life – Page 20 – This Old House 2

Renewal

Spring took her time this year, but I think it’s safe to say she has arrived full figured and flaunting it. Finally. When I step outside in the morning the smell of damp earth greets me as I make my way to the coop and barn to tend the critters that make this place a farm.

Garden plots are tilled…

The grass is greening up…

seeds are sprouting in the greenhouse…

We’ve got enough Basil to appease the whole of Italy, I do believe…

There are buds on the trees…

The girls are free roaming whilst I keep watch for circling hawks.

(ugh)

This here is Henrietta… She is a Cochin, and I just love her small stout

vintage look. She reminds me of chickens you’d find in childrens story books…

When the hawk attacked one of my flock last week and I reported it on FB..

my daughter texted from work…

“OH NO.. NOT HENRIETTA??”

No, she’s just fine.

..and Andy.. my pretty blue andalusian girl.

I wish I had ordered more of these, they are beautiful and kind.

Yes, chickens can be kind.

The horses have shed a good part of their winter coats

and the shine is coming through. This is an indication of good feed and hay,

overall good health.

The Mr. has sprayed the fruit trees with oil that helps keep the bugs off..

We lost a few to this wicked winter.

I’m finding it hard not to focus on the horrible events in the news this week..

Such sadness and loss. Anger, questions.

..I want to know who it was this time… domestic, a lone wolf?

International? I’m not sure which would be worse.

But life goes on in the season of rebirth…

Life goes on.

PS. I had to remove the anonymous comment ability,

received too much ugly spam. I apologize to those who use this feature often

to join our conversations. Also, many of you leave wonderful comments that I’d

like to respond to or thank you for, but your e-mail is blocked. Just want you to know

your input is appreciated always –

It’s a new day, all – let’s hope they catch the Fucker responsible for this

monstrosity in Boston and he/they are consumed by their own blackened hell.

Words fail

What lurks in the minds of

these Evil souls who carry out such hideous violent acts..

What justifies the killing of innocent people…

Another tragic day in our people’s history.

We are ALL the people of this world..

why can’t we live in peace.

Words fail, indeed.

Sending prayers to those lost and suffering in Boston..

just that.

Self Appreciation

The guy and I spent yesterday afternoon in Westerly, Watch Hill and Misquamicutt, Rhode Island, checking out the beach damage still to be cleared up after Hurricane Sandy (remember that one?). More on that in tomorrow’s post. Today… I want to discuss an issue I’ve dealt with all of my life. Self Appreciation.. or Self-Depreciation, which is more to the point.

Mike took this picture of me yesterday as we stood on East Beach looking out over the water.

Here’s what I’m getting at. Later, at home when I looked over the days pictures, I saw this one and immediately thought… oh, jeez, I look chubby! Crooked smile, wrinkly face, muddy skin, double chin, blah blah proverbial blah. All that negative internal noise. I’ve been doing this my whole life, and it’s just nonsense. It’s self torture so many of us inflict on ourselves. I recognize my bad habit, and I have tried in recent years to improve how I talk to myself. I’ve also learned to accept compliments graciously, instead of brushing them off with an incredulous.. HA! Hell, if we can’t be kind to ourselves and appreciate our own being, who else should? It all starts right there.

This is why you will occasionally see a picture of me on my blog. It’s not because I think I’m all that. It’s because I am making a conscious effort to like myself, to put myself out there, despite the fact that my internal voice is always mocking my photographs, my body type, my stature, my inability to get down to the 114 lbs. I was married in. I could go on and on. But I’ve decided I won’t… not anymore.

We are all our own little miracle. Just look at how these bodies work for us, what we accomplish every single day. Thank The Powers That Be that we are all individual, each different and significant in our own way. How very boring life would be if we all conformed to one particular mold. Who sets the gold standard for beauty, anyway? And… Beauty means so many things.. kindness, compassion, caring, an appreciation for this incredible world we live in.

We all possess beauty, do yourself a big favor and make sure you’re not blind to your own.

It’s a new day, people.

Make it a good one, you beautiful thing.

Easter traditions

My kids are young adults now…

and the whole hiding of the eggs and easter basket hunt

tradition is long past appropriate.

When they were little, I would hide their baskets somewhere either in the house

or out in the yard or barn depending on weather.

I would map out a treasure hunt with clues in plastic eggs..

one egg clue led to the next egg clue, until the basket was revealed in it’s hiding place.

I can’t get away with that anymore, and I miss those rituals dearly.

I still fill their baskets with chocolate and peeps and jelly beans..

and more useful stuffers like funky colored socks and Nike gift cards.

No complaints so far 🙂

We’ll have family over tonight for a ham dinner

and chocolate and banana cream pies for desert.

We were all raised Catholic but no longer attend mass.

It’s my belief there are many ways to do right in this world

and it doesn’t have to happen inside the walls of a church.

There’s no question, though, that mass and religious rituals bring

comfort and a sense of community to so many.

My cathedral is a walk in the woods or along the beach.

Do some traditions continue in your house or have they gone by the wayside

as time rolls on? If your children are still young, what are your traditions?

Happy, Blessed Easter to you and yours –

may your basket be filled with joy.

