Tishy's News

Jim Gill's Words on Play: Profound Consequences

2012-01-15T13:30:00.000-05:00

Jim Gill's Words on Play: Profound Consequences: Last week I offered a workshop on the value of play to parents involved in the Parent Education Preschool in Roseville, California, ...

Reflections

2011-12-11T09:55:00.001-05:00

Just how do you say goodbye to a mother? I have kept myself absorbed and busy with the task at hand. Making her as comfortable as possible, shopping for little things she needs, cleaning some and constant trips to and stays at the hospital. What I cannot face is to never hear her voice again. To never smell her sweet smell. To never hug her and laugh with her. To not ever again pick up my phone and call her once or twice a day just to check in and see how her day went. Recently, I have spent as many hours as I possibly can right by her side but in day to day life there was rarely a day that went by that I did not talk to her. How do I begin to make those same connections with other people like I have done with my Mom for almost 55 years? I am the only daughter and only grandaughter of two strong women. I am numb almost. Going through the motions. I just do not want her to suffer in any way and I am helpless to fix anything. So I do my best. Fluff pillows, get ice, place aquaphor within her reach and love her.

2011-12-11T09:45:00.001-05:00

My Mother Kept A Garden

My Mother kept a garden.

A garden of the heart;

She planted all the good things,

That gave my life it's start.

She turned me to the sunshine,

And encouraged me to dream:

Fostering and nurturing

The seeds of self-esteem.

And when the winds and rains came,

She protected me enough;

But not too much, she knew I'd need

To stand up strong and tough.

Her constant good example,

Always taught me right from wrong;

Markers for my pathway

To last my whole life long.

I am my Mother's garden,

I am her legacy.

And I hope today she feels the love,

Reflected back from me.

Unknown

Here's to Big Bear

2011-11-08T09:39:00.003-05:00

Mama Troubles

2011-11-08T09:22:00.000-05:00

Mom had another set back. She unlocked the door in anticipation of home health coming and somehow when home health arrived, she was on the driveway with her head bleeding and incoherent. She wound up with a skull fracture and concussion with bleeding to the brain. She was in ICU from Friday until Sunday and now in a regular room. She is in lots of pain and has yet to be mobile because of the severe vertigo, Meds ordered last night to control the vertigo so hopefully that will help. Keep her in your prayers.

2011-11-05T23:06:00.001-04:00

Source: youtube.com via Selene on Pinterest

Been a long time

2011-10-15T10:04:00.000-04:00

I have not been posting to blogger very much in the last year. Seems as though facebook has taken over but I really want to try and post here more often. Just posted a cover of an iron and wine song my son Travis did just recently and thought I would take the opportunity to post what has been going on lately. My mom has been battling pancreatic cancer. It all happened rather suddenly and it seems as though we have all lost summer and fall as a result. She had been sicker than usual this summer and we were not sure why. She had made some trips to the emergency room only to be told she had pancreatitis. Come to find out...what was really happening ...was cancer. She underwent the Whipple procedure on September 13 and was lucky to have been one of the twenty percent who get a chance to even have the surgery. It is a major surgery right up there with transplants. She seemed to be healing nicely but developed a fistula from the pancreas which has made her have to keep the drain tube in much longer than was anticipated. She stayed in hospital two weeks then came to my house for two weeks. I took her home on Sunday night only to discover Monday morning there was a swelling developing underneath her incision. They put her back in the hospital and did surgery again on Tuesday to clean out an infection that had been festering beneath the site the whole time. She just got out yesterday. The bandages will have to be changed twice a day until the wound heals. This could be weeks or it could be months. She still has the feeding tube and the drain tube in place that also have to be cleaned and flushed. She has been able to eat very little and as a result has lost over thirty pounds in six weeks. Nothing she eats smells or tastes good to her to the point of making her sick. It has been a chore trying to keep her hydrated and nourished even a little, which in turn makes her even more tired. The irony of this is how much she has always enjoyed food. It has been one of her greatest pleasures in life. I am wanting so badly to get her stronger before she has to begin chemo and radiation. The fortunate news is that there was no evidence of cancer cells in the lymph nodes or in surrounding organs from the biopsy done at the initial surgery. There were however cells found around the margins of the pancreas. She will have five weeks of chemo (pill form) and radiation. Please pray that her body heals, that her spirits lift and she develops and keeps a positive outlook and increased faith that with each healing day she has been given a chance for living. I fear that the fighting part of her spirit is giving up.

