Category: Good reads

The Devil doesn’t need to attack the Church, he just needs to join it

The White House is starting to look less like a seat of power—and more like a cafeteria full of mean kids who never grew up.
The President posted an AI video of himself flying a “King Trump” fighter jet—raining feces bombs on peaceful No Kings Day protestors.
Yes, the President of the United States did this.
Earlier last week, his press secretary responded to a journalist with a “your mom” joke.
His communications director quickly doubled down, proudly.
And when a 2,900-page leak exposed the Young Republican National Federation swapping racial slurs, rape “jokes,” and pro-Hitler messages, there is one appropriate response.
To denounce it.
But Vice President J.D. Vance?
He didn’t condemn it—he excused it.
“Kids do stupid things… especially young boys,” he said.
Except these “kids” aren’t “young boys.”
The average age in that chat was mid-20s to mid-30s—
grown men who can rent cars, hold office, and apparently praise Nazis in their free time.
This isn’t immaturity. It’s intentional cruelty.
It’s the celebration of ignorance,
the glorification of bullying,
the coronation of anti-intellectual stupidity as a virtue.
And the silence—or worse, the laughter—from the so-called “party of faith and family” exposes not only how bullying has become cool again, but this time around, it’s Jesus-endorsed.
Biff Tannen. Johnny Lawrence. Buddy Revel.
Every 80s movie villain would be proud.
And yet they look straight into the camera,
wave their Bibles,
and call themselves the party of God.
Let’s be honest:
God doesn’t anoint bullies.
Jesus didn’t bless mockery.
And the Holy Spirit doesn’t speak fluent “your mom.”
Ephesians 4:29 says,
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up.”
But this administration doesn’t build.
It belittles.
So when a nation cheers humiliation, mocks mercy, and treats cruelty as comedy—it’s not politics anymore.
It’s spiritual and moral decay dressed in empty, performative Christianity and patriotism.
And while they weaponize cruelty for applause,
too many Christians stay quiet, afraid to upset the empire.
Bullying isn’t leadership.
Cruelty isn’t courage.
Mockery isn’t strength.
If this is what the “party of God” looks like,
If this is what the American Christian Church is okay with,
then the devil doesn’t need to attack the Church—he just needs to join it.
– Pastor Brandon

Heaven is Here

 

Pardon the poor spacing in various places here… wordpress can be maddening and I’m done wrangling it for the day 🙂

It’s late August and fall is knocking on the door with cooler nights and the leaves  on some trees are actually starting to turn.  Around the farm with not enough rain, our tomato plants, grape vines, raspberry bushes and so on  petered out early.

Molly and Lacey eating breakfast

The girls at the EggPlant enjoying some free range

With current events what they are, I’ve been distancing myself more often so that I can enjoy my time on this earth as best I can, and the people I love that are in it.  We live in remarkable times, both good and bad.   Here’s some of the good….

 

A dear friend of mine posted this a few nights ago. He has had some remarkable adventures, some incredible highs and some very deep sorrows but he always finds his way to a better place regardless.  With his musings he  brings me and anyone else lucky enough to read or hear  his stories along for the ride.  I keep telling him he needs to retire and write a memoir… he’s my modern day Charles Kuralt.  Michael, I hope you’ll forgive me for sharing.

    “On a late August evening where the calendar said summer, but the air had that hint of Autumn; I went down to Lynnie Lou’s Ice cream in Naples, New York  for the last “Car Cruise Night” of the Year. It’s a summer staple every Wednesday night in June, July and August and I’d yet to make it to one this summer.
   
     Aside from the ice cream (peach sundaes were plentiful), the fare was burgers, fries and rings along with music and joyous, exuberant (but very bad) Karaoke. The crowd was decidedly older (as am I) but the evening and night were perfect. Everywhere I looked people were smiling, having a grand old time whether eating, looking at the cars, getting ice cream, bravely doing Karaoke, dancing or just chatting with friends.
       All sorts of old 50’s cars…. some Corvettes and old pickup trucks…. even a 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, complete with a huge rear spoiler and dressed in a can’t miss me color of “Hemi Orange.” Occasionally one of these old beauty’s would fire up…..go for a spin and head up Rt. 21 with tires squealing and glass pack mufflers echoing a sound I had not heard in years. A sound of my youth.  Lynn the owner of the ice cream stand was cooking away at the grill singing to the music while young high school kids waited on the many hungry customers in line for a burger.
     Scenes like tonight take place all over small towns across America. Sitting there soaking it all in on a perfect summer night I was as content as I’d ever been. The line from Field of Dreams came to mind where the numerous ball players ask Ray Kinsella…. “Is this heaven?” Tonight if I’d been asked that question I’d have answered…… “No its Naples!”
      There are small towns that dot the landscape of America all across this great land….and I’m very happy that I chose this one. Thanks, Lynnie Lou’s for a special evening that made me feel right at home (and oh, I really do think this is heaven.)” 
   
