most of the time. 

He sleeps on my chest or down near my feet.

He hasn't quite figured out that it's me moving under the blanket so sometimes I startle him in the night. 

One night Hey-Joe and I were standing at the back door watching that weird starlink thing fly over our house and Tucker came onto the back landing without us noticing. We heard him meowing about an hour later and let him in. 

He's not much of an adventure cat. 

He's more of a cat-napping kind of a cat. 

We love him.

a chicken in the oven

I made a delicious lemon blueberry bread over the weekend.

The perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea.

Lemon and blueberry is one of my favourite flavour combinations.  I once had a cookbook with a recipe for a lemon blueberry tart. I've long since lost that book but I still remember how good that tart was. It was written by a woman named Madeleine Kamman.She was from France and had a cooking show on PBS before cooking shows and so many networks became popular. 

I made an old fashioned chicken on the back of the stove. I threw a whole chicken into my mum's old Cassoulet pot with some large chunked carrots, celery, garlic, and onion with some fresh parsley, sage, and thyme, and rosemary and a bit of salt. I set it on the back burner brought it up to boil and then covered it up and turned the heat way down. There is sat for most of the afternoon without a care from me at all. 

I made the bread, did some laundry, and tidied up the house while the chicken and vegetables cooked away on the back burner.

Dinner time came and I boiled some egg noodles and ate at the kitchen table with an apple crisp for dessert. A taper candle burning on the table and my nana's old glass vases filled with cosmos and snapdragons from the  back garden completed the atmosphere of a quiet summer's dinner.

Busy Monday

philosophy is a walk on the slippery rocks

1) You're on a trip taking a tour through the jungle. You have a backpack with some food, first aid supplies, a pocketknife, a flashlight and a couple bottles of water. Somehow, you get separated from your group. By night fall you haven't found your group and haven't heard them looking for you. How long do you think you would be able to survive on your own? 

I think I could last as long as the food lasted and I didn't need a fire.

I might be able to gather some berries but there isn't much hope for me if it's winter..or fall...or spring...or summer.

~

2) Do you think it's okay to lie to spare someone's feelings? Why?

I think it depends on the goal. Why are you trying to spare their feelings? Is it to make myself feel better or them feel better? Is it done out of a sense of self-preservation or out of a sense of altruism?

It's best to spare their feelings without actually lying to them. 

~

3) If a talking doll were made to resemble you, what 3 phrases would it say?

Oh no! Just no! First of all most dolls creep me out and second of all talking dolls are the creepiest.

Most importantly, if I have something to say I will say it in person.

~

4) If the superpower to be able to read minds at will was possible, do you think it would be... cool and helpful, intrusive and wrong, manipulative or maddening?

I don't want to know what other people are thinking. I think it's enough to manage my own thoughts. That is a very slippery slope.

~

5) Are drunk confessions things people can't bring themselves to say sober or just the crazy ramblings of an influenced and intoxicated mind?

I think it is mostly the crazy ramblings of intoxication. I wouldn't take anything too seriously. If they are saying things to me while under the influence that they wouldn't say to me sober perhaps I need to do some questioning about who is in my group.

Sunday stealing

Sunday morning coming down

Praise him, sun and moon; 

praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, heaven of heavens,*

and you waters above the heavens.

Mountains and all hills,*

Wild beasts and all cattle,

creeping thins and winged birds

Kings of the earth and all peoples,*

princes and all rulers of the world;

Young men and maidens,*

old and young together.

Let them praise the Name of the Lord,*

for his Name only is exalted,

his splendor is over the earth and heaven.

He raised up strength for his people

and praise for his loyal servants,*

the children of Israel, a people who are near him.

Hallelujah!

Psalm 148:3...14

Scripture and a snapshot

The rhythm of my heart

 The rhythm of my heart

I have to admit that I am not a big Rod Stewart fan. My mum used to love him though.

1. Rod sings that the words "I love you" roll off his tongue. When did you last say I love you?

To my husband when he left for work this morning.

2. In "Rhythm of my heart" he recalls running down the alley with his lady love. Does your neighborhood have alleys?

We have a few very old alleyways between old houses. They are public domain and the town selectmen/selectwomen walk them once a year in order to keep them open to the public.

3. Rod is well known for his coif. Are you having a good hair day today?

It's quite early as I type and I haven't actually had a chance to look in the mirror yet. I blew it dry yesterday though and that means it probably looks pretty good today...so far.

4. Rod was the youngest of 5. He remembers that as a family they enjoyed singing with  Al Jolson records.  Did your family enjoy singing?