2011-10-15T09:38:00.001-04:00

Hickory (Iron & Wine) by Pilots & Errors

2011-04-05T00:06:00.001-04:00

Broken Hearted Friends by Pilots & Errors

Avett Brother cover If its The Beaches by Travis Wilburn

2010-11-02T22:02:00.000-04:00

2010-11-02T22:00:00.000-04:00

2010-09-27T21:41:00.001-04:00

<a href="http://pilotsanderrors.bandcamp.com/album/july">July by Pilots & Errors</a>

2010-09-25T16:47:00.000-04:00

http://vimeo.com/14235967

Long Time no post

2010-09-12T20:35:00.005-04:00

I have not been on the blog for quite some time now. I have been so super busy this summer learning how to be a grandmother and then getting a classroom ready that I have had little time for myself or others that I love for that matter. I have been wishfully (somewhat selfishly) thinking I would love some sitting time by a creek or running water. It is hard to find that here, living on the side of a busy road like we do. Running water and trees and quiet brings me great happiness. Really much more than happiness... more like a calm peaceful bliss that kinda takes over my soul like nothing much else can. The coming of Autumn always makes me feel a little like this. I get a rather deep feeling of melancholy and longing this time of year. Can't help it. It just takes hold. I have a need to embrace it and feed it.

We did take a trip to Nashville and Kentucky Down Under last weekend and I got a few pictures of our short little spelunking adventure. It was fun but a little overpriced for what they had to offer. We also took a trip to the Loveless Cafe in Nashville while there. Even though the Biscuit Lady is no longer alive, the biscuits and preserves were just as good as always. Someone must have been watching and learning along the way and a special angel is in heaven looking down guiding and overseeing the biscuit making. Worth a trip to Nashville just for the biscuits, peach preserves and fried chicken. We bought Trav a guitar pick and a container of the biscuit mix to take home and left it there. Oh well, there is always next time.

Lincoln Nashville Bound

2010-07-12T00:50:00.000-04:00

nashville fireworks

2010-07-05T11:09:00.000-04:00

lincoln and rain and sun

2010-06-03T20:35:00.000-04:00

Lincoln with his eyes open!

2010-05-17T01:12:00.001-04:00

Lincoln's Birthday

2010-05-15T21:27:00.000-04:00

Lincoln's Birthday

2010-05-15T12:11:00.002-04:00

Lettuce, Spider webs and Rain

2010-05-02T17:53:00.005-04:00

Spring is absolutely here. Lettuce is coming up nicely and all was right with the world until a couple of days ago. The rains have started and they just do not know how to stop. Our oldest is in Nashville, where we are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new grandson. Hoping now he will wait like he should because the city is just having the worst flooding they have ever experienced. Really afraid if we get the word to travel now, we will not be able to find our way easily. Praying that people all in this flood zone are making their way to safety and get a dry warn place to lay down their heads tonight and in the coming days. We have had a tremendous amount of rain in Ky. but noting like the devastation Nashville has had in the last 24 to 36 hours. Video I have seen is awful.

Busy few weeks

2010-05-02T17:32:00.004-04:00

Went to see Over the Rhine again last Saturday. They were wonderful as always. I am a little bit sad that there are no true music venues for small independent groups though. If someone had the right spot and just a little cash, there would be money to be made and a lot of very happy people. It is hard for me to understand why a University town would not have more music in on a regular basis. There are great spots all over campus that have wonderful acoustics and just the right amount of seating. Just the acts that come in for WoodSongs alone would do well if they were here the day or the night after the Woodsongs taping. Oh well..... Here are a few pics. The lighting was dim and the lights were different colors so quality not great but it was a very good show.

2010-03-29T00:39:00.001-04:00

Went to the riverwalk in San Antonio today. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Just a great day to be out and about and alive!