     I’ve been painting more of my “tiny painting series” in preparation for our upcoming artisan market.  This is our 10th year of collaboration to put on this show, and I am so grateful for all the volunteers who come together to help us make it happen…  and especially my market partner, Linda, who is more organized than I will ever be. We make a good team and that is such a gift.  With over 90 quality artisan vendors and some really awesome food selections, it takes a village.
     Mia’s Rocks… My granddaughter and I picked some rocks on the beach in Maine and we made this heart at waters edge.  I painted it as a keepsake ❤️
     This is a scene another dear friend took while on his boat watching fireworks…  he has already collected this tiny painting, a reminder for him of a wonderful night he spent with his wife and friends in his favorite place.. on the water in a boat he’s restored.
     When the season from summer to fall begins to change I spend more time in the kitchen and begin the hunt for new-to-me fall recipes. Having good food on the table for my family brings me tremendous satisfaction. The cleaning up part, not so much, LOL.   I also bring out the big binder full of recipes I’ve been collecting since my early 20’s – many of which are from family and friends, some of whom have departed.  The handwritten ones are my favorites…. and each time I make their dishes it feels a little like bringing those loved ones back into my kitchen to say hello.
My daughter brought this home from first grade class and it’s a wonderful bread to have on the counter in fall months.
Aunt Ro was a wonderful cook who could whip up a big four course meal for the whole extended family – If you like Brushetta, this is a good recipe.  She left us last year in her 90’s.
Marge was the mother of a man I dated briefly.  We became life long friends and she also lived into her 90’s.  Marge was a fountain of optimism, I always enjoyed time spent with her,   her enthusiasm for life and good old common sense were golden rays of sunshine even on the dreariest of days . She loved horses and dogs, too… and the state of Montana, which she and her husband visited whenever they could travel out west to visit a few of their sons.
  Till soon, friends –

 

Ogunquit

Just a three hour ride from our farm, Ogunquit, Maine  has become a favorite place to visit.   For the past 40 years we have vacationed on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, where I have certainly had a love affair with the rugged natural terrain and the charming New England villages, the cottages, the beaches and dunes and the restaurants, the artists…. the farming community and the summer revelries, the quiet ones and the big ones like illumination night at the campgrounds and the agricultural fair.   All of those things are still wonderful… but tourism has really done a number on what used to be the vineyard experience.  Now.. ferry reservations are hard to get and not always reliable, the price of summer rentals is through the literal roof, the crowds and traffic… I feel for the locals, they must hate it all, even as they need the income it brings.  Sadly, in the past 30 years, the uber wealthy have taken over and caused a very real housing crisis.  Families who have lived on island for generations have had to leave or are struggling to stay put…. employees and employers struggle to find help or housing because there is very little affordable housing.  All of these things have changed the experience a bit, and it’s a little heartbreaking to witness.

A friend recommended Ogunquit… just a jump up the coast from the Vineyard as you arrive in the State of Maine…. and let me tell you… it’s a beautiful thing.  Just as on the Vineyard, the sea air is refreshing.. the water clear and bracing… and strangly… in just that little distance.. the people are friendlier.  Happier, it seems, less harried.  My guy has a hard time unwinding, as his job is very demanding 24/7…. but here… he lightens up and that indeed makes my world a little lighter too.

Our sunrise walks along Marginal Way are our most favorite part of the day….

The red sun is caused by the smoke coming down from the Canada fires…. there was a faint smoke scent in the air during our visit.

The food… the food!!  Halibut or Lobster, blueberry stuffed french toast, the bakeries, the ice cream…. two favorite breakfast places I recommend if you travel to this wonderful town are The Greenery Cafe (and order yourself a Honey Lavender Latte, you’ll be glad you did) … and The Egg and I.