My mother sang all the time. My father was tone deaf. I sing all the time and so does my granddaughter, Abby. 

5. He is proud of his luxury car collection, which includes....Looking back on the years as a driver and car owner, which vehicle is your all time favourite?

I really love the vehicle that I have now which is 2021 Honda HRV. My husband calls it a VCR haha!

6. Rod turned 80 this year and he's still touring. Once known for his hard partying he takes better care of himself now and rides a stationary bike every day. What steps do you take to keep fit?

I walk daily unless the weather is uncooperative. I also eat a healthy diet which is mostly plant based.

7. In 1991, when this song was popular, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry died. Do you have a favourite Star Trek character? 

No. I don't care for this series of movies. I did watch it on TV when I was younger though. I guess if I had to choose it would be Spock. Who doesn't like Spock?

8. Also in 1991, Seinfeld was a big deal on network television. Today the entire series is available to stream and on DVD. When you binge watch a show, are you more likely to pop in a disc or turn to a streaming service?

Do people even still have VCR's? Do they still make DVDs? I use a streaming service. I don't like that you have to pay though. When DVDs were common you could buy it one time and then you owned it.

9. Random question: Have you ever cared for a hamster or a gerbil?

Yes. We had one when we were little kids. We lost it in the house and couldn't find it for a day or two. My mother took the vacuum out to do some cleaning and it crawled out of the tube!

It's name was Tubby.

Saturday 9

You are loved

 

The children in my class painted rocks and I drew a heart and the words 

You are loved.

They will take them home and share them with their families. 

I am very grateful to work with these sweet little toddlers.

~

I gathered this little bouquet from the campus of my school and 

put it onto one of the tables in our classroom.

It looks pretty.

~

The other evening we had a wicked thunder and lightening storm blow through.

There was lots of heavy rain but fortunately it was quick and there wasn't any damage.

It left behind this beautiful rainbow.

~

As I was walking into church on Sunday morning I noticed this statue of Mother Mary

in the church yard. I remember it being there when I was a girl.

I'm very thankful that I am still able to attend the church I went to as a child.

~

My sister has been sending me old pictures.

This is my mother and I from about 25 years ago. We were sitting by the pool. 

I miss her. 

Friday fave fives

A parcel of vain strivings

I work at a Montessori school which accepts children from infant through 8th grade.

I work with the toddlers and it's my favourite even though they can be challenging.

Each child is their own unique and incredibly beautiful being and I have the chance

to be at ground zero in their lives. 

New parents, new children, new families. 

I love it!

Sometimes the children bring me little flowers from around the school campus.

Black-eyed Susans, small branches with Beech seeds and Maple seeds on them, and Astors.

Very small gifts from very small hands which make me very thankful.

~

Sic Vita

I am a parcel of vain strivings tied 

by a chance bond together

dangling this way and that, their links 

were made so loose and wide

methinks for milder weather.

A bunch of violets without their roots,

and sorrow intermixed,

encircled by a wisp of straw once coiled about their shoots,

the law by which I'm fixed.

A nosegay which time clutched from out those fair Elysian fields,

with weeds and broken stems, in haste,

doth make the rabble rout that waste the day he yields.

And here I bloom for a short hour unseen,

drinking my juices up,

with no root in the land to keep my branches green,

but stand in a bare cup.

Some tender buds were left upon my stem in mimicry of life,

but ah! the children will not know, till time has withered them,

the woe with which they're rife.

But now I see I was not plucked for nought

and after in life's vase of glass set while I might survive,

but by a kind hand, brought alive to a strange place.

That stock thus thinned will soon redeem its hours,

and by another year, such as God knows with freer air,

more fruits and fairer flowers,

will bloom while I droop here.

-Henry David Thoreau

 Little things Thursday

Thankful Thursday

Rock lobster

When does time pass slowly for you? When does time pass quickly?

Is it too qliché to say that time passes slowly when I'm watching the clock and quickly when I am having a great time? 

There is a wonderful old Robert Frost Poem called October...

"O hushed October morning mild begin the hours of this day slow

make the day seem to us less brief...

release one leaf at break of day at noon release another leaf

one from our trees one far away..."

~

Do you have a favorite beach? What's your favorite beach activity? Tell us what we'd find in your beach bag.

I live a tiny town on the coast of Massachusetts. My favorite beaches here are rocky and small and smell like home.

I like to look for beach glass when I'm on the beach. 

Most of the time I don't have a beach bag. I just sort of wander around the corner and onto the beach and leave with pockets bulging wishing I had thought to bring a bag.

~

What is your favorite beach movie?