Texas Bluebonnets and wild flowers

2010-03-27T22:02:00.001-04:00

Spring

2010-03-21T21:01:00.002-04:00

I always get a little nostalgic in fall and spring. In fall, I dislike everything (plant life and all) dying but there is a sense of acceptance because everything has played out and it is time. As much as I love spring and the wonderful feeling all of the new life around me brings, I can't help but to feel a little melancholy. I think of all the people in my life that have passed and are no longer on this earthly world to experience the beauty of rebirth one more season. I spent the afternoon trimming, unearthing, raking, plowing and planting and could not help but to think of the people I love while I was experiencing the excitement and anticipation of new life.

2010-03-21T12:05:00.001-04:00

Gabe and Melody's baby shower

2010-03-18T06:20:00.001-04:00

Max says he hopes everyone had a great St. Paddy's Day!

2010-03-14T13:55:00.002-04:00

Daffodils - a poem by by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

I cannot wait to see the first blooming wave of the daffodil. Mine are up but not showing blooms yet. I have seen my first crocus bloom and am eagerly awaiting the forsythia show. Sometimes they bloom on my birthday but not this year.

Fallen Firefighters monument

2010-03-02T06:29:00.003-05:00

Sunday before last was glorious. We went down to see the new monument and to find Roger's date of service brick. Here are a few quick pics. I will add more later.

Snow brought the robins!

2010-02-15T12:32:00.004-05:00

We looked out this morning and saw about 100 robins total flying in for an early Spring. We had about 3 inches of snow this morning with a few more scheduled to be here by afternoon. Roger had shoveled a path for Max to go out because he is so small he gets buried in just a small amount of snow. The robins landed right outside of our windows hense the smudges on the glass where Max's little wet nose has been.

Happy VAlentines Day!

2010-02-13T12:14:00.001-05:00

My oldest son making his woo face

2010-02-09T13:34:00.004-05:00

My oldest son and his wife are expecting a baby boy around the first week in June. I found this picture of Gabriel as a newborn to post because in pictures we have of him since he was very young, he looks towards the camera, holds up his number one finger and says wooo.... started with enthusiasm for sporting events but has carried over now as a joke. His wife gives him a hard time about it and I just wanted to show her that really he can't help it. Must be a genetic thing because he was doing it as a newborn! Too funny.

Another snow day here

2010-02-09T13:28:00.002-05:00

It started out snowy. Three inches or so by 3 in the morning. It has turned over to rain so everyting is a wet slushy mess. Chances of more tomorrow I guess. I do have a little springtime in my window though. An Amaryllis bloom given to me by a friend at work. I look at it and think of Spring right around the corner.

Bubble Fun!

2010-01-26T17:07:00.002-05:00

Gabe, Melody and Abbi Grace came in town this past weekend and Abbi Grace and I had lots of fun once again. I think the most fun she had was in the whirlpool tub. I put in a little shampoo and turned on the jets for a bit and it makes some awesome bubles. I did not turn on the flash again so they are a little fuzzy but what fun! I did not think the bubbles would ever go away. They were teeny tiny ones and piled high. I even had to remove some to the two sinks. She loved it and said "I am gonna remember this day for the rest of my life! I love getting to have them here. I usually get so busy I forget to take pics.

Kentucky vs Louisville

2010-01-03T14:11:00.002-05:00

Looks like what we did to Louisville after a messy game of elbowing,pushing choking, rolling around etc.

Egg Nog and Fruit Cake

2009-12-28T17:12:00.004-05:00

I guess you either love or hate egg nog and Fruit Cake. I love both of them. I have not had a really good fruit cake in a while though and this year or last year I did not get any. I have a recipe for one but never get it together early enough to make it. I like the moist fruit cakes that have more nuts in them than anything else. Yum. And don't get me started about egg nog. I love it. I never can get any of my family to drink it though. I do not really care for it with bourbon or rum in it. I think that ruins the sweet, creamy good taste of it. Oh well, I guess to each his own. I just keep drinking a glass a day in a frozen mug. Wow. What's not to like? Christmas was good but I am just about wiped out from all the hustle and bustle of preparation. I was running about a week or two behind this year. Wish I could sit down, visit and enjoy it more. Just as I get ready to sit down and visit everybody decides to leave. I need to get a better game plan. I did not get very many good pictures this year. I was running around tending to food and forgot. The ones I did take had the camera set to video mode, so they look rather funky.