Restaurants we love our The Maine Catch, Robertos… Barnacle Billys in Perkins Cover just down the road, and there are many others to choose from.

And speaking of Perkins cove… it doesn’t get more charming than this quaint little seaside town…

A charming shop owned by two lovely men….

I hope to return to this magical place for many years to come, God willing and the creek don’t rise.

As  we were sitting on the lawn of Anchorage by the Sea relaxing with fellow vacationers, we witnessed the cat fight between The Orange Scream and the X-ecutioner.   Now… the Mr. is a conservative republican forever and a day, so you can imagine the conversations we don’t really have, for they always become arguments.  I could not revel outwardly in this  Knew-it-was-coming moment , nor could I  remove the “told you so” smirk from my face, but being on vacation had a soothing effect of sorts, so we both just kinda watched it unfold, one in horror but in disguise, and then there was me, the smirker.

In the history of ever… have you seen a more appropriate representation?

I don’t wish harm on anyone, and especially these United States and our fellow countrymen, no matter what your affiliations, religion, life choices, as long as you’re not hurting others.   And that’s exactly why I am so alarmed at what this country is becoming… Tr*mp’s America.    That doesn’t mean I don’t recognize the reason we arrived at this destination that is Tr*mp 2.0.  And I blame that on the past failures of both parties, and the lack of solving our very real and long time  problems,  including immigration reform, healthcare reform, government overspending, corruption… the lobbying…  and the  division that has been encouraged for decades now, but more so in recent times.   And it really comes down to this simple truth – together we stand, divided we will fall… hard. The End. Literally.

Anyway!…  out of the muck of the place and back to the 🌟JOY🌟.. . and people…please give yourself this simple gift…  let go of the crap that drags you and catch joy wherever you can.  I find it in a good book, in the clear water I wade through, the smooth rocks and pretty shells nature provides, my children and grands… the smiles of strangers… good food shared with others… the animals (!)  and even a 35 year marriage where we are really more alike than we are different, when we’re not waving vigorously our flag of the opinionated stubborn italian/irish/german cloth we are cut from.   Immigrants, all of us.  Remember that, too..and how empathy and kindness can go hand in hand with fixing what’s broken… and should.

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods…

Till soon –

 

Hope Floats

I’d like to see a bit more of this world before I leave it, and I still hope to do a little of that… but I have to be realistic in that I married a man who has a hard time being comfortable outside of his well trodden box. In recent years to help ease my wander lust I’ve taken to hiking the trails that are in abundance around our state, amazed at how many there are for the public to enjoy. The diversity of the geography of  Connecticut as a state gives me a lot of options and it’s a great way for me to get exercise, too .   I’m not a gym rat, I just don’t enjoy spending a lot of time in one place running or walking to nowhere. But when out in the woods or along the beaches, there’s always something to marvel at, to discover, to appreciate.  And nature brings me peace.

When checking out a new trail system in Essex, CT I discovered a little free library at the trail head.  I browsed the books and found a gem to take home – Following Atticus, by Tom Ryan.  If you’re a nature lover, a dog lover, a lover of old souls however complex… I highly recommend his two current books and especially subscribing to his blog or “substack”  a new term to me.  He’s currently on a five month hiking journey driving across country with his two rescue dogs, which has become an annual trek. His photography is just beautiful… He describes his journey, the landscapes, the people he meets along the way, with kindness and an honesty that is so needed.

An excerpt from Tom’s post this morning…. and if you’re not familiar with E.B. White.. he gave us Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little and many other stories….

_______________________________________________________

……..In 1973, White received a letter from a man who had lost his faith in humanity. Many of you have undoubtedly read White’s response, but for those who have not, here it is.

North Brooklin, Maine,
30 March 1973

Dear Mr. Nadeau:

As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness.

Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society — things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly. It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man’s curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out.

Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.