I love the beach cottage in the PBS version of Sense and Sensibility. It looks so rugged and beautiful. I love when the little sister (Margaret?) makes the banner of seashells.

I suppose it's not really a "beach movie" but I love that beach.

~

What's a food you love but find it a pain to eat? Is it worth it?

Lobster and yes it is worth it!

~

Do you like rollercoasters? What is the best (or worst) rollercoaster you've been on?

I love the idea of rollercoasters. I think they look like great fun for people...other people. I've been on one and I will never go on another one. Not my thing.

~

My step-son and his wife just visited a beautiful beach on the very northwestern tip of Washington state. It's in an area called La Push. I went there one time in 1981 and I've never forgotten how beautiful it was.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Sunflower, good morning

 

It's almost sunflower season! 

Nature Notes

I should say that I am normally blogging at A Spirit of Simplicity. But I missed blogger and couldn't figure out how to transfer back so I started this new blog. 

Beyond the garden gate

 

Along the way are roses are bending over an old wrought iron fence perfuming the air with their sweet and beautiful fragrance. The scent of both new and old love, the scent of both wild and tame love, the scent of a summer's day.

Lavender spikes out from the garden beds and onto the sidewalks where folks walking by brush against it and release it's bouquet into the summer air. 

The Lavender is from my yard but the roses are from around the corner.

We have no stately iron gates at our house. Only ramshackle, derelict, care-free, old wooden fences  relaxed and leaning over and covered in lichen all silvery grey and green.

Snapdragons and Cosmos sway around the gate that separates the garden from the street itself.

A not so very busy summer afternoon is the perfect time to step out for a stroll. 

Dinner is a simple pasta salad with plenty of vegetables and fresh, juicy peaches for dessert. 

Minty raspberry lemonade sipped at the table in the back garden...

bees buzzing and dragonflies hovering about.

Summer afternoon, summer afternoon

to me those have always been the two most beautiful words

in the English language

-Henry James

Busy Monday

The Sunday whirl

 

Has the illusion been shattered?

I thought that we lived in a peaceful

perhaps even God fearing country

But now there are glimpses into the fringes 

of another world

the flash of a badge with secret names

dragons battle in the streets 

churning and stirring fire in the streets

babies snatched from the cradle of their mamma's arms

Is our skin so different than yours?

Do we not bleed together?

The illusion has been shattered.

~ ~ ~

churn secret battle names glimpse cradle skins dragons stir flash fringe illusion

The Sunday Whirl

Sunday morning coming down

 t

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7

I'm normally at A Spirit of Simplicity but I miss blogger and can't figure out how to switch back from Wordpress.

So...new blog but same me...Kara, Hopie, A Spirit of Simplicity.

Scripture and a snapshot

In my mother's garden

 Her mother had said the Rose of Sharon marked the end of summer

and now she knew that it was true

it was at the old house that she had said it

there, the Rose of Sharon grew at the end of the driveway, and was white

or such a pale shade of pink that it was hardly pink at all

this year she noticed that the Rose of Sharon was purple

and remembered about the poem she had read back then about the old lady that shall wear purple

Would it be like that for her mother

now that she was getting older

now that she was more than a pale shade of it

more than the pink that you could hardly see

Do other girls feel their mother's aging like 

Rose of Sharon

and remember the words they heard once 

in their mother's garden

Dane Street Beach

 

My daily commute takes me past a few beaches. This one draws me in and I find myself pulling over to catch a quick snapshot on my way to work. 

So peaceful and calm.

My Sunday snapshot

A Spirit of Simplicity

 

My sister sent me this old picture of us with my mother..probably circa 1966.

I'm on the right with the dark hair. I'm not sure what the story with my haircut is. It looks like I cut it myself.

Here is one that's a little more recent.

I am posting from this new blog. Normally, I am posting at A Spirit of Simplicity but I really miss Blogger. 

It's still me, Kara or Hopie as my grandchildren call me. 

~

Walking early of a Saturday morning. 

I watched this boat checking it's traps just outside the mouth of the harbour. 

Begin the hours of this day slow...

~

Sunday afternoon I felt a little peckish so I spent time in the air conditioning catching up on some reading.

~

Hydrangeas are the quintessential coastal New England flower in July and even more so when they are relaxing over a white picket fence.

~

Every morning when I leave for work my cat, Tucker, sits in the window to see me off. 

This is one of his favourite spots as it gives him a birdseye view of the neighborhood goings on. 

Some of the neighbors (especially the children) know his name and say hello as they pass by.

~ ~ ~

Friday fave fives

Songs from home

 

Fair winds and following seas