The Best Christmas Pagent Ever-Mini Movie

2009-12-24T11:30:00.001-05:00

I love this book. I cry every time I read it out loud to people.

Our New Baby

2009-12-23T11:03:00.003-05:00

We went for an early ultrasound to see what the gender of the baby is. Could not get a true 100% shot because of the umblical cord but 85 to 90% sure it is a boy!

Gabriel's For Christmas

2009-12-23T10:49:00.003-05:00

We just got back from Nashville. Gabriel and his family could not come in for CHristmas, so we managed to squeak in there for a few days just before Christmas.

2009-12-23T10:37:00.002-05:00

When the search seems futile, we often find what we are looking for right in our midst. May the spirit of Jesus embrace and keep you safe and strong this Christmas.

The Very First Nightengale's Song

2009-12-23T10:27:00.003-05:00

I thought everyone would enjoy this song the few days before Christmas. I really like it as a reminder to give what we have of ourselves and the great beauty behind that will be revealed. Merry Christmas.

I have always loved the power behind this song.

2009-12-10T16:22:00.002-05:00

This is Max as he is adjusting to his new home. He gets sweeter every day! He still is not barking very much if at all, but doing very well on all accounts. He keeps me warm while I type.

2009-11-26T22:36:00.003-05:00

This is another one of my favorite poems from childhood. It was in a children's poetry book and I loved to hear my Mom read it to me before I could read. She would just recite it most times but I loved looking at the picture in the book and hearing her voice and the words. I love reading it and hearing it read. The way the words are written and the cadence of the verse makes you visualize being in the swing. You can hear, feel and see swinging.

The Swing

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside--

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown--
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

Robert Louis Stevenson

2009-11-26T22:22:00.001-05:00

We had our first flakes of snow tonight. Just a few flying amidst the rain. I have always loved this poem so thought I would post it in honor of the first official flake os snow.

1923 New Hampshire
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-21T10:45:00.002-05:00

I am having mixed feelings about this Thanksgiving. It will be the first one that I can remember really being without my family. It will be the first one in almost 30 years that I have not cooked at least a large portion of the meal. The hardest part about it all is that it was my own decision to do this. I am taking a class and have a major project/research synthesis due and need the days off from work to devote to completing this assignment. I always have the time off from work but the cooking of the meal takes at least three days. One to shop, one (the day before) to advance prep food items that I can, then the actual day of Thanksgiving, cooking, cleaning and getting everything ready for the guests. Not to mention the time it takes to clean up and put everything away. I just don't have the time to do all of this. I feel doubly guilty because my Mom's birthday always is around and on Thanksgiving. They are heading to Nashville to be with my oldest sons family. I know they will all have a great time, but I am not happy I can't cook. Nashville folks work schedules would not allow them to be here anyway this year, but I hate not following through with a tradition that does mean so much to everyone. I just have to do this for me..... so fly away turkeys.... Gobble on another day. Loved this picture of some turkeys I caught at a pumpkin patch this fall. Thought it fitting to use now.

2009-11-17T17:02:00.000-05:00

2009-11-14T11:54:00.002-05:00

THE LAKE ISLE OF INNISFREE

By William Butler Yeats

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a-glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

2009-10-28T18:31:00.001-04:00

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2009-10-04T20:33:00.002-04:00

Gabe and Mel came in on Friday evening and have been here for the weekend. Don't know if I posted here or not but they are expecting! Yay! A new baby in the family. We have not had a baby in a long time around here. Nashville will seem even further away once a baby is in the house. I will have to see what this skype is all about. It was so very good to see them. They will be in again in a couple of weeks for Ashley's wedding.