Sincerely,
E. B. White

____________________________________________________________-

If you’re so inclined… his two books are Following Atticus, and Will’s Red Coat.   If you would like to check out his Blog/Substack…  it can be found here.  I highly recommend a subscription.  The visuals of his travels alone are so beautiful.

https://tomryan.substack.com/

    So I’m looking at the start of a new decade and with this one in particular, the aging process really kicks in physically and mentally. There’s no question I have let myself latch on to some excuses and some fears when it comes to pushing physical boundaries to reach better fitness- I’ve let the pains that come with living an active life slow me down and I got lazy too. My number one goal is to stay relatively healthy and active till the day I die, like most of us, I suppose. I’ve contemplated many things that go hand in hand with that goal, but no. 1 for me now is to stop letting fear ( will I make my arthritic neck and hands worse?) and complacency stall me. At this point most of us have some issues- mine is some arthritis from all the years of horse and barn work, significant hearing impairment and the stress that comes with it, and the pain associated with “ fibromyalgia” , whatever that really means. Also, My stress reliever is making and eating food. Not always the healthy kind. My face is puffy, I’ve got a menopause gut, and I could lose 25 pounds and not be too thin. It’s time to stop complaining, stop fearing age and hold myself accountable. My hope is to come back with another picture that shows progress in a few months and a better path to healthier aging. Some simple changes I’ve made in recent months are increasing my hikes and walks, drinking more water and eating and preparing more healthy meals- greens, berries, nuts, fish in more abundance. Less meat, much less processed foods. Now I’m coming back to the gym just for 20 minutes of  light weight training about four times a week.
  Till soon, friends…

 

Four days later….

 

Two posts in one week?  Welp… it’s dark and damp and chilly outside and while the barn chores beckon, they can sleep for another hour, yet I cannot… so here I sit.   Middle middle age has not been kind in the sleep department.   I wish I had a good solution for that.

I used to talk politics a little (well, mostly my outrage) here on this blog but I’ve tried to get away from it as much as is responsibly possible for my own sanity.  What I will say is I am truly so discouraged by the state of things in this country regarding our governing bodies.  The infighting that prevents solving our critical issues, the division between civilians, not just our elected officials.  The corruption, the egos, the greed, the failures.

Out of that rabbit hole we go…  On to  more cheerful things…  and one place I find solace is in the writings of a now deceased author who’s words still ring true for me in all matter of things,……. Gladys Taber.    I wrote more about her  here in THIS blog post if you’re interested.  AND.. if you’re a Gladys fan already, I just discovered I ordered a book of hers that I already have in my collection. So, I’ll happily ship it off, once it arrives,  to one of you if interested.  Let me know in the comments and one lucky person will receive it.  The Best of Stillmeadow is the volume I refer to.  Her books are no longer in print so I find them occasionally on old book seller sites.

Some snapshots of my days here on the farm….

These photos above and below taken days apart – New England weather fluctuates tremendously. No jacket one day, hats and gloves the next.

Sometimes you just buy your own damn flowers 🙂

Sunset on our hill

My heart 💗💗

My favorite folksy artist… Jane Newland out of the UK

Words to live by……

      Till soon –

Better Together

 

Do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?  …The fifth of May happens to be our first date 37 years ago. Holy shit – thirty seven years goes by in a flash.  A lot has happened in those 37 years… mostly good, some great, and some awful.  We have our differences, like big ones..  we were married, divorced and remarried all in our 20’s.  But… we come together in the most important ways and as I get older I value that more than anything else.   As anyone who has lived for a while knows….Life can be hard at times and having your best friend by your side through it all is a lifeline.   Better together.

 

Speaking of friendships, love and  lifelines… have you read the book or watched Firefly Lane on Netflix?  I loved it, I think in the  series they got it perfect, the love, the laughs, the trials, triumphs, the heartbreak even.  Give it a look or read  if you haven’t already.

I keep glancing at the political news and I just cannot believe all the dumbfuckery, the cruelties, the hypocracies  and the deceits.  Where can the truth be found… and trusted?  Where are the consequences?   And it’s hard to fathom that we don’t have better candidates to refresh our political landscape with something more logical, forward thinking,  honest,  folks with a –better together –  mentality.  Jeeezus, all the corruption.  And  all the old men should just go. Just… go.

I’ve been walking with Kai on local trails, hope to expand our horizons elsewhere in the state soon, the ticks have been brutal already.  I have yet to find an all natural spray that actually repels them all, but maybe it’s helping somewhat.  If you have suggestions, please leave them in the comments.  The trails, the woods, the fields, the rock outcroppings, the shoreline… just beautiful.  It’s where I recharge and I love having a dog to share the hikes with, he motivates me to get out there, keep moving.   Better together.