Defining marriage

We’re all aware of the national conversation taking place over the last decade or so about marriage, and in particular, gay marriage. In 41 states, marriage is defined as a union of two people, a man and a woman. 9 states and the District of Columbia have declared gay marriage legal. There are, of course, rumblings on either side of this issue.

My personal view is very simple… to each his own. It’s not my business who someone else is attracted to, who they want to share their life with, or what they do in their bedroom. If you are a religious person, meaning you believe in God our Creator, are you of the belief that all are created equal? One is supposed to believe that God loves all his children. How, then, could that possibly exclude those who are gay? If two people of the same sex fall in love and want to live a life bonded in marriage and family, what gives us the right to deny them? And this brings me to another issue – I don’t think gay people have a choice, anymore than I have a choice that I was born heterosexual. I’m grateful that I am heterosexual, actually… because I don’t have to live with the prejudice that gay people still deal with on so many levels.

You might wonder why I’m bringing this up today. Every now and then I see yet another article on this subject, and I keep wondering why it’s still such a big issue. There are so many BIG fish we need to fry in the national conversation, why is THIS still one of them? I happen to know two gay couples who live much more harmoniously and are more giving of themselves to their community and the world at large than many heterosexual couples I know. As for the debate on whether or not they can be good or “qualified” parents… I can’t say I’m an authority here, but my belief is that in today’s world, if a child has two adults who are loving and nurturing and provide a quality life consisting of love, healthy living and education, what more could you ask? So many children who were mothered and fathered in the “traditional” way, go without. SO many.

I realize I am taking a risk by posting on this subject, because it’s controversial. Hell, just the other day we had controversy over the issue of cell phone use, knock me over with a feather! I could make this blog conform solely to hearts and flowers, inspirational quotes, recipes, chickens and horses and fairy tales. Just to keep it safe. I like all of the above mentioned things, but I want to talk about the Grit in life, too. I think that’s why some of you come here, because we’re keeping it real. I may offend some readers because your opinion may be very different than mine, that is not my intention. I have no problem with differences of opinion and that you might want to share that opinion in the comments section here. I believe that kind of conversation represents growth. What I ask, though, is that you show respect and refrain from putting down others. If we could all just learn to communicate without insulting each other, we’d clear one of the World’s major hurdles and there would be a better understanding and tolerance all around.

Just sayin.

Signs

…..We have many of them here at This Old House.

I think it’s important to find atleast a little humor and a little inspiration in each day.

These signs serve as a reminder to the occupants of This Old House.

Love + Inspiration + Humor = a more contented World.

We could all use more of that.

Are you getting your GREEN on?

Although it’s never believed by my appearance alone,

I am Irish as well as Italian. T’is a beautiful thing, if you’re to ask me 🙂

Amen, I say.

Any excuse to join in in some way, celebrate and have a little fun

should be put to good use – whether you’re Irish or Italian or German or Japanese.

Today, where ever you are…In large cities, along the beach, at church,

or in small town USA… , notice the camaraderie.. the wearing o’ the green,

the serving of the green beer, the green bagels at the bakery… The PARADES!

Anything that brings us all together in a good way, is alright by me.

My mom has already prepared the corn beef, cabbage, potatoes and Irish Soda bread.

Delish!

Are you wearing your green today?

Just a thought here….

Now, first understand that I don’t need donations to start up my Little Free Library. I’ve got plenty to stock it. However, if you love the idea too… and are an avid reader and book collector as I am… you can help me stock the library by sending a book you have already read and don’t mind never seeing again. It can be a childrens book or a gardening how to book or a romance or mystery, best seller or new author, whatever! I think it would be really fun to see the diversity of what we can throw together. If this is something that you’d like to join in on, I also recommend writing your blog address on the inside cover indicating to new readers that you donated the book. Send me an e-mail if you want to donate, and I’ll give you my mailing address. karenthisoldhouse@hotmail.com

Below are a few more…

cute window box!

This one is located in Ghana….

And this one is in Memphis!…

alittle imagination goes a long way!

Little Free Library

I saw this on FB the other day, and I loved the idea so much I asked if this could be my b-day present. The Mr. said yes. Soooo… I’ve ordered one, and it will soon be out in front of This Old House, next to the vegetable cart we are apparently resurrecting this summer. If you’re a local and you know where I live, feel free to borrow, keep or donate a book any time. I’ve been such an avid reader over the years, I have hundreds of books. What a great way to share!… and even though there is a library here in town, encouraging the practice of reading, unplugging from our gadgets,…. it can’t be a bad thing. My Little Free Library will be located on the road at the second driveway (brown barn entrance). Help yourself!

“Little Free Library was started in 2009 by Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin, who decided that giving away books from his private collection would serve as a fitting tribute to his mother, a teacher. With the help of a community outreach expert, Bol was able to spread the concept. Now there are almost 18,000 library stewards as Bol calls them, who have registered their own Little Free Libraries in 45 states and dozens of countries. Each owner pays a $25 to the nonprofit organization to get a sign and a number, and to be on the locator map at http://www.littlefreelibrary.org/

It’s a beautiful thing

Southern Comfort

I think my southern blog friends Andy and Mandy have taken pity on us northerners with all the snow that’s been dumped on us lately. Yesterday, much to my surprise, the mail lady came trudging up to the side gate with a package in hand…they really do deliver in sleet and snow!