Trav had a little gig at a local coffeehouse called Common Grounds on Saturday night. We had a good time and all went well. The pics turned out a little blurry but that has been happening lately, so I hope everything is well with my camera. Our laptop went DOA and our new stove is messing up big time so the saga continues with my luck and electronics and appliances. I think it has something to do with my electric personality! HA! I can never wear a watch for over a year. They always give up and die. I think I do carry an extra electrical charge because static electricity builds up so badly in me. I shock myself to pieces on everything I touch especially in the winter. Later!

2009-10-04T20:31:00.000-04:00

2009-10-04T20:30:00.000-04:00

2009-10-04T20:28:00.000-04:00

Friday FIll In

2009-10-03T13:38:00.002-04:00

1. My car _____. (needs a wash and detail very badly)

2. ___________ is coming up next. (Trav's gig)

3. Lately, things seem ___________. (out of my control)

4. ___________ is one of my favorite 'hiding' places. (My backyard swing)

5. What happened ___________. (to responsibility)

6. ___________ is not impossible! (Finishing this class with me still intact)

Maxi Moo!

2009-09-30T16:27:00.000-04:00

2009-09-30T16:26:00.000-04:00

Maximus Teddy

2009-09-30T16:24:00.000-04:00

New Little Dog

2009-09-30T16:11:00.002-04:00

Well... we did it. Got a scruffy little matted mess at Jessamine County Humane Society. He was just pitiful! I have never seen so many fleas and matted spots. Took him straight to the groomer to be shaved. They could not save much. That is really my excuse for putting clothes on him. I thought he would be cold. You know after having a quilt on and then bare naked. I can't wait to see him grown out and cut in a true puppy cut. He is very sweet. So far no barking at all and only one little accident in the house. The first night we got him. Loves to cuddle and he is truly Roger's dog. Follows him everywhere. We decided to name him Max because my niece said he looked like Max on the Grinch. All long ears, pointy nose, skinny, and just plain pitiful and with a heart as big as Christmas! We shall see how the days go. Good for now.

2009-09-26T19:29:00.000-04:00

I have never been hurt by what I have not said.
Calvin Coolidge

2009-09-17T16:37:00.000-04:00

Gabriel's Branch Bank Opens

2009-09-17T16:31:00.001-04:00

2009-09-10T19:04:00.001-04:00

Where the Sidewalk Ends
by
Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

2009-09-10T18:49:00.003-04:00

I love this poem and had not read it for a while. Thought I would read it and post it this week.

The Road Not Taken
by
Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

McConnell's Springs

2009-09-06T17:56:00.004-04:00

Went to McConnell Springs today for the first time. Really pretty and hard to believe it is right downtown. The 250 year old Burr Oak was unbelievable. We also stopped by Versailles Road and took a few snapshots of my Dad's grandparents old house. They have been gone for years and the house no longer is owned by anyone in the family. Wanted to take some pictures before it is torn down. Looks so different than when I was young.

2009-09-02T18:06:00.003-04:00

An artist is never ahead of his time but most people are far behind theirs.
Edgard Varese

Found this poem on A Quiet Life blog. See attached link. I liked and thought I would post it for pondering. I need to take heed.

Write it on your heart

Write it on your heart
that every day is the best day in the year.
He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day
who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.
Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on the yesterdays.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Alela Diane

2009-08-27T17:34:00.001-04:00

2009-08-26T20:37:00.002-04:00

Agatha Christie
I have enjoyed greatly the second blooming that comes when you finish the life of the emotions and of personal relations; and suddenly find - at the age of fifty, say - that a whole new life has opened before you, filled with things you can think about, study, or read about...It is as if a fresh sap of ideas and thoughts was rising in you.

I am trying to keep the aging process in perspective and these words ring so true. Each day is filled with possibilities and ideas and wisdom. Trying to learn to not "sweat" the silly day to day as much. Don't get me wrong. I still struggle with it every day but those things don't seem so all important lately and I think I like it.

Deck before and after

2009-08-26T20:30:00.002-04:00

Roger took the end panel off the deck to create another entry and exit off of the deck. Then I got the wonderful job of painting it. Had not been that long but last years ice storm and the roof being replaced did a number on the deck paint. So here are some before and after shots.