Our grandson is doing well, despite being born so early he is tiny but mighty and growing, thankfully.  Almost two months old 💙 Our granddaughter is due in a few weeks! Say a prayer for a safe and healthy delivery for mama and baby, will you?  To watch both my children become parents at the same time, and us becoming grandparents! (which we just love beyond  description!) .. is such a gift.

 

 

I like to make a fruit/greens smoothie at breakfast time occasionally – a favorite mix is frozen dark cherries, a banana, some honey, a handful of blueberries and a handful of spinach.  Delish!  and good for you. Try it!

This farm continues to give me peace as I tend the critters and the barn, appreciate the gardens and walk the fields and give thanks for our journey  to here.

I hope all is well in your world,  thank you for stopping by.

Till soon,

 

The Happening You Must Focus On

 

 

     It is easy to mourn the lives we aren’t living. Easy to wish we’d developed other talents, said yes to different offers. Easy to wish we’d worked harder, loved better, handled our finances more astutely, been more popular, stayed in the band, gone to Australia, said yes to the coffee or done more bloody yoga.
     It takes no effort to miss the friends we didn’t make and the work we didn’t do and the people we didn’t marry and the children we didn’t have. It is not difficult to see yourself through the lens of other people, and to wish you were all the different kaleidoscopic versions of you they wanted you to be. It is easy to regret, and keep regretting, ad infinitum, until our time runs out.
     But it is not the lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is the regret itself. It’s the regret that makes us shrivel and wither and feel like our own and other people’s worst enemy.
     We can’t tell if any of those other versions would have been better or worse.      Those lives are happening, it is true, but you are happening as well, and that is the happening we have to focus on. ~Matt Haig
(Book: The Midnight Library) 
    I love that passage so much!  I also read the book, and while it wasn’t one of my favorite reads, it’s a good one… and that group of text above? Spot on.  Who among us hasn’t dreamed another dream, had a few regrets, wasted too much time on what isn’t.  And we all know, life is short and too precious for such nonsense.  I am a firm believer in making the best of every day, even when I catch myself doing anything but.  Then I readjust the sails.
     The new barn has been a Godsend here on the farm. Both of our girlies are very pregnant and I’ve taken over all barn chores again, which means a lot of water buckets and hay bales and stall mucking etc. etc.   With the yoga and stretching/meditation I’ve taken up, my body is faring better than I had expected. 40 plus years of all that work  has left me with some arthritis and worn parts, blah blah. But it’s also made me a strong work horse and I’m grateful to  still be able to do it. And I love those animals so.  They are my heart and my peace and my salvation often.  We got our first real snow of the winter on march 1st.  In New England, that’s just strange. But it’s made all that work easier on this older girl.
      I have always felt the sky is like  a painting we live under, it’s landscape always changing, and all we ever need to do is look up to see the mood of the moment, the beauty of nature, the temperament of the weather gods.  Who hasn’t marveled at a full moon rising, the night stars on a cloudless night, the rolling roiling storm clouds coming across the horizon or the gorgeous colors of a beautiful sunrise-sunset.  On the hill and fields of this farm we have what I call big sky country, a big patch of blue  with  many glorious sunrises and sunsets.
  I made a few more recipes from The Lost Kitchen files…
New England baked beans and brown bread –  first time I ever bought a slab of salt pork, had to ask the butcher where to find it at the store.
 And Waldorf Salad – with apples, celery, Fennel, arugula, lemon juice and zest,  candied walnuts, mayo, salt & pepper… SOOO GOOD!
     The Mr. turned 59!  We had a lovely family dinner at one of our favorite restaurants near our Stella by the Sea.  Our mothers are still with us and we are so grateful they are here to meet their first great grands.
 Cheers to many more years!
 I completed the Woodstock, VT  Middle bridge painting, whose true angles are a bit skewed in any photo taken, so this was a real challenge and it’s far from perfection, but I’m glad I attempted it.  The bridge for me  represents many happy family memories there  and hopefully more to come.  The lighted star up on the hill is the first thing I look for when we drive into town.
   Had a physical this week, and it’s clear I need to get serious about cleaning up my diet.  Cholesterol numbers less than stellar, weight – about 25 pounds overweight.  Bleh.  I get plenty of exercise, so… as the doctor has often said… it’s what you put in your mouth.   Each new day is a chance to get it right.. right? I’m making a concerted effort to improve those numbers.  Being a food loving person and one who likes to cook and bake for others, it ain’t easy.
      I hope all is well in your neck of the woods – till soon 🌹

Mild Winter Days and the Lost Kitchen

 

Hello from Leo and I… Leo is my son’s “first son”….  in this photo he’s doing his typical thing when I go visit him at lunchtime on occasion – I have to coax him out to pee and have a snack, and then he takes up his vigil in the big chair once again looking out over the driveway because *WheresMyDAD*.   The rest of us are just furniture.