Concert

2009-08-23T12:11:00.003-04:00

The concert was awesome. We got there way early after eating at Kingfish on the river. We were sitting in the parking lot and looked up only to see Linford and Karin pull in and park right in front of us. We were face to face. I felt like such a groupie. Katie Herzig opened for them and it was a great night. Nice venue. Held about 450 and was sold out. I tried not to use flash and all my pics were blurry. The architecture was very industrial and modern so no pics there. I have got to read my manual and figure out how to get an indoor pic that has good color and not blurry. I was trying to zoom because the tallest man in the house was right in front of me so I had to try to angle around his head and hold camera still. Then I would think I had it in focus and she would move. Oh well... Too busy listening to get a good shot anyway.

Over The Rhine

2009-08-22T13:13:00.002-04:00

Roger surprised me and got tickets to an Over The Rhine Concert in Louisville tonight. Getting ready to hit the road and go check it out! I am so excited. The last concert we went to of their was at an old church in Cincinnati. This one is at an old church as well so I am hoping to get to take some shots with my camera that show some of the architectural details. Here are some pics I got last time.

2009-08-22T12:53:00.000-04:00

I borrowed this poem from another blog. I just loved it and thought you might too.

Initiation Song from the Finders Lodge by Ursula K LeGuin

Please bring strange things.
Please come bringing new things.
Let very old things come into your hands.
Let what you do not know come into your eyes.
Let desert sand harden your feet.
Let the arch of your feet be your mountains.
Let the paths of your fingertips be your maps
and the ways you go be the lines on your palms.
Let there be deep snow in your inbreathing
and your outbreath be the shining of ice.
May your mouth contain the shapes of strange words.
May you smell food cooking you have not eaten.
May the spring of a foreign river be your navel.
May your soul be at home where there are no houses.
Walk carefully, well loved one,
walk mindfully, well loved one,
walk fearlessly, well loved one.
Return with us, return to us,
be always coming home.

No time to post lately

2009-08-17T20:37:00.005-04:00

I have not had much time to post anything lately. We have been very busy around the house and at work. Abbi Grace came to visit and stayed for a few days. I took her back to Nashville but before we left we went across the street to the pond to feed the duck's some corn. She liked them all and when she got some corn in her shoes she was worried that the ducks were going to peck her toes. She has them curled up in some of the pics.

2009-08-04T19:24:00.000-04:00

Raccoons!

2009-07-19T21:56:00.003-04:00

We had a little surprise today. I was picking green beans and visiting with mom and Roger was trimming the bushes outside in the front yard when he came in the livingroom door telling me there was a raccoon in the bushes. Come to find out there were four or five raccoons. Took a while to get them to leave so I am not sure what to do so they will not come back. Cute but tricky vicious little critters. There is a pond acroos the very busy street and I know they like a water source nearby. Time will tell. We have also had a lot of problems lately with rabies. Not really sure if I should call someone over the problem or not yet. I do not want them trying to get in the trash and or in the garage. Anyway the pictures are cute as we discover them and try to get them to run out of the yard.

New Grand Puppy!

2009-07-19T00:07:00.002-04:00

We have a new little grand puppy that visits at our house these days. He is so cute! I can't get used to his name just yet (because I do not like the name for a dog) but I am sure I will come up with my own little twist to it. They are calling him Andre. He is a cutie. A mini schnauzer, just like his sister.

Been busy and have not posted in a while

2009-07-18T23:48:00.005-04:00

Whew! We have been on yet another whirlwind few weeks. We returned from Florida and were home a day and had our Texas family in for a visit. I did not take pics very often because I seemed to stay in the kitchen or had forgotten my camera. Too much else to remember as we left the house. We really did not do too much. Got some garden work and yard work finished in and around visiting. We just spent a lot of time hanging out and visiting. Syd and I did go see a movie together and then RaRa, Dylan, Ryan, Sydney and I went to the lake one day. Gabriel, Melody and Abbi Grace came to visit last weekend. We got to see the wedding pictures and honeymoon pictures which were very good. Kenzi came today and she had fun watering with RaRa. She did not think she should really take a nap today so she was full of energy trying to stay awake. Mamu came to visit and play with Kenzi. We had fun.