Their cat, Lily… well she could be described as a honey badger… if you know, you know.

Yesterday was T-shirt weather here in New England. Crazy for February!  However, with my girlchild very  pregnant with her first child and my taking back over most of the barn responsibilities .. I am so very grateful for the reprieve.  It makes barn chores so much easier.  So many of the mornings have been glorious!

Bella and Star approve of the fine weather.. and they love their new living quarters in the new barn and barnyard.  They’ve got more room to roam and run up and down the front hill, leaping with joy. I love to see it.

Our old man, Max-a-million is doing very well, we’ve been able to manage the glaucoma in his left eye with meds.  After a long show career and service to many people, this is the retirement every horse should get but seldom do.  I am grateful to be able to grant it to him.

Our recently adopted blind mini, Molly is my most favorite horse… she is just amazing with her navigation skills.  Our other mini Lacey tolerates her, and that’s about it.  At least she doesn’t abuse her, which was the case in her previous home.

Beautiful Leah graces us each day with her company.  A very good minded horse, she will always have a home with us, as she is wonderful to ride, will be great for the grandchildren to learn to ride on  someday and while she was bred to show and it’s true she’s a bit fancy for a “home horse”,  we know she much prefers this life to the grueling show life.

Have you been watching The Lost Kitchen (HBO MAX) … with reknown chef Erin French?  I love that show… what a resilient person. Her food is phenomenal and creative, her story remarkable.  I treated myself to her cookbook and her memoir – Finding Freedom.. and The Lost Kitchen cookbook.   SO far I’ve made her fried chicken with perfect potato salad and blueberry sweet and sour sauce,   and her pear cake.  Both are out of this world delicious and not hard to make.   If you’re a foody or just like a great true story of redemption and triumph,  I highly recommend these two books, and I’m not being paid to say it.  Even the photography is gorgeous. You might come to love Maine and its salt of the earth people, too. I already do.

Have you ever cooked with a cast iron pan?  Man, what I have been missing! I was intimidated by the “seasoning” of the thing and the first one I bought many years ago rusted because I washed it like any regular pan.  This time I’m doing it right and you really can’t beat the results.

     I hope all is well in your neck of the woods – Wishing you love and light this Valentines Day – Not everyone has a Romeo in their lives, if you do.. you are very lucky indeed.  There are so many ways to celebrate love.. and most especially for yourself!  Treat yourself in the ways you find comfort, indulge in the good chocolate, make  (or buy!) that chocolate cake.  Buy the fancy dreamy creamy soaps, splurge to frame that painting.  Buy the flowers,  and know this from the bottom of your blessed heart…

you are loved and loavable❤

 

Till soon, friends –

 

 

a Quilt of a post

Well let’s start with an actual quilt! Through blogland I have met some wonderful people, some of whom I consider dear friends.  I have been collecting my son’s old t-shirts from childhood with the intent of having a T-shirt quilt made for him. Finding someone to do it proved difficult.. and then it dawned on me I have a very talented friend who does all sorts of creative things including sewing but mostly weaving beautiful towels, rugs, shawls, etc. for many years.  So I asked Hilary over at Crazy As A Loom if she’d be willing to give this project a go, and boy did she ever! It came out better than I expected, my son loves it too. She said it’s her first T-shirt quilt, and her last, LOL.  As I suspected, it’s a mighty pain in the a&& to make, but I am so grateful she was willing.  My son and daughter in law are  expecting their first child in May and one day this will be an heirloom for generations to come. It’s so warm and cozy.

Not sure if it’s the strange weather, a too warm and then frigid cold  winter we’ve had here in New England… this fibromyalgia body has been in flare.  When that happens I’m tempted to get lazy and slow down but with all the barn chores that’s not really possible and I do find if I keep moving I’m better off.  I walk often and hike occasionally – this weekend we went over to the Scout Camp at Deer Lake and hiked to Fat Man Squeeze.  I’m glad I still fit!   When I adopted Kai he was a timid soul, so much so that on these hikes he would be afraid to go over big logs, afraid to climb rock  and ledge, afraid to go into caves or up the very narrow squeeze.  With the trust we’ve built over the past two years, while he’s still timid, he has come a long way and easily goes where I go without freezing, without me having to carry him up and over as we did initially.  It’s a beautiful thing.  Truly he is the best walking/hiking companion I’ve ever had.

I’m not a bendy person, so certain forms of Yoga make me look like the walking dead…..but yoga is really good for this fibromyalgia body and years ago I found a DVD set and used it for a long time and it really helped. It was great for beginner or low level yoga people like me. We got a new Tv  system and no longer had DVD player and I just stopped, which was dumb. I’m thrilled to say I just found the exact series on Amazon prime $15 purchase and I can do it right in my office while it streams on my screen or on my flat screen tv in the family room via prime video. If this sounds like you to some degree- I highly recommend the Kate Potter series, seasons 1 and 2 in particular. It’s Calming, fun, enough of a work out that you accomplished something, and helps you stay limber, strengthens your core and overall body.

I’ve also carved a little time out for painting… the bridge picture is coming along… still much to do but I’m happy with it’s progress…

The following made me laugh out loud, and anything that does that is worthy of sharing…

Reading a good book right now, that gives a different perspective on the fallout and a different kind of  victim of the Holocaust.. another dimension, another layer I had never given thought to before, and I have mixed feelings about it as well.   I recommend it if you’re a reader – very well written

  I hope all is well in your neck of the woods…  Thank you for stopping by

Till soon!

From Karen’s Mother

For those of you looking for a little light in this dark hour, may I suggest a book my book club is discussing this month, “The Day the World Came to Town” by Jim DeFede. It is not new, twenty years old in fact, but just as relevant as it was on the day it was published, maybe more so. It is a reminder of what we can be when we embrace with grace and goodwill our shared humanity.

Compiled from interviews, this slim paperback describes the events in Newfoundland that followed the detouring of 38 international flights to the Gander airport on 9/11/01. Into a town of 10,000, planes arrived with a total of 6,595 passengers and crew. Among them were people from Moldova, Africa, Germany, two adopted babies from Kazakhstan, a New York couple worried about their firefighter son.

The outpouring of goodwill from the native Newfoundlanders was boundless. People, individually and through their organizations, offered shelter, clothes, showers, medicines, toys for kids, and hot meals to weary passengers. Luggage had to be left on board planes and no one was allowed off until security measures had been taken. It was hours before most of them knew what had happened in New York, Pennsylvania and D.C.

Even before passengers had disembarked, the townspeople had organized the logistics for shelter and food without skipping a beat. They were not only generous, they were smart and thorough in their planning and gathering of resources. “For the better part of a week, nearly every man, woman, and child in Gander and the surrounding smaller towns… stopped what they were doing so they could help. They placed their lives on hold for a group of strangers and asked for nothing in return.” writes DeFede in his introduction.

I had to smile when I got to page 64 and read “The Gander Lions Club has forty-seven members and a building it shares with the local senior citizens’ group…Pulling up to the Lions Club, the buses were greeted by a dozen people all waving and smiling and calling out, “How she going’, buddy?” The stranded passengers in those buses were given a place to sleep, food to eat, and their first look at a TV and the news from the States. Here was another group of Lions like our own in Killingworth, in another country, following the same motto, “We serve!”

The information on the history of Newfoundland, its people, and that of Gander airport, though brief, is interesting and relevant to the events of the week. But it is the authenticity and generosity of its people that will not soon leave you. Perhaps one of their favorite songs says it best:

Raise your glass and drink with me to that island in the sea

Where friendship is a word they understand.

You will never be alone when

you’re in a Newfie’s home,

There’s no price tag on the doors in Newfoundland.

There will always be a chair at the table for you there,

They will share what they have with any man.

You don’t have to worry friend if your pocket is thin,

There’s no price tag on the doors in Newfoundland.

And for five days in September of 2001 they proved it. (A popular Broadway musical, “Come from Away” is about the same events.)