2009-07-08T00:23:00.001-04:00

2009-07-07T23:31:00.003-04:00

Morning Visitor

2009-06-29T11:22:00.001-04:00

We have an early morning visitor that comes each day. I think it is an egret? I need to find out. Sure is cute.

Another Beautiful Day

2009-06-28T21:14:00.005-04:00

We went to eat at a pizza place tonight and it was good. Different varieties that you could try. The spinach with ricotta and mozzarella was very good. The crust was crisp and crunchy without being salty and greasy. The we went out to Bridge Street pier. An older historic pier on the bay side. A pesky pelican was begging for bait and I caught a few good shots of him. There was a crane that was perched and wanting a crab that had attached itself to the side of the pier. A little boy tossed him a fish which satisfied him for the moment. The crane was the same type that has been visiting us each morning on the deck.

2009-06-26T09:27:00.000-04:00

Windy morning

2009-06-26T09:13:00.003-04:00

Woke up this morning to wind and clouds. I am out on the porch. Only place that allows wifi connection and am hoping sand does not blow up my nose and in my face. I now need to decide whether or not I will clean up this messy place or take a walk on the beach and chase the clouds away. Maybe I should just get up off this computer and do both! HA! Vince and Susan are probably fighting Atlanta traffic by now and are on their way down here. They will stay a few streets over. Happy Anniversary you guys! Can't believe it has been five years already! Seems like yesterday.

More sunny days and sunsets on Anna Maria Island

2009-06-25T22:28:00.002-04:00

Strange windy weather for the last few days

2009-06-24T15:18:00.003-04:00

We have had some strange weather around here. It was very calm today after some evening thunder and lightening and a very windy rough day yesterday. When all of a sudden a squall blew in that blew everything around. I had just gotten out of the water and boom! We had to rush around and gather loose items and take down the canopy for fear it would blow away. Still windy but sunny. A little storm action is taking place out in the gulf so blowing things up a bit. Got cleaned up so now deciding what to do for the rest of the afternoon. I like to hang out at the beach all day! Sunsets have not been great either since we have been here. Too hazy from the stormy weather. Will try again tonight. Still beautiful though. Even a windy day in paradise all good! Pictures blurry because I have been having some trouble with focus in the dusk time of day.

dolphin

2009-06-24T15:08:00.003-04:00

went to the Rod and Reel pier last night and caught this little dolphin swimming around the pier on the bay side. Lots of little fish in the area so he was having a snack. I could not catch him very well with the telephoto. He rolled on his back once and was really showing off but I did not catch it. Maybe tonight I will catch some and I will try video this time.

Anna Maria

2009-06-22T22:39:00.004-04:00

Loved this Spanish moss that we saw on the way down. The one close up has some good bokeh in the background. It has been hot, windy and humid here but by the water it is not bad. Today the waves were too big to float comfortably, so it was get in and get out fast.

2009-06-20T09:16:00.002-04:00

The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work.
Robert Frost
US poet (1874 - 1963)

Why post about work? Work and worry could both be my middle name. That is why I am trying to work through my worry by getting away and relaxing. Getting ready to start the second leg of the journey today. Then Ahhh. No worry. Fun work! Love to you all.

Dad- Did you feed the dobermans last night? Franklin and Howie love you! Make sure you keep them fed. They get hungry and testy if they have to wait too long. Love yA!

2009-06-19T01:28:00.001-04:00

As the traveler who has once been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one other culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our own.

Margaret Mead

Heading to the Beach

2009-06-19T01:17:00.002-04:00

We are headed to our favorite little Florida Island in the morning. Wish us well and pray for our safe travel. We need a relaxing and slow paced vacation right now for a variety of reasons.

Mama so sorry I did not get to talk to you this evening when you called. I wanted to call you at 7:15 but you know that is a bad time of night to interupt your television viewing! HA! Go check on the little cucumbers and sugar snap peas. Pick what you can and enjoy. I will be sad to miss all of the cucumbers that will soon be ready.

Travis, thanks for holding down the fort! We greatly appreciate it.

Just look at this lovely